Warbird News

[DaveM]

B-29 Doc History Restored Tour to Land in Camarillo, CA, in October

PRESS RELEASE

The B-29 Doc History Restored Tour will land in Camarillo, California, Oct. 3-6, 2024. It will be hosted by the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF SoCal) while at the Camarillo Airport. B-29 Doc, one of 1,644 B-29 Superfortress aircraft built by the Boeing Company in Wichita, KS, during World War II, is one of only two remaining B-29 aircraft still airworthy and flying today. While in Camarillo, the historic warbird will be available for ground and cockpit tours and B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides.​

[Photo by Nick Chismar]

“Camarillo has a rich history of World War II and Cold War-era aviation that contributed greatly to the defense of our nation,” said Josh Wells, B-29 Doc executive director. “That history is kept alive by the CAF Southern California Wing thanks to the dedication of its members, who keep a large collection of WWII and post-war-era aircraft alive to showcase the history of our nation and honor those who fought to defend freedom at home and abroad. The B-29 Doc History Restored Tour is all about: Honor. Educate. Connect. Bringing B-29 Doc to Camarillo to partner with the CAF SoCal mission means furthering our joint-ability to keep history alive and flying for generations to come by giving people a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with history.”

B-29 Doc will arrive at Camarillo Airport on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and will be available for ground and cockpit tours Thursday, Oct. 3, and Friday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides will be available on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6, at 9 and 11 a.m. both days, followed by ground and cockpit tour access from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. B-29 Doc Flight Experience tickets are on sale now at www.b29doc.com/rides. While the aircraft is on the ground, visitors can climb inside the cockpit through the forward bomb bay to look inside one of only two B-29 Superfortresses still airworthy and flying today.​

Photo via Doc’s Friends

“The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) SoCal is thrilled to welcome the iconic B-29 Superfortress, “Doc,” to our ramp,” said Lucien Pillai, public information officer for the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing. “It’s a true privilege to host such a remarkable piece of living history, and we’re excited to share this beautiful aircraft with our community. While guests tour “Doc,” they are also invited to explore our WWII Aviation Museum and view our collection of restored aircraft and other artifacts. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Doc’s Friends for bringing this historic treasure to Camarillo, allowing us to experience and honor this incredible chapter of aviation history”.​

Photo courtesy of Doc’s Friends

Event Details for the B-29 Doc History Restored Tour at Camarillo Airport: CAF SoCal Wing

B-29 Doc will arrive at Camarillo Airport on Wednesday, October 2, and will be available for ground and cockpit tours Thursday, Oct. 3, and Friday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides will be available on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6, at 9 and 11 a.m. both days, followed by ground and cockpit tour access from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. B-29 Doc Flight Experience tickets are on sale now at www.b29doc.com/rides. Admission for ground and cockpit tour access will be $20 per person or $30 per family, which includes access to the renowned CAF SoCal Museum. Tickets for museum, ground, and cockpit tour access can be purchased at the door the days of the event. For more information about the CAF SoCal Wing, visit: www.cafsocal.com

About Doc’s Friends and B-29 Doc Doc’s Friends, Inc., is a 501c3 non-profit board managing the operation of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress known as Doc. Doc is a B-29 Superfortress and one of 1,644 manufactured in Wichita during World War II. It is one of only two remaining B-29s that are airworthy and flying today. The mission of Doc’s Friends is to HONOR the men and women who sacrificed so much for the freedom of others, including those who designed, built, maintained, and flew the B-29 during and after WWII. CONNECT people with the rich heritage of the B-29 and allow aviation enthusiasts to experience the thrill of a B-29 up close. EDUCATE today’s and future generations on the contributions of the Greatest Generation during wartime.About the B-29 Doc History Restored Tour and B-29 Doc Flight Experience Each year, B-29 Doc travels to cities across the United States to allow aviation enthusiasts to see B-29 Doc up close and personal. Doc’s annual tour mission includes an average of 100 flight hours, beginning in early April and spanning through the summer until late October. Tour stops include ground and flight deck tours and B-29 Doc Flight Experiences. The B-29 Doc Flight Experience will last approximately 90 minutes and include a 30-minute ride. Before takeoff, passengers will experience a crew briefing and learn more about the history of the B-29 and the role it played in U.S. history. Passengers will also hear and see the sights and sounds of engine starts and run-ups before takeoff.

About the CAF Southern California Wing The CAF Southern California Wing is a volunteer organization with members from many different backgrounds. The wing is dedicated to preserving the history of WWII aircraft for generations to come. This CAF location is assigned 16 authentic military aircraft maintained and operated by volunteers. In addition to flying aircraft and aircraft in restoration, the wing has a wide-ranging collection of World War II artifacts displayed in a Hangar Museum. Current opening hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM, and Sunday, 12 PM to 4 PM. They are closed on Monday through Thursday and on some holidays. The newly expanded wing, at over 55,000 square feet, includes three hangar complexes to house their museum, flying aircraft, warbird restorations, and gift shop. The museum also offers venue rentals.

The CAF Southern California Wing is located at the Camarillo Airport, 455 Aviation Drive, Camarillo, CA 93010. Its website is www.CAFSoCal.com, and its phone number is (805) 482-0064.

About the Commemorative Air Force The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is the world’s largest flying military aircraft museum. For more than 60 years, the CAF has been dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition, education, and remembrance. Fulfilling its mission, the organization maintains aircraft in flying condition – takes the aircraft to the people to experience firsthand the aircraft’s sight and sound in flight. The CAF is a non-profit educational association with more than 11,000 members and a fleet of 165 vintage military aircraft distributed throughout the U.S. For more information, visit www.CommemorativeAirForce.org.​

Epic air to air photo of FIFI and DOC. Photo by Scott Slocum

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[DaveM]

Two Iconic de Havilland Mosquitos Will Take Flight at The 2024 Central Coast AirFest

From September 21-22, 2024, two rare de Havilland Mosquitos (FB.VI PZ474 and T.43 NZ2308) are set to take the skies at the Central Coast AirFest in Santa Maria, CA, offering a thrilling experience for aviation enthusiasts. At last year’s AirFest in October 2023, PZ474, owned by Charles Somers, was flown by Steve Hinton Sr. This year, organizers are planning a spectacular two-ship formation flight, marking the first time in more than 35 years that such an event has taken place. According to Geoff Goodall’s records, the last recorded Mosquito formation flight occurred in 1987, with John Sadler flying RR299 and George Aird piloting Mosquito B35 RS712 before RS712 was delivered to Kermit Weeks in the U.S.​

Photo via BAE Systems

The de Havilland Mosquito, known as the “Wooden Wonder,” was a British multi-role aircraft developed during World War II. First flown in 1940, it was unique for its all-wood construction, making it both lightweight and fast—an important advantage during metal shortages. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, the Mosquito became one of the fastest aircraft of its era.

The FB.MkVI Mosquito to be featured at the show, PZ474, was built at de Havilland’s Hatfield factory in early 1945. Bearing the RAF serial number PZ474, it saw service late in the European conflict with second-line units, including No.19 Maintenance Unit (MU) in Wales and No. 132 Operational Training Unit (OTU) in Scotland. After the war, PZ474 was placed in storage and sold to New Zealand in 1948 as part of an order of 90 Mosquitoes for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). Renumbered NZ2384, it served with 75 Squadron RNZAF until its retirement in 1953. Following several ownership changes and years of neglect, Rod Lewis of Lewis Air Legends purchased the aircraft in 2014, sending it to Avspecs Limited in New Zealand for a full restoration. The aircraft’s first post-restoration flight took place on January 13, 2019, with Steve Hinton Sr. at the controls.​

The second aircraft, Mosquito NZ2308/ZK-PWL, was built in Australia and later sold to New Zealand. After logging over 475 flight hours, it was retired from service. Painted in a postwar 75 Squadron RNZAF silver scheme with wartime ‘D-Day’ stripes, NZ2308 became central to modern Mosquito restorations. Glyn Powell, the innovator behind the Mosquito airframe mold process, chose this aircraft as his personal project. While Powell passed away in 2019, he was able to experience a flight in another restored Mosquito before his death. NZ2308 was restored by Avspecs and the Mosquito Aircraft Restoration team for U.S. owners Rod Lewis and Charles Somers.​

Remarkably, both Lewis’ Mosquito (NZ2308) and Somers’ Mosquito (PZ474) served with No. 75 Squadron RNZAF during the same period. PZ474 was a single-control model, while NZ2308 was a dual-control trainer, demonstrating the varied roles these aircraft played in postwar RNZAF operations.

An air-to-air photo of NZ2308 flying with 75 Squadron RNZAF in the early 1950s. [Photo via the Air Force Museum of New Zealand.]
This Mosquito formation flight promises to be a historic and thrilling moment, marking the first time in decades that two Mosquitos will fly together, creating a lasting memory for those attending the Central Coast AirFest.

