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Welcome to the 2012
Welcome to the 4th annual Warbirds Over the Beach. If you have followed the growth and development of the Military Aviation Museum over the past 4 years, you have seen many new additions, not only in the ever-growing collection of planes but in the number of new buildings. During the last twelve months, several planes have been added to our flying collection. Additionally, the German Luftwaffe Cottbus hangar is scheduled to be finished this year, and when it is, it will house our impressive German plane collection. We are pleased to report that once again we have one of the only two flying Avro Lancasters in the world attending the air show. Flying from Canada, this is not only a very costly exercise but will be giving us the rare opportunity to view such a magnificent machine. The only other flying Lancaster is still owned and operated by the RAF. Last year, it flew over the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Thank you for being part of such a memorable occasion celebrating the opportunity to see such classic planes in flight and to pay tribute to the men and women from a generation that is rapidly fading, but will certainly never be forgotten. A show like this takes many months and thousands of hours of preparation, and our thanks must go out to the many veterans, re-enactors, musicians, volunteers, vendors, and staff that help events like this be such a huge success. When walking around the airfield and hangars please stop and show your appreciation to the veterans who are sharing their experiences and re-enactors who portray their units so accurately for their service and support. Sincerely, David Hunt, Director Military Aviation Museum
Gerald Yagen, President
The Military Aviatio n Museum displays and provide s a permanent home for dozens of World War Two and earlier vintage
flying aircraft in Virginia Beach. The museum was founded in 2005, and its ongoing mission is to preserve, restore, and fly these historic aircraft and to allow a new generation to experien ce
and learn from what their fathers , grandfathers, and greatgrandfathers might have endured on the lonely airfields and in
the skies so very far from home.
The founder of the museum has spent years collecting and restoring these beautiful aircraft. As time went on, the passion for obtaining and restoring these rare aircraft eventually laid
the foundation for today’s Military Aviation Museum. In the process, it was learned that the real discovery was not just the aircraft themselves, but the history they were part of and the stories of the brave men and women who flew them. The Military Aviation Museum is truly a living museum that continues to grow. Several new aircraft are continuously undergoing
restoration to be added to the museum’s collection in the coming
months. At the same time, an authentic German hangar from 1934 is being reconstructed at the west end of the property. Bring your family and friends often and enjoy exploring what’s new in history. Buy a family membership and return as often as you’d like. For information about scheduled flight demonstrations , semina rs, and visiting aircraft , please call the museum at (757) 721-PROP or visit www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org.
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4
On the Cover
Entertainment Schedule
Virginia Beach artist Sam Welty created the custom artwork for the 2012 Warbirds Over the Beach air show. This year’s Warbirds Over the Beach artwork features four British aircraft flying over London during World War Two. The Supermarine Spitfire in the forefront was one of the planes instrumental in the victory of the Battle of Britain. This aircraft and two others depicted in the art, the de Havilland Dragon Rapide and de Havilland Tiger Moth, are all owned by the Military Aviation Museum. The fourth, the Avro Lancaster, is from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario. It is one of only two Lancasters still flying today, and we are fortunate to have it join us for the Warbirds Over the Beach air show. You can purchase copies of the 2012 poster in the Museum’s gift shop, and visit Sam Welty online to see more of his amazing artwork: www.AngelFire.com/art2/largemurals/.
Air Flight Schedule 12:00
T-6s Take Off & Fly Formations
12:40
C-46 Takes Off for Paratrooper Drop
1:00
WAIVER IN EFFECT - Field Closed Paratroopers Drop from C-46
1:10
U.S. Trainers & Liason Flights: Stearman, Ryan PT-22, Stinson L-5, N3N
1:25
European Theatre - Trainers & Liason Flights: de Havilland Tiger Moth and Chipmunk, Fiesler Storch, de Havilland Dragon Rapide, Focke Wulf FW-44
1:45
U.S. Navy Pacific Theatre Flights: PBY Catalina, TBM Avenger, FG-1D Corsair, AD-4 Skyraider, FM-2 Wildcat
2:10
Battle of Midway: PBY Catalina, TBM Avenger, FM-2 Wildcat
2:20
U.S. Aircraft European Theatre Flights: B-25 Mitchell, P-51D Mustang, Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk
2:30
German and British European Theatre Flights: Junkers Ju-52, Hawker Hurricane, Spitfire, Messerschmitt Me 262
2:55
German Paratroopers Drop from Junkers Ju-52
3:00
European Theatre Flights, The Fast and Heavies: B-17 Flying Fortress, Avro Lancaster Bomber, Focke Wulf Fw-190, Yakovlev YAK-3
3:30
All Flights Land
4:00
Field Open All times are approximate and subject to change due to weather and mechanical conditions and advance printing deadlines of this book.
