Warbird News

[DaveM]

Air Mobility Command Museum Restoring C-46

By Noah Stegman Rechtin​

Almost a year after the Air Mobility Command Museum (AMCM) at Dover AFB, DE added a Curtiss C-46 Commando to its collection the museum is making good progress on the World War II transport’s restoration. The aircraft not only fills a major gap in the museum’s collection of airlifters but also had quite the interesting life of its own. Therefore, before getting to the restoration, it is worth covering the aircraft’s earlier history.

The fuselage of the C-46 is unloaded at the Air Mobility Command Museum on June 5th, 2023 after being delivered by Worldwide Aircraft Recovery. [Photo via DVIDS]

According to Aerial Visuals, C-46A 43-47350 has a very interesting history. It was initially delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force in May 1945, but was almost immediately transferred to the Chinese National Aviation Corporation which was run by the Nationalist Chinese government. It then was then acquired by none other than Claire Chennault of Flying Tigers fame on December 19th, 1949. Registered as N8346C, it was operated by the secretive Civil Air Transport (CAT). It was likely acquired as a replacement as the airline had lost two other C-46s in crashes less than two weeks before (as noted by Wikipedia). At the time the C-46 was engaged in clandestine operations supporting the Nationalist government in their civil war against the Communists. Specifically, starting in November a history of CAT notes it was involved in furiously evacuating Nationalist forces in the face of the Communist advance that would eventually cost the former control of the Chinese mainland.

After almost six years in CAT’s employ, some under Central Intelligence Agency control, 43-47350 was sold to Zantop Air Transport and eventually reregistered as N611Z. While flying for the company, the aircraft suffered two gear collapses in 1964: one in February at Lowry Field and the other in November at the Greater Cincinnati Airport. It changed hands in 1968 and again in 1973 and in that year the hapless aircraft suffered a third belly landing – this time after an engine failure. It was repaired as sold to a cargo outfit in Florida called American Flyers, with which it flew until 1986. After a few years in storage, 43-47350 was acquired by the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola and flown in to the museum. When it arrived, the aircraft’s three-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers were swapped out for the correct four-bladed Curtiss Electric propellers and the C-46 was placed on display on the ramp behind the museum.​

The cockpit of the aircraft will require significant work as well. Luckily, it retains its instruments and appears to be relatively authentic. [Photo courtesy Eric S. Czerwinski, Air Mobility Command Museum]

However, the C-46’s link to naval aviation was somewhat tenuous as only five percent of the Commandos produced were ever operated by the U.S. Marine Corps as R5C-1s, and 43-47350 was never one of them. So in 2023 the weather worn aircraft was transported to the AMCM which, despite having a much greater connection to the C-46, lacked an example. Following its arrival on June 5th of that year, the museum began restoring the aircraft as part of a restoration that is expected to take four to five years. When completed, the aircraft will fill an important hole in the museum’s collection of major United States Air Force airlifters.​

The inside of the fuselage, showing the cabling and rails used to protect the forward bulkhead and windows from cattle. [Photo courtesy Eric S. Czerwinski, Air Mobility Command Museum]

The museum has previous experience with restoring aircraft from the harsh Florida climate. As covered in a previous Vintage Aviation News article, it received a Boeing KB-50J that had been on display at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. As evidence of the work the museum had cut out for it with their new project, a McDonnell-Douglas F-4E (66-0302) that was on display at the same location had to be scrapped. A year prior, in December 2016, the AMCM had also rescued a rare C-119C that air dropped bridge sections to encircled United Nations forces in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War.

During the final years of its flying career the AMCM’s C-46 was used to transport cattle and evidence of this can still be found throughout the fuselage. Metal rails cover the windows and floor-to-ceiling cabling protects the forward bulkhead from the “cargo” doing any damage. The floor was not as lucky and is dented from the animals’ hooves. Not all vestiges of its military service are gone, however, as original stenciling which indicates where the wheels of 37 and 75 mm guns should be secured remains.​

Not all vestiges of the aircraft’s original purpose have been lost. Instructions on how to secure pack howitzers are visible behind one of the side windows. [Photo courtesy Eric S. Czerwinski, Air Mobility Command Museum]

The flanges that secure the vertical stabilizer and wings have been remanufactured as they had begun to exfoliate. Similarly, new L-channels on the wing trailing edges, stringers in the tail, and panels in both locations have been fabricated. The wingtips were corroded and have been made new as well. All of the fittings in the wheel wells and wings will have to be removed due to the corrosion their deteriorating condition has caused, with only the fuel and oil tanks being reinstalled.​

The museum estimates that the restoration will take another four to five years. However, the project benefits from the adjacent Dover Air Force Base, which provides assistance with sheet metal work.​

For more information about the Air Mobility Command Museum please visit their website. If you wish to help their projects you can donate to the AMC Museum Foundation here.​

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[DaveM]

D-Day 80: Yorkshire Air Museum Unveils New Theme for 2024-2025

The Yorkshire Air Museum (YAM) has announced the launch of “Elvington 44/45 – The Fight for Liberty”, a site-wide exhibition that spans one of the most momentous 12 months in modern history. Over the last two years the YAM had had exhibitions on the Falklands Air War (2022) and the Cold War (2023). These lasted across the summer but this time the museum is continuing into the next, up to the anniversary of VE Day.​

[Image via Yorkshire Air Museum]
The exhibition starts in May, looking at the arrival of two RAF Bomber Command squadrons (346 and 347 Squadrons) at RAF Elvington which were run entirely by French personnel. They came to the UK from North Africa once the allies had driven the German forces back there and served with the RAF. Elvington was the only RAF airbase in the UK run entirely by non-British personnel. The French tricolor was raised at Elvington on May 16th, 1944 and the first operational sortie, by 346 Sqn, was on June 5th and struck the Maisy Battery in Normandy. The presence of these units led to RAF Elvington becoming known as “La petite France”. This new display is on show in the museum’s Bomber Command building. Another part of the exhibition tells the story of the different roles Handley Page Halifax bombers from RAF Elvington played around D-Day, from striking targets in northern France to towing gliders into the battlezone (in particular the large Hamilcar gliders that only the Halifax was capable of towing). These display boards are new and have been built into an original bomb trolley, to stand beneath the museum’s Halifax Mk.III LV907 Friday the 13th. In the museum’s Astra Cinema there will be more newsreel material plus a video telling the story of the Maisy Battery Raid and a new animation on the origins of Friday the 13th getting its name.

The many and varied roles played by Halifaxes flying out of Elvington will be commemorated by displays underneath the museum’s example Friday The 13th. [Photo via Yorkshire Air Museum]

Douglas C-47 Skytrains, known as Dakotas in RAF service, are an icon of D-Day through their role of dropping British and American paratroopers behind the beach landings. Similar to the Halifax display, “The Dakota and D-Day” tells the story of the role of the workhorse of D-Day. The YAM’s “Dak” has been repainted with D-Day invasion stripes to mark the anniversary and will be outside our hangar for the summer in her new trim.