For more information about the event and to buy tickets, visit www.planesoffame.com​

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[DaveM]

Light Aircraft Association Rally 2024

By Nigel Hitchman

It was a great start at a “new” venue for the Light Aircraft Association Rally in Leicester, England on August 29 to September 1, 2024, with 550 visiting aircraft, mostly homebuilts and vintage aircraft making this Europe’s largest fly-in of the year (which the LAA Rally generally has been and Aero Friedrichshafen the biggest trade show). With 80 or so early arrivals on Thursday, the field soon started to fill up on Friday with around 300 arrivals in perfect weather. Many stayed overnight camping on the field or in local hotels and the Leicestershire Aeroclub had an excellent setup with selections of food and a bar open until late in the evening and then breakfast again in the morning. Quite a bit of local flying Friday evening with some people giving rides and others just flying for fun which was great to see.​

Saturday started with beautiful weather again and lots more arrivals just about filling the parking area. Later in the day, cloud cover came over and the wind increased to about 15 mph, luckily down the runway, but it got cold for those of us still in shorts and tshirts! With a forecast of scattered thunderstorms on Sunday some people left early on Saturday evening and there wasn’t so much local flying, but we still had a great time socialising with friends at the Aero club. That’s a lot of what the event is about: meeting up with your friends and looking around at all the visiting aircraft as well as watching the arrivals and departures. There was also an exhibition area, with a few vendors selling the latest kit aircraft and plenty of parts vendors, aircraft fabric covering demonstrations, and even a Spitfire IX that you could pay to sit in. Sunday was mostly the going home day, but we did have 20 or 30 arrivals. Lots of people cancelled due to the forecast, but in the end it was dry and sunny all day in the Leicester area after some early morning low cloud, although the weather prevented some from going home when planned.​

Best Vintage Aircraft was awarded to Roger Benson’s beautifully restored Piper J-4A Cub Coupe. This was imported by Ron Souch/Aero Antiques in 1984, repainted and cleaned up, and had a few owners before being blown over at Barra, Scotland in 2002 when the wind suddenly increased massively as they were taxiing out. The damaged aircraft was recovered and bought by Roger who has spent the last 20 years slowly restoring it in his spare time. It was great to see and a well deserved award winner. Best Classic and also Best Replica was Matthew Boddington’s Slingsby type 56 Currie Wot/SE5 replica G-AVOU. This was one of six SE5 replicas built by Singsby for the film Darling Lili and was also used in several other films such as Von Richoften and Brown with most of the filming done in Ireland. It was exported to the U.S. in the early 1980s along with many of the collection from Ireland and came back to England in 2015 for an eight year restoration by Matt Boddington with the first flight in April 2023. Concourse D’elegance was won by Tom Leaver’s beautiful Travel Air 4000. A great selection of vintage aircraft arrived, mostly individually owned, but the Real Aeroplane club brought a selection from their collection at Breighton which included the Fairchild 24R Argus G-BCBL, Tipsy Junior G-AMVP, CASA 1.131E Jungmann G-CIUE, Piper J3C Cub NC98712, and SAAB Safir G-EKTP.​

This year’s Rally at Leicester proved to be an excellent start with friendly cooperation from Leicestershire Aero Club who run the airfield. Over 700 slot bookings were made, but with the usual no show rate, particularly with poor weather forecast for the Sunday, we ended up with around 550 visiting aircraft, including 25 flying from outside the UK. This bodes very well for the future, if additional parking space can be made available by turning a field now used for crop into an aircraft parking area. With an additional increase in the arrival slots we could grow to be at least as big as Sywell, but in a lot of others ways be even better with the proactive “can do” attitude of the Leicestershire Aero Club.​

History of the LAA and the Rally The UK Light Aircraft Association (LAA) formerly known as the Popular Flying Association (1949-2008) was formed as the Ultralight Aircraft Association in 1946. Its objective was to persuade the government that Ultralight aircraft didn’t need a Certificate of Airworthiness and could be looked after by the association. This was agreed and they were given authority to issue “Permits to Fly” to aircraft weighing less than 1000 lbs with engines no more than 40 hp and a landing speed of no more than 40 mph. Aircraft would be inspected during construction and before first flight by inspectors from the Ultralight Aircraft Association. This continues today but has been vastly expanded to include homebuilts up to 4 seats as well as many vintage aircraft which either have no factory support or whose owners chose to operate them on a permit to fly, rather than a full C of A. This was easy for many vintage types in the 1980s resulting in literally hundreds of Cubs, Luscombes, Aeroncas, Taylorcraft, Jodels, Emeraudes etc. being imported until the CAA changed their mind in 1992, making all new imports which were eligible for a C of A to have to have one. This has recently changed again with a landmark change of ruling, so we are seeing several more Super Cubs and others move across, and in recent years have also seen many de Havilland types, Stampes, and Austers able to be operated on a permit to fly which for most is a much cheaper and easier way to operate.​

The PFA had various fly-ins over the years, moving around until settling on Sywell in the 70s, in 1979 it moved to Leicester for three years before going to Cranfield in 1982 as there was more room. The Rally really grew in size here, now regularly attracting over 1000 aircraft, but a threat of building work led to a move to the Science Museum airfield at Wroughton from 1991-93. Lack of interest from those running the science museum and changes to plans at Cranfield brought a move back there from 1994-2002, and during this time we reached a peak of 1800 aircraft at one Rally and regularly over 1500. Cranfield building work finally started, and the Rally moved to Kemble in 2003 with a very successful first year, again with over 1500 aircraft, but the next three years suffered from poor weather and a low attendance, so the Rally lost a lot of money and was stopped after the 2006 event.​

A re-think was required. For a couple years there were a few regional events, and then the LAA were able to go in partnership with Sywell airfield, where instead of hiring the airfield and much infrastructure which needed to be repaid through admissions, Sywell would provide the airfield and services and take the entry charges. LAA would organise the exhibition side and be paid by the exhibitors. Unfortunately the CAA also now wanted to reduce the numbers and made Sywell introduce a slot booking system for arrivals. Although this was run with a light touch it put some people off, and with the reduced arrival rates the Rally became about half the size it had been before with generally 600 to 800 aircraft visiting depending on the weather. This did work well for a number of years, but after the successful 2021 event, the Sywell Airfield management decided they didn’t want to continue with the agreement. Now the hunt was on for a new airfield and it was very difficult to find one. Two small events were held at Popham and then it was announced that for 2024 we would move back to Leicester.​

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[DaveM]

KC-10 Now On Display at The National Museum of the Air Force

The McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extender has officially joined the Air Park at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force! This advanced tanker and cargo aircraft arrived from Travis Air Force Base, California, on April 15, 2024. Designed for aerial refueling, the KC-10A plays a vital role in extending the range of U.S. and coalition forces, utilizing either a hose-and-drogue system or a highly advanced aerial refueling boom. Notably, the KC-10A can also receive fuel mid-flight from another KC-10A or a KC-135, making it a versatile asset for sustained operations.​

This aircraft arrived at the museum in April 2024 from its last duty station at Travis AFB, California. USAF Photo

In addition to its refueling mission, the KC-10 is capable of transporting military cargo and personnel simultaneously, enhancing the U.S. Air Force’s global mobility since it entered service in 1981. The KC-10A on display, serial number 84-0191, was involved in the historic Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986. During this mission, it served as the “mother ship” for USAF F-111s that carried out a precision bombing raid on a Libyan terrorist command center in Tripoli. This operation was notable as the first time since World War II that U.S. aircraft launched a bombing mission from Royal Air Force bases in the UK, with the KC-10A enabling the strike force to refuel eight times during the long-range mission.​

Now proudly displayed alongside its refueling counterpart, the KC-135, the KC-10A helps showcase the Air Force’s critical refueling operations. Watch the aircraft’s journey from the restoration hangar to the Air Park by clicking the button below.​

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[DaveM]

Recall Stearman

At an airshow such as the EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, there will always be at least one example somewhere on the field of a Boeing-Stearman Model 75, be it in Army, Navy, or civilian colors. But at this year’s event, many heads turned in the warbird section to a Stearman with distinctive blue and white stripes all over the aircraft.

This Stearman was manufactured as construction number 75-4018 at the Boeing-Stearman factory in Wichita, Kansas as part of a batch of Stearmans destined for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, where they would be used for flight training in Canada. These aircraft, for administrative purposes, were designated as PT-27 Kaydets, though they differed only from the PT-17 in that they were equipped with enclosed cockpits and cold weather equipment for winter training. The aircraft was delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as serial number FJ968 and taken on strength on June 30, 1942. However, the batch of PT-27s that included FJ968 arrived in Canada without proper winter equipment, namely the canopies, so it was stricken from the RCAF and transferred back to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and reverted back to its USAAF serial number 42-15829. For the rest of the war, the aircraft was flown at several training bases across the United States, such as Jackson Army Airfield in Mississippi, Terrell Field, Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, and Hicks Field, Texas to instruct countless pilot cadets through primary training. When the war was over, ‘829 was one of thousands of surplus Stearmans stricken from the USAAF’s inventory and registered as N50576.

Photo by Nigel Hitchaman
After going through several owners, a new registration number (N747Q), and two accidents (a fatal one in El Centro, California in 1966, and a second one in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in 1977), the aircraft was acquired by the current owner, Tom Torchia, in May 2012. Torchia stated that he bought the airplane because he wanted an airworthy aircraft that would be in need of restoration. However, the fact that the aircraft was still airworthy meant that Torchia was in no hurry to get it restored immediately. Torchia would fly the Stearman, then placed in a white scheme with red trim from Seattle, Washington to the east coast before participating in the 2012 Antique Aircraft Association Fly-In in Blakesburg, Iowa, and the National Stearman Fly-In in Galesburg, Illinois before flying home to Seattle. Eventually, Torchia would move to Arizona, and take Four Seven Quebec with him to Marana Regional Airport (KAVQ), all the while continuing his cross-country flights. As Torchia put it, “I was having way too much fun flying it to take it down for restoration.”

But while on a practice flight for upcoming aerobatic competition in January 2021, “something changed in the sound of the engine. When I was abeam with the numbers at my home airport I pulled the power for approach to landing and the engine got really quiet. The landing was uneventful and the engine was running enough to taxi in. After troubleshooting the engine I determined it was time for an overhaul and pulled the engine off the airplane and sent it to Radial Engines Ltd in Guthrie, Oklahoma. At this point, I proceeded to cut the fabric off the airframe and start the restoration.”

Over the next three years, Torchia went through every component on the aircraft. The fuselage frame and other structural parts were then repainted with a two part epoxy paint, and specialized metal parts being CAD plated. While restoring the aircraft, Torchia was not alone in his hangar. Two of his friends at Marana, Annemarie Ward and Jim Pyne helped Torchia make approximately 2,000 stitches to sew the fabric onto the wooden wing structure. As the weather in Marana got too hot for Torchia to continue applying fabric, the Continental R-670 radial engine arrived back from Guthrie, and Torchia hung the engine back on the airframe.

As the time for painting the fabric drew nearer, Torchia began thinking about what scheme he wanted to apply to the Stearman. Ultimately, he selected the scheme of a “Recall” airplane. During World War II, most primary training aircraft lacked radio equipment, and thus the armed forces needed a way to communicate with airborne cadets if they needed to return to base as the result of an emergency, such as the approach of inclement weather. The solution was to paint a selected aircraft in a distinctive striped pattern, often of blue and white stripes, with the national roundels painted on opposite sides of most other aircraft. By taking off and flying within visual range of the trainers, the “recall” aircraft would let the others know they had to return to their airfield immediately. While not completely unheard of among the warbird community, the paint scheme would be rare enough to attract the attention of fellow enthusiasts, and with many “recall” aircraft being flown by the Navy, the Stearman’s tail code would be repainted as an N2S-3. While stripping paint from the Stearman’s aluminum panels, he found the number 217 still etched on one of the panels, and decided to reproduce that number in the final paint scheme. Despite our team’s best efforts to locate photos of Recall Stearman in service, we were only able to find the two shown below.


