Starving for Content NOT THAT KIND OF MUSTANG
WORDS: NATALIE HARRINGTON + ALEX WAGNER | PICTURES: ALEX WAGNER
The “Starving for Content” column typically follows Museum staff as they evaluate a vehicle during a trip to one of New England’s many foodie-worthy destinations. This time, we’re doing things a little differently, featuring Museum member Alex Wagner’s story of a once-in-a-lifetime experience with a rather different type of transportation. Wagner has a 1988 Peugeot 505 wagon and a 2000 Mercedes-Benz SL500, but this particular trip was more about the destination than the drive. Anticipating the straight shot and the many highway miles from his home in Boston out to Westfield, MA, he felt his 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid and its modern driverassistance tech would be better suited to the task. Planes circling overhead began to break up the monotonous scenery as he approached the Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport. This was his destination: He and his friend, Ben Sivonen, were meeting for ridealongs as part of the AirPower History Tour of the Commemorative Airforce.
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“Walk through the gate, and the first thing you see is a B-24, then a B-29, a T-6, and then, most importantly, the P-51.” It was the P-51 Mustang “Gunfighter” that had drawn them there. Knowing how much Wagner has always loved the plane, Sivonen had purchased the experience as a wedding gift. Wagner describes the pre-flight briefing as “nerve-wracking,” though he says that the excitement of being briefed while standing on the wing of a P-51 made the risk feel very much worthwhile. In his own words: “Have you ever been skydiving before?” isn’t exactly the most comforting question a pilot can ask you before a flight in a 78-year-old aircraft. The briefing continued with the procedure in the event of a catastrophic failure. “I’ll pop the canopy and call ‘Bail Out! Bail Out! Bail Out!’ What you’ll do next is roll out of the plane. Aim for the front
Right: View inside the cockpit (I spy a LAAM hat!) Left: View from the air
