- Day trip to search a U.S. P-38 Lightning crash site (June 10, 1944) north of Bucharest accompanied by air historian Dan Melinte, researcher Alex Arma and film crew
-With Major Don Perry, Air Attache US Embassy (Bucharest), and found-parts from B-24 crash site (1944)
With Dan Melinte WW-Ii aviation historian
- Meeting Col. Glenn Watson’s group from Delaware in search of information regarding airmen killed in the crash of the B-24 ‘Sparta / Wilkins’ in the village of Galateni (so of Bucharest) with church priest
- With Cornell Iliescu witness of B-24 crash near Snagov as a child in Romania and reenactment with actor bomber crew in California
- Cornell's father's 1944 Buick found recently in Romania and shipped to his museum in California
- Interviews with WW2 Ploesti air-raid B-24 veterans William Fili (Destiny Deb) and William Giambrone (Wilkins Sparta) who both became prisoners of war in Romania
- Opening of Traian Vuia 1909 model flying machine (first to invent aircraft with landing gear) stored for future exhibit at Romanian Embassy
- Nicholas D. attends ‘Sun-N-Fun’ Fly Show to Meet WW-II veterans and film vintage aircraft
- Discussion with Hunter Chaney about filming of The Collings Foundation B-24 aircraft
- Discussion with illustrator George Pratt
- Illustration for HILL 789 (Kogainon 2009)
- Pratt in his Florida studio
-Meeting with historians Ernest Latham, Alexandru Arma, Sorin Turturica, poet Ioana Ieronim, and production assitant Alex Carlsson
- Pete Wojtkiewicz TV Radio Repairman / Owner: 'Watts' preparing a WW-II radio set for use in the documentary
- Producer Dan Dimancescu develop ‘scenario’ sequences
- First storyboard and script discussion with Ronald Otero
- Interview with Maj. Robert Sternfels (left), Pilot of ‘Sandman’ over Ploesti (1943)
- Visit to Costa Mesa WW2 museum / workshop created by Cornell Illiescu (rt)
- Model of Sandman and actual part from crash site of Sandman in Italian Alps
- WW-II 'aces' - Col. Barrie Davis / Gen. Ion Dobran - Meeting - who fought each other over Romania meet for the first time in 66 years. Davis was invited by Kogainon Films.
- Romanian Air Force General Ion Stanciu, host of Dobran-Davis meeting, with both 'aces', US Major Don Perry (left) and Dan Dimancescu, Kogainon Producer (rt)
- Visit by Nicholas D. to Air and Space Museum and to the Pentagon Airforce Archives
Dec. 10, 2009 - Zebulon, North Carolina
- First meeting with WW-II U.S. 'ace' Col. Barrie Davis of the Checkertails who fought over Romanian in 1944
Dec. 3, 2009 - Bucharest, Romania
- First meeting with Romanian 'ace' Gen. Ion Dobran (w/ Alex Arma and Sorin Turturica)
- Celebrating premiere of ‘Hill 789’ on national channel TVR-1 in Bucharest w. Friedrich Niemann, A. Arma, C. Carlsson, K. Brandse
- Nicholas Dimancescu at TVR1 with Cristi Lascu (ed. National Geographic Magazine RO)
- Meeting at National Aviation Museum with historian Sorin Tuturica
- Photos: MIG, aerial view of museum, WW2 Romanian aviator ‘ace’
- Discussion with artist/illustrator Radu Oltean about creating art-work for the documentary
- Filming around old WW-II airfield
- Editing team begins first 'creative' sequences
- WW-II maps research at Pusey Library (Harvard Univ) and reproductions ordered
- With B-24 crew Derek 'Otter' Ward, Jayson Owen, Brandse & Dimancescu, and Christy Wolff of the Collings Foundation; "Witchcraft" flight from Casper to Denver
Click here for more photos
- Campina B-24 riverbed crash site; Strejnic airport for fly-over Ploesti and Campina w. K. Brandse, N. Dimancescu and D. Dimancescu; filming singer Irina Sarbu for 1930s-era songs; Romanian National Film Archices (Jilava, Bucharest) w. director Dr. Anca Mitran
- Brasov IAR aircraft assembly factory (1940s); US airmen prisoner camp at Timisul de Jos
- Tanner Ross aka Dr. Sound developing music score
September 13-14 - National Archives, College, Park, MD
- Ordering World War II Ploesti footage from National Archives film library. Click here for file card blow-up.
- Dinner event in Col. Barrie Davis' honor hosted by Kogainon Films at the Cosmos Club
Cick here to enlarge
- Young boy at 325th wreath World War II Monument
- Davis and Lt. Col. Scott Yancy (325th Checkertail Fighter Wing) - F-16 and F-22 Pilot / Tyndall AF Base (Florida)
- Filming Maj. Robert Sternfels (left), Pilot of ‘Sandman’ over Ploesti (1943)
- Meeting with California artist Michael Obermeyer (rt) painter of Sandman scenes over Ploesti - See his work and video
- Sketch created by Radu Oltean of American POWs
- Capturing sound from vintage WW-II radio
- Michael Tran, audio engineer
Musician Christopher Duggan creator of original scores for Knights
- Adrian Sahlean working on translations
Oct 20 - Birmingham, England
- Dogfight Animation (Dobran/Davis) created by
Neil "Mysticpuma" Pugh using tools developed for
Il-2 Sturmovik by 1C:Maddox Games (1C, 505 Games / Russia) / Rt: Pugh in Wash D.C.
- At ABC-TV: D. Dimancescu with Romanian-born Sarkis Giknavorian who, as a child, witnessed a B-24 crash near Bucharest in 1944. Later career in NY at ABC-TV where he won two Emmy Awards for 'Arts & Science'
Nov 2 - Stow (Mass) Visit to Collings Foundation Museum
- Three days to go. The 'final edit' team at the Kogainon Films studio. Lft to Rt: Nicholas Dimancescu, Kyle Brandse, Michael Tran, Tanner Ross aka Dr. Sound, Nathan Bice
- 10 pm Dr. Sound packs his traveling sound studio. Job Done.
- DEADLINE ...
- Final edits. Schedule on the wall. Niick and Kyle on last segment edit. Sunday
- Nov 14 first showing of film; Otero celebrates (note cork in the air)
- Showing of KNIGHTS on TVR1 (6:30-7:30) followed by interview with Ambassador Mark Gitenstein and Nicholas Dimancescu by Mr. Luca Niculescu
- National Geographic Article Published (Dec Issue)
- Post-showing party at 'Le Theatre' Restaurant
Rt Standing: Dan Dimancescu, Victor Vadaneaux, Dan Melinte, Mihaela Ramulescu, Georgian Ramulescu, Mr. Arma, Kyle Brandse, Alexandru Arma, no name, Doina Carlsson, Nicholas Dimancescu, Bogdan Grigorescu
Rt sitting: Major Don Perry (US Embassy), Alexandra Carlsson
