Wings and Wheels 2000: A nostalgic day
Southside Sentinel, October 5, 2000
by O.D. Davis and
Tom Chillemi
Lt. General Lewis “Chesty” Puller would have been proud. The organization of the Wings and Wheels 2000 car and aircraft exhibition at Hummel Air Field on Saturday was done with the same type of exact planning and logistical support that Gen. Puller was used to when he served with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Organizers wanted to honor Gen. Puller, who died in 1971 after winning the Navy Cross five times during his 38 years of service to his country. Gen. Puller was born in West Point and he and his wife Virginia made their home in Saluda following his retirement from the Corps. He is buried at nearby Christ Church.
A 50-piece U.S. Marine Band and the Puller display were part of a fitting tribute to Chesty Puller.
As part of the show at Hummel Field were 207 gleaming automobiles and 22 antique and experimental aircraft. Of the latter, Bill Salisbury's gleaming yellow and white 1954 Cessna 195. The much photographed favorite was judged first in the experimental aircraft.
Salisbury, a retired United Airlines pilot, bought the twin-engined aircraft in New Garden, Pa., four years ago and named her “Feather.” Salisbury says there's a world of difference between his four-passenger Cessna and the huge Boeing 767 he flew on his last United flight (1996), hauling over 100 passengers from Zurich, Switzerland, to Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia.
“The little Cessna flies like a dream and I just flat out enjoy being up in the sky with her,” he said as he polished the propeller hub.
Spectators were treated to a show of “3,400 horsepower” at days end when a twin-turbine U.S. Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter hovered before exiting the show.
Nostalgic wheels
On display with the aircraft were cars ranging from a 1931 Ford Model A coupe to a host of Triumph TR3's and TR4's. Hundreds of people were on the field throughout the six-hour show, poking about and looking for the cars of their youth. A 1973 Mustang convertible owned and restored by James Thomas of Richmond was named “supervisor's choice.” A “rolling restoration,” Thomas said he has made a few performance changes to the 351 cubic inch Cobra Jet engine, which was the largest engine available for that model year. “I was really surprised to win the award,” Thomas said. “There were so many beautiful cars competing.” The size of the vehicles ranged from a tiny midget racer to a whopping 1946 Chrysler four-door owned by newlyweds Randy and Mary Ellen Copeland of Suffolk. “We drove it from the church to Louisville, Ky., and back,” said Mrs. Copeland, “and it never missed a beat. And the seats are so comfortable!”
Mighty midget racer
Gordon and Angela White's 1948 Offenhauser powered racer holds the world's record for Ameri-can midget racers. The tiny car, about kneecap high, was driven by White to a record 156.902 mph. The record was set at Bonneville Salt Flats (Utah) in 1988.
The 800-pound car is powered by a 110-cubic-inch engine, developing 175 (estimated) horsepower. The Whites trailered the car from their home in Bumpass.
Sitting near White's tiny midget was the hulking dirt track sprint car that carried Gordon Johncock around the dirt tracks of the 1950s and 60s. The race ready high winged car is powered by a 401 Buick “Nailhead” engine, producing some 325-350 horsepower and 425 feet of torque. Getting the '59 sprint car's power to the track is handled by a 1937 Ford truck rear end.
Gordon and his late brother Nolan raced the car against A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, the Unser brothers and other top notch race drivers of the era, winning their share of races. The car was last raced in November of 1999 at Volusia Dirt Track Speedway located just south of Daytona Beach, Fla.
The elbow-to-elbow cars were in no particular order, which is how the spectators seemed to like it. They could wander past a beautifully restored E-Type Jaguar (1969) nestled between a '64 Lincoln convertible and a 2000 Corvette. A truncated 1957 Chevrolet station wagon, its mid-section long gone, sat next to a cream-colored 1959 Cadillac Deville convertible owned by John Peters of Richmond. A vintage 1941 Olds coupe more than held its own against a '67 Pontiac GTO.
Visitors didn't have to know cars to enjoy the well run show. Many spectators made it into a family day, taking their kids pictures beside a '61 Corvette brought up from Newport News.
Perhaps the best comment of the show came from two senior citizens (ladies) spotted reminiscing in front of the '41 Olds coupe: “You know, my boyfriend took me to the movies in a car just like this one, except it was a different color and it was a Chevrolet!”
“Our little county fair”
This was the fifth Wings and Wheels, an event presented by Middlesex County and Friends of Hummel Air Field. Organizer Jamie Barnhardt estimated 7,500 spectators and participants attended the event. He said 140 transient or spectator planes flew in for the event. “We are encouraged with the public's enjoyment of events at Hum-mel Air Field and we are currently considering other aviation events for the upcoming year,” said Barnhardt. “I am thankful for the numerous individuals, show sponsors, contributors, The Friends of Hummel Air Field, and the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors and its staff,” said Barnhardt. On Tuesday, the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution commending Barnhardt's work on Wings and Wheels 2000. “That's our own little county fair,” said vice chairman Kenneth W. Williams. “I think it's great for the county. Everybody I talked to praised it.”