Torchia said that the best investment of the project was an inflatable paint booth for his hangar. To accurately reproduce the markings of a recall Stearman, Torchia painted certain areas of the fuselage and tail fin yellow, as the recall planes were originally ordinary N2Ss that had been painted overall yellow at the factory, and the areas where the aircraft’s squadron numbers, aircraft codes, and technical specifications for mechanics were masked before the blue and white stripes were applied. With the aircraft painted white as a base coat for the blues, Torchia used 650 yards worth of masking tape to prepare for painting the blue stripes, and used laser alignment tools to create the straightest lines possible. With the wings and fuselage painted separately, it was time for the reassembly of the Stearman to begin.


On the day where Torchia reassembled the Stearman, he got the help of Jim Pyne, Mel Jordan, and Ken Mahaffey, with the owner of Skydive Marana, Pat Nikitenko, allowing Torchia to borrow his forklift to make the job of installing the top wings and the top wing center section that holds the main fuel tank. After that, the rigging of the aircraft’s flying wires and struts could begin. “The process for rigging is pretty straightforward,” Torchia recounts. “It’s done with plumb bobs, levels and a tape measure. The tolerances for rigging is +/-1/16th of an inch.”

In April 2024, two major milestones were in store for the Stearman. On April 15, the completed aircraft finally rolled out of Torchia’s hangar and on April 24, Tom took N747Q back into the air for the first time in three years! This achievement had a lot of people and organizations to thank for arriving at this momentous point. In addition to those already mentioned, Tom received spare parts from Dusters & Sprayers Supply Inc. (now part of Aircorps Aviation’s Aircorps Depot) and was greatly helped by the members of the Stearman Restoration Association, who provided a wealth of knowledge to go off on.

With the restoration of the Recall Stearman complete, Tom took his prized airplane from Marana to Oshkosh via stops in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois before reaching Wisconsin. During the show, numerous attendees visited Torchia and his Stearman, and for his restoration efforts, Tom Torchia received the Warbird Judge’s Choice Award in the PT-17 Category! Now that he has won a Lindy, we can expect Tom to have even more fun flying his Stearman across the United States, perhaps at an airshow near you! If you would like to hear more from Tom himself, our very own Moreno Aguiari sat down for an interview with Tom, whose Stearman was tied down just outside our camp at Oshkosh. We will soon be uploading this interview to our YouTube channel, so watch this space!

Tom posing for Donivan Godsil at this weekend’s National Stearman Fly-in.

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[DaveM]

Randy’s Warbird Profiles: Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.IXe SL633

By Randy Malmstrom

Since his childhood, Randy Malmstrom has had a passion for aviation history and historic military aircraft in particular. He has a particular penchant for documenting specific airframes with a highly detailed series of walk-around images and an in-depth exploration of their history, which have proved to be popular with many of those who have seen them, and we thought our readers would be equally fascinated too. This installment of Randy’s Warbird Profiles takes a look at the Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.IXe SL633.​

[Photo by Randy Malmstrom]

The identities of this particular aircraft have included: SL633 (Royal Air Force), DU-K and JT-10 (Free Czechoslovak Air Force), 20-42 (Israeli Air Force), and UB-425 (Myanmar Air Force, which was originally formed as the Burmese Air Force). It was one of the last Spitfires produced at the Vickers Supermarine plant at Castle Bromwich by the contract, the fuselage was built at the sub-factory at Hadley Castle, Shropshire, the wings in Shrewsbury and it was assembled and test flown at Cosford. It was delivered in June 1945 to the Royal Air Force and then assigned to No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF (originally formed at Duxford in 1940 with the squadron badge of a stork volant and the motto “Non Multi Sed Multa” (“Not many, but much”).​

[Photo via Randy Malmstrom]

After World War II, it was one of 54 aircraft provided to the Free Czechoslovak Air Force (under the terms of a loan by Britain) and was assigned to No. 2 Czech Fighter Wing and was flown as a trainer with the 4th Air Regiment with the fuselage code JT-10. Flight Lieutenant Karel Pošta was assigned this aircraft and flew it for aerobatic demonstrations out of Planá. Pošta had been a skilled locksmith from Plzeň and, following cadet training, became a pilot with the 34th Czech Fighter Squadron in 1936. On May 12, 1939, following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, he escaped to Poland where he was held in a Polish police prison briefly. He sailed to France and retrained at Chartres (south of Paris); he then flew with the 4th Escadrille Groupe de Chasse II/4 of the French Armée de l’Air.​

After the German occupation of France in 1940, he escaped via Algeria to Britain and on September 19, 1940, became a member of the 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF at Duxford, flying three tours of duty in Hurricanes then Spitfires. Pošta flew a great many missions throughout the duration of the war in Europe (records indicate 281 sorties comprising 448 hours of flying time by July 1944), including air defense over the British Isles, offensive sweeps over occupied France (including the Battle of Normandy), support of airborne operations in the Netherlands, bomber escort missions over Germany. In the fall of 1944, Pošta became Flight Commander with the rank of First Officer, and was ultimately awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.​

[Photo by Randy Malmstrom]

He returned to Czechoslovakia on August 13, 1945 to great national acclaim and, among other accomplishments, flew as a reserve officer with the 4th Aviation Regiment of the Czechoslovak Air Force with the rank of Air Force Lieutenant, and then became commander of a fighter training center at České Budějovice. During this time, he also flew this particular aircraft in air shows. In 1948, he returned to Britain for the remainder of his life (his wife was British) and flew in a few airshows including the Farnborough Airshow of 1950 in which he flew a Spitfire Mk.XVI. He died at the age of 46 of a heart attack at the wheel of his car on January 8, 1961 and on January 10, 1991, Czechoslovakia posthumously promoted him to the rank of Colonel.​

[Photo by Randy Malmstrom]

Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, Czechoslovakia sent aircraft to the fledgling Israeli Air Force and this aircraft was one of those sent. It was converted to a photo reconnaissance aircraft with camera ports in the belly (still armed and with a Merlin engine) and assigned serial number 20-42.​

When Israel converted to jets in 1954, the IAF sold this aircraft to the Burmese Air Force, which flew it as a counter-insurgency aircraft. After a wheels-up accident, in 1984 it was on display on a pole at King Mindon’s Royal Palace in Mandalay with the tail fin from a North American Harvard, a locally-made engine cowling, and a cellophane windscreen. It went to private collectors but was returned to Duxford and the Imperial War Museum in 1999 for restoration by Historic Flying Limited. It never flew in the UK.​

[Photo by Randy Malmstrom]

The Historic Flight Foundation acquired it in 2007 and returned it to its 1945 specifications and it first flew again in 2010. In 2015, it was disassembled in three days with the assistance of three Spitfire specialists from Duxford and shipped to the UK where it participated in 11 Battle of Britain memorial events. It was then crated back to the U.S. and reassembled in three days in early 2016.​

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About the author

Randy Malmstrom grew up in a family steeped in aviation culture. His father, Bob, was still a cadet in training with the USAAF at the end of WWII, but did serve in Germany during the U.S. occupation in the immediate post-war period, where he had the opportunity to fly in a wide variety of types which flew in WWII. After returning to the States, Bob became a multi-engine aircraft sales manager and as such flew a wide variety of aircraft; Randy frequently accompanied him on these flights. Furthermore, Randy’s cousin, Einar Axel Malmstrom flew P-47 Thunderbolts with the 356th FG from RAF Martlesham Heath. He was commanding this unit at the time he was shot down over France on April 24th, 1944, spending the rest of the war as a prisoner of war. Following his repatriation at war’s end, Einar continued his military service, attaining the rank of Colonel. He was serving as Deputy Wing Commander of the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing at Great Falls AFB, MT at the time of his death in a T-33 training accident on August 21, 1954. The base was renamed in his honor in October 1955 and continues to serve in the present USAF as home to the 341st Missile Wing. Randy’s innate interest in history in general, and aviation history in particular, plus his educational background and passion for WWII warbirds, led him down his current path of capturing detailed aircraft walk-around photos and in-depth airframe histories, recording a precise description of a particular aircraft in all aspects.​

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[DaveM]

“Pioneers of Flight” Gallery at the National Air and Space Museum to open in 2025

One of the most iconic galleries at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM) on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. is by far the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight gallery. Since the museum opened on July 1, 1976, this gallery has been home to some of the most significant aircraft in the history of aeronautics. Since 2019, however, all of the aircraft from the gallery have been removed during the renovation of the entire museum building, having been trucked to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA, for refurbishment in the UHC’s Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar and to be kept in storage in newly-constructed storage modules at Udvar-Hazy meant to replace the older facilities at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Suitland, MD (formerly known as the Silver Hill Facility). Now, as the remainder of the renovation work nears completion, here is an overview of the aircraft displays planned for the reimagined Pioneers of Flight gallery.​

Transformation; Pioneers of Flight Gallery 208 at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Photo by Mark Avino).

