Aircraft on Nantucket
Nantucket is a pretty good place for airplane watching. From vintage Stearman biplanes to the Blue Angels’ F18 Super Hornets, there’s a varied menu for the bent neck crowd. The aviation time warp first caught my eye with the fleet of Douglas DC3s operated by the Provincetown/Boston Airline in the 80s. Always attuned to the sound of a radial engine, I could never let one of those venerable twins pass overhead without a glance skyward. One day early in that decade I saw the customary DC3s, and while walking down Orange Street, a pair of extremely rare PBYs on a commemorative ’round the world flight. Minutes later, a P-51D and a P-51B flew wing to wing over Nantucket sound, just high enough to be seen over the Brock Building on Main Street.
A few years later the island had several visits from the Collings Foundation Boeing B17G and the world’s only flying Consolidated B24J. Add to that the couple of air shows featuring the Blue Angels, and a photographer with a yen for airplanes was treated to a panoply of subjects.
Click image to see the Collings Foundation B17G
It’s no surprise to find sunsets and landscapes on Nantucket, but it’s an unexpected treat for an aviation buff to find so many noteworthy (and accessible) aircraft.
Dirck
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