'A TRIBUTE TO TIM': Warbirds take flight in memory of fallen friend (PHOTOS)

Just hours after attending the funeral of their dear friend Tim McDonald, the Destin Warbirds were back in the air on a picture perfect Thursday evening.

“This is our way of paying tribute to a friend,” said Dr. Joe Carnley minutes before thrilling crowds with a mini-air show at HarborWalk Village. “I think we’re flying for Tim tonight … I’m still mad at him for going and leaving me behind.”

To view more photos of Carnley and the Warbirds' Thursday flight, click here.

Remembering Tim McDonald: A photo gallery »

Carnley, who has more than 37-years of flying experience, was hangar neighbors with McDonald, and had flown with the “big old teddy bear” for years. The long-time area dentist told The Log that when you are formation flying you are part of a “brotherhood.” McDonald’s plane crashed over the Gulf of Mexico last week behind the Crab Trap.

The Warbirds, which are mostly comprised of T-6 Texan aircrafts, strive to preserve history while flying their World War II era planes. They also offer veterans flights whenever possible. The five-man flying formation had been comprised of Charles DuPlantis, Dr. Joe Carnley, Bruce Belser, Ray Watson and the late Tim McDonald.

McDonald is the second T-6 pilot to lose his life in less than six-months, after fellow pilot Dr. Herman Evan Zeiger Jr. of Birmingham crashed into the Gulf in March at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.

With a heavy heart, the grieving process almost grounded Carnely and his fellow fliers. He said that he was almost 100 percent sure that he wasn’t going to fly, but after some soul searching at McDonald’s funeral, Carnley decided he wanted to fly for his friend.

HarborWalk marketing director Jamie Marie Hall said that she was “surprised” to hear the Warbirds were going to fly at Thursday’s Red, White and Blue Celebration.

“It was a good surprise,” she said. “They are a passionate part of our community, and we hope that they will continue to do so.”

With the pain in his eye’s hidden behind his sunglasses, Carnley said that getting back into the air without McDonald was painful.

“It hurts, it really hurts,” Carnley said walking toward his plane. “He meant everything to me, he was just my buddy.”

After climbing into the cockpit, and strapping their helmets on, DuPlantis led Carnley and Belser as they taxied down the runway showing thumbs up in their first flight without McDonald trailing behind them.

With the sunset acting as a backdrop, the Warbirds soared over the horizon, and climbed higher and higher into the sky, almost as if they were trying to get as close as they could to McDonald — giving him a final goodbye.

“I think God needed a good neurosurgeon so he took Evan,” Carnley said, “He needed a good machinist, so he took Tim, I just hope he doesn’t need a dentist.”

MORE PHOTOS

To see more photos from the crash scene, click here.

In March, The Log flew with McDonald. To see photos from the flight, click here.

To see a video of the plane's final moments, click here.

Wreckage recovered from a T-6 that crashed into the gulf in March. »

The scene immediately after the crash of a T-6 in March. » 

A COLLECTION OF COVERAGE

Read the initial NTSB report about the fatal July 2 crash »

Pilot's wife: He loved that plane »

To read more about the latest crash, click here.

To read about the first crash in March, click here.

To read a story about the victim, click here.

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