TV Show Broadcasts
Saturday, May 19 at 9:00pm (Premier Broadcast) Monday, May 21 at 11:00pm (Encore Broadcast)
Saturday May 19, 2012 10:00AM-1:00PM « HANGAR STAGE Theresa Eaman • Ultimate Abbott & Costello Frank Sings Frank • The Victory Belles 1:00PM-3:30PM « AIR SHOW 3:00PM-6:00PM « HANGAR STAGE Theresa Eaman • Ultimate Abbott & Costello Frank Sings Frank • The Victory Belles 6:00PM-9:00PM « WWII Hangar Dance Mark Michielsen Big Band Theresa Eaman • Ultimate Abbott & Costello Frank Sings Frank • The Victory Belles
Sunday May 20, 2012 10:00AM-1:00PM « HANGAR STAGE Theresa Eaman • Ultimate Abbott & Costello The Victory Belles • Frank Sings Frank 1:00PM-3:30PM « AIR SHOW 3:00PM-5:00PM « HANGAR STAGE The Victory Belles • Frank Sings Frank Ultimate Abbott & Costello
WINGS is produced and published by the Military Aviation Museum. © 2012. Graphic Design: Shari James, Historical Research: Felix Usis
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On the Cover
The de Havilland DH-89 Dragon Rapide was the most successful British-built commercial passenger aircraft of the 1930s. The prototype flew in April 1934, and over two hundred were built before the outbreak of World War II. At that time, the British requisitioned many of these aircraft for passenger duties and radio navigation training. By the end of the war, nearly 750 were built, and many survived the war to go on to commercial services. The Royal Family Flies a Rapide
Edward, Prince of Wales, became a pilot and served on the front lines during World War One. Following the war, he continued flying and pursuing his interest in aviation. In 1935, he purchased a de Havilland DH-89 Dragon Rapide, had it painted in the bright red and blue colors of the Royal Guard and outfitted with red leather seats which included the Prince of Wales’ feathered crest embossed on the back of each. Prince Edward used the six-passenger aircraft for official trips to the numerous royal family homes. Edward became King Edward VIII on January 20, 1936, following his father’s death. He was the first English monarch to fly in an aircraft, when he travelled to London for his Accession Council. In 1931, he met Wallis Simpson, of Philadelphia, and when she divorced in 1934, she became his mistress. They travelled to the homes of the Royal family and most likely even used the Royal Dragon Rapide for such getaways. The two were unable to marry because Simpson was divorced, so on December 11, 1936, King Edward shocked the world with his announcement to abdicate the throne, so he could marry Simpson. His brother Albert became King George VI (The King’s Speech), and Edward became the Duke of Windsor. During World War Two, he governed the Bahamas. The Museum’s Dragon Rapide
The Museum’s de Havilland DH-89A Dragon Rapide was built at Brush Coachworks Ltd. in 1944 for the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was issued the military serial HG724 and delivered to the 18 Maintenance Unit at RAF Dumfries, Scotland, in March 1944. Its service history records do not exist any longer, but it is known that the aircraft was placed into storage with 5 Maintenance Unit in February 1947.
Irish Ownership In March 1951, the aircraft was transferred to Midland Metal Spinning Company, Ltd. in Wolverhampton, and in May 1962, it was sold abroad and registered in Dublin, Eire, in June 1962. In September 1962, it was re-registered to Aer Tura’s Toeranta and remained there until its Irish registration was cancelled in June 1964. The French Years The aircraft was next acquired by the Aero Club of Lorraine at Luneville, France, and re-registered in February 1965. It was sold again in 1968 to Centre Ecole Regional de Parachutisme Sportif de NancyLorraine, where it remained until its French registration was cancelled in November 1972. American Arrival The Dragon Rapide was imported to the United States by Geert E. Frank of New Hampshire and sold in early 1973. That November, it was acquired by Doyle W. Cotton, Jr. and W. F. Watson. They registered it as N89DH with a Certificate of Airworthiness on July 2, 1982. They had the aircraft painted as X7454 to represent the 27th Air Transport Service of the Eighth Air Force in England. The aircraft joined Cotton’s private collection of aircraft at his museum in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The Rapide was sold at auction in October 1987 to Robert Hood of Joplin, Missouri, where it was hidden away for over 20 years. The Military Aviation Museum acquired the Dragon Rapide in 2008, and sent it to New Zealand for a restoration process performed by AvSpecs that lasted two years. It is painted in the royal colors of the King’s Guard. The registration of the plane is G-ADDD, as the King favored repetitive letters like these. The aircraft’s interior mirrors the details in Prince Edward’s Rapide, including the feathered crest on the backs of the six passenger seats.
