Comments: 117
  • #117

    Brian & Mary Helwig (Wednesday, 20 September 2023 19:21)

    Our thought & prayers are with all of you. Christopher we will miss you so much our dear friend & your favorite saying "This dog will hunt". You left us doing something you loved. God bless your family, Condor comrades, Mackey's family and all who knew & loved you. Go in peace. Love The Wig & 8 Eagles

  • #116

    Michaelanne Gayosso (Wednesday, 20 September 2023 13:54)

    My deepest condolences to Chris's family and the whole Squad for your loss. I have been bringing my children and now my grandson to many functions over the years. When they fly over our home in the SFV we all run out to watch them. Now my grandson Dom wants to get to the Airport before they land. We usually make it. You all have been a part of all our lives and we appreciate and are Proud to stand with u all in keeping a part of our history of WWII alive.

  • #115

    Kim DeBolt (Tuesday, 19 September 2023 19:33)

    My sincerest condolences to Chris's family and friends. I have watched the Condors fly over my house for 36 years and it always makes me feel proud. RIP.

  • #114

    Pat (Tuesday, 19 September 2023 18:56)

    You were greatly loved and respected by so many Chris. Now you are soaring through the heavens. Watch over your Condors and keep them safe. Condolences to your family and friends. RIP Chris.

  • #113

    Mark Ball (Tuesday, 19 September 2023 09:22)

    Truly a great loss to aviation and all who knew or met him. My sincere sympathy to his family and the Condor Squadron.

  • #112

    Mike Sparks, Alaska (Monday, 18 September 2023 20:45)

    Chris; A Veteran and Wonderful leader of your Condor group. Sorry to hear of his loss to his family and all of his friends at the Condor Squadron.
    My Sincere Regards.

  • #111

    Manny (Monday, 18 September 2023 10:36)

    My good friend and fellow warrior from the Van Nuys (Hollywood Guard) and Channel Islands ANG, Christopher P. Rushing earned his God given wings on Sunday in a mis-hap at Reno-Stead airport. May he RIP. Chris was one of a kind, a gentile man, compassionate about flying, eager to talk about anything and everything. He will be missed.

  • #110

    Wayne Salleng (Monday, 18 September 2023 08:06)

    Rest in Peace Chris.

  • #109

    Mike layman (Sunday, 17 September 2023 19:53)

    Long love the fleet! and Chris.

    What a great guy… it’s because of you my son Is flying.

    Keep it left…..

  • #108

    Michael Rodgers (Friday, 25 August 2023 23:40)

    I am a long time admirer of your group, planes and mission. Tonight I shared the run up area at 16 Right with you. I was in my 67 Mooney M20 F (N9268M).

    I’d like to know how a pilot like me can get involved with your group.

  • #107

    Ken F. (Tuesday, 04 July 2023 21:44)

    Hello Condors!! THANK YOU for the flyover of my deck out in Bell Cyn this July 4th!! And extra thank you for turning on the smoke guys!!!! Told my wife might see you after single pass earlier in the day and just glad your flight plan brought you out here!!! You guys got a free bbq dinner when you want it!!! Thx again!!

  • #106

    Lori Niles Meena (Tuesday, 04 July 2023 19:22)

    Ray Schuyler was my dad’s best friend when I was growing up, I was blessed to have flown with Ray many times in both plane and helicopter.
    The segment on ABC on the 4th of July brought back wonderful memories for me.
    God Bless

  • #105

    Peter Mac. (Friday, 09 June 2023 21:14)

    Seeing the 4 ship formo today and the sound of those Pratt and Whitney’s brought back many memories. Glad to see these aircraft in the sky. I was in the South African Air Force and that was the primary trainer. I have little over a 1000 hrs on the Harvard or AT6. I was also an instructor on this phenomenal aircraft.