“Gliders and Airborne Forces” will showcase the part played by airborne troops, based around the museum’s reconstructed WACO glider, archive newsreel footage playing and exhibits including an original British Army glider pilot jacket.​

For more information on “Elvington 44/45 – The Fight for Liberty” and the new displays visit the Yorkshire Air Museum’s website.​

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[DaveM]

The Last Blackburn Beverley is Saved

By Zac Yates
The sole surviving example of the Cold War-era Blackburn Beverley transport aircraft has been saved after an ambitious crowdfunding target was reached in just seven weeks. As reported by Vintage Aviation News, the Solway Aviation Museum (SAM) launched the campaign to raise £60,000 in February after Beverley XB259’s previous owner offered the unique aircraft for free to anyone who could remove the aircraft from its home of several decades at Fort Paull, near Hull.

A member of the SAM team shows his awe at the sheer size of the Beverley. [Screenshot from Bearded Bodger on YouTube]
SAM chairman Dougie Kerr said the team was amazed at the public’s response to the project.”Fundraising for the Blackburn Beverley XB259 has gone extremely well, I didn’t think that we would make £60k so quickly and the donation are still coming in,” Kerr said. “Thank you all that have donated to the project.”

A view from the rear of the crew compartment showing the navigator’s station and, through the bulkhead, the cockpit. [Screenshot from Bearded Bodger on YouTube]

Unfortunately birds have had free access to the very complete cockpit. [Screenshot from Bearded Bodger on YouTube]
A team from the SAM visited the Beverley on April 20th to examine the aircraft and plan its disassembly as shown in the video below. The first volunteer working party meeting was held at the museum on April 25th with 19 volunteers turning up to see how they can help.

Members of the team lend some scale to the rear fuselage of the Beverley. [Screenshot from Bearded Bodger on YouTube]
“Most of the volunteers are retired and cannot wait to get started,” Kerr said. “It will be like a holiday on the east coast and you get to play with an airplane.”

The Beverley fundraising pages will be live until August and donations can be made via PayPal and JustGiving. For more information on the Solway Aviation Museum or to offer help visit their website at Solway Aviation Museum – At Carlisle Airport. and their Facebook page.​

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[DaveM]

D-Day Squadron Returns to Germany to Celebrate the Berlin Airlift 75th Anniversary

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, together with the German state of Hesse, will host a public commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Airlift on June 16th. After the conclusion of the D-Day 80th celebrations in Normandy, France some of the Douglas C-47s and DC-3s from the D-Day Squadron, along with others based in Europe, will continue onwards to Germany to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the successful conclusion of the Berlin Airlift.​

Some of the DC-3s and C-47s on the ground at Wiesbaden Army Airfield in 2019. [Photo via D-Day Squadron]

As most readers will know, following Germany’s surrender at the end of WWII the nation’s administration was divided between the four occupying powers: the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union. This was supposed to be a temporary situation until a new democratic political system could be implemented in Germany, and obviously to also prevent the resurgence of a Nazi-style regime following the Allied victory.​

A C-54 landing at Tempelhof airport in West Berlin during the Berlin Airlift with struggling Berliners watching on from the end of the runway. [Photo via Wikipedia]

Similarly to the nation itself, Germany’s original capital city, Berlin, was also divided into four sectors with each zone administered by one of the four occupying powers. But Berlin was deep within East Germany, which meant that supplying the Western-aligned sectors required the Soviets to allow supply trains and truck convoys to pass through their zone. Sensing an opportunity to annex West Berlin in the spring of 1948, the Soviets decided to force the other occupying powers from Berlin by simply shutting off the land and water-based supply routes through East Germany… to effectively starve the city into surrender. But to Stalin’s consternation, the Western Powers refused to abandon Berlin, and so the airlift began…a round-the-clock air bridge to West Berlin bringing in desperately needed supplies to the still-bombed-out city. While the Soviets could block the land and water routes to West Berlin relatively easily, it was far harder to do the same in the air without the risk of sparking a new, and far more devastating war.​

U.S. Navy Douglas R4D and U.S. Air Force C-47 aircraft unload at Tempelhof Airport during the Berlin Airlift. The first aircraft is a C-47A-90-DL, s/n 43-15672.

So long as the Western aircraft stuck to very specific routes — and there were dire consequences for any that deviated from them — the cargo planes with their precious loads were allowed through. It was an incredible feat of determination and bravery, which included aircrews from Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia in addition to the occupying nations, to keep West Berlin from falling into Soviet hands. At its peak, a cargo plane was landing in West Berlin every thirty seconds!​

A DC-3 of Legend Airways in Wiesbaden in 2019. [Photo by Ugo Vicenzi]

Through sheer bloody-mindedness, the blockade ended roughly a year later when the Soviets relented and reopened the land routes to West Berlin. In terms of financial expenditure, it had been a staggeringly expensive exercise, coming in at roughly US$224 million in the day (roughly US$2 billion in today’s dollars). But the Berlin Airlift also had a steep human cost as well with 101 aircrew losing their lives in the endeavor, which saw 17 US and eight British aircraft crash.​

C-47 Betsy Biscuit Bomber, a DC-3 in SwissAir markings and C-47 Screaming Eagle at Wiesbaden in 2019. [Photo by Ugo Vicenzi]

As a result of this brave effort to keep West Berlin safe, the Berlin Airlift is held in enormously high regard in Germany today and celebrated accordingly. Several events will take place in the nation to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its conclusion with a number of Douglas C-47/DC-3s flying into Wiesbaden.​

In 2019 the “Candy Bomber”, Gail Halvorsen (right), was on hand to participate in the 75th anniversary commemorations at Wiesbaden. [Photo by Ugo Vicenzi]

In 2019, one of the veteran pilots of the Berlin Airlift, Gail Halvorsen flew into Wiesbaden aboard the D-Day Squadron’s C-47 Skytrain Placid Lassie. Halverson became famously known as the “Candy Bomber” because he began the practice of dropping sweets on tiny parachutes fashioned from handkerchiefs to the children in West Berlin as his cargo plane approached touchdown in the besieged city back in 1948.​

The D-Day Squadron performed the candy drop in 2019. [Photo by Ugo Vicenzi]
From 9.30 am until 8 pm on the Clay Kaserne Airfield, visitors can enjoy food, fun, and live music while getting the chance to see historic aircraft from the time of the Berlin Airlift, and current equipment from the U.S. and German militaries. “U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, previously an Air Force airfield, was one of the main locations that launched aircraft in support of the Berlin Airlift,” Colonel David W. Mayfield, Commander of the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, said. “It was a historic event, and the largest humanitarian airlift in history. The Berlin Airlift was also the beginning of a partnership, and eventual alliance, between the United States and Germany that only continues to grow today.”

D-Day Squadron airplanes at Wiesbaden in 2019. [Photo by Ugo Vicenzi]

Tickets for the event are not required, however the event does have a cap on how many people can attend the event at one time. If the cap is reached, visitors will be required to queue at the entrance until people exit the event.