English Charters After the RAF declared it surplus equipment, the aircraft was sold as parts to Newman Aircraft Company, Ltd, of Hatfield, England in August 1947. The aircraft was completely rebuilt and professional “dope girls” completed the fabric sewing and doping. A Certificate of Airworthiness (no. 9919) was issued on June 25, 1948. Newman Airways operated the aircraft on regular flights to the Channel Islands with round-trip flights between Croydon, Jersey and Guernsey. 6
Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Passengers:
Two Gipsy Queen Engines 200 hp 160 mph 556 miles 19,500 ft. 48 feet Six
Engine: Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 Horsepower: 1,720 hp Max Speed: 404 mph Range: 434 miles Ceiling: 42,500 ft Wing Span: 32 ft. 6 in. Armaments: 2 x 20mm hispano cannons 2 x .50 cal Browning M2 machine guns up to 500 lbs. of bombs
In 1943, the largest single contract for Spitfires was produced at the Castle Bromwich factory near Birmingham, England. The aircraft owned by the museum today was produced here for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and registered MJ730, a Mark IXe Spitfire. It was first test flown by Alex Henshaw, the factory’s chief test pilot, in December 1943. Within a few weeks, it was dismantled and shipped to the port of Casablanca in North Africa to serve with the 417 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). There, its first mission was escorting a group of U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) B-25 Mitchell bombers during the Italian campaign. It was involved with the allied landings at Anzio and flew 15 sorties over twenty-four days. In May 1944, the aircraft was transferred to No. 154 Squadron RAF, and its fuselage squadron identifying code letters were changed to HT-W. It operated from the island of Corsica on 95 missions flying bomber escorts for the American forces over Northern Italy and in support of the invasion in Southern France. During the operations from Corsica, the aircraft was filmed in color by William Wyler (famed director of the Memphis Belle documentary and later Ben Hur) for an Army movie about the use of P-47 Thunderbolts in the Italian campaign. After the fighting in Northern Italy, in October 1944, it was transferred to No. 32 Squadron RAF at Kolomaki, Greece. The aircraft was chosen by Squadron Leader George Silvester (DFC) as his personal aircraft. During the Second World War, it was common for the squadron commander to put his initials on the side of the airplane, indicating that it was his personal airplane – ‘hands off’. The ground crew asked the commanding officer what identifier he wanted applied to his personal airplane. Corporal airframe fitter, Graham Tylee, of No. 32 Squadron, was the ground crew member who usually painted the squadron code letters on all newly arrived aircraft. Here is his account of how the ‘?’ came about. It is taken from a letter he wrote to a researcher about the aircraft’s history. Graham Tylee wrote: “I would find out from the engineering officer what letter was allocated to the aircraft. I liked to paint (I had a steadier hand in those days) and normally did this myself. I remember
having a template made with small holes in suitable places.” When the CO came back from satisfactorily test flying this aircraft, Tylee asked what code letter should put be put on the Spitfire. “...he jokingly said that there was a bit of a question mark over which identity letter to give his Spitfire...because he was neither A Flight nor B Flight.” The ground crew took the initiative and Corporal Tyler painted a large ‘question mark’ where a code letter would normally be positioned. The CO was amused by this and said it could stay. It was thenceforth known as ‘The CO’s Query’. The war ended with the aircraft flown by No. 249 Squadron RAF from Yugoslavia in harassment of the retreating German forces. After the war, it was ferried to RAF Brindisi in Italy, and stored for almost a year before being sold to the newly-reformed Italian Air Force. The aircraft underwent a major overhaul by Aeronautica Machhi at Varese and was accepted by the Italian Air Force at Centocelle Airport on the outskirts of Rome. In 1951, MJ730 was among a batch of Spitfires sold by the Italian government to Israel. The Israeli Air Force assigned the number 66 to the aircraft, and it served in an Operational Training Unit (OTU) at the Ramat David Airfield. It was finally decommissioned in June 1956, when most of Israel’s other Spitfires were sold to Burma. The Spitfire was saved to provide Israeli children with a subtle desire to become fighter pilots. It was moved to a playground at a kibbutz in Kabri, near the border of Lebanon. The aircraft was found in the playground in a dilapidated condition in the early 1970s and transported back to England in 1978. A firm in the south of England began the initial restoration work, but in August 1986, the project was sold to Fred Smith, founder and president of Federal Express. The work was completed in November 1988, and it was immediately offered for sale. David Pennell, an electronics manufacturer in Birmingham, England, purchased the Spitfire. Pennell preferred the current paint design used in early 1945 in Greece and Yugoslavia. The aircraft spent the next ten years in the Midlands area performing at many charity events and memorial functions. In 1998, the Military Aviation Museum learned about the possible availability of this aircraft. An inspection in England was arranged and a contract was signed at the May 1999 Duxford air show. The aircraft finally arrived at the Fighter Factory facilities in Suffolk, Virginia, in early 2000, the same day that Spitfire the hangar cat appeared at the hangar.