Perhaps the biggest change in the aircraft layout of the new Pioneers gallery is that the famed Spirit of St. Louis, flown by Charles Lindbergh from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, NY, to Le Bourget Field, Paris, France from May 20-21, 1927. It will be displayed here as opposed to being suspended from the glass ceiling of the nearby Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall as it has since 1976. In an article published in the Summer 2023 issue of Air and Space Quarterly, Dorothy Cochrane, curator of the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight gallery, explains the reason for moving the Spirit of St. Louis: “Even though the Museum’s ongoing renovation of the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall has installed glass ceilings and walls that offer protection against the aging effects of ultraviolet radiation, we decided it was time to further shelter the fabric-covered airplane (the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight gallery has far less exposure to sunlight). And moving the Spirit of St. Louis to its new space enables us to display the aircraft with some charming vintage memorabilia, further evidence of the public’s fascination with Lindbergh and his airplane.” The Spirit of St. Louis will be front and center of the newly-reimagined gallery, and will be in closer proximity to visitors from around the world.​

Rendering of the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight gallery (National Air and Space Museum)

Suspended behind the Spirit of St. Louis will be the Douglas World Cruiser Chicago, which led the first aerial circumnavigation of the Earth in 1924. Manufactured in Santa Monica, CA, and based off Douglas Aircraft’s DT torpedo bomber then in service with the US Navy, the Douglas World Cruisers (DWCs) were purpose-built to fly around the world to demonstrate not only the advances in aviation but also to promote the U.S. Army Air Service, which found itself on the receiving end of post-WWI budget cuts from a firmly isolationist Congress. Four DWCs were ready by March 17, 1924, being christened the Seattle, the Chicago, the Boston, and the New Orleans. Setting off from Seattle, WA, the Chicago and the New Orleans arrived back in Seattle on September 28, 175 days later. Although the Seattle crashed into the side of a mountain in Alaska and the Boston capsized and sank just off the Faroes after being forced to land in the rough seas of the Atlantic, not a single crew member of the DWCs was killed during the flight around the world. In recognition of the flight, the Chicago was flown to Washington, D.C. on September 25, 1925 to be donated by the US Army Air Service to the Smithsonian, where it has been part of the institution’s collection for 100 years. As a result of its airplanes being the first around the world, the Douglas Aircraft Company rebranded its logo in the style of those painted on the DWCs and adopted the motto “First Around the World – First the World Around.”​

Douglas World Cruiser Chicago. Photo by Eric Long

Other aircraft set to make their returns to the reimagined Pioneers of Flight gallery include the red Lockheed Vega 5B flown by Amelia Earhart to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Earhart had already gained fame for becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, though as a passenger aboard a Fokker Trimotor called the Friendship, despite already being qualified as a pilot in her own right. Determined to make a solo crossing, she acquired a Lockheed 5B Vega which she would nickname as her Little Red Bus. Upgrading the aircraft at the Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America’s factory in Teterboro, NJ, with a supercharged Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine and an increased fuel capacity, Earhart flew the Little Red Bus to Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, where she set off on the evening of May 20, 1932, five years to the day Charles Lindbergh left New York’s Roosevelt Field for Paris’ Le Bourget Field, which was also Earhart’s intended destination. However, Earhart encountered bad weather, including heavy icing and fog, and suffered mechanical failures in the form of a failed altimeter, a fuel leak, and a damaged exhaust manifold. Nearly 15 harrowing hours after leaving Newfoundland, Earhart landed in a field near the village of Culmore, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. A stunned farmhand named Dan McCallon asked her, “Have you flown far?” to which calmly replied “From America.” Though she hadn’t made it to Paris, she was still the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo, and she received a hero’s welcome home in America. Three months later, between August 24-25, 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo and nonstop across the North American continent in NR7952, flying from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey in 19 hours, 5 minutes. Seeking better performance for new records, Earhart purchased a newer Vega, and donated NR7952 to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA, where it remained on display until it was transferred to the NASM in 1966. Like the Spirit of St. Louis, the Little Red Bus is to be displayed in companion with artifacts associated with the famed aviatrix, from her leather flying coat to a flight jacket of the Ninety-Nines, the long-running women’s aviation organization Earhart helped found back in 1929 when she was one of ninety-eight other founding pilots.​

Amelia Earhart’s bright red Lockheed Model 5B Vega on display in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s “Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight” exhibit. Photo by Eric Long

Opposite the Little Red Bus sits another Lockheed design in the form of a Model 8 Sirius, designed by Jack Northrop and Gerard Vultee, and which was flown by Charles and Anne Lindbergh. After marrying Anne Morrow, Charles taught her to fly, and in the Sirius, Anne would not only become Charles’ co-pilot but his radio operator and navigator. Together, they would fly their Sirius, registered NR211, on a great circle route from North America to East Asia, making stops in Canada, Alaska, Siberia, Japan, and China, with the aircraft capable of swapping out fixed landing gear for pontoon floats. In 1933, with Charles working as a technical adviser to Pan American Airways and Juan Trippe, the couple used the Sirius to scout the North Atlantic route from North America to Europe, where in Greenland, a young Inuit named the airplane Tingmissartoq, “one who flies like a big bird.” The Lindberghs flew the Tingmissartoq further east to Moscow, then down to the west coast of Africa and east coast of South America, accumulating over 30,000 miles flown over four continents on this second expedition. Later, the Lindberghs donated the Tingmissartoq to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, which displayed the aircraft until 1955, when it was donated to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH, before it was finally donated to NASM in 1959. Anne also used her experiences on these flights to write several books, including North to the Orient and Listen! the Wind, with editions of these copies set to be displayed alongside the aircraft, along with some of Anne’s radio equipment, flight clothing, supplies, and equipment carried by the Lindberghs on their flights in the Tingmissartoq.​

Charles and Anne Lindbergh’s Lockheed 8 Sirius Tingmissartoq. Photo by Eric Long

Other pioneering aircraft that will go on display include the Curtiss R3C racer, in which Army Air Service pilot Lt. Cyrus K. Bettis won the Pulitzer Trophy at the 1925 National Air Races held at Mitchel Field, Long Island, NY, on October 12, and the same aircraft in which two weeks later, on October 26, Lt. Jimmy Doolittle won the Schneider Trophy seaplane race held in Baltimore, MD, and set three new records with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). After appearing in the 1926 Schneider Cup race held in Hampton Roads, VA, Marine pilot Lt. Christian F. Schilt won second place in this aircraft before it was donated later that year to the Smithsonian. Loaned to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio for restoration and display before being displayed in the previous iteration of the Pioneers gallery, it had already been installed alongside the aforementioned aircraft, and will be there on opening day.​

Curtiss R3C-2 Racer. Photo by Eric Long

Fixed-wing aircraft are not the only aircraft returning to the Pioneers gallery. Also making its return will be the Explorer II high altitude balloon gondola, in which Army Air Corps Captains Albert William Stevens and Orvil A. Anderson, sponsored memberships to the National Geographic Institute, lifted off from the Stratobowl in South Dakota on November 11, 1935, and reached an altitude of 72,395 feet before landing in an open field near White Lake, South Dakota. The flight was also notable in that with Captain Stevens being an Army photographer, he took the first photographs showing the division between the troposphere and the stratosphere and the actual curvature of the earth, and its progress was the subject of a live radio broadcast throughout the flight. Meanwhile, rocket advancements made by American physicist Robert Goddard will also be commemorated in this new iteration of the Pioneers gallery. Goddard became famous in the scientific community by creating the first liquid-fueled rocket, which flew on March 16, 1926. Goddard would conduct further experiments out of Roswell, New Mexico, with financial backing from Charles Lindbergh and Harry Guggenheim. One of these rockets, his 1935 A-Series rocket, will be displayed in the new Pioneers gallery after previously being on display at the Udvar-Hazy’s Rockets and Missiles gallery.​

Pressurized cabin of Explorer II in the old Pioneers of Flight gallery. Photo by Eric Long

Goddard 1935 A-Series rocket in the Rockets and Missiles gallery. Photo by Dane Penland

Representation of the advances made by African American pilots in the 1920s and 1930s will also be making a return to the gallery. One item that will be on display is a copy of Black Wings, a 1934 book written by William J. Powell in order to encourage African Americans to pursue aeronautical careers in piloting, aircraft design, engineering, and mechanics, along with an image of Bessie Coleman’s international pilot’s license, which she earned in France after facing racial and gender discrimination in America that prevented her from obtaining a domestic pilot’s license. Also on display will be the flying suit, googles, and helmet worn by Chauncey Spencer on his 1939 roundtrip flight with Dale Lawrence White in a rented Lincoln-Page biplane from Chicago to Washington, D.C. to showcase the flying abilities of African Americans to a segregated America. The attention their flight received in the black press placed pressure on Congress to include African Americans in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, paving a way for the men of the Tuskegee Airmen to earn their wings. Their impact was also made on a senator from Missouri they met in Washington named Harry S. Truman, with Truman later integrating the armed forces while serving as President of the United States in 1948. More on Spencer HERE.​

The flight suit, helmet, and goggles Chauncy Spencer wore during his and White’s 1939 roundtrip between Chicago and Washington, D.C. Photo by Eric Long

Also returning to the gallery is the first Piper J-2 Cub built after the Taylor Aircraft Company was rebranded as the Piper Aircraft Company. Another general aviation design in the form of the Mignet HM.14 Pou du Ciel (Sky Louse/Flying Flea) will also be included in the Pioneers gallery, having previously been displayed at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. While the HM.14 was the brainchild of Frenchman Henri Mignet and intended as a light and affordable airplane for the common man that unfortunately never shook the stigmatization it acquired after several high profile crashes due to a design oversight, the example in the Smithsonian was built for Powel Crosley, Jr., President of the of the Crosley Radio Corporation, who had read Mignet’s book Le Sport de l’Air and had his personal pilot, Edward Nirmaier, build the plane that would become the Crosley Flea. Using locally available materials and the assistance of Dan Boedeker and Herb Junkin, Nirmaier made the first flight of this aircraft on November 1, 1935, exactly one month after beginning construction on October 1. It was the first HM.14 built in the United States, and Crosley’s daughter Page soon christened the aircraft La Cucaracha (the Cockroach) with a bottle containing water from Kitty Hawk, NC, the site of the Wright Brothers’ first flights. After barely surviving a hangar fire in 1939, the aircraft was placed in a barn, where it was rediscovered by vintage aircraft enthusiast Patrick Packard in 1957, who donated it to the Smithsonian in 1960 minus its engine. In 1991, the aircraft was restored by Packard and Patti Koppa on behalf of the Experimental Aircraft Association, and with the opening of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, it was displayed near the Boeing 307 Stratoliner until it was selected for display in the new vision of the Pioneers gallery on the National Mall.​

Piper J-2 Cub (at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum. Photo by Eric Long

One aircraft that will not be returning to the Pioneers of Flight Gallery, will be the Fokker T-2, the aircraft in which US Army Air Service pilots Jon Macready and Oakley Kelly made the first nonstop flight across the continental United States from May 2-3, 1923, flying from Roosevelt Field, NY, to Rockwell Field (now NAS North Island) in San Diego, CA. The reasoning for the T-2’s absence is that with the inclusion of the Spirit of St. Louis, the new arrangement in the gallery’s aircraft layout meant that there was not enough space to display both the Fokker T-2 and the Spirit of St. Louis, which along with the Douglas World Cruiser Chicago positioned behind it, now hangs where the T-2 once hung. Today, the Fokker T-2 is being held in storage at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, and the museum intends to reassemble the aircraft and display it at Udvar-Hazy following the completion of all gallery renovations in D.C., allowing NASM specialists to focus on resembling the T-2 and other aircraft set to be displayed at Dulles.​

