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Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West This Article Appeared in The
Press-Telegram
By Mark Kendall The Press-Enterprise Gary P. Macha's 30-year-old son, Patric, has been going along with his father on wreck hunts since he was a little boy. Since Dad's had three hernia operations, the younger Macha is doing more of the legwork. Today, Patric is romping down the south face of Mount Baldy through steep shale where only rugged manzanita shrubs hold on. He locks in on the wreckage as if be had radar. These are the two Marine Corps Hellcat fighters that hit Baldy long ago. The Machas and friends have climbed to the wrecks each June for the last 30 years - it's a tradition now - and today about 40 people come along. The wreckage remains strewn for hundreds of feet along the 9,500-foot level of the mountain. The younger Macha is matter-of-fact, having seen it many times before. He points out a wing tip, cockpit and a faint Marine Corps marking. It's different for first-timers like Dan Webster, 29, of Huntington Beach, who says he is thinking "about what happened, about what events led up to it. "It just Intrigues me, the whole human equation." Seeing the Marine Corps crash has special meaning for Miguel Villalpando, 31, of Los Angeles, who himself is a former Marine. "Can you imagine that night?" he asks. "All of a sudden it's all over and two officers and a chaplain come up to your door. "The government regrets to inform you your son died in the line of duty.' " Pieces of the planes shift and slide down the mountain a bit with each winter's snow, but the elements otherwise have little effect "This is all aluminum," the younger Macha says. "It will last forever." Unless someone takes it. Every year, there's a bit of suspense as to which parts of the planes will still be there. |
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