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On the Cover
enhancements over the Gipsy Moth included a strengthened structure, fold-down doors on both sides of the cockpit, and a revised exhaust system. The Tiger Moth entered into service with the RAF in February 1932. By the time World War Two began, the RAF had 500 in service, and over 4,000 were built during the war. It was the primary trainer for the RAF, with thousands of pilots taking their first flights in this aircraft. It was an excellent trainer because it flew docile and forgiving during the normal flights of early training, but when used for aerobatics and formations, it required definite skill and concentration, which enhanced the training and weeded out weaker pilots.
Engine: de Havilland Gipsy Major Horsepower: 130 hp Max Speed: 109 mph Range: 302 miles Ceiling: 13,600 ft. Wing Span: 29 ft. 4 in.
The Tiger Moth was one of the primary trainers used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and others in the 1930s. Originally derived from the de Havilland Gipsy Moth, the Tiger Moth was introduced in 1932. This new aircraft included improved access to the front cockpit designed to make escape easier for a trainer wearing a parachute. They accomplished this by shifting the upper wing forward while sweeping it back to maintain the center of lift. Other
Following World War Two, large numbers of the aircraft were sold to flying clubs and individuals to take on new roles as crop dusters, aerobatic performers, aerial ambulances, and other such purposes. The Military Aviation Museum’s aircraft was built by the Morris Motor Car Company in Cowley, England and delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force Training Command in 1940. After twelve years of service, it was sold to the Royal Singapore Flying Club. The organization used it for flight instruction and delivering payrolls to jungle plantations throughout Singapore until 1957. The Tiger Moth was then sold to the Delhi Flying Club and then the Madras Flying Club, both in India. In 1972, it was dismantled and shipped to Canada, where it was reassembled and then flown on to Denver, Colorado. The records run cold until it resurfaced in Bakersfield, California, where it was restored in 1990. It was sold again to an individual in South Carolina in 1994 and again in 1998. The museum acquired the Tiger Moth from a business in Greenville, South Carolina in 2004.
On the Cover
The Avro Lancaster Mk X Bomber at this year’s Warbirds Over the Beach is from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWH) in Hamilton, Ontario. The Lancaster was the most outstanding heavy bomber of the Second World War. Powered by four Rolls Royce or Packard-built Merlin engines, it was the only aircraft capable of carrying the 22,000 lb. “Grand Slam” bomb. Between 1942 and VE Day, Lancasters participated in 156,000 sorties and delivered two-thirds of Bomber Command’s total bomb weight. The Lancaster won a place for itself in history with the daring and precise bombing raids on the Mohne and Eder dams in May 1943 and with the all but impossible feat of sinking the German battleship Tirpitz, in a welldefended Norwegian fjord.
Engine: Four Packard Merlin 224s Horsepower: 1,640 hp each Max Speed: 280 mph Range: 3,000 miles Ceiling: 23,500 ft Wing Span: 102 ft. Armaments: 8x 7.7mm Browning machine guns 14,000 lb or 22,000 lb Grand Slam bomb
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Of the 7,366 Lancasters built during World War Two, only two are still flying today. The CWH Lancaster, C-GVRA, was one of the 422 Mk Xs built at Victory Aircraft in Canada between 1943 and 1945. It saw service with the No. 107 Rescue Unit at Torbay, Newfoundland as a maritime patrol/search and rescue aircraft until retired by the RCAF in 1964. With assistance from the Sully Foundation, it was acquired by Canadian Warplane Heritage from Goderich Legion in 1977, and following years of restoration, flew again for the first time on September 24, 1988. The CWH Lancaster is painted in the wartime RCAF markings of the 419 Squadron aircraft in which P/O Andrew Mynarski of Winnipeg was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for attempting to rescue the trapped rear gunner from his blazing turret in June 1944.
Messerschmitt Me 262 Washington, working from plans developed by Classic Fighter Industries, Inc. This aircraft, along with several others, was built using an original Me 262 found deteriorating at Willow Grove Naval Air Station in eastern Pennsylvania as a template. The U.S. Navy agreed to allow Classic Fighter Industries, Inc. to dismantle the aircraft to use as a template, and in return, Classic Fighter would return the 262 fully restored at no cost to the Navy. Work began in 1993, and in 2000, the original 262 was returned to Willow Grove NAS.
The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the world’s first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Although known as a late-war weapon, designs for the Me 262 actually began prior to WWII in 1939. Problems with the engines prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the German Luftwaffe until mid-1944. One of the most technologically advanced aviation designs in use during the war, the Me 262 was used in two primary roles. The Me 262 A-1 Schwalbe (Swallow) was designed as a defensive interceptor while the Me 262 A-2 Sturmvogel (Stormbird) served as a fighter/bomber.
