Pilot Neal Melton greets WWII veteran Richard Gibian and his son Richard Gibian Jr., after the pilot landed his P-47 Thunderbolt on Saturday. Richard Sr. flew a P-47 during the war.
SEVIERVILLE — When it came time to celebrate Richard Gibian's 92nd birthday, close family and friends knew exactly how it should be spent — watching the type of aircraft he flew in World War II land at Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport.
Though Richard got a front row seat as the plane flew overhead on Saturday, several months of planning occurred to make the experience possible.
Richard's son, Richard Gibian Jr., worked with Pierre Redmond earlier this year in California. During their six weeks together, the men shared plenty of conversations. During one chat, Richard Jr. learned that Pierre flew his own plane — a Cirrus Aircraft.
"He took me for a ride around Southern California," Richard Jr. said. "I loved it. I told him, 'My dad would go nuts to do this.'"
A few days later, after Pierre posted the idea on the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association website, the plan formed.
The group agreed to arrange the gathering wherever a P-47 Thunderbolt, the plane Richard flew during the war, would be.
"Everything was arranged around when a P-47 was flying in," Richard Jr. said.
Since Neal Melton and his P-47 Thunderbolt “Hun Hunter XVI” regularly fly in and out of the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport, that became the designated location.
After Dan Mikos, another Cirrus pilot, volunteered to pick Richard and his son up from Selma, Ala., and fly them to Tennessee, the plan was complete.
Pierre and several other members of the Cirrus association arranged a day full of festivities at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation, before the P-47 arrived in early afternoon.
"The people in the museum were gracious about making this work," Richard Jr. said.
They toured the museum, ate lunch together and — most importantly — listened to Richard's stories about the war.
During the war, Richard was a dive bomber and provided close support for ground troops. He flew 87 combat missions in his P-47 Thunderbolt.
"(The eight .50-caliber machine guns) would damage almost anything you shot at," he said.
Richard was in the 9th Air Force in Europe, in the 373rd fighter group and the 411th Fighter Squadron. He spent time in England, France, Belgium, Germany and Holland during the war.
Throughout the war, his plane was hit several times. Richard admits that he escaped those close calls relatively unharmed.
"I never got hit," he said, "and I always managed to get the plane home."
As Richard stood silently, watching the plane circle overhead, he was flooded with memories and emotions.
"The plane looked exactly like (mine)," he said. "I brought back a lot of memories. It sort of choked me up a little bit. That was probably the most important and longest lasting memory that ever happened to me in my lifetime."
The last time Richard saw a P-47 in flight was 15 years ago. He didn't forget its sound during that time though.
"I can (still) tell when an airplane with a radial engine flies over," he said. "It's a different sound. (Neal's) airplane sounded wonderful."
He still remembered random facts about the plane too.
"The reason this airplane is so big, is because the engine is big," he told the small crowd gathered around him. "It hung two 500 pound bombs. (The area) under the belly could carry three bombs or an extra fuel tank."
After seeing Richard's reaction and listening to him share memories, stories and facts about the plane, everyone knew all the time spent arranging the trip was worth it.
"It was unbelievable," Richard Jr. said. "He's thrilled."
Richard adds, "This was a great trip."
Original article and photos: http://themountainpress.com
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