Fokker T-2 in a prior iteration of the Pioneers of Flight gallery. Photo by Mark Avino

Currently, the museum estimates that the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight gallery will be set to reopen to the public in 2025, along with the nearby Boeing Milestones of Flight gallery, while other galleries at the National Air and Space Museum’s National Mall facility are set to open by 2026. For more information, visit the National Air and Space Museum website.​

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[DaveM]

Flight Test Files: Viper X

The “Flight Test Files” series of articles explores the aircraft used by the Dryden Flight Research Center over the years in its pursuit of aeronautical advancements. Since the 1940s, the Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA, has built a unique and specialized capability for conducting flight research programs. This organization, composed of pilots, scientists, engineers, technicians, mechanics, and administrative professionals, has been and continues to be a leader in the field of advanced aeronautics. Located on the northwest edge of Rogers Dry Lake, the complex was originally centered around the administrative hangar building constructed in 1954. Over time, additional support and operational facilities have been added, including unique test facilities like the Thermalstructures Research Facility, Flow Visualization Facility, and Integrated Test Facility. One of the most notable structures is the space shuttle program’s Mate-Demate Device and hangar, located in Area A to the north of the main complex. The lakebed surface also features a Compass Rose, providing pilots with an instant compass heading. The Dryden complex originated at Edwards Air Force Base to support the X-1 supersonic flight program. As other high-speed aircraft entered research programs, the facility became permanent, expanding from a staff of five engineers in 1947 to nearly 1,100 full-time government and contractor employees by 2006.​

The concrete aircraft parking and taxiway facilities show prominently in an aerial photograph of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, located on the northwest edge of Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards, CA. Photo via NASA

By Stephen Chapis

Ask any average aviation enthusiast to name a handful of X-Planes and they are likely to rattle off the X-1, X-15, and perhaps the X-24A/B. Some of the more learned may add the X-32, X-35, and some of the more recent unmanned aircraft. All of them are likely to be surprised to find out that on June 14, 2021, NF-16D Variable In-Flight Simulator Aircraft (VISTA) was redesignated as the X-62A. In the mid-1950s, civilian contractor Calspan Corporation (formerly the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory) modified and operated Lockheed T-33A USAF# 51-4120 as an in-flight simulator. Designated NT-33A, the T-Bird was used to study flying qualities, cockpit displays, control sticks, and flight control design of many, widely varied aircraft from the X-15 to the F-22 as it could be programmed to simulate the flight of a completely different aircraft by giving the flight controls the artificial feel of the selected aircraft.​

DAYTON, Ohio — Lockheed NT-33A at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The NT-33A conducted its last research project in April 1997 and was placed on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (NMUSAF) in August of that year. By that time, the NF-16D VISTA had been flying for five years. Originally built as a Block 30 F-16D, (86-0048), but fitted with the heavyweight landing gear of the Block 40 and later series, the NF-16D is arguably the most, heavily modified F-16 in existence. The VISTA was fitted with Calspan’s variable-stability flight control systems, programmable cockpit controls and displays, flight test data recording systems, and additional computers. The latter systems were housed in the large dorsal spine normally seen on Israeli, Singaporean, and Polish Vipers. The most notable modification to the cockpit is the addition of a center-mounted control stick, the only F-16 thus modified.

The aircraft conducted its first post-modification flight on April 9, 1992, but was grounded shortly thereafter due to a shortage of funding. The following year, however, the aircraft was returned to flight status but with its General Electric F110-GE-100 an Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) for trials related to Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring (MATV) program. In that configuration, the aircraft participated in a number of Air Force and NASA projects. The jet’s original N (Special Test, Permanent) prefix indicates that the aircraft has been so drastically modified that it wouldn’t be economical to return the aircraft to its original configuration.

Throughout its career, the VISTA was operated by the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) and supported by Calspan and Lockheed Martin. William Gray, VISTA and TPS chief test pilot said, “For more than two decades VISTA has been a vital asset for the USAF TPS and the embodiment of our goal to be part of the cutting edge of flight test and aerospace technology. It has given almost a thousand students and staff members the opportunity to practice testing aircraft with dangerously poor flying qualities, and to execute risk-reduction flight test programs for advanced technologies.” The resignation to X-62A coincides with a major upgrade program that will fully replace the VISTA Simulation System (VSS). The program will also add a new system called the System for Autonomous Control of Simulation (SACS) to support autonomy testing for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Skyborg program.​

After recently receiving a new look and modifications at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, the NF-16D known as VISTA (Variable stability In-flight Test Aircraft), departs Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Jan 30, 2019. This aircraft is the only one of its kind in the world and is the flag-ship of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School. This F-16 has been highly modified, allowing pilots to change the aircraft flight characteristics and stability to mimic that of other aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd)

A press release from the 412th Test Wing Public Affairs read in part, “Skyborg is an autonomy-focused capability that will enable the Air Force to operate and sustain low-cost, teamed aircraft that can thwart adversaries with quick, decisive actions in contested environments. The program will enable airborne combat mass by building a transferable autonomy foundation for a family of layered, unmanned air vehicles. Skyborg will not replace human pilots. Instead, it will provide them with key data to support rapid, informed decisions. In this manner, Skyborg will provide manned teammates with greater situational awareness and survivability during combat missions. Gray said the modifications will address limitations of the original F-16 design and allow the TPS to “…quickly and safely test an almost unlimited variety of radical control law configurations. Even so, the X-62A will continue to serve as a curriculum aircraft and will be an even brighter symbol of our aspirations.”

With the new designation, this unique one-of-a-kind F-16 will join the ranks of legendary X-Planes that dates back to the birth of the U.S. Air Force and the only X-Plane supporting the USAF TPS curriculum.​

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[DaveM]

FG-1D Corsair For Sale by Platinum Fighter Sales

Platinum Fighter Sales has recently added several rare and unique aircraft to its listings, including the remarkable XP-82 Twin Mustang, a 1940 Supermarine Spitfire, and a Nakajima A6M2 Model 21 Zero. However, one aircraft that consistently stands out and captivates the imagination of aviation collectors and enthusiasts is the legendary Corsair. The FG-1D Corsair (BuNo 67089) available listed by Platinum Fighter Sales, was originally built by Goodyear under contract for the U.S. Navy. This particular Corsair has experienced a fascinating evolution, transitioning from military service to private ownership and even enjoying a stint as a racing aircraft.

Photo via Platinum Fighter Sales

Thanks to Aero Visual, we were able to reconstruct the history of this aircraft, highlighting the key milestones along its journey.

Military Service: 1945-1958

In 1945, this Corsair was officially taken on Strength/Charge by the United States Navy as BuNo 67089. As part of the massive fleet of FG-1D Corsairs, it played a role in America’s aerial might during the final years of World War II, though its operational history during the conflict remains largely unrecorded. By 1953, the aircraft had been retired from active duty and was assigned to NAS Jacksonville, Florida, where it remained in storage until 1958. Following its military career, BuNo 67089 was deemed surplus and sold to Queen City Salvage in Jacksonville, Florida, marking the beginning of its civilian life.​

It appears that BuNo 67089 was temporarily based at NAS Atlanta in Chamblee, GA now Dekalb-Peachtree Airport

Early Civilian Ownership: 1964-1981

After its sale from the Navy, the aircraft passed into the hands of Queen City Salvage Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina in 1964, where it was registered under the civilian tail number N4716C. For several years, the aircraft’s history was quiet until 1975, when it was acquired by Earl E. Ware of Jacksonville, Florida, who retained the existing registration number. In 1977, BuNo 67089 changed hands again, this time being sold to the Knight Aircraft Corporation, which re-registered the aircraft as N4715C. Two years later, in 1979, the Corsair was sold to Har-Ran Aviation/Terry Randal of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and its original registration, N4716C, was restored.​

Racing Career: 1981-1986

The next chapter in this Corsair’s life took it from the skies of everyday flight to the high-speed world of air racing. In 1981, BuNo 67089 was acquired by the Tired Iron Racing Team, led by Don C. Davis of Casper, Wyoming. Under this new ownership, the aircraft was re-registered once again as N4715C and took on the racing number #82 under the name Wart Hog.One of the most notable moments in the aircraft’s racing career occurred during the National Championship Air Races held from September 10-16, 1984, in Reno, Nevada. Piloted by Mike Wright, the Corsair competed in the Unlimited Class, qualifying in 28th place with an average speed of 305.667 mph. In the heat races, the aircraft finished 3rd in Heat 1 with a speed of 275.388 mph, 8th in Heat 5 with a speed of 207.229 mph, and took 5th place in the Medallion 2 Race, reaching an average speed of 285.065 mph. In 1986, the aircraft returned to Reno under the name “Skyboss” and raced as #111. Unfortunately, it did not qualify for the Unlimited Class that year, marking the end of its brief but eventful racing career.​

Race #82, named Wart Hog. Photo via Aero Visual

Continued Civilian Life: 1987-Present

In 1987, the Corsair’s ownership passed to **Gary Meermans** of Long Beach, California, with the registration changed to N97GM. Meermans maintained ownership of the aircraft, relocating it to Chino, California, while retaining the same registration until 1994. On July 2, 1987, the aircraft received a new certificate of airworthiness, this time registered as NX83JC, still bearing its original BuNo 67089. In 1994, the Corsair was acquired by F4U Inc/Jeff Clyman of New York City, New York. Clyman, known for his work in preserving historic aircraft, re-registered the aircraft as N83JC, under which it continued to fly. Finally, in 2017, BuNo 67089 was transferred to Ellenville LLC, based in New York, where it remains under the registration N83JC. The aircraft is now dedicated to former astronaut John Glenn who was assigned to VMF-155 as an F4U Corsair pilot in June 1943 and served in the Pacific Theater from February 1944 to February 1945, flying 59 combat missions.​

John Glenn flying his U.S. Marine Corps squadron VMF-155 Corsair during training in California for World War II, 1943. John Glenn Archives, The Ohio State University