The museum’s Me 262 completed its test flight last fall and was ferried cross country in October. It is powered by modern General Electric jet engines that are the same as in Lear jets. The airframe can be converted from a tandem two seat trainer to a single seat fighter. It is painted to match the color scheme of the aircraft flown by famed Luftwaffe pilot Hans Guido Mutke, “White 3”. Mutke believed he had exceeded Mach 1 breaking the sound barrier in a straight down, 90-degree dive on April 9, 1945, as he was protecting another Me 262 from attack. This is widely disputed, though, and most regard Chuck Yeager as being the first to break the sound barrier in 1947. Mutke went on to end his war career by landing his Me 262 two weeks later in Dubendorf, Switzerland on April 25, 1945. He claimed to have gotten lost during a mission, but others believed that he was defecting. The Swiss did not try to fly the plane and kept it in storage until they returned it to Germany in 1957. The aircraft is now on display in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany.
While lacking the maneuverability of propeller driven Allied fighters, when utilized properly, the Me 262 was very effective in its role intercepting Allied bombers. In March of 1945, 37 Me 262s intercepted a force of 1,221 Allied bombers and 632 fighter escorts. The German force shot down 12 bombers and 1 fighter while losing 3 Me 262s. Too fast to catch, Me 262 pilots were relatively safe from Allied fighters, as long as they avoided lowspeed turning contests and saved their maneuvering for higher speeds. Although a 4:1 kill ratio was exactly what the Luftwaffe would have needed to make an impact on the war, the absolute scale of their success was minor, as it represented only one per cent of the attacking force. In 1943 and early 1944, the USAAF had been able to keep up offensive operations despite loss ratios of 5% and more, and once introduced the Me 262s could not inflict sufficient losses to hamper their operations. Allied pilots soon found the only reliable way of dealing with the jets was to attack them on the ground and during takeoff or landing. Luftwaffe airfields identified as jet bases were frequently bombed by Allied bombers and Allied fighters patrolled over the fields to attack jets trying to land. The Luftwaffe countered by installing extensive flak alleys of anti-aircraft guns along the approach lines in order to protect the Me 262s from the ground. They also provided top cover during the jet’s takeoff and landing with the most advanced Luftwaffe single-engine fighters, the Focke Wulf Fw-190D. Nevertheless, in March–April 1945, Allied fighter patrol patterns over Me 262 airfields resulted in numerous losses of jets and serious attrition of the force. Due to its late introduction, limited production numbers, maintenance problems and a lack of fuel during the deteriorating late-war situation, the overall impact of the Me 262 was negligible in Germany’s war effort. Just over 1,400 Me 262s were produced and of those, as few as 200 actually made it to combat units because of fuel shortages, pilot shortages, and lack of airfields that could support the aircraft.
Mutke at Fighter
Factory
Engine: 2 x Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets Thrust: 8.8 kN (1,984 lbf) Max Speed: 559 mph Range: 652 miles Ceiling: 37,565 ft. Wing Span: 41 ft. 6 in. Armaments: 4 x 30mm MK 108 cannons in nose 2 x 550 lb bombs (optional) 24 x wing mounted 55mm R4M rockets (optional)
The museum’s Me 262 was reconstructed by Legend Flyers of Seattle, 9
An authentic German Luftwaffe hangar is currently under construction at the far west end of the museum property next to the Fighter Factory. The museum acquired Hangar 6 from the Cottbus Army Airfield in Cottbus, Germany, a small town southeast of Berlin. In 1933, the Cottbus Air Field was built along with the air traffic pilot school. One of its most famous students was Werner Mölders, who went on to become a General. Hangar 6 was built in 1934 by a company called Osdeutsche Landwerkstatten GmbH (OLA). OLA was founded by World War One pilot Gotthard Sachsenberg, who shot down 31 Allied aircraft while flying Fokker Eindekker monoplanes and Fokker D.VII biplanes. Hangar 6, as with other hangars at Cottbus, was designed to be raised quickly and easily transported. The curved arches were designed with no interior columns to provide for maximum usable space. An OLA sales letter introducing this hangar style touted its advantages as:
ANUSIA (Anna or Annie)
WACLAW (Annie’s last name, or a man’s first name) TU PRACOWAL (The last letters “ALI” are missing, meaning “Worked Here”) 10.14.1944 (a few months before the end of the war)
•
Shortest time of delivery, fastest assembly, largest strength by lowest weight, best fit, fire safety, unsupported space and architectural beauty.
•
Simple transportability, meaning: the possibility to disassemble any hall with little effort and no material loss and rebuild it at any required site in the shortest possible time.
From 1945 through 1953, the Soviet training wing used the hangar flying Ilyusian IL-2 Shturmoviks, IL-10s, and occasionally a jet IL-28 bomber.
•
New construction showing the simple and clear forces system that makes all stress points easily identifiable. It has all the advantages of the known diamond-network structures, but it avoids the disadvantages, particularly the static indeterminacy and the results of the stresses that occur in networked systems.