On the day of the event, access for visitors is only possible through the main gate of Clay Kaserne. The access road to Clay Kaserne (Luftbrückenstraße) is closed to private motorized traffic. The city of Wiesbaden will set up Park & Ride areas, the entrances to which will be signposted on Autobahn A66 and Autobahn A671 and the federal highway B455. Visitors can only reach the event site by bike, on foot, by taxi, or by shuttle bus. In addition to the regular bus service, ESWE Verkehr offers reinforcements on public bus lines 5, 15, and 28 on weekends.​

Flabob Express as seen from Placid Lassie during the flight over Wiesbaden Army Air Base. Note the many C-47s already on the ground at the show below. [Photo via D-Day Squadron]

In addition, the following items are prohibited in the event area: glass containers, alcoholic beverages, cannabis, knives, weapons of all kinds, defense sprays, fireworks and explosives, spray cans, laser pointers, tools, large bulky items such as camping chairs, backpacks with frames, coolers, or drones / UAVs. There is a strict smoking ban on the event site.​

Further information on the event can be found at the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden website and on its Facebook page. Additional details will be released closer to the day of the event on these sites and at www.eswe-verkehr.de and in the city’s news releases.​

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[DaveM]

YAM’s “We’ll Meet Again” 1940s weekend set for May

The Yorkshire Air Museum is hosting its annual 1940s event “We’ll Meet Again” over the weekend of May 10th-12th, coinciding with the launch of a major new theme for the forthcoming year.

The museum will be filled with more than 100 Allied forces reenactors, with an emphasis on RAF Bomber Command but also US Army Air Force and Airborne Forces plus Air Transport Auxiliary, Mine Safety and more. There will be talks and demonstrations including a mock briefing before a Bomber Command operation and a talk on the Great Escape.

There will be vintage military vehicles and machinery across the site, which was a WWII RAF bomber base (RAF Elvington), as well as talks and demonstrations relating to the allied war effort. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the Museum’s original wartime buildings and, of course, the YAM’s Handley Page Halifax Mk.III bomber and Douglas Dakota Mk.IV transport aircraft, which is newly repainted with invasion stripes to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.​

If you would like more information on the upcoming ‘We’ll Meet Again’ event please visit the Yorkshire Air Museum’s website.​

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[DaveM]

Nothing By Chance: The Return of Parks Biplane N499H

By Zac Yates

“I only know that I want that biplane. I want it because I want to travel through time and I want to fly a difficult airplane and I want to feel the wind when I fly and I want people to look, to see, to know that glory still exists. I want to be part of something big and glorious.” – Richard Bach, Biplane (1966)​

Richard Bach flying the Parks somewhere over the Midwest, 1968. [Photo copyright Russell Munson]

On April 26th, 1964 a radial-powered biplane with wings and tail in Champion Yellow and Stearman Vermillion-painted fuselage took off from an airfield near Lumberton, NC. At the controls was a 27-year-old former USAF fighter pilot determined to capture the spirit of the barnstormers and pioneer aviators, of the wind in the wires and the carefree “pick a field and land for the night” era. On May 2nd — after a journey with more than its fair share of trials and tribulations, and most nights spent in a sleeping bag under the wing — Richard Bach landed his Parks P2A N499H at Compton, CA, his mission accomplished and a new one about to begin.

Bach wrote about the adventure in Biplane (1966), which was followed by Nothing By Chance: A Gypsy Pilot’s Adventures in Modern America (1969 – adapted into a documentary film of the same name in 1975, narrated by Hugh Downs). This latter work chronicled Bach’s adventure with friends touring the U.S. as The Great American Flying Circus, flying several different aircraft (including the Parks) offering cheap airplane rides and performing mini-airshows for small-town crowds as modern-day barnstormers.​

This air-to-air photograph of the Parks was published in the 1962 book The American Heritage History of Flight. [Photo via Zac Yates]

Our subject aircraft, s/n 101, was built in December 1929 and licensed as NC499H under Aircraft Type Certificate 276 the following January, its power provided by a Wright J-6-5 Whirlwind five-cylinder radial engine. While often referred to as a Parks P2A, this airframe was assembled by Detroit Aircraft from components produced by Parks College and marketed as a Ryan Speedster. In Biplane Bach refers to his aircraft as a “1929 Detroit-Ryan Speedster, model Parks P-2A” but for simplicity’s sake this machine is often referred to as simply “the Parks”. Between its registration and September 1939 — at which point the documentation stated the aircraft was prepared for storage — the Parks’ logbook recorded the carriage of 1,233 passengers to date, its front cockpit having room for two people. It made its way to Lumberton lawyer Evander Munn Britt Jr., who in 1964 traded it to Richard Bach for the latter’s recently-rebuilt, “modern” 1946 Fairchild F-24. Bach, who went on to achieve worldwide fame with his book Jonathan Livingston Seagull, parted ways with the Parks in December 1975 when he sold it to Wayne Amelang, who restored the aircraft with fine attention to detail and continued flying the aircraft for another 20 years.​

The Parks pictured shortly after its restoration by Wayne Amelang in the late 1970s. [Photo via Brad Donner]

Forty years later, and after 14 years out of the air, the Parks was in need of some TLC. [Photo via Brad Donner]
“Like many pilots of my generation, I considered Biplane and Nothing By Chance to be canonical,” Texas pilot and vintage aircraft aficionado Brad Donner told Vintage Aviation News. “Before the Parks was completely disassembled for restoration, I enjoyed reading passages from some of these books while sitting in the aft cockpit. At that time, the disassembled Parks shared a hangar with the Bellanca and I could just about hear my Bellanca say ‘you never read bedtime stories to me!’.”

The writer’s own well-thumbed copies of Richard Bach’s two classic books “starring” Parks N499H, Biplane having been bought for him by his mother when he was a very impressionable age 10. [Photo by Zac Yates]
Sixty years after Bach’s epic cross-country flight, and as alluded to by Donner above, the Parks now is in the midst of a thorough and loving restoration with him at Spinks Airport (KFWS) in Fort Worth, TX. He has owned and flown the aforementioned 1946 Bellanca 14-13, NC86916 for eight years, a Piper Colt registered N5333 that he calls a “working girl” (as it serves as a time builder for some of the next generation of pilots in his family and circle of close friends), and another vintage airplane whose identity he is keeping under wraps for the time being. Donner told us aviation is in his blood.

A proud Brad Donner with the Parks in 2018: “100% complete, undamaged, properly stored and documented — a treasure.” [Photo via Brad Donner]
“My late mother was a stewardess, back when you could call them that, for Capital Airlines until she married my father. He was heavily involved in general aviation, so the aviation bug is genetic for me. My first ride in an antique airplane happened when I was about eight years old and one of our family friends had a Fairchild F-24R in which I was a frequent passenger. Interestingly, that F-24R – formerly NC77647 and later G-FANC – was exported to the UK but was destroyed in a hangar fire in 2003.”
Much like Richard Bach, the story of how Donner became the owner of N499H also involves yet another Fairchild 24: F-24W (converted to Ranger power) NC77605, which he recently sold to Cameron Grossl.





