History - Old P-51 Attacks Sandpoint
by Bob Gunter
Don Johnson, a Sandpoint native, was a member of the class that took an aviation course back in 1946. He remembers well the plane and the men that were involved and I asked him to tell me, in his own words, about the plane that buzzed Sandpoint.
In the fall of 1946, when I was a junior, I signed up for a typing class at Sandpoint High. In about a week after school started, Mr. L. V. Hughes, who was superintendent of schools, had gotten together with O.B. Parker and they found an old P-51 fighter plane in Portland, Oregon. The plane was surplus and was being sold for $500.00. There were five businessmen who put in $100 a piece for the plane: O.B. Parker, Superintendent Hughes, Clyde Fox, and the other two were possibly Cliff Patton and Jim Brown.
Hughes was a licensed pilot and he got permission to get a surplus plane and he started an aviation class. I quit typing and jumped into that aviation class. Gene James was working for O.B. Parker as a parts man and he was a P-51 pilot during the war. Gene James went down to Portland and picked up the plane and flew it back to Sandpoint. The old plane was licensed for one flight only, for educational purposes. When James reached Sandpoint he flew the plane right down 1st Avenue. He buzzed Sandpoint and there was quite a stink over that.
They parked the plane out at the airport and the aviation classes' began. Gene James was not a certified teacher but he was qualified because he was a P-51 pilot. He taught aviation for one semester. We went out and we pulled the altimeter out of the plane and we took it back to the classroom. We used it to predict the weather and wind directions and he taught us about cloud formations and navigation. A mechanic out at the airport taught the second semester.
The school only had the plane for one year. After the classes it was parked out at the airport where it set for years. The plane was sold to a couple of men from either Oregon or California to be used as a racer. No one is quite sure what happened to the plane but rumor has it that it crashed. The serial number of the plane can be seen and an attempt to trace the plane's history is being made.
To see more great old photos of Sandpoint and the surrounding areas :: Click Here ::
All photographs have been used with permission of the Bonner County Museum.
Old Sandpoint
To experience the charm of a town one must live there. Bob Selle is an old-timer in the Sandpoint area. Here, in his own words, he gives us a peek at a young person's...
Early Sandpoint "Hang Town"
Today Sandpoint, Idaho is known for its beautiful lake and majestic mountains. It is known as a good place to find serenity and a sense of peace. But the Sandpoint...
McFarland House
The old building is called the McFarland House by practically everyone that lives in the Sandpoint, Idaho area. It is located on the corner of Highway 95...
The Fish House
The whistle of the strange looking craft broke the silence as it pulled away from the City Docks of Sandpoint...
Street Cars
In the early days of Sandpoint, Idaho there was quite a transportation problem. For most people there were two ways of getting around-walk or ride a horse...
USO Club
The community Hall in Sandpoint, Idaho took on a national function in 1942. The YMCA leased the hall from the city for $1 a year to be used as a USO club...
2nd Sandpoint Hospital
It was on May 23, 1903 that the Northern Idaho News heralded the opening of Sandpoint's second hospital by stating, " Dr. Ones F. Page established a hospital...
First School
In the early years of the pioneer town called Sandpoint, it was a struggle for parents to educate their children. Funds had to be subscribed to hire the teachers...
Along the Wild Horse Trail
Long before the white man came there was a trail. The Indians for time immemorial had used it. The old trail started on the Spokane River and ran through...
Bonner County Poor Farm
Pat Gooby has lived in Sandpoint all his life and as a child did chores at the old County Poor Farm. I asked Pat to tell me a story about the farm and here...
Coming Home
We sat on the lawn in front of the house that had meant so much to her. She, and her three children, had come from Seattle for a time of remembering...
Hope, Idaho
The first white man to come to the area was the famed David Thompson, map maker and fur dealer. He had traveled from Canada and built Kulyspell House...
The Campfield Ferry
The Idaho Territorial Legislature granted a license to operate a ferry to Charles H. Campfield and Associates. That was on December 22, 1864. The authorized...
Sandpoint had no Ferry
On April 18, 1891, C.R.Martin and A.T.Dickinson received a license for $36.00 after posting a $1,000.00 bond, authorizing them to operate a ferry at...
Here and There in Sandpoint 2
At one time Priest Lake was the scene of a movie camp owned by Nell Shipman. She was an old time movie star and produced movies at Lionhead Lodge...
Library in the Early Years
The roots of the present library system in Bonner County, Idaho, started in 1905 when a few individuals opened a "free reading room". Hope was...
Logging in Bonner County
Bob Selle has lived in this area since 1923. He was seven years of age when his family came to the Sandpoint area. His first experience in logging...
The Sundance Fire
The Selkirk Mountains still show scars from the devastating effects of the Sundance fire. The fire started on August 23, 1967 with a lightning strike...
Pend Oreille Lodge
The two old chimneys still stand like two fingers pointing to the heavens. They are all that remain of what once was a show place along the banks of...
Sandpoint 1901-1902
When you walk the main streets of today's Sandpoint you will find most of the businesses are geared to meet the need of the tourist that frequent the area...
Smelting Companies
It was in March, 1903, that the Kootenai County Republican announced that "ground will be broken in ten days" for the new smelting company located at...
Technology
Men invent things for two reasons: There seems to be in every person a desire to find a better way of doing things and the second reason for invention is to make...
Train Technology
Sandpoint, Idaho, came into being because of the railroad and timber. The advances in technology in these two areas are mind boggling. Follow the railroad...
The War Years 2
Many people came to Sandpoint during the war years. Two of them were Beth Knight and Price May. Her story, in her own words, continues and she tells about...
Trestle fr. Sunnyside to TrestleCr.
The picture is of the old trestle that used to go from Sunnyside to Trestle Creek just a few miles from Sandpoint, Idaho. In the picture there is seen...
©Copyright 1998- by Sandpoint.com - All rights reserved