As a fan of history, it is not often that one has the opportunity to "touch" history. And yet, I had the rare chance to do just that last week, when I photographed several WWII aviation artifacts in a private collection. They belong to my friend and P-51 Mustang fighter ace, Bob "Punchy" Powell. Having lived through the dark days of WWII, he has since amassed quite a collection of memorabilia, including several items I'd never seen before.

Last summer at Oshkosh, during the event known as "AirVenture", I was having a casual conversation with Debby Rihn-Harvey, while making a few portraits of her for Women in Aviation International.  We were away from the main hubbub that is Oshkosh, in the Weeks Hangar. It is where all the aerobatic pilots keep their aircraft during the week of the show. It is large, secure, and close enough to maintenance help, should it be necessary. We were shooting in an area off the main floor, where we had set up an impromptu studio.

It is not often that one has the opportunity to literally “step back into history”, but that chance occurred this last week when EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast was in town on it’s fall tour stop. I got up early (twice!) to make photos as the first light of day broke over the horizon. Not only was it possible to take a “ground tour” of the aircraft, but it was also possible to take a half-hour ride.

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Women in Aviation International (WAI) Conference, held here in Atlanta. To say it was an “eye-opening” experience would be an understatement. Not only was it a good chance to network for the attendees, but it was a celebration of everything positive in aviation. One thing that I noticed right off was the fact that probably a third of the attendees were military flyers. While this is no surprise to me, having been in the military in the 70’s and 80’s, the ratio to the overall number of attendees (about a third...) was a bit of a surprise. It is obvious that the military has come a long way in offering positions of leadership and responsibility to women, and it was also obvious that they have more than met these challenges.. Rarely have I seen a more intelligent, competent, and motivated group.

For those in the know, just the mention of “Oshkosh” brings an instant glimmer of recognition. It is simply the “Mecca” of aviation, at least in the United States. The largest General Aviation (GA) show in the country, it is said that at any one time, 10% of the GA fleet in the USA is at Oshkosh during the week of the fly-in. It is a fly-in, a trade show, an airshow, but it is also much more.

I’m pleased to say that I had the chance to spend an hour with him last summer, at the invitation of a mutual friend.

Bob "Punchy" Powell, who holds a piece of the cowling from his crashed P-51 Mustang.