“While I still owned the Fairchild, the son of a previous owner – Scott Gupton – reached out to me to share the airplane’s history. He mentioned that his late father Charles Gupton, a ball turret gunner on a B-24, and Richard Bach had been friends during the time Bach owned the Parks and he sent a handful of photos of the Parks from that time period – some taken by him as a youngster from the right seat of the Fairchild. When he told me this story, I nearly fell out of my chair from deja vu! When I was a youngster, the Parks was owned by family friend E. Glen Johnson and was based at the same airport where I learned to fly. Although I had never ridden in the Parks, I had seen it fly many times and we all enjoyed watching Glen’s masterful operation of the airplane. I realized that reuniting the Parks and my Fairchild in my hangar would be a fine achievement and I reached out to Glen about the possibility of purchasing [the Parks]. It was a long dialogue, but in March 2018 I acquired the airplane. As time went on, my priorities changed and I sold the Fairchild, but I look forward to the two airplanes being reunited at an antique airplane event one day.”​

The stripped fuselage of the Parks sits ready for inspection and refurbishment. [Photo via Brad Donner]

New struts had to be fabricated by Donner and his team. [Photo via Brad Donner]

“Fortunately, the airplane was 100% complete when I bought it. It was withdrawn from service due to problems with engine reliability and last flew in 1994. When Glen moved his collection of airplanes to a new airport, the Parks was disassembled and trailered to Northwest Regional Airport (52F) in Roanoke, TX which is where it was hangared when I acquired it. Glen described its appearance as ‘forlorn’ because the Grade A cotton fabric had split at some of the seams while the airplane had been stored. I described its appearance as ‘magnificent’ because it was not damaged and absolutely every part, manual, spare part, log book, and more was carefully stored and documented. It may not have been pretty, but it was indeed a treasure and in remarkably good overall condition.”​

A scanned log page reveals some historically significant names… [Photo via Brad Donner]

When asked how many people are involved in the rebuild Donner replied: “Scores. No ground up restoration is a solo effort. There are welders, woodworkers, historians, authors, vendors, friends, family, and more. Without them, the project would be lost. As of this writing, the spotlight is on an amazing woodworker I found literally in my neighborhood. Without his skill and ambition – he’s fast and efficient – the airplane would still be low on my list of priorities. His success and skill are a source of pride and motivation for me and synergies like that are what keep the project on track.”​

As of the time of writing the airplane has been completely disassembled and assessed for overall condition and viability, Donner said. “The steel fuselage frame, tail surfaces, and landing gear have been repaired as needed, media blasted, and primed. New wing struts have been fabricated. The wings and center section were evaluated and although they were in reasonably good condition, the glue joints and some old repairs were clearly showing their age, so I chose to replace all of the wood components in the airplane. I fabricated new ribs for the wings and center section and had all the internal parts inspected and fabricated replacements where warranted. I disassembled one top wing panel and one bottom wing panel so we could compare the existing ribs, spars, and other parts to the blueprints – other than the ailerons, they were found to be identical, so I had a full set of new spars constructed. The remaining two wing panels are still fully assembled and serve as a check and balance of ‘How does this all fit together in a completed component?’. As of today, the new center section is assembled and ready for varnish, new ailerons are complete through varnish and are ready for preparation for fabric, four new wing panels are ‘under construction’ and will be complete through varnish by the end of this summer.​

“Completing the wing panels and mating new ailerons to new wings and new wings to an old fuselage with new struts bracing the whole affair. The partial remating of the airplane before fabric is known as ‘dry rigging’ and is an important step. Now that completion of the new wings is a foregone conclusion, dry rigging is the next hurdle and will be a milestone because – for a few days – all of the major components of the airplane will be mated and it will sit on its own gear while we conduct a preliminary rigging of the wings and fine tune things like gear geometry (problematic on this airplane) and a few other odds and ends before it all comes back apart and the focus shifts to the fuselage and tail group.”​

Unlike some restorations of rare aircraft — there are thought to be only three or four survivors of the Parks biplane family — Donner’s project hasn’t suffered from insurmountable roadblocks. “From a technical point of view, there are no particularly large challenges,” he said. “The airplane is simple and I have been lucky to have started with a complete and undamaged airplane that included a set of blueprints.​

The project arrived with a full range of blueprints, which has proven invaluable during the restoration. [Photo via Brad Donner]

“Logistically, the biggest challenge is time. Finding time to work on the things I can work on, finding skilled people who can work on components and also have time in their schedules to keep each component on track. The death of any large project happens when work stops for a long period of time.”

This project had its own encounter with that when Donner’s mother had a massive stroke in 2019 and a heart attack the following year. “When your mother ends up in that state, everything else is on the back burner. Before her passing earlier this year, I had to take a long look at my priorities and realized that the Parks needed to get back on track. Her last trip to my hangar was shortly before her stroke and we shared a pizza while she admired the Bellanca and looked at the newly acquired Parks with fabric falling off it and black sludge dripping from the engine and said ‘Oh Brad…’.”​

Brad’s mother Doris Pauline Donner (February 16th 1934 – January 14th 2024) saw every old airplane her son “dragged home” and flew in several of them. We include this photo in memory of Doris at the request of the Donner family. [Photo via Brad Donner]

As for the color scheme, fans of the two Bach books will be pleased to hear the classic yellow and red paint job will be making a comeback, albeit with some alterations.

“The ‘Bach Years’ of the airplane’s history are clearly the most significant and identifiable periods of a nearly 100-year life, so it will wear those colors, perhaps with some minor variation for my personal tastes. But I would also like to incorporate some elements to document the Glen Johnson and Wayne Amelang years. Glen flew the airplane A LOT – he put considerably more hours on it than Bach did – and he was fastidious in his preservation of the airplane, so his ownership tenure needs recognition. Wayne Amelang was a true gentleman in the classic sense of the word and owned the airplane after the ‘Bach Years’ and lavished care on it while celebrating its heritage as a Parks College product. His widow and many members of his extended family are following the progress of the restoration and their passion for the airplane needs to be part of its story going forward.”​

Aileron rib jigs were CNC routed using the blueprints and some of the existing ribs as templates. [Photo via Brad Donner]

Donner is quick to acknowledge those who have helped him in the project so far. “I’d like to thank my family, and especially my late mother, for inspiring and motivating me to engage in projects like this – they are not for the faint of heart. I’d like to thank Glen Johnson for putting up with my antics when I was a kid at Oak Grove Airport and remembering me when I – as a middle-aged man – asked him to sell me his airplane. I’d like to thank all the nice folks who gave timely advice or inspiration. And lastly, many thanks to the craftsmen and artisans who looked at this project and said ‘Yeah, this is cool and I have room in my schedule for you’.”​

As for when N499H will take to the skies again, Donner jokes ‘It will fly on Tuesday’. “I have no idea when it will be finished, but the priority is to keep it moving forward and not stop until it is done.”​

***​

“Fast or slow, quiet or deafening, pulling contrails at forty thousand feet or whishing wheels through grasstops, in barest simplicity or most opulent luxury, they are all there, teaching and having taught. They are all a part of the pilot and he is a part of them. The chipped paint of a control console, the rudder pedals worn smooth through twenty years of turns, the control stick grips from which the little knurl diamonds have been rubbed away: these are the marks of a man upon his airplane. The marks of an airplane upon the man are seen only in his thought, and in the things he has learned and come to believe.” – Richard Bach, Biplane (1966)

​

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[DaveM]

D-Day to Space Travel Among Evening Programs at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024

The Royal Canadian Air Force’s centennial, renowned aerospace designer Burt Rutan, and the future of spaceflight are all part of the schedule this July as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 hosts its memorable evening programs at Theater in the Woods. The 71st Experimental Aircraft Association’s fly-in convention is July 22-28 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