In 1953, it was returned to German control and the NVA (Nationale Volks Arme, The National People’s Army of the Germany Democratic Republic) flew Yak-11, Yak-18, MiG-17, MiG-19, and MiG-21 aircraft from Hangar 6. In 1959, a complete renovation of the hangar took place and a workshop was added to its side. After 1989, the hangar was used by the Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces) for storage.
It was originally used to house aircraft for the piloting school at Cottbus, and from 1941-1944, it was used by the Focke-Wulf Company for storage and a base for test flights while manufacturing the Fw200 Condor and Fw190 fighter plane. Near the end of the war, the Ta152 aircraft was assembled and stored there. 10
On May 29, 1944, the hangar was severely damaged during an Eighth Air Force attack and makeshift repairs were made. We believe that it was during those repairs that an individual performing the work as a forced laborer scratched an inscription into one of the beams. During the re-assembly process, the museum found these words. The name was first thought to be of a woman and could have been written there by her, or could have been written by a loved one who missed her.
When the Military Aviation Museum obtained Hangar 6 in 2004, the hangar was measured, disassembled, and shipped to Virginia Beach. Reassembly of the hangar began in 2010 by the Woodard Group (see right) and is expected to be completed later this summer. At that time, it will house the museum’s German aircraft from the time of the Second World War.
Focke-Wulf FW-44J The Focke-Wolfe FW-44, otherwise known as the “Stieglitz” (German for “Goldfinch”), was a two-seat biplane used for pilot training and as a sport aircraft that first flew in 1932. In 1936. the World Aerobatic Championships were held in connection with the Olympic Games, though only the glider events were featured as Olympic contests. In the International Aerobatic Competition of the Championships, Otto von Hagenburg owed his eventual success in wining the Gold for Germany in a FW-44 “Stieglitz”. Engine: Siemens Sh 14a Horsepower: 160 hp Max Speed: 115 mph Range: 340 miles Ceiling: 12,790 ft. Wing Span: 29 ft. 6 in Crew: Two; instructor and student
Focke-Wulf became one of the more notable aircraft manufacturers during the Second World War. However, in 1931 it was struggling to survive after merging with Albatros-Flugzeugwerke, which had become famous for supplying German forces with aircraft in the Great War (1914-1918). Once the merger was complete, Albatros engineer and test pilot Kurt Tank became head of the technical department and began work on the FW-44. Kurt Tank, who would go on to become one of the world’s most renowned aeronautical engineers, also designed the famous German fighter, the FW 190.
Many other famous German pilots, such as Ernst Udet, Gerd Achgelis, and Emil Kopf, flew the Stieglitz in aerobatic displays and air shows all over Germany, which led to large aircraft orders from glider and flying clubs. In the years leading up to the war, demand for the Stieglitz actually reached the point where Focke-Wulf opened a new factory dedicated solely for the purpose of producing the FW-44. The individuals from these organizations would go on to form the nucleus of Germany’s Luftwaffe. The FW-44 continued to be used by Luftwaffe training units throughout the Second World War. The aircraft was so popular that it is said that virtually every German pilot of the period flew this plane at some point. After numerous tests and modifications to improve the plane’s strength, durability, and aerodynamic performance, the final version of the aircraft, the FW-44J, proved to have excellent airworthiness. The museum’s aircraft is an example of the final version of the FW-44 series.
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1941 Curtiss P-40E “Kittyhawk”
Engine: Allison V1710-39 Horsepower: 1,150 hp Max Speed: 360 mph Range: 650 miles Ceiling: 29,000 ft. Wing Span: 37 ft. 3.5 in Armament: 6 x .50 caliber Browning machine guns; 2,000 lbs. of bombs
The Curtiss P-40 was one of the most popular and successful American aircraft of the Second World War. It was made famous by the American Volunteer Group, known as the ‘Flying Tigers,’ in Burma. Led by Col. Claire Chenault, the Flying Tigers destroyed 286 Japanese airplanes while losing only 12 of their own in just over six months of combat.
The museum’s Curtiss P-40 was manufactured in Buffalo, New York during 1941 and was delivered to the United States Army Air Corps. The Air Corps assigned serial number 41-35918 to the aircraft and passed it on to Great Britain under the Lend-Lease program, where the British changed its serial number to ET-564 Kittyhawk IA. Great Britain subsequently transferred the aircraft to the Soviet Union in April 1942, where it was then assigned to the Murmansk region of Northern Russia to defend the homeland from the German Nazi invasion launched from Norway. The aircraft was lost in action near the Arctic Circle and lay abandoned on the frozen tundra for fifty years. It was occasionally vandalized and pieces cut off for scrap metal, wires, or anything of use by the local inhabitants of this remote area. It was recovered in 1992 and acquired by the museum in 1996. Final restoration work was completed, and it had its first test flight in over 50 years in 2003. This P-40E is painted to replicate the colors of David Lee “Tex” Hill’s airplane that he flew when he led the famous mission over the Salween Gorge, which trapped the Japanese troops and ended their advance into Kumming, China. Tex Hill had 12¼ victories while flying with the American Volunteer Group and as the leader of the 2nd Pursuit Squadron, the Panda Bears. Before Tex Hill passed away, he autographed ‘his’ plane on the inside of a baggage compartment door of the fuselage, where it can be seen today.