This FG-1D Corsair has only 62 hours since undergoing a substantial IRAN (Inspect and Repair as Necessary) by American Aero Services in 2020. This original Corsair, with a rich and ongoing history, had its wings and control surfaces removed and recovered using Stits Polyfiber. The engine was replaced with a newly overhauled R-2800-43/51 by Anderson Airmotive, and the entire firewall forward was overhauled. Additionally, all hoses were replaced, the oil coolers were overhauled, and a new fuel cell was installed, ensuring the aircraft is in top condition. From its origins as a Navy fighter to a racing machine and finally a cherished historical aircraft, the FG-1D Corsair, BuNo 67089, has led an extraordinary life. Its journey through multiple owners, various racing numbers, and changing registrations tells the story of an aircraft that has truly stood the test of time. Today, it continues to inspire those with a passion for aviation history and the legacy of the legendary Corsair. For more information about this aircraft, visit www.platinumfighters.com​

Photo via Platinum Fighter Sales

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[DaveM]

53rd National Stearman Fly-In

By Donivan Godsil

The National Stearman Fly-In started back in 1971 when Tom Lowe of Crystal Lake, Illinois, and the late Jim Leahy, of Galesburg decided to get a few folks together who loved and flew these iconic biplanes of the 30s and 40s. The first annual fly-in held in 1972 had around 30 stearmans from all over the country, and they encouraged the working girls (also known as crop dusters), military stock, civilian, and 450-hp airshow performers to come! In these early years, we did not have social media like there is today. Between word-of-mouth and the post office, this event began to take shape as one of the longest type-fly-ins of its kind.​

What can you possibly do for a whole week in Galesburg, you might ask. Easy! Some pilots come to Galesburg, park their airplane and just enjoy the fellowship for the week. There are seminars, lunches, a poker run, and different fly-outs and contests all week to participate in if you’d like. The event begins officially on Labor Day, starting with a fly out breakfast to Kewanee (The Hog Capital of the world), followed by a parade fly-over in Galesburg which holds the title of America’s longest running Labor Day Parade. Monday night, a fine picnic is sponsored by a vendor. On Tuesday, for the last several years, Dave and Kathy Shipley host a fly-out lunch at the Tri-County Airport (2C6) in Yates City, IL. It’s one of the smoothest pieces of grass you could land on. This year, they had an impressive 46 Stearmans on their airfield, an Elvis impersonator performing, and provided a wonderful lunch. The Shipleys are very welcoming and always have an open door for pilots who need a spot to rest, and are some of the friendliest people in aviation. Wednesday is another fly out to Kewanee for lunch, and a flyover of the Prime Beef Festival parade in Monmouth, IL.​

Thursday is another favorite fly out to Gen-Air Park (3G8) in Geneseo, IL for lunch and an aerobatics contest. This contest is one of the most historical events of the fly in. In years past, we have had airshow icons such as Walt Pierce and John Mohr be judges, and even hosted a Master’s contest for prior 1st place winners of stock and modified categories. Friday’s events are the Wolford Picnic in Abingdon, IL (IL01) and the short field takeoff, flour bomb drop, and spot landing contest. The Stearmans are classed by horsepower and is probably one of the tightest competitions of the week. There is a catered meal, followed by a guest speaker in the evening. Saturday was full of emotions and was one of the busiest days of the event. Emotional because it’s the last day of the fly-in, and our friends were starting to pack up for their trip home. The big event on that day was another held in the utmost regard; Formation Contest. In years past, there would be several four-ship teams and it seemed like hours of formation flights overhead the airport would be taking place. In recent years, there are two or three teams who participate. This gives you the sights and sounds of our Greatest Generation flying in formation in their training to go on to bigger and more advanced aircraft. At the end of the contest, the last team performs a missing man formation in honor of those beloved friends who’ve gone west. It’s somber, but one of the most beautiful gestures you can experience.​

Seminars are quite popular during the week, discussing everything from aeromedical information, restoration work, formation flying, and other related topics. All week, there are narrated tram rides available for the public to get up-close on a guided ride through the flight line. Vendors set up to sell souvenirs and parts, and the new International Stearman Community Hangar hosts its own gift shop, historical library, and museum inside. During the fly-in, we have seen an average of 70, and our record is 156 Stearmans (at the 50th National Stearman Fly-In). This year, the total was 78. There are usually two from Canada that come down, a few from the West Coast, and several from the southern states. Recently a gentleman from Alaska flew 34 hours from Anchorage, and told me if a hangar would have been available, he would consider leaving his Stearman here and just restoring another one back home! According to the FAA Registry, there are over 50 Stearmans within 200 nm of KGBG. These are incredible aircraft, but there aren’t too many pilots today that will fly in our climate year round. However, another Illinois native told me that he enjoys picking Santa up at one airport and flying him into another town in mid-December to kick off a Christmas event.​

Of the Stearmans you will see here, many are your typical all-yellow “Navy” planes and yellow and blue “Army” airplanes. Awards are given out to historical accuracy, such as the Yellow Peril (Navy) and Kaydet (Army), Best Civilian, et cetera. It is hard for me to ever say what my favorite Stearman is, because every single one of them, no matter how old the restoration is or how fresh, are my favorite as long as I’m looking at it. Many of these caretakers spend countless hours researching historical data down to the delivery dates and have their aircraft looking exactly as it would have in WWII. They go through great lengths to preserve history, yet allow modern items of safety and convenience, such as LED lighting, radios, transponders and ADS-B equipment. It is a treat to arrive at the airport and hear the Lycomings, Continentals, Pratts, and the unique Vedenyev M-14 on one particular Canadian stearman come to life on the flightline and watch them taxi out. Based in Galesburg is a 600-hp Stearman, affectionately known as “The Beast.” It’s still configured as a cropduster, with gauges in the center section, a hopper, pump, and booms, with flat-bottom high lift wings, a metal covered fuselage and the most distinct looking “stearman” tail you’d ever find.​

This year, there were two very eye-catching stearmans on the line that brought a lot of attention. One, owned by Tom Torchia of Arizona. The Recall Stearman. It’s white and blue stripes along the wings, tail and fuselage stand out as unusual because it’s not the typical stearman scheme we are used to. The aircraft in recall colors were used in the days before ATIS and reliable communications, where they would launch and fly to the practice areas. The cadets in training would see the recall plane and know this was the signal to get back to base and on the ground, either for weather or other unknown reasons. Tom finished his airplane this spring and flew it to Oshkosh before making his way to Galesburg.​

Another Stearman had a 600 horsepower Pratt on the nose. It also had 50 caliber machine guns below each wing, and a “bomb” between the mains. “The Ghost Ship,” also from the greater Phoenix area, is unlike any other PT or N2 series Stearman out there. Clipped wings, four ailerons, big engine, skinny wheels and wheel pants, with similar markings to the Boeing P12, this example is more fantasy than war-time accuracy. Nonetheless, it’s grabs the attention of the viewer and creates quite the conversation. Of note, some export Stearmans did in-fact carry armament, but we haven’t seen the real ones at Galesburg…but there is still hope. There’s one row dedicated to Pratt & Whitney powered Stearmans. Two of them this year are still wearing the Red Baron Squadron scheme, and a few others were cowled up like most imagine Super Stearmans ought to look. One was different though, it was the Model 4E Speedmail. With its wide stance, long wing and nose, and square tail it takes you back to the 1930’s in art deco style. This particular one lives in middle Iowa, and is easily one of the most luxurious Stearmans flying. You don’t need to own a Stearman to attend or participate in any of the fly-outs. There are plenty of Stearmans to “try on” and two usually sell scenic and aerobatic rides all week, some are even for sale! The 54th National Stearman Fly-In starts September 1, 2025, so mark your calendars! Visit the website HERE for more info.​

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[Greyfell]

I rode in a Stearman about 25 years ago, before that particulr local airfield was closed down. There is definitely something to be said about riding in an open cockpit.

 

[DaveM]

Ford Trimotor Under Restoration at The Liberty Aviation Museum

Not many museums are able to say that they have an airworthy example of a Ford Trimotor, but the Liberty Aviation Museum of Port Clinton, Ohio, will soon be able to have TWO airworthy examples of the Tin Goose. Currently, the museum sells rides on Ford 5-AT-B NC9645, which historically flew for Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) as the “City of Wichita” and now flies as “City of Wichita/City of Port Clinton”, but the second Trimotor, NC9684 will pay homage to an airline that was an inextricable link in Port Clinton but among the nearby Bass Islands in Lake Erie.​

Rear 3/4 view of NC9684 nearing completion, August 2024. Photo via THF’s Port Clinton Ford Tri-Motor Restoration

Like many of the surviving Ford Trimotors, NC9684 (construction number 40) has had a colorful past up to this point. Built in Dearborn, Michigan, c/n 40 made its first flight on April 9, 1929, and was just one serial number removed from the Ford Trimotor that would wind up in the National Air and Space Museum. On May 1, 1929 c/n 40 was delivered to Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, flying with the Mexican registration X-ABCF (later changed to XA-BCF). At the time, the majority of Mexicana de Aviación’s shares were owned by Juan Trippe and Pan American Airways, with Pan American owning Mexicana’s routes from Brownsville, Texas to Mexico City. XA-BCF would later be bought outright by Pan American on November 1, 1936, primarily flying the short route from Key West, Florida to Havana, Cuba with its original American registration NC9684. It would be more involved in Cuban aviation when on June 15, 1938, it was sold to Cubana de Aviación, S.A., which is today the flag carrier of Cuba. Much like Mexicana de Aviación, Cubana was then largely owned by Pan Am with the massive American carrier gradually loosening its hold over Cubana during the course of World War II, all while c/n 40, registered in Cuba as NM-24, flew out the war years in the tropical skies of Cuba. In July 1946, NM-24 was acquired by Milton “Milt” Hershberger, a former barnstormer who had established Island Air Service (later known as Island Airlines) to serve the people of Ohio’s Bass Islands, a popular summer tourist destination for Ohioans that were often iced in during the harsh winter months.​

Although Island Airlines Fords would become quite colorful, they started with just bare metal, as shown with N7584 before its red, white, and blue scheme (American Aviation Historical Society)

