Lost another one

[Barnes828]

I posted about him in the Favorite Aces Thread a couple of days ago.

He was an amazing speaker and very funny too. It was an Honor to meet him.

Mine is Donald S. Lopez

I was very lucky and had a chance to see him speak at the Airspace museum by Dulles Airport where his p40 "Lope's Hope" Can be seen.

He was assigned to the 23rd Fighter group, Formed from the Flying Tigers AVG under Lt.Gen Chennault.

I believe he scored 4 kills in a p40e and one in a p51.

His first encounter with the enemy plane is a famous one. He made a head on pass with a Zero, the two planes kept the attack so long their wings collided. the p40's wing tip hit the middle of the zeros chopping the wing off.

(Image removed from quote.)


He wrote and published two books "Into the Teeth of the Tiger" and "Fighter Pilot's Heaven: Flight Testing the Early Jets" 

Donald Lopez died from a heart attack on March 3, 2008.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/us/08lopez.html?ref=us

[Nutzoid]

<>      :salute

[Bronk]

thats really a bummer to keep on losing these guys...   

Sad part is the older we get the faster they go. 

[BaDkaRmA158Th]

<<S>>   

[ink]

 
to all the people who gave there lives and still do, so we can fly our cartoon planes.

[EskimoJoe]

^<<S>>

[ShrkBite]

<Salute>

[Strip]

  Maybe the greatest heros of the last century.
 

Strip(er)

[VansCrew1]

 

[A8balls]

<S> Bro.

[kotrenin]

<S> 

[Newman5]

 

[MjTalon]

 

[RoGenT]

 

RIP 

[Cee64E]

Twenty-one Guns sound the passing of a Hero.  I'd like to get to know more of these Heroes before that final Honor.  If you know one, or you ARE one, stand up and sound off.  Your stories are lessons for us all.