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Congrats Eric,

This is the best news I've heard all week! You'll be an asset to whomever you work for.

Eric, Congratulations and wonderful news. Working on old WW2 aircraft sounds like a dream job! Here's a WW2 era PBY and one that I worked on and flew many hours in during my youth. At the time it was the same vintage as me ( 20 years old) so not really an "old " airplane. This old "Canso", as they it is called in Canada, are a real handful and not suited to aerobatics! I imagine a P-51 would be a lot more fun.

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Congratulations on the dream job Eric. It's amazing how these things seem to work out. The P-51 is one of the "sexiest" planes ever built.

Carl, sorry to hear about the crash of the Tuskegge P-51. My dad is a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Detroit chapter. He is not an original Tuskegee grad (joined the Air Force in the 50's)but he served with many of them in his 26 year career. I've had the honor of meeting several of these gentlemen over the years.

Also congratulations and lets keep good thoughts some of our other friends here also have the same good fortune.

Eric,

Congratulations! I got to fly in a P-51 as a passenger when I was 16. Wow, what a plane. One of the highlights of my life. Working on them should be quite the experience!

Tom

Thanks for all the support guys! It's funny how these things work out, and it all happened because of a book that Mal had sent to my house to forward to him, "Packards at Speed". I took it to work a few weeks ago to look over while on lunch. At some point in the night this guy comes in that needed help, and happened to notice the book and picks it up. "I didn't know you were into Packards!" he says, and I relpy, "Of course!!" Then he goes on to show me some of the Packard Merlin's in there, and starts telling me ALL about them. I told him, "Man, you sure know alot about them", and he replies, "I should, my dad has been restoring them since before I was born!". So I decided to jokingly say "That's a dream job I'd LOVE to have!", to which he replies, "I'll ask my dad if we need any help!" And last night he told me to come out, they need some help, and I'm welcome to help! The one catch is, the engines are built here in Wichita, then taken down to Alva, Ok, for installation in the Mustangs. They go down there every time they do some work, and the preferred method is flying! So, even though this is probably a "part time" and "under the table" job, it's better than flipping burgers or running a cash register!

Let me add my best wishes for what sounds like terrific work. That book and it's companion, "Packards at Speed" are just wonderful volumes that every Packard lover should have, and how nice it made a connection for you. I'd bet money that Bob Neal's next book on the bathtub era Packards will be just as readable and enjoyable, and just as thoroughly researched.

That is good news Eric! Glad to hear you're employed again. With your skills you will be a big help in the rebuilding of those engines. Keep us posted!

1943 Packard Merlin horsepower: 1,490.
1952 Packard 327 horsepower: 150.

Eric,

FANTASTIC!

Great to hear of the "dream" job. Lucky the book ended up in your hands, how perfect. I'm glad to have played a part in this, although in a roundabout way.