During his short but regular flights in his fleet of Tri-Motors, Hershberger would fly passengers consisting of both locals and tourists, carried the mail, and flew all types of cargo from groceries, liquor, fuel, and even oversized items from pianos to Christmas trees. The Trimotors also became the main transportation between the islands and the mainland, with school children flying the Trimotors to and from school, and residents flying back and forth to work and home. Milt’s base of operations was at Put-In-Bay Airport on South Bass Island, and he would make up to two stops a day at Middle Bass Island, North Bass Island, Kelleys Island, Rattlesnake Island, and on the mainland at Port Clinton at what is now Erie-Ottawa International Airport. The 17 mile round trip made 12 takeoffs and landings and lasted on average 45 minutes, with the Trimotors pushing leisurely speeds of 85 mph. Now registered as N69905, the aircraft was one of four Trimotors that comprised the Island Air Service fleet during the late 40s and early 50s, which were maintained by Hershberger, who in 1938 had bought the entirety of Ford’s remaining stock of Trimotor parts to maintain his fleet for years to come, and after Hershberger’s ownership of the company ended, the rebranded Island Airlines, which was often dubbed The World’s Shortest Airline, continued its regular operations in its red, white, and blue Trimotors well into the 1970s.​

View of the Trimotor project, October 12, 2016 (Liberty Aviation Museum)

But in 1952, Milt sold N69905 to Charles “Frenny” Frensdorf of Orofino, Idaho. Up in the upper Rockies, the old Tin Goose was used for an entirely different utilitarian purpose; fighting forest fires with smokejumpers jumping from its old doorway. By this point, N69905 had also been heavily modified with non-stock parts, from the installation of a new set of Wright R-975 Whirlwind radials to oleo struts from a P-47, and wheels from a Lockheed Lodestar among other changes. Frenny wouldn’t keep N69905 for long, as he sold it to Harold Johnson of Johnson Flying Service in Missoula, Montana, one of the more prominent postwar operators of Ford Trimotors. But in just over two weeks time, N69905’s flying career came to an abrupt end.​

Wing spar on NC9684, February 2015. Photo via THF’s Port Clinton Ford Tri-Motor Restoration

The last flight of N69905 was recounted in the July 2009 issue of The National Smokejumper Association’s quarterly magazine Smokejumper by Bob Graham, one of the eight men who survived the accident that wrote off this Ford, saying “…on August 17, 1953, six of us were dispatched to three fires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Included in this load were: spotter Dick Conklin, and jumpers Dave Owen, Torky Chorbajian, Donald Kerr, Fritz Wolfrum and Frank Wolfe.

“We took off from Hale Field early [in the] afternoon in the Ford Trimotor N69905. This particular Ford was purchased by Johnson Flying Service just a couple weeks earlier on August 1, 1953, from Frenny Frensdorf of Orofino, Idaho. Upon arriving over the fires, [we] found that it was too windy to jump, so we landed at the Spotted Bear R.S. strip to wait and try to jump later in the day. Around suppertime we took off to try to jump the fires before dark. As we began to gain altitude, one of the engines quit. But one of the reasons we liked the Ford was that it had three engines. But shortly after the first engine quit, a second died. We were all suited up, and I was the closest to the door and immediately looked out to the rapidly-closing ground. It was questionable in my mind as to whether there was enough altitude to jump, so I looked up to the cabin at the spotter, Dick Conklin. Conklin saw what I was considering and, shaking his head, pointed to me to return to the cabin floor. As I did that, the third engine quit and we crashed. Kenny Roth was the pilot and fought the plane all the way to the ground, hitting tail first. I was knocked unconscious and must have been out awhile as when I did come to, there was no one else around. I had been buried by all the fire gear and must have been completely covered because everyone else had already gone past me and left the plane. Remember, I was closest to the door. I freed myself and scooted down the floor to the door and got halfway out when I heard voices hollering at me to get up and run and that the plane was about to blow up. Being extremely well educated, I thought that would be a good idea and wondered why I was not doing exactly that. Then I noticed that my left leg and ankle were broken and hollered back that I could not walk, let alone run. ​

Progress on NC9684 Fall 2014. Photo via THF’s Port Clinton Ford Tri-Motor Restoration.

“My brave brethren, who all had to crawl over me to exit the plane, now abandoned all caution and began to administer to my immediate needs. This consisted of tearing the sleeve off my new work shirt and administering Demerol. They also began to figure out how to cut off my White boot. I vetoed that move and succeeded in convincing them that it would be fine to unlace the boot and pull it off. That Demerol really worked. Kenny Roth had broken his instep and almost all the jumpers had some injury including a broken arm, broken ribs and other miscellaneous sores. Kenny and I were stretchered back to Spotted Bear, and that night Fred Brauer and Bob Johnson came into the strip with Johnson’s Twin Beech to fly us out to Missoula. I believe Jack Hughes, Bob Johnson’s son-in-law, piloted the Twin Beech. Brauer and one of the jumper foremen were suited up and prepared to jump into the crash site in the dark, if that became necessary. As we began to take off, the stretchers were sliding around quite a bit on the floor, so Bob Johnson held Kenny down and Fred held me down. There were moose on the landing field and the Beech was scooting around trying to herd the moose away. Finally Bob Johnson hollered up to the pilot to quit fooling around and take off.”​

While no one onboard Nine Zero Five was killed, the 24-year old Ford was deemed too costly to repair, and after it was stripped for any useful parts, was left where it fell in the Flathead Forest until Maurice Hovious, known to many as the “godfather of the Ford Trimotor”, recovered the wreck around 1984 and brought it to his workshop in Vicksburg, Michigan, where Maurice and his wife Judy have restored other Trimotors at his business, Hov-Aire, Inc., but the damage sustained in the crash and the subsequent decades of exposure would need time to rectify, time which with Hovious had to prioritize other aircraft, including other Fords.​

View of NC9684_s tail, May 2016. Photo via THF’s Port Clinton Ford Tri-Motor Restoration

While the aircraft sat in Hovious’ shop, the Liberty Aviation Museum was established at Port Clinton’s Erie-Ottawa International Airport, opening to the public on December 7, 1991 with the intent on showcasing Word War II aircraft. But in 1994, the same year the museum put on a well-received airshow at Port Clinton, museum officials began searching for a Ford Trimotor to bring back to Port Clinton to commemorate the role the old corrugated metal airplanes played in the local community. This would soon lead to the museum establishing contact with Maurice Hovious, who was excited to have a Ford permanently based out of the Port Clinton area.​

A couple years later, Ken Benjamin, a local pilot serving as President of the Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport Authority who was keenly interested in the history of the Island Airlines Ford Trimotors, and a member of EAA Chapter 1247, invited Maurice Hovious to deliver a presentation on his latest project, an Island Airlines Ford Trimotor, N7584, which to this day he is restoring for Kermit Weeks after the aircraft was critically damaged during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The presentation was well attended, and Ken mentioned to Maurice his desire for a Ford Trimotor to be rebuilt for static display at Erie-Ottawa International Airport in Port Clinton, a stop on the old Island Airlines route. At the time, Ken thought that a flying Trimotor at Port Clinton would be out of reach for them, but not long after the presentation, Hovious invited Benjamin and several others to his workshop in Vicksburg to have a look at his Trimotor projects. It was during the shop tour that Hovious made a generous offer; in exchange for the labor from the volunteers of EAA 1247, he would provide the expertise and materials needed to build a Trimotor. Benjamin gladly accepted this generous offer, and in 2004, the first pieces of the remains of 5-AT-B N69905 arrived at Port Clinton. Maurice also insisted that the aircraft be restored to flying condition, and with his continual support, the work of rebuilding the aircraft began, and the Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation would be established to provide support for the project.​

Passenger windows and door with Island Airline_s red trim. Photo via THF’s Port Clinton Ford Tri-Motor Restoration.

Over the past 22 years, the Trimotor has steadily been taking shape in Port Clinton. While at one point the aircraft was to fly with the registration N421YA, its original American registration of N9684 has been restored. One reason for the length of time of this project has been the fact that when the aircraft was brought to Port Clinton, it was found that much of the original structure was unfit to be placed back on the flying aircraft, so panel by panel, beam by beam, and rivet by rivet has had to be replicated in every minute detail, using the original parts as reference material.

In 2012, Ed Patrick, CEO of the Liberty Aviation Museum, offered to move the Trimotor project into a newly-built hangar for the museum, and the project has carried on here with the full support of the Liberty Aviation Museum ever since (it was also around this time that we wrote a short article on the aircraft). In 2014, the museum acquired another Trimotor in the form of 5-AT-B NC9645 (c/n 8) from the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Being placed back in the air with its original Transcontinental-Air-Transport (T-A-T) markings, the aircraft flies with both its historic name “City of Wichita” and the name “City of Port Clinton”, and has also been leased to the EAA when its own Ford, NC8407, needed to be worked on or to provide tours outside of NC8407’s itinerary. Selling flights in the City of Wichita/City of Port Clinton has also gone to benefit the restoration of NC9684, which is being restored in Island Airlines’ iconic red, white and blue colors. So far, Jody Brausch of the Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation has stated that the team is midway through the project. The wing’s section has been refitted to the fuselage, which has been recently repainted, all three engines are on their mounts, the oil coolers have been reinstalled and the lines and tanks have been successfully checked to see if they are airtight. Meanwhile, control cables for the throttles, carburetor heaters and mixture controls are being fitted, and the cowlings for the No. 1 (left) and No. 3 (right) engines are being made. By mid September, the team hopes to have the wings completely painted, and to have the outer panels and the landing gear put back on the airplane by New Year’s. With any luck, it is hoped to have NC9684 return to the skies by next summer.​

When it makes its first flight in over 70 years, NC9684 will stand alongside NC9645 as one of two airworthy Fords based out of Port Clinton, with ‘684 set to offer round-trip rides from Port Clinton over the Bass Islands (albeit without making stops on the islands). The aircraft will be cleared to take passengers up under the rules of an FAA guideline called Part 91, which will restrict these flights to a 25 mile radius, well beyond the 17 mile range covered by the old Island Airlines Fords, but Part 91 also states that the aircraft must land at the same departure airport (in this case Erie-Ottawa). But Jody Brausch states that making these flights at all will honor the legacy of Island Airlines and the lives it touched, with many locals having formed loving memories of flying on the old Trimotors between the islands and the mainland across Lake Erie, and soon, many more people will make similar memories looking out the windows of NC9684.​

Ford 5-AT-B NC9645 City of Wichita/City of Port Clinton in front of Liberty Aviation Museum_s hangar (Liberty Aviation Museum)

Special thanks to Jody Brausch for his contributions to this article. If you would like to support the restoration of the Ford Trimotor, visit the Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation at About Us | (restoretheford.org), the Liberty Aviation Museum at Liberty Aviation Museum, and EAA “Tin Goose” Chapter 1247 at Welcome to Tin Goose Chapter 1247 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (tingoose1247.org).