  • #104

    Castaneda Family (Tuesday, 11 April 2023 09:08)

    Our family had a great time! We wanted to reach out and thank everyone with the Condor Squadron for your hospitality and kindness this Easter. We loved that you flew the Easter Bunny in!!! We really enjoyed this and again, we wanted to thank you for the memories.

  • #103

    Mark Eisman (Thursday, 02 February 2023 09:45)

    What an amazing honor you provided for my brother in law Rick Richmond’s memorial with flyover and missing man. I will never forget it. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
    As you know Rick was a special guy and loved you all. I miss him very much.
    Your kindness and amazing send off were a heartfelt tribute of respect and brotherhood of which I am confident Rick greatly enjoyed.
    Please accept out gratitude Condor Squadron you gave us all a warm salute and friendly faces in a time of sorrow. God be with you all!

  • #102

    William Acosta Jr. (Friday, 11 November 2022 09:12)

    I miss seeing you guys at the shop, but I still get excited seeing you pass over my house in formation around the approach side of the Dodger Stadium flyover. Keep em flying. Bill (Aero-Engines, Inc.)

  • #101

    Nathan (Thursday, 28 July 2022 14:06)

    I love the surprise of seeing your planes in the air over the valley! Stopping by the viewing area at KVNY to take some photos and enjoy the sights and sounds of the T6 is very enjoyable. Thank you guys for continuing to spark my love for aviation!

  • #100

    Judy Gray (Friday, 08 July 2022 03:27)

    Thank you SO much for the tradition of your flyover of the OC on July 4th! I swear we always act like little kids seeing our first airplane! Literally, you are the sight and the sound of freedom to remind us of the gratitude we owe to so many who selflessly defended this wonderful country and much of the world. Thanks, again, from our family of all ages and our neighbors in Laguna Beach!

  • #99

    Jonathan Delgado (Monday, 18 April 2022 11:31)

    Saw you fly over yesterday! I'm a USAF vet living in Canada but I'm from here and work in aviation. The very first airplane I ever flew in was a AT-6, and thats when the aviation bug bit me. 28 years later still in Thanks it! Thanks for everything you do, and your service! I hope one day to see you at CYYZ!!

  • #98

    Jim olivas (Saturday, 12 March 2022 08:27)

    Looking forward to watching the Condors fly over my World WarII dads memorial service

  • #97

    Peter (Sunday, 30 January 2022 17:17)

    I was lucky enough to get a ride in Stu Mcafee's T6 after I re-covered his control surfaces at Flabob. I'm having trouble getting hold of him, anyone know if he's around?

  • #96

    Alan Schneider (Wednesday, 22 September 2021 21:17)

    I have to admit that I always wondered what possible reasonable explanation exists that would shed some much needed light as to why the Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero" resembles the AT6 "Texan" in several different aspects. It came as no surprise to me when I read that for the actual footage used in "Black Sheep Squadron", several AT6 aircraft were painted to look just like Zero fighters that came from the "Tora, Tora, Tora!" aircraft used in the reenactments. It is deeply disturbing to know that to this day, it is still kept a secret that it is quite probable to assume that profit came before patriotic duty before the war began, to a degree that should have been seen as treasonous. The opposal of this country's administration and the majority of Americans to enter the war, before any perceived threat was acknowledged as credible by US military leaders, opened the door for our enemies to gain access to proprietary documents and technological information which should have been off limits to foreign interests. To fathom the opportunity we had, in which if we had taken a more defensive posture, and more protective measures based on known intelligence at the time to defend against attack, is utterly the hardest thing to understand.

  • #95

    AAAAANDRE (Sunday, 19 September 2021 16:21)

    Congrats on the WIN in Reno! ;-)
    The announcer said Chris was from Van Nuys, I said "WooHoo"!
    Looked you up and say: "Howdy Neighbor"
    Enjoy watching you guys fly around the valley.