“After a full day on the Oshkosh flightline, evenings at Theater in the Woods have for more than 40 years been the place to hear from aviation legends and today’s innovators,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programs, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “This year’s programming again creates ‘only at Oshkosh’ moments with those involved in aviation history, cutting-edge technology, or the future of flight.”​

Story of Devotion. Theater in the Woods. Photo by Brett Brock

This year’s Theater in the Woods evening schedule includes (all events start at 7 p.m. unless indicated):

• Sunday, July 21: “An Evening with Champions” traditional “pre-game” show, with aviation personalities
• Monday, July 22: “Life, The Universe and Everything Else” with legendary designer Burt Rutan
• Tuesday, July 23: “Turning the Tide in WWII and D-Day 80th anniversary” featuring Timeless Voices interviews with D-Day vets, plus in-person commentary from those who keep historic aircraft flying
• Wednesday, July 24 (6:30 p.m. start): EAA WomenVenture, featuring female helicopter pilots
• Thursday, July 25: Royal Canadian Air Force 100th anniversary with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, as well as insights from those who fly, restore, and display historic RCAF aircraft
• Friday, July 26: NASA and the next steps for space exploration, including the Artemis II mission to the moon
• Saturday, July 27 (6:30 p.m. start): U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, with highlights of what it takes to test aircraft and systems used on the front lines

All evening programs at Theater in the Woods are sponsored by M&M’S and are included with regular AirVenture admission. Other special guests and highlights will be announced as they are finalized.

About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s membership convention. Additional information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available at www.EAA.org/airventure. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or visit www.EAA.org.​

Photo via EAA

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[DaveM]

Fun for Everyone at POF’s “Wings, Tracks, and Wheels” May 4th and 5th

The Planes of Fame Air Museum (POF) is the place to be on either Saturday May 4th or Sunday May 5th, 2024 (or both!) as the Chino, CA-based museum presents its annual “Wings, Tracks, and Wheels” special event. The entire museum complex has been turned into a tribute to veterans of past conflicts with be dozens of military vehicles from the past, along with historical re-enactors from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War.

[Image courtesy Planes of Fame]
The reenactors have set up a real military encampment to help everyone better understand and appreciate the duties and sacrifices of our veterans. You’ll see historic aircraft flyovers as they’ve scheduled multiple demonstration flights of WWII-era warbirds, and you’ll be able to take a flight in a real World War II military trainer. And everyone will thrill to the dramatic demonstration of the museum’s WWII-era M4 Sherman tank including the firing of her gun!

Several U.S. trainer aircraft will fly at the event, including a PT-17 Stearman. [Photo via Planes of Fame]
Two Hangar Talks are scheduled with some great topics and there’ll be some fun hands-on demonstrations, plus plenty of food and drink, and special activities for the youngest visitors including scale model aircraft workshops and, for kids of all ages, be sure to witness the “Battle of the Tiny Tanks!”

The P-40N will be on display and perform a flight demonstration as part of a tribute to the USAAF. [Photo by Britt Dietz]
All this and more awaits at this special ticket event! Museum members and all kids under 11 are admitted free but members must secure a ticket through the “Wings, Tracks, and Wheels” web page. Don’t delay as discount ticket prices of $25 are available only until April 30th, 2024. Tickets will be available on the day for $30.

[Image courtesy Planes of Fame]
There’s something for everyone at “Wings, Tracks, and Wheels,” so tell your friends and neighbors about this unique and fantastic event!

Click HERE to purchased discounted tickets to “Wings, Tracks and Wheels”.​

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[DaveM]

Air America: Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, Professionally

By Chris Henry

During the war in Vietnam, there was an airline that flew some of the most harrowing missions ever taken on by a group of this type, and over hostile territory. Because of this, they gained the title of “World’s Most Shot at Airline”. This airline had more than 30 twin-engine cargo aircraft, two dozen STOL aircraft such as the Helio Courier, more than 30 helicopters, and more than 300 employees. Their company name Was Air America, and their motto was “Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, Professionally”.​

Wing Emblem of Air America Airlines

Neil Hansen started his interest in aviation at a young age. Like so many of us in aviation, his passion for aviation started as a kid building models. Then he started flying the control line planes until he was old enough to get a job. His first job was at the local airport washing planes. “You could make some really great money cleaning planes at the airport, and if I did it right I could do 3 cubs in an hour.” He took part in what he was making and used it to take flying lessons. It was not long before he had earned his license and bought his first airplane, a Cessna 140. He would later go on to purchase a Mooney Mite and fly it on an amazing journey to Jamaica. He would later go on to do a large amount of executive flying eventually flying for the Teamsters and the personal pilot to Jimmy Hoffa. “It looked like Mr. Hoffa was going to be going away for a while, and I figured I had better find something else. There was an ad in the newspaper for Air America. I applied and a gentleman called me back. He sounded pretty unimpressed and said that they were not really looking for any more pilots. So I went on about my business.” More than a week had gone by and Neil found himself at Meigs Field in Chicago. “I was paged to a phone in the field manager’s office and on the other end of the line was a gentleman for Air America. He asked if I could fly well and if I liked to drink. I said yes to both and they asked me if I could report right away. I said that I had to give my company notice and needed longer. Besides I didn’t have a passport and that would take a while.” They had Neil go down right away and put in his paperwork for his passport. In 3 days he had his new passport in hand. One day while flying some of the lawyers for the Teamsters, he mentioned that they were going to be losing him as he had accepted a new job. When asked where he was going he started Air America. The lawyers replied very casually with, “Oh the CIA”. “As you can imagine, this was a big surprise to me”.​

An Air America C-123 delivering supplies and picking up Laotian troops at Long-Tieng.

“I was treated first class during my entire trip from the United States to Asia. So good in fact that I was starting to worry about what was ahead”. Neil attended indoctrination and background checks and also was issued a Chinese License. “Many of the aircraft that they had in their company were built by the Chinese, and would not be legal in the U.S.” Neil found himself flying some of the big iron with the company. Most of his time was in the DC-6, C-123, C-46, DC-3, and the DO-28. “They would strip all of the markings off of my DC-6and I would depart around 2:00 AM. We would fly 500 feet off of the published routes, and fly for about 10 hours carrying munitions down to Laos. All of this was done with absolutely no flight plan!”