16th & Oceanfront, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 1-800-237-7532 • 757-428-1821 • e-mail: breakersvb@aol.com • www.breakersresort.com
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1945 TBM-3E “Avenger” squadron at NAS Squantum in Boston, Massachusetts. It remained at NAS Squantum until August 1948. In September 1950, it was transferred to NAS Norfolk, Virginia. It went on to Miami in April 1951 with Anti-Submarine Squadron 22 and deployed aboard the USS Palau (CVE-122), in February 1952.
Engine:
Curtis Wright R2600-20
Horsepower: 1,900 hp Max Speed
267 mph
Range:
1,130 miles w/ internal fuel
2,130 miles w/ all extra fuel tanks
Ceiling:
31,000 ft.
Wing Span:
52 ft. 2 in. - 19 ft. (wings folded)
Armament:
2 x 12.7mm forward-firing,
1 x 12.7mm dorsal-mounted,
and 1 x 7.62mm ventral-mounted
machine gun; up to 2,000 lbs. of
bombs in bomb-bay; Wing-mounted
rockets/drop tanks/radar pod
In the late 1930s, the United States Navy began searching for a replacement for the Douglas Devastator. The search ended when Grumman presented the XTBF-1 prototype, later called the TBF Avenger. Production of the TBF Avenger began in 1941, and by June 1942, the U.S. Navy flew these planes into combat during the Battle of Midway. Their popularity presented a problem for Grumman, and they had to contract out much of the production to General Motors Corporation. Of the 9,836 Avengers built, 7,546 actually came off the assembly line at General Motors. The Avengers built by General Motors were designated TBMs. The final Avengers rolled off the General Motors assembly lines in 1945 and remained in naval service well into the 1950s. The Avengers were used as torpedo dive bombers, which would hunt and destroy enemy U-boats. They were often accompanied by F4F Wildcat fighters that would strafe surfaced U-boats with gunfire forcing them to submerge, negating the large anti-aircraft guns mounted on the U-boats. Once the U-boat was submerged, the Avenger would follow behind aircraft with a Fido torpedo that could detect, target, and destroy the submarine.
The Avenger was transferred to an anti-sub squad aboard the USS Monterey (CVL-26) in August 1952 to return to Norfolk. The TBM remained at NAS Norfolk until January 1953, and then it went on to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. It languished in the Texas sun until September 1953, when it was assigned to Advanced Training Unit 400 ‘Anti-Submarine.’ Upon completion of its duties training aircrews in the intricacies of Anti-Submarine warfare, it was once again flown to NAS Corpus Christi in December 1953 and put into storage at Litchfield Park, Arizona in February 1954. The U.S. Navy officially retired the aircraft on April 2, 1956, with only 1,227 hours logged. Civilian duty for the Avenger began in Boise, Idaho, where it was registered as N7030C with Idaho Air Tankers (1963-1964). Navy TBMs were converted to handle slurry drops, becoming the first aircraft dedicated solely to aerial firebombing capable of dropping 600 gallons of retardant on a single sortie. In 1966, it was transferred to Reeder Flying Service in Twin Falls, Idaho, and it remained there nearly twenty years. During the mid 1980s, the plane headed back to Texas where it was on display in Corpus Christi until 1992. It was sold again six years later, where the restoration process began in East Troy, Wisconsin. After the mechanical restoration was completed, the aircraft was test flown in July 1999. The paint scheme represents the early anti-submarine markings of blue/gray upper surfaces and light gray undersides as used in the Atlantic Theater. The final touch was to represent the aircraft flown by U.S. Navy ‘ace’ Captain Richard “Zeke” Comier of Composite Squadron 1 (VC-1), based on the USS Card. The Avenger was acquired by the Military Aviation Museum and delivered in January 2001. The last restoration work placed the rear gun turret back to working condition in 2001. On January 10, 2010, the Avenger flew over the commissioning of USS George H. W. Bush (CN-77) in Norfolk, Virginia. Former President Bush was the youngest Naval Aviator when he received his Navy Wings of Gold before the age of 19. He flew a TBM with Torpedo Squadron 51 (VT-51) aboard the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) and was shot down by the Japanese. Thus the flyby during the commissioning of the carrier that bears his name.