  • #94

    Julian Medrano (Monday, 13 September 2021 19:14)

    Back in the 1980's, I was taken on a flight by Condor Airman, Jim Furlong. He was the owner of the company I worked for at the time and he became an admired role model. Jim had once told me that he wanted me to enjoy successes in life as he had, meaning not merely living a life but experiencing the fullness of life. So, on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, after I had secured a successful business deal for his firm, he gave me a taste of his kind of fullness. I suppose that I should have known something was up as I climbed into the back of his T-6 vintage World War II airplane with a parachute strapped to my body and his brief instruction, directing me to “jump away from the wing” if we had to ditch the plane over the ocean or mountains and manually eject ourselves. My mind froze for a second debating if Jim was being funny or not. But that quickly came to an end when he further stated that I needed to first eject the canopy before releasing my seatbelts or there’d be dire consequences. He then asked me, "Would you like to take-off like a commercial airliner or the way of a Condor pilot?" I composed myself realizing that perhaps Jim didn’t really have a sense of humor after all and I picked the latter surmising quietly to myself “How different could it be? Seconds later, “WHAT THE, G-FORCE, FACE LIFT, PARACHUTE FAILURE, MOMMY, OH MY GOD "were all among the different thoughts that raced through my already maximized gravity stretched mind during the first 30 seconds of our acceleration through the clouds. I white knuckled the initial happenings and even considered using the safe word Jim had given me before the flight if I wanted him to fly normally and take me back to the airfield, (it was “Stop” but I was thinking more like “STOOOOOOOOOOP!!!) He had also warned me about the possibility of what would happen if I exhaled my earlier consumed lunch while still wearing my oxygen mask. But then I just realized and accepted that this was a once in a lifetime moment for me and was an "experience" as foreshadowed earlier by Jim. So, I embraced the moment. Every dive, loop, barrel roll, wingover and other aerobatic maneuver, I simply chose to merge myself with the experience even to the point that I still feel the magnificence of the moments now as I'm writing about it. And as we flew over Malibu on the way back to Van Nuys Airport Jim asked me if there was anything else I'd like to experience before we landed. I said without any hesitation, "Yes" and with that, he approved my request and allowed me to partially open my canopy to feel the clouds of the sky on my face … perhaps even to feel the hand of God touching me.

    It's been about 35 years now since that exciting flight. I’m not sure if I will ever again have the opportunity to be in a vintage World War II airplane experiencing sky daring dances, (okay … I’m pretty sure I may not want to), but if I did … thinking this time the hand I’d be touching as I pull back my canopy while in the clouds will be that of Jim … my Condor pilot, my mentor, my friend.

  • #93

    Dan Priest (Monday, 05 July 2021 13:48)

    Thank you all for the fly bys over So. OC this Independence Day 2021.

  • #92

    Kaohinani (Sunday, 04 July 2021 19:47)

    We watched you last year when everything was closed from the parking lot of a hospital alongside our nursing staff, this year as the world is opening back up, we heard your engines and ran outside to watch you fly over us from our home.
    Mahalo for making today so special for ALL of us!!
    Happy 4th of July.

  • #91

    Debra Thomas (Sunday, 06 June 2021 23:28)

    In loving memory of
    Frank Elliott
    Patrick Napolitano
    Frank tried to teach Patrick that to be a great pilot you must first be a good man.

  • #90

    Tom Melatis (Monday, 31 May 2021 16:15)

    Living near Pierce Bros. Westlake Village, I again hear the AT-6s on approach to their fly over, smoke on, an audible and visual tribute to our fallen and their survivors. Glad they are still flying.