There were really no navaids. Most of the flying was done with dead reckoning. One of the biggest challenges would of course be the weather. The weather would change very fast, and when the monsoon season would come it would be unplayable at times. Neil had some great adventures. Many of them are depicted in the 1990 movie starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. “There was a lot of Hollywood in that movie. One of the things mentioned there is that we carried drugs. There is no way. We never carried drugs anywhere. The only time drugs might have been carried is if it was in someone’s pocket that was on our plane. Some of the things they got right. I would take people on their orientation flights and while they were flying pull out a coloring book and crayons and start coloring. I used to have my plane blessed by Buddhists every day and I even became a Buddhist Monk. I figured that if I was going to live among these folks, which I had better make an attempt to fit in with their culture.”​

Air America C-123 on-ramp at Long Tieng, 1970. Photo courtesy of D. Williams

When asked if there was one day that stood out during his time with Air America he said that it would have to be the day he crashed 3 times in the same day. The event took place near a base in Pac Say near the Ho chi min Trail. He was flying a C-123 loaded with ammunition that he was carrying to resupply two different firebases. “We made it to the first base with no issues, and just as I hit the button to turn the jump light green in the back to signal the kickers to launch the cargo, we started taking anti-aircraft fire. The kickers were personal who would stay in the back of the plane and tend to the cargo, where many times locals that would work for us.” Neil questioned them and they reported seeing orange balls coming up at them. Neil determined what kind of weapon was shooting at them and then avoided it. He returned to base and reported to his case officer that there was an intense anti-aircraft fire near the drop zone. The case manager said that there was no known enemy activity in the area. “Well, I knew right then that someone was lying to me.” At Neil’s urging the case officer agreed to send a fire team out to sweep the area. After a few hours, the team reported back that nothing was out there and that it was clear for us to continue the flight. I knew we were going to be in a fight, so I requested two helicopters on standby.” The Huey’s took off half an hour early/ Neil then departed in his C-123 and headed for the Drop zone. “Picture shooting skeet. I figured if I stayed low and fast until the last second, I would be a harder target to hit. So I kept down low just above the trees. Right as we arrived at the DZ, I pulled up and dropped our cargo. AS the cargo dropped we started taking fire. We got hit pretty hard. The airplane shuddered under the fire. You could hear the shrapnel hitting the belly of the Provider. The plane kept wanting to roll right, so I hard to start the jet and get it up to 100% on that side to keep it from rolling over. . I asked our co-pilot who was a nervous newer guy to go back and see how bad the damage was. He reported back that both ailerons were in the full-up position. I knew we were going to have to bail, so I headed toward this old Japanese airstrip. We couldn’t land there, but it would be a safe area to bail. As I approached the field, I told my co-pilot to get ready. He went to the back of the aircraft, and as I was about ready to give the signal to jump, he wandered back to the cockpit looking for his tack vest. I was sort of startled by this and gave it to him. Then I called the kickers on the intercom and told them that when he got back there to take that vest off of him and throw it out of the door. If he tried to put it on over the parachute, it wouldn’t open properly. The problem was as this all happened, we had overflown the base. So I had to turn around to try it again. As we lined up on the base for the second time, once again about to signal to the crew to jump, I could see something out of the corner of my eye. It was my co-pilot back in the cockpit again. I asked him in a very matter-of-fact tone what he was doing back in the cockpit. He stated that he had forgotten his Nikon camera. I handed him the camera, and then punched him and he fell back out of the cockpit. By this time we had once again overflown the base, and I had to line up for the third time. This time I called the kickers again and told them to throw him out. On this attempt, everyone bailed. My co-pilot wasn’t sure how to use the parachute and was trying to pull the ring the wrong way. He eventually did get it opened, but he lost some altitude first. Now it was my turn. The plane began to come apart, and I bailed in time to watch it crash. After a short wait, a helicopter came to pick us up. Inside this helicopter was a guy who had been shot, and was throwing up between his feet. I knew how he felt. They stuck their tail rotor through some brush and peppered me with branches. We took small arms fire on the way out, and after a short hop had to crash land. We did so and a second helicopter landed about 50 yards from us to pick us up. We couldn’t figure out why since we had a wounded man that we were lugging with us, but we made our way to the helicopter. When questioned about why they landed so far from us the pilot responded very matter in fact like, “Well you guys were in a minefield.” We had just about made it back to base in this helicopter when it ran out of gas and we had to auto-rotate into trees. As I walked into the base that night, still armed with my Uzi, that case officer that sent us up there saw me coming and said that he would go for the beer. We never saw him again.”

“I really loved flying the DC-3. We would take it in and out of 1,500-foot strips. It was just a great airplane. I had a great friend named Bill Pruner that I used to fly with a lot. Bill had been a corporate pilot of Cummings Diesel out of Indianapolis. One day Bill and I had planned on taking a DC-3 out flying for a while. Right before we left, I received word that there was some mix-up on where I was supposed to be. So I could not go. Sometime later I was in the radio shack and we got word that Bill’s DC-3 had taken fire and was wounded. Bill had taken a round through the thigh but was still in control of the plane. He fought to find a place to crash land the airplane and managed to get it down and secure on a rice paddy. Everyone was ok, and they were tending to his wounds. We actually had a helicopter less than 20 minutes out and it looked like it was going to end up alright after all. All I could do is sit in the radio shack and listen to the reports coming in. The helo showed up and started taking fire from VC who were in the airplane and throwing grenades. We sent in a gunship that took out the VC and when the rescue helicopter returned they found that everyone inside the airplane had been killed and tortured. There was a report that one person in an Air America uniform was seen being led away from the crash and I hoped that it was my friend Bill. As the rescue helicopters returned to our base, I went out to meet them and pulled back the sheet over one of the bodies. It was Bill. Had things happened differently that day, I too could have been on that flight.” What is not known to many is that 242 people lost their lives working for Air America. To this day none of them are eligible for veteran benefits. This is a wrong that deserves correcting.

Click HERE to visit the official website of Air America.​

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[DaveM]

Aussie Antiquers 50th Fly-In

By Commissioning Editor James Kightly

On the extended weekend of the April 18th – 21st 2024, the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia (AAAA, or generally known to the aficionados as the ‘Antiquers’) celebrated the organization’s fiftieth birthday. The fly-in event was held for the first time at the New South Wales country town of Corowa, situated on the Murray River that separates NSW from Victoria, and the event was titled the 50th Anniversary National Fly-in for the Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia.​

Australia is a BIG country (equivalent in size to the lower 48 of the U.S., or larger than Europe) so while the majority of the attendees were from the more local states, those made the effort to travel from South Australia and Queensland were appreciated.​

Allan Chinn’s PA-11S flew down from tropical Northern Queensland, with a number of stops en-route, and collected the ‘Kevin Bailey Award for Longest Distance Flown to Attend’ award. [Photo by James Kightly]

While Allan Chinn’s Piper PA-11, the visitor from Airlie Beach, Queensland won the distance traveled prize (over a thousand miles, or 1,700km) that prize was sponsored and awarded by the regular attendee Kevin Bailey, who flew in from Perth — the other side of the continent — in his open-cockpit Stampe SV-4, an even greater, epic 1,700 miles (2,800 km).​

Kevin Bailey flew his Stampe SV4B VH-BVU all the way from Perth, WA. Seen here in front of South Australian based Tim Brownridge’s Stinson SR-9E VH-ISR. [Photo by James Kightly]

Few can compete with Kevin’s distance, and he has, nevertheless been a regular attendee in one of his vintage types. Both these measures are direct line, so significantly shorter than the real distance and missing the stops required.​

The subtle, special light of the Aurora Australis were seen over the field at about 5am. [Mia Keep Photography]

The other dimension, appropriately on a half-century for the organization, was a celebration of the founding members from fifty years ago, and the youth attendees of today. Rightly, one of the prizes was awarded to Borg Sorensen of Tyabb, Victoria who arrived in his own de Havilland DH.82a Tiger Moth with a twelve year old co-pilot grandson. Borg, a well known identity and master of vintage aircraft engine rebuilds is a mere 95 years young.​