The Ohio Story: Lifeline of the Islands | Hagley Digital Archives

Restoring history: Foundation works to bring back a Ford Tri-Motor (thehelmsandusky.com)​

Dedication ceremony for completing the Island Airliners paint scheme on the fuselage and wing center section, September 23, 2023 (Liberty Aviation Museum)

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[DaveM]

U-2 “Takes Flight” Once More for Relocation to Hill Aerospace Museum Hangar

The Hill Aerospace Museum, near Hill AFB in Ogden, Utah, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its L.S. Skaggs Gallery on April 29, 2024, officially opening it to the public on May 2. This 91,000-square-foot expansion brings the museum’s total enclosed display space to 240,000 square feet, enabling most of its 79 aircraft to be housed indoors. The $20 million project was primarily funded by a $15 million grant from the Utah State Legislature, with additional support from private donors via the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Utah.​

Photo via Hill Aerospace Museum

One of the museum’s rarest aircraft, the Lockheed U-2A (s/n 56-6716), was recently moved into the new gallery. Built in 1957, this U-2A saw extensive service, participating in the High Altitude Air Sampling Project and operating in locations like Argentina and Thailand. In 1960, it sustained damage during a deadstick landing in Canada and was later transferred to Taiwan’s Republic of China Air Force in 1965, where it remained active until 1980. Now, it rests permanently in the museum. Check Aero Visual for more information.​

Photo via Hill Aerospace Museum

Now that the majority of the museum’s aircraft are displayed inside, only the largest of the collection remain outdoors, including the B-1B (83-0070) 7 Wishes, B-52G (58-0191) Bearin’ Arms, and C-124C (53-0050). The Hill Aerospace Museum is on Facebook and is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit their website at: www.aerospaceutah.org.​

The entrance to the Hill Aerospace Museum is dominated by the massive Douglas C-124C Globemaster II. This aircraft was retired to the U.S. Army’s test facility at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and was slated to be used in ballistic research tests. It was rescued by the Hill Aerospace Museum in 1992. (Nicholas A. Veronico)

Museum map

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[Vector]

I had a ride in a Ford Trimotor

 

[Greyfell]

I had a ride in a Ford Trimotor

I'd like a ride in a U-2.

 

[Vector]

Me-2

 

[DaveM]

Honor Flight Long Island Takes 46 Veterans to Washington D.C.

Honor Flight Long Island, the iconic volunteer-run veterans organization, is proud to announce that their Fall flight to Washington, D.C. is scheduled for Saturday, October 5, 2024. This flight will take 46 Long Island veterans to visit their military memorials, meet with service branch representatives, commiserate with fellow veterans and exchange stories. Honor Flight’s mission is to honor fellow Long Islanders who served in the United States Armed Forces to preserve our freedoms, by providing free, one-day trips so they can visit their D.C. memorials. According to HFLI President Bill Jones, “Our Fall Flight includes 43 Vietnam War veterans who will receive long overdue recognition and thanks for their service. They’ll be accompanied on this flight by 3 elder comrades, veterans of the Korean War. What this flight really represents is a ‘Big Hug’ to all of our veterans from Honor Flight, their families and supporters, who make such flights possible,” Jones said. Bill Jones is a U.S. Army veteran and West Point 1972 Graduate.​

Photo via Honor Flight

Thanks to HFLI, these 46 veterans will take a free, early-morning Southwest flight to Washington, D.C. Departing from Islip MacArthur Airport at 6:05 a.m., veterans and their guardians will visit the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War Memorials, Arlington National Cemetery for a Changing of the Guard, plus the Air Force and Iwo Jima Memorials. They’ll return to Islip that evening at 10:05 p.m., for a rousing welcome by the Safron United Pipe Band, plus thunderous applause from hundreds of family, friends and supporters. A major donation from the Hicksville Veterans Association to Honor Flight Long Island will pay for the cost of all veterans on this flight. According to Vincent Morreale, Chairman of the Hicksville Veterans Association and a Vietnam veteran, “10 of our members were honored by an Honor Flight in the Spring of 2022 and were overwhelmed by the experience. We are so proud and delighted to sponsor this October 5th flight for our fellow veterans,” he said. Four members of the Hicksville Veterans Association from the 2022 flight will serve as guardians on this flight, and six members will be flying as veterans for the first time. Bill Jones said Honor Flight Long Island is humbled by this generous donation. “Thank you, Vincent and your members, this donation means a lot in our continuing mission to honor Long Island’s veterans,” Jones said. Next up is our Veterans Reunion on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at the American Airpower Museum, Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY. The reunion runs from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at AAM. The public is welcome to attend for FREE. Museum opens at 12:00 p.m. and everyone is encouraged to come early and enjoy the exhibits before and after the reunion. For information about AAM, call (631) 293-6398 or email at the American Airpower Museum website.​

Photo via Honor Flight

Come and cheer our heroes during the “Ceremony of Honors,” as each receives a personalized Tribute Journal full of photos taken during their D.C. trip. This great patriotic event includes speeches by HFLI President Bill Jones and AAM President Jeff Clyman. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla Band will play a popular patriotic medley known as the “Armed Forces Salute,” featuring the six official musical themes of the U.S. Armed Forces: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air and Space Forces, and Coast Guard.Free refreshments for all provided by HFLI. HFLI is accepting applications from veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Long Island veterans are encouraged to sign up by going to the HFLI website, www.honorflightlongisland.org.It’s important to submit an application, as that will guarantee placement on our list. Veterans fly for free, thanks to donations from across Long Island. They are accompanied by guardians, able-bodied volunteers who donate $400 (tax deductible) to offset their travel costs. If there is no family member to act as a guardian, HFLI has volunteers ready to step up for the privilege of escorting our heroes to their memorials.​

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[Rocky]

Great article

 

[DaveM]

Lancaster NX611 ‘Just Jane’ – Restoration Update 226

As most of our readers will know, Avro Lancaster B.VII NX611 Just Jane is under restoration to airworthy condition with the Lincoln Aviation Heritage Center at former RAF East Kirkby in Lincolnshire, England. The group has made magnificent progress, even during the pandemic, and we thought that our readers might like to see a recent (edited) restoration update, reproduced here with permission.

Lancaster ‘Just Jane’ seen outside just after one of her regular taxi-runs at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, UK back in 2014. The aircraft is in the midst of an airworthy restoration, and this article presents a recent update. (photo by Alan Wilson via Wikimedia)
By Andrew Patton

The restoration team at the Lincoln Aviation Heritage Center has had an extremely busy two months, as they entered the peak season for the Centre and the operation of NX611 and HJ711. Despite the Centre’s busy operational side, significant progress has been made on the restoration efforts.

Ade and Andy have been focused on restoring NX611’s nose turret. To move forward, they needed to locate airworthy rotating rings—a task easier said than done. Fortunately, the team had purchased a spare FN5 nose turret from Canada last year and had been awaiting its delivery. Upon arrival, Ade and Andy’s first task was to disassemble the turret and assess the condition of its rotating rings. The rings were in good condition and were promptly swapped with those from NX611’s nose turret. While the spare turret was disassembled, the team also cleaned and repainted it, preparing it for a swap deal in exchange for more Lancaster parts. Ade and Andy also replaced the Perspex in the spare turret’s cupola for cosmetic improvement.​

The spare nose turret sourced from Canada was reassembled after the swapping of the magnesium rings and repainted.

With the new rotating rings ready, they were treated and painted in preparation for assembly with NX611’s nose turret. Thanks to the team’s earlier restoration work on other turret components, the reassembly process moved quickly. Currently, NX611’s nose turret is about halfway through reassembly, and the cupola is boxed up, and ready to be sent off for new airworthy glazing.​

One of the rotation rings removed from the spare turret for NX611’s nose turret restoration

Meanwhile, Dave and Norm have been making excellent progress on the rear fuselage of NX611. The team has been riveting stringers, cleats, and formers to complete the skeletal fuselage structure in preparation for the fitting of the skins. Phil has also finished the structure for the rear crew door. Thousands of rivets have already been installed, with tens of thousands more to come once the skins are ready. The biggest challenge at the moment is sourcing 18-foot-long aluminum sheets, as the top skins of the fuselage run its entire length.​

Dave fitting the countersunk rivets to the tail plane former area on the rear fuselage of NX611

The final fishplates are pinned in place around the door opening in preparation for the final fitting

Chris has been diligently working on NX611’s nose, producing complex formers and frames. Unlike the rear fuselage, the frames in the nose are more intricate, curving in two directions with returns at multiple angles due to the compound curves that give the Lancaster its distinctive nose shape. Dave has been mentoring Chris in using the shrinker-stretcher and the art of producing formers, and while there’s still a long way to go, Chris is making solid progress.​

Chris forming the new frame_former for the nose of NX611

Jacob, Keith, and John have made impressive strides with NX611’s port wing now that it’s placed in the jig. The team is currently stripping the wing’s skins and removing the stringers in preparation for the next stage of the jig, which will support the front spar while the wing ribs are removed. Despite the monotonous task of drilling out countless rivets, the team has kept up a steady pace. As the skins were removed, it became clear that the wing had undergone significant rework in the past, likely during a major servicing with the French. The team is now preparing for a detailed inspection of the stringers once they’ve been fully stripped.​

All lower leading edge skins removed

The team has successfully stripped the port wing of its skins and stringers up to the leading edge. They are now awaiting the next part of the jig, which is currently in production. Steelwork has begun, and in the next update, the team expects to have the new jig sections in place and the wing ribs in the process of being removed. While significant visual progress has been made, the team will soon transition to the slower task of restoring each individual wing rib and stringer.​

The Gofundme Wings Campaign has raised over £66,615 of the £500,000 goal! Thanks to everyone who has contributed, as your support has helped fund the jigs and aluminum. If you’d like to donate to the Wings Fund and receive a special Wings Fund badge, please click HERE (badges are sent for donations over £50).​

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[Rocky]

Fantastic work