Visitors fly in a piece of history

Soaring out of the blue yonder and onto the tarmac, the bright yellow warbird of Ron and Candy Blash struck a vivid pose Friday morning at Sisters Airport. The aviators are the proud parents of indie film director M. Blash, who has been shooting his black comedy, "The Wait," these past few weeks in Sisters Country.

"We flew out of Aurora State Airport outside Portland. It took about 35 minutes and it was so clear and spectacular over the mountains. We never saw a cloud or another plane. Just amazing. What a day to go flying," said Candy, gathering their flight bags. "We came to visit our son for the day and watch them shoot. Our niece, Lana Green, is filming her final scene today and goes home

tomorrow."

The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor was first developed in 1948 as a less-expensive alternative to the North American T-6 Texan, then the predominate training aircraft used by all branches of the U.S. military.

Beechcraft began delivery of the Mentor in 1953, with the first 350 going to the U.S. Air Force. Production ran from 1953-1959 and totaled over 2,300. As a testament to its versatility and durability, the plane is still in operation in North and South America as a military trainer and used by civilian aerobatic demonstration teams at major air shows, nearly six decades after its birth.

With its rugged, all-metal construction, excellent maneuverability and readily available parts, the military prized the T-34, especially for the intermediate phase of pilot training before going to jet aircraft.

"This particular plane is the 'A' model used by the Air Force and built in 1955," said Ron, draping a canvas cover over the bubble canopy. "It's been souped up a bit with a 300-horsepower IO-550 engine, two 40-gallon gas tanks and a 3-bladed prop, which makes it perform better. It's got a 750-mile range and a nice cruising speed of around 175 mph."

A 35-year veteran pilot with United Airlines, retiring in 2003, Blash bought the plane in 2006 after a six-year restoration by George Baker Aviation in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Every rivet, screw and piece of rubber was totally disassembled and replaced to like-new condition. It's known as one of the finest T-34s in the world right now.

Blash and his wife were excited to see their son, Michael, in action on the set after his several years piecing together the film project.

"He's got such a great cast and crew for the movie. He used to come to Sisters growing up with friends of ours, so he always had it in the back of his mind as a setting," said Candy. "He was able to get some amazing locations, and he's extremely happy with the progress of the shooting. They've been doing 16-18 hour days. He's very devoted."

As Ron secured his plane for the afternoon and a production assistant arrived to shuttle them to the set, Candy laughed at her lack of details on the T-34's history.

"My name's just written on the side, he knows all the good stuff. He takes really good care of it, I'll tell you that."

"You can eat off this airplane," Ron joked. "I keep it pretty clean. It gives me something to do in my retirement."