  • #89

    Carol Conroy-Nilsen (Tuesday, 23 March 2021 19:34)

    Hello Condor's,
    I'm the daughter of Cal Conroy who was a member of the Condor Squadron. He flew west many years ago & the Condor's performed the "Missing Man" formation at his funeral over the San Fernando Mission Cemetery & dropped his golf shoes over the Pacific. We've been trying to locate my Dad's AT6 & we just found out that the Condor's own it. My son & daughter both are aviators, Natalie a helicopter pilot & Tim has a hangar at Auburn Airport with 4 or 5 planes that he flies & uses for flt. training. Tim has been looking for my Dad's plane for many year's & Natalie discovered it was at Van Nuys. Natalie had met Dick Syke's son-in-law a few years ago but we had no idea that the plane was in Van Nuys then. Would you be interested in selling the plane to Cal's grandson, Tim? My Son's # is (916) 764-7044 & my # is (916) 687-7517. Thanks so much for contacting us & we look forward to speaking to you!
    Best Regards - Carol Conroy-Nilsen

  • #88

    Peter MacDonald ret lt col SAAF (Sunday, 21 March 2021 15:04)

    What a pleasure to hear the 4 Harvard’s flying over this morning. I have just over 1000 hrs on the Harvard. I was an instructor as well as this being my primary trainer in the South African Air Force. So happy to see these aircraft preserved and still flying.

  • #87

    John Falck (Monday, 23 November 2020 15:59)

    Just saw you guys fly over (Canyon Country) Love seeing you guys still at it! God Bless America!

  • #86

    Bryan Jones (Tuesday, 03 November 2020 10:07)

    No words can express how much our family and friends appreciated the fly over yesterday for our father's service. Not a dry eye when the missing man flew over and my two brother's and I waved good bye to the pilot as he left the formation. Please pass along our thanks' to the pilots that flew yesterday and made it a very special day for us.

    THANK YOU from The Jones Family
    A Very Big THANK YOU for Your Service

  • #85

    Kacia Elizabeth Keegin (Friday, 30 October 2020 20:59)

    Thank you for your wonderful stunt-filled flyovers. The smoke adds to the nostalgia. We have been appreciative of the beautiful planes seen here in Sand Canyon since we moved here from West Hills more than 15 years ago. The Condor Squadron pilots are some of the world's best. May angels breathe beneath your wings.

  • #84

    Brett (Monday, 06 July 2020 03:03)

    It was great to see you fly over Santa Monica on July 4!

    From the 1970s with my dad who also flew out of VNY to my working at the airport in the early 80s and fueling you guys so may times (Sykes & Blue & many others) to your flyover at my dad’s funeral in 1986 and your on and off visits over our skies to Saturday, just about 50 years after I first saw your line-up, I still look to the sky when we hear the all-to-distinctive drone where I can enjoy a glimpse of America’s air past, and mine as well. I get to be a kid again, at least for a few minutes and passes around the SM Bay.

    Thanks for continuing the tradition!

  • #83

    Sandra kriskey (Sunday, 05 July 2020)

    You flew ove my house the 4th of July 2020 thank you so much it was amazing to see them .
    It was beautiful Reminded me in the early 50s airplanes flying ove my house in East LA .
    Thank you again. Sandra Kriskey

  • #82

    Doug and Kris Landrum (Saturday, 04 July 2020 19:56)

    Thank you so much Condor Squadron. The beaches in Laguna were closed. But we saw your flyover and cheered. It was so good to see your wings over Laguna in this most awful of years. We cried and cheered. God bless America. My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. My wife thanks you. And I thank you. All the best, Doug Landrum

  • #81

    Corporal Robert H Summers (Wednesday, 17 June 2020 17:26)

    guys thank you for the flyover on Sat in Pasadena my father would have absolutely loved it. Not a dry eye in the house when you flew the missing man formation and the video and stills I received thru Bradley are fantastic. Bless you guys

    Robert G Summers

  • #80

    Patricia Halfhill (Saturday, 23 May 2020 15:40)

    Looked up information! Glad to see the group appears to be doing well.

    Of course the only one I recognize is Clay Lacy!

    Wish ya all we doing the flyover for Memorial Day like the group down south�

    Best wishes- keep em flying!