95 year old Borg Sorensen checks his Tiger Moth VH-DFG for the return journey into Victoria. The Sorensen family, and their Tiger Moth, were awarded the ‘President’s Choice’ Award. [Photo by James Kightly]

A special effort had been made by the hard-working committee to reach out to the surviving pioneering members, and more recent former members, with the result that the event dinner at the Club Corowa was a sell-out attended by over 350 guests.​

The main event dinner venue, Club Corowa, has an Australian-built de Havilland Vampire A79-529 on a pole outside. [Photo by James Kightly]

At the peak David Prossor, noted aircraft registrar at such events, counted 168 aircraft on the field, and while this included a few residents (one of which was the sole jet! See the article end for a photo) the majority had flown in for the event.​

An Australian designed and built homebuilt, the Corby Starlet is a type well past 50 years old. A diverse array of types are beyond it, and the Tiger Moths in the background. [Photo by James Kightly]

Dave, still a leader in the documentation of Australia’s aviation history, was one of the surviving original founders from 1974 along with Clive Phillips and Barry Bell.​

The oldest Cessna attending and a rare pre-war survivor, 1937 C-37 VH-UZU, behind the Association banners and in front of several more rarities. [Photo by James Kightly]

All aircraft are welcome (some modern types and modern home-builds were on the field) but the emphasis is on the antique classic, warbirds and even ‘modern classic’ types.​

Warbirds included VH-BOB, the recently immaculately restored CAC Mustang whose team rightly walked off with a couple of awards, three CAC CA25 Winjeels, no less than five Boeing A75 Stearman trainers, a sole Vultee BT-13 Valiant, and (somewhat unusually for Australia, where the type is common) just one Nanchang CJ-6A.​

After the UK, Australia probably has the largest active, airworthy population of Tiger Moths and Austers worldwide.​

Husband and wife arrivals, Di Davey in her Piper PA-11 VH-LTE taxis in after arrival with husband Phil Prap in the Ryan PT-22 VH-NEA. [Photo by James Kightly]

Careful organization by the committee was allowed most types to be grouped together, including nine Austers among a remarkable array of ‘distant cousin’ types from the Piper and Taylorcraft family.​

Rare de Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth VH-UUL flies in from the Bondi Beach, NSW area, and is seen landing with the rotating wheel fairing air brakes deployed. [Photo by James Kightly]

Mark Carr’s DH.94 Moth Minor VH-CZB was awarded the ‘Grand Champion Antique’ prize. [Photo by James Kightly]

Ten de Havilland Tiger Moths was perhaps not particularly surprising, but good to see, but three Stampes joining them certainly was a surprise.​

Two of the three Stampes in attendance shot air to air by Mia Keep Photography.

Small numbers may not have seemed special, but Australia’s entire population of airworthy Piper PA-11s (two) was present, likewise the two Ryan PT-22s might not seem much but was also Australia’s entire population of the USAAC trainer.​

The three Aircoupes attending put up a formation flight in the afternoon. Mildly unconventional looking, the more you know, the more unusual they are. [Photo by James Kightly]

Three Erco Aircoupes were a notable grouping, and certainly the most unusual type in design terms on the field, though a Vietnam War-era Cessna O-1 Bird Dog on amphibian floats was an eyecatcher.​

A Cessna O-1 Bird Dog stands tall on its amphibian floats – this example, a Vietnam veteran, was brought in by Kate and Steve Death from Albury, ‘down river’ on the Murray. The details of its wartime service were displayed on the info board below. [Photo by James Kightly]

The two Ryan PT-22s flew a formation with the sole Ryan SCW, a former event prizewinner like several other attendees, and the ultra-rare SCW was the one that had been flown in the UK for a period recently.​

The Cessna 180 has been a useful hardworking ‘farm wagon’ type in Australia and 12 turned up, among a range of other vintage Cessnas, one a C-37 dating to pre-war. Likewise eight de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunks was a good turnout, doubly so considering they type never served in military use in Australia.​

The event was extended from early arrivals on Thursday, with an evening showing of the classic 1965 aviation film Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines and a barbecue.​

The Friday and Saturday morning were more arrivals and some pleasure flying, and departures extended through until early afternoon Sunday, which wrapped up a successful, safe and highly enjoyable event, and believed the largest AAAA fly-in ever by attendance. It is hoped that a return to Corowa can be made for the next event in 2025, and it should be well worth the visit.​

The awards: The People’s Choice Award: Commonwealth Aircraft Corp. CA-18 Mustang VH-BOB Eastgate Family Grand Champion Warbird: Commonwealth Aircraft Corp. CA-18 Mustang VH-BOB Eastgate Family R.G.Carey Award for Best Owner Restoration at its First Outing: Stampe SV4B VH-BVU Kevin Bailey President’s Choice Award: de Havilland DH.82a Tiger Moth VH-DFJ Sorensen Family


Grand Champion Contemporary: Cessna 182B VH-BRA Steve Newing Grand Champion Classic: Stinson 108-3 VH-STN Steve & Jayne Guilmartin Grand Champion Antique: de Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor VH-CZB Mark Carr Kevin Bailey Award for Longest Distance Flown to Attend: Piper PA-11 Cub VH-AKD Allan Chinn Barry Bell Award for the Member Making the Greatest Contribution to the Association: Helen Craven

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[DaveM]

April 2024 Update from Vulcan to the Sky Trust

PRESS RELEASE Last month the Vulcan to the Sky Trust (VTST) shared the news that the City of Doncaster Council (CDC) announced they had signed a lease for the former Doncaster Sheffield Airport, where VTST’s Avro Vulcan B.2 XH558 is located. The lease is for 125 years and CDC noted that “The lease agreement is the first stage in the process to reopen the airport. The next stage is the appointment of an airport operator to manage the operational airport”.

[Photo courtesy Vulcan To The Sky Trust]
The VTST was able to engage in discussions with CDC at an early stage of their management of the site and agreed dates for Vulcan XH558 Tours for the months ahead. The Trust announced those dates to supporters last week and the eight sessions across four event dates sold out in just over an hour. Marc Walters, Chief Executive of VTST, said: “We are pleased to be working with the City of Doncaster Council, as the leaseholders for the airport, and our current landlords to be able to put these events on. “We know how important these tours are to supporters and they sell out very quickly when they are released. We will be adding more dates in the coming months and we look forward to working with the successful company who will eventually reopen the airport as we work to secure our long-term future in Doncaster.”



Ahead of visits the engineering team have been working hard on some maintenance and cleaning tasks. You can read about this work in articles written by two of the volunteer team, Dave Hirons and Connor Sykes, on the VTST website.

[Photo courtesy Vulcan To The Sky Trust]
The team has also been busy with their education partners The Work-wise Foundation. With Vulcan XH558 as the centerpiece their mission is to inspire the next generation to learn about, be inspired by and find a future career in science, technology, engineering or manufacturing. Collaboratively they have delivered a series of events and activities, such as Get up to Speed with STEM 2024, Dr Pleming’s Operation Vulcan Design Projects: Fostering Innovation in Education, Get in the Spirit Challenges: Unleashing Creativity Across Schools, and collaborating on projects with Doncaster UTC.

