The mission of the Cascade Warbirds is to preserve and display vintage warplanes.
We’re not talking just so they can be displayed in a museum — all buffed up and shiny— but instead in action, flying in the sky, said executive director Dave Desmon.
“It’s the difference between seeing a bald eagle stuffed in a glass case in a museum and seeing one out in the wild,” he said.
And that’s just what the group was doing at the Reno National Championship Air Races when a P-51 Mustang piloted by Jimmy Leeward crashed into a VIP seating area during the Unlimited Gold qualifying race.
Warbird member George Hewitt, 60, was one of the nine people who died from the crash, Desmon said. His 56-year-old wife, Wendy, is among the missing, he said.
The Hewitts list Fort Mojave, Ariz. as home, but previously lived in Bellingham, Wash., according to directories.
Family members from Washington arrived Sunday in Reno to await word on Wendy Hewitt’s fate. George Hewitt was a pilot, too, Desmon said.
“George and I flew together,” he said.
Desmon, who was at the Air Races when the crash happened, was helping the family navigate Reno on Sunday.
The group has been coming to Reno for the Air Races for at least 10 years. They sat in box No. 1 and had the box directly behind it.
That box No. 1 used to be the one that belonged to Moya Lear and her husband, aviation pioneer Bill Lear. When Moya Lear, well known for her philanthropy in Reno, died in 2001, the box became open.
“It’s right on the start and finish line. We weren’t going to let those seats go,” Desmon said. “It was Bill and Moya Lear’s box.”
The group, which has 250 members throughout the Pacific Northwest, planned for the Air Races each year because it showcases what they are dedicated to preserving: Seeing the vintage planes in the sky. That action is a way of honoring those who built the planes and flew them, once upon a time. Flying them is a way of honoring their honor and values, Desmon said.
“For us, this really is an opportunity to honor them as we continue to fly these planes,” Desmon said.
Greg Anders, who is commander of the group, said on the group’s website that members needed to focus on those who needed one another’s support right now. Anders, who is running for Congress in Washington State, was flying in an air show in Idaho this weekend, and couldn’t be reached Sunday for comment.
His note on the website offered “condolences to the members of Jimmy Leeward’s family. He was a great pilot and our hearts are broken by this loss.”
Desmon had been standing close to the point where the plane crashed, he wrote. Desmon had been bruised and scratched, but was taking on the role of finding all the Warbird members who were there, Anders wrote.
Warbird member Kathy Bauer “rolled right into the role of first responder” when the crash happened, Anders wrote.
“We can be proud that we associate with such strong people in our organization,” he wrote.
The group is comprised of many former pilots, veterans and vintage aircraft enthusiasts. The group described its trip to the Reno Air Races in its newsletter as a chance to “be a part of the world’s fastest motor sport, plus enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded aviation buffs.”
“My prayers go out to all of you that are hurting from this event, whether you were there or not, there or not, there is an emotional pain that is very real,” Anders wrote. “Let’s be strong together. Let’s try not to make it any worse.”
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