  • #79

    Bryan Jones (Tuesday, 12 May 2020 21:19)

    First I wan't to say Thank You for your service.
    We buried our father yesterday at the VA cemetery in Riverside and your squadron did a fly over for one of your members at the same time they were lowering my dad in the ground and I know my dad loved it because he was a bomber pilot first in the Army Air force until it became the Air force. He ended his (our) Air force life in the Sac Missile Command as a LT, Col, here at March air field .
    Sorry for your loss Prayers to the family
    Respectfully
    Bryan Jones

  • #78

    Edison (Thursday, 27 February 2020 15:28)

    First saw on Instagram- can’t wait to see real life one day

  • #77

    Dave Hooker 3 (Friday, 14 February 2020 11:55)

    Thanks for teaching me how to fly my SNJ, you were an awesome dude Frank Elliot and you are missed!

  • #76

    2janBV@cox.net (Wednesday, 22 January 2020 00:27)

    Thank you for your service-You all are Awesome!

  • #75

    Dan Donovan (Tuesday, 07 January 2020 17:23)

    Hello-
    I saw you folks this morning, above Temescal Gateway Park. What a great sight!!!
    Best,
    Dan

  • #74

    Amy Evans (Sunday, 17 November 2019 02:23)

    Hello everyone,

    I happened to stumble on this website while going through some of my Daddy's old stuff. My Dad is Jim Evans. Some of you may still remember him, I hope :) I still have such fond memories of the stories my Dad would tell of the air races, of time spent with his good friends Jim Modes, Charlie Beck, a man named Stirwalt (sorry cant recall the first name) I remember him packing his 'Go Bag', with his helmet and flight suit. I was pretty young at the time, 9 or 10 I think, and I'm 48 now! I remember he would get all slicked up and shaved up, and the finishing touch would be the dramatic twist to his awesome mustache! I can honestly say, it was obvious just how much he looked forward to and enjoyed his time with the Condors. Thank you all for being my Dads friend, you meant the world to him. To all the good ol boys who have gone on ahead to whatever is yet to come, I wish you fair winds and following seas.

    My best to you all,
    Amy Evans
    toocute4u559@gmail.com

  • #73

    Adam Culbertson (Thursday, 17 October 2019 21:42)

    Thanks for keeping these birds flying, Just saw a segment on Aviators and absolutely mesmerized by these old warbirds. Thanks for keeping this piece of flying history in the sky.

  • #72

    Timothy Stone (Saturday, 17 August 2019 00:28)

    Thanks to all the current members who have kept the Condor Squadron alive! My dad was a long time member and I was just flooded with memories of some of the old timers. I have met many of them as a child and remember many of the names in passing, particularly Dick Sykes. I enjoyed working for and with several members like Dave Elliot, Pat Moody and Lucia, Dick Lucia. (Anyone who has met him will understand.) God bless you all!

  • #71

    LD (Sunday, 13 January 2019)

    While walking yesterday afternoon on Olympic Blvd. I heard (and saw) you flying over head. I assume you were on your way to the Coliseum. Very cool. Wish you all the best and thank you.

  • #70

    Schramml Hans (Thursday, 25 October 2018 00:20)

    Hi, Folks,

    I was not even aware that Condor Squad existed, but now I am enthusistic about what are You doing.
    Therefore I am wishing full and speedy recovery for Rob Sandberg and keep on flying Your Texans.
    Best regards,
    Hans

  • #69

    Jeane Errea (Wednesday, 24 October 2018 10:12)

    I was sadden to see that one of the T-6 Texans went down. I always look forward to seeing you fly at Wings over Camarillo.

  • #68

    Colonel Rex Bradshaw (Wednesday, 24 October 2018 08:04)

    As a Squadron Leader in Desert Squadron Odessa Texas a unit of the CAF we acknowledge your loss and know how all members feel. Best Wishes as you fund raise a replacement aircraft.

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