And although they didn’t ­recognise each other upon shaking hands, their meeting unlocked memories of colourful flying ­personalities they both knew in 77 Squadron.

A Mustang was the very first aircraft Colin Chapman trained on as an armourer at Wagga Wagga.

A grandfather from Telarah, Mr Chapman gazed up at the graceful lines of the aircraft that earned a brilliant reputation at the end of World War II and in Korea.

Before he was introduced to pilot Geoff Kubank, Mr Chapman knew his name.

“He flew Mirages – he was a bloody good pilot,” Mr Chapman said.

And when the two finally shook hands, the memories of past comrades they both knew came flooding back.

“I was just 16 when I began training as an apprentice with the RAAF, fitting bombs and rockets to a static Mustang,” Mr Chapman said.

“We fitted it with air-to-ground rockets and installed all the bullets for the .50 calibre Browning machine guns.

“The Mustang was an easy plane to work on and it is a delight to see this one at Maitland Airport.”

Geoff Kubank also a grand­father, said the Australian Mustang had been assembled from other bits and pieces found in the United States and he flew it at air shows for the group Mustang Pty.

“It is a delightful aircraft to fly and is always a big drawcard at air shows.”

There was a sombre moment when the two men spoke of Luke Spence, a commander of 77 Squadron who was killed flying in Korea, possibly shot down by ground fire.

But the two grandfathers also shared many a memory about mates they both knew in their famous squadron.

And there is the tale that will live forever – how the squadron was preparing to leave Japan to return to Australia with their Mustangs when they received a phone call.

Instead of coming home, they were to leave the next day for Korea, where the war had broken out.

“We know people who took that call and at first they did not believe the news,” Mr Kubank said.

But they went just the same. And they made history.