[Photo courtesy Vulcan To The Sky Trust]
Such activities remind everyone of the continued importance of Vulcan XH558, the innovative design of the aircraft and its role as a peacekeeper during the Cold War, and the work the Trust does alongside The Work-wise Foundation in inspiring future generations, embracing innovation, fostering creativity and supporting diversity in STEM fields.

The names of thousands of supporters line the bomb bay of Vulcan XH558. [Photo courtesy Vulcan To The Sky Trust]

To learn more about the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and to become a financial supporter visit their website.​

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[sikatri]

I really got to ask considering another topic brought about here. The thread was on a Triumph 400 motorcycle review, but diverted to ICE and machines banned in Europe and after a 15 year period all repairs illegal. Considering these planes, would they not also fall into such a law? How do we as a community respond? What would be solved by such an extreme act, planes and vehicles destroyed to what purpose?

 

[Greyfell]

I really got to ask considering another topic brought about here. The thread was on a Triumph 400 motorcycle review, but diverted to ICE and machines banned in Europe and after a 15 year period all repairs illegal. Considering these planes, would they not also fall into such a law? How do we as a community respond? What would be solved by such an extreme act, planes and vehicles destroyed to what purpose?

According to what little I have read/heard aviation fuel is not restricted, at this time. I presume it it because the number of airplanes flying, that use standard aviation fuel is far less than the internal combustion engine, in cars or trucks, that are on the road, and the cumulative miles are also less.

 

[sikatri]

According to what little I have read/heard aviation fuel is not restricted, at this time. I presume it it because the number of airplanes flying, that use standard aviation fuel is far less than the internal combustion engine, in cars or trucks, that are on the road, and the cumulative miles are also less.

So why not classify a collector class of vehicles that are not daily use and leave the option open to retain older vehicles like motorcycles and older cars that families might want to keep. Seems that would satisfy taking such vehicles out of daily use. I do wonder what happens to people that can’t afford the latest vehicle.

 

[Greyfell]

So why not classify a collector class of vehicles that are not daily use

Well, politicals with tunnel vision only look at the cars on the road, and how they contribute to smog and congestion, without seriously considering the skies. Also, airports and airlines have much more money than individual drivers, and most auto clubs, for that matter, to line pockets in the seats of government. I am with most of the folks that don't want that king of change.

 

[sikatri]

Nice to see the old planes being restored and flown. History is nice to see.

 

[sikatri]

Any idea where the man in the tube picture was? Trying to figure what he was checking or maintaining.

 

[DaveM]

Intrepid Museum’s Fleet Week

Save the date for the Intrepid Museum’s Fleet Week celebration! In recognition of our men and women in uniform, the Intrepid Museum celebrates Fleet Week from May 24 – 27, 2024! Fleet Week activities will kick off Friday, May 24, with our annual free movie night on the flight deck, featuring Top Gun: Maverick.

US Navy Fleet Week is a spectacular showcase of maritime prowess, uniting sailors and civilians in celebration of naval heritage and strength. Held annually across various cities in the United States, this event offers a unique opportunity for the public to interact with sailors, explore cutting-edge naval vessels, and witness thrilling demonstrations of naval capabilities. From majestic aircraft carriers to sleek destroyers, the fleet stands as a testament to the nation’s maritime power and commitment to global security. Fleet Week fosters a sense of community, gratitude, and admiration for the brave men and women who serve in the United States Navy, while also serving as a platform for educational outreach and public engagement about naval operations and history. It’s a vibrant occasion where patriotism and maritime tradition converge, leaving a lasting impression on all who attend.​

Aerial view of the museum from the Hudson River, Image via Wikiepdia

Throughout the weekend, enjoy musical performances and explore a variety of displays, activities, and demos from the military, including the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Naval Research and many more! The weekend will conclude on Monday, May 27, with the Museum’s annual Memorial Day ceremony.

All activities on the pier are free to the public. View the daily schedule HERE​

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[sikatri]

Looks like an interesting museum installation. It appears one Concord is there as well.

 

[DaveM]

D-DAY80 PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES

COAP Wings is delighted to announce an exclusive program of flight & photography experiences, in partnership with Aero Legends in the UK and France, during the “D-Day80 Heroes Remembered” celebrations.​

UK GROUND SHOOTS
Three exclusive, professionally choreographed events, dedicated to photography run by COAP Wings in partnership with Aero Legends, to bring the D-Day80 Heroes Remembered aircraft to life at North Weald!

Each event offers something different, and each one is concentrated on capturing photography that commemorates this historic 80th Anniversary.

WEDNESDAY MAY 29th:
The first evening photoshoot will offer the chance of imagery of D-Day80 Heroes remembered participating aircraft as clear as possible and without re-enactors, including engine runs of one or two C-47s. This event, hosted by Aero Legends and delivered by COAP Wings at North Weald, will commence at 1800hrs and finish at 2200hrs after the ‘Blue Hour’.
TICKETS HERE: D-Day 80 - The Aircraft - COAP Wings

THURSDAY MAY 30th:
The second evening event will feature time travel living history scenes, capturing the essence of this historic event. This will include re-enactors, vehicles & aircraft on static display in the background to complete the scene. This event, hosted by Aero Legends and delivered by COAP Wings at North Weald, will commence at 1800hrs and finish at 2200hrs after the ‘Blue Hour’. TICKETS HERE: D-Day 80 - The Scenes - COAP Wings

FRIDAY MAY 31st:
Our third exclusive re-enactment photoshoot will feature B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Sally B’. This will be a daylight time travel photoshoot featuring vehicles & re-enactors with C-47s as a backdrop setting to the ‘airfield’ scene.
TICKETS HERE: D-Day 80 - The Allies - COAP Wings

FLIGHT EXPERIENCES

UK FLIGHT EXPERIENCES
Fly with the historic D-Day machines in dedicated photo sorties, the hottest experience of the year!

A series of dedicated photography flights operating out of North Weald over the period of 27th-30th May. This experience is limited to five people on each flight. The exclusive photo flights will be the most immersive experience of the year, as you fly alongside the aircraft taking part in the D-DAY80 Heroes Remembered work-up period.

Register for your experience HERE: D-Day 80 - UK Photo Flight Experience - COAP Wings

FRANCE & CHANNEL-CROSSING FLIGHT EXPERIENCES
Fly amongst the entire armada crossing the Channel and with historical, moving drops over the significant D-Day sites in France. An exclusive series of incredibly moving flights, sharing the sky with the C-47s & Spitfires over some of the most historically significant lands in the world! Here’s what’s on offer, each one an exclusive experience delivered by COAP Wings for Aero Legends…

A unique chance to join the armada on the crossing over from the UK to France on Sunday 2nd June. A cross-channel flight for the return to Upottery, home of the 101st Airborne on Tuesday 5th June. Self-contained flight experiences within France over the 3rd, 4th, and 5th June.

Register for your cross-channel experience HERE: D-Day 80 - Cross-Channel Photo Flight Experience - COAP Wings
Register for your France experience HERE: D-Day 80 - France Photo Flight Experience - COAP Wings

DDAY80 HEROES REMEMBERED
Exclusive access and the ultimate immersion in history, brought to you by Aero Legends and COAP Wings… These ground shoots and flights over the UK, The Channel and France are the best opportunities and the ultimate immersion in history for you to experience. Which will you choose?

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