Billings Airshow - Late 1950's

[A. Niemyer]

Courtesy of my friend, aviation writer and Boeing guy, Rick Morgan: A nicely transferred set of home movies transferred to YouTube of one or more of the late 1950's airshows at Billings, MT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l68vxNRuC1Q

Best,
Andy

[Tom Charlton]

Hi Andy,
Very good. Huge variety of aeroplanes there. Folks sure knew how to dress up to come out to the airshow back in the day. Lots of coats –n- ties.

Regards,
Tom Charlton

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

Hi Andy,
Very good. Huge variety of aeroplanes there. Folks sure knew how to dress up to come out to the airshow back in the day. Lots of coats –n- ties.

Regards,
Tom Charlton

Tom -- Nobody got no business running around an airport in a tie, or high heels.

They were right there on the cusp of the heavy jet age.

[Randy Sohn]

right there on the cusp of the heavy jet age

I forwarded that "vih-day-oh" (Connie Edwards pronounciation of it) to a couple of my Frontier Airlines chums.

best, randy

[Ray Tackett]

The film titlo says it's 1956, 57, or 58. I'm thoroughly familar with cars from that era, and the newest I saw in the opening parking lot scene were three 1955's -- Ford, Chevrolet, and Oldsmobile.

[Tom Charlton]

Tom -- Nobody got no business running around an airport in a tie, or high heels.
They were right there on the cusp of the heavy jet age.

Scott,
It was back when they knew pilots were gods and the formal attire was to pay respect. Then someone uttered some off hand, disrespectful, remark . . . something about pilots, big watches and other stuff. It’s been downhill ever since.<g>.

Regards,
Tom Charlton (Pilots: Looking down on mere earthlings since 1903)

[Rod Madsen]

The film titlo says it's 1956, 57, or 58. I'm thoroughly familar with cars from that era, and the newest I saw in the opening parking lot scene were three 1955's -- Ford, Chevrolet, and Oldsmobile.

That blue 55 Chevvy could have been mine. I had one just like it in 1958.

[Terry Carraway]

That blue 55 Chevvy could have been mine. I had one just like it in 1958.

You had a two door? They are not common.

My Dad bought a one new, 55 Bel Air two door, in 1955. It was two tone, blue and white, with the side molding the break line. Later repainted solid blue.

That was MY first car, after we spent a year dropping a '57 Buick 364 into it. Isky cam, Thompson Al pistons, balanced, Al flywheel, Borg Warner T-10 close ratio, Hurst shifter, 4.10 Posi rear.

[B.Butler]

We had a '56, same car, different taillights. Same paint scheme in black & white.

[Richard Duxbury]

Somehow, I think in my time at Northwest, we would perhaps fly a DC-10 from Billings to ORD a few days a week. I was just a junior B-727 FE or copilot. Circa 1968 perhaps. Guess I could check. Yes, even in Montana flying those days, most folks were not wearing cut off jeans and flip rubber flops.

Regards, Dux, once owned a used 1956 Ford while going though USN flight training at Pensacola in 1958. Think it was a V8 , but with flat heads?. Rear wheel drive and three on a tree tranny?

[Terry Carraway]

Not a flat head. Last US domestic flat head was 1953. They were used outside the US until the early 70s (trucks in Germany).

The V8 in the '55 Chevy was a 265 cu in. And was the first version of the iconic Small Block Chevy, that is still being produced today.