Aircraft carriers could carry many of these aircraft because of the small amount of space they occupied with folded wings. Jet Assisted Take-Off (JATO) engines were sometimes used to allow the Avengers to use short runways on ships and land. Many other countries used Avengers including Canada, Britain, France, and New Zealand. Recent research has provided us a story of where the Military Aviation Museum’s 1945 TBM-3E Avenger (BuNo 53454) was stationed. It was delivered to Naval Air Station (NAS) San Diego and listed as a ‘Pool’ aircraft. This meant it was ready to be assigned to any squadron at a moment’s notice. In July 1945, it was dispatched to Guiuan Airfield (Samar Airfield), Samar Province, Philippines, again as a ‘Pool’ aircraft, and remained there until February 1946, when it was shipped to Pearl Harbor. Upon arrival at Pearl Harbor, it was again listed as a ‘Pool’ aircraft and remained as such until July, when it was sent for maintenance and repair. In November 1946, it was transferred back to NAS San Diego. In April 1947, this Avenger was transferred to NAS Olathe at Olathe, Kansas, and in October 1947, it was assigned to a Naval Air Reserve Training (NART)
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1940 Bücker Bü 133C “Jungmeister” Introduced and first flown in 1935 by Carl Bucker, the Bü-133C Jungmeister was a sport and training biplane. The upper and lower panels were equipped with ailerons that were interchangeable, and the outer wing panels had an 11-degree sweep-back. The fuselage was a steel tube consisting of welded pipes covered with a metal shell, whereas the middle body of the fuselage and the tail unit were covered with fabric. The Jungmeister entered the aerobatic scene in the mid 1930s and quickly achieved legendary status. It was unbeatable because of its unrivalled handling characteristics and agility. From the 1936 Berlin Olympics onward, this classic biplane won at almost every international competition.
Engine: Siemens SH14 seven cylinder radial piston Horsepower: 185 hp Max Speed: 150 mph Range: 311 miles Ceiling: 14,756 ft. Wing Span: 21 ft. 7 in Armament: None
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In preparation for the Second World War, the German Luftwaffe relied heavily on the Jungmeister for aerobatic and combat maneuver training. The Bü-133 models were produced by CASA in Spain and A-G für Dornier-Flugzeuge in Switzerland. The museum’s Bücker Bü-133C, (serial number 38), was Swiss built in 1940. The Swiss Air Force used it for combat and fighter training until 1968, when it was sold to the Swiss Aero Club, and later sold again to a German flying club. The Fighter Collection of Duxford then purchased the Bü-133C and registered it in Great Britain. While flying with the Fighter Collection, it was given the current colors and marking of LG+01. It was obtained for the Military Aviation Museum and received the US registration N-38BU in 2006.
1943 North American SNJ-4
The Navy SNJ-4, known as the AT-6 in the Army, was used by more air forces than any other. It was developed and modified through a decade, and resulted in more than 17,000 aircraft being produced, many of which are still flying 50 years later. This versatile aircraft has performed in the roles of fighter, dive-bomber, ground attack machine, observation aircraft, and extensive anti-guerilla suppression roles. It is the best loved single-engine training aircraft of all time. In World War II, if you learned to fly in combat, odds are you learned in this plane. To the Americans, it was the Texan or SNJ-4, to the British, the Harvard, and the Australians, the Wirraway. But all came from the same illustrious line. The museum’s SNJ-4 was delivered to the U.S. Navy on January 25, 1943. The following month, it was operated by VJ-7 at Naval Air Station San Diego. It was then reassigned to Station Operations at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. At that time, this was a combat area because of the Japanese invasion of the islands. The plane was probably used as a utility aircraft by the local Naval Flight officers. On July 4, 1946, the aircraft was officially stricken from naval records. After the war, this aircraft was provided to the South Africa Air Force (SAAF) for pilot training. The SAAF also used the aircraft in the groundattack role, particularly against SWAPO guerilla forces in southwest Africa and against Mozambique incursions across their frontiers. The airplane was surplus from active duty with the South African Air Force in November 1995. At auction in late 1996, the SNJ-4 was purchased and shipped to the United States. Once in Virginia, the plane was reassembled over three months by the Fighter Factory. Some minor alterations had to be made to bring the aircraft up to today’s standards and gain its U.S. airworthiness certificate.
Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Horsepower: 550 hp Max Speed: 205 mph Range: 750 miles Ceiling: 21,500 ft. Wing Span: 42 ft. 4 in. Armaments: Under-wing bombs and rockets; Cowl and wing-mounted .30 cal machine guns
1956 Beechcraft T-34A “Mentor”
Engine: Continental IO-550B Horsepower: 300 hp Max Speed: 252 mph Ceiling: 18,600 ft. Range: 500 miles Wing Span: 32 ft. 10 in Armament: None
The Beechcraft Model 45, T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, singleengine military trainer. The T-34 Mentor began as a private venture designed by Walter Beech shortly after the Second World War. He felt that there was a market for a military trainer based on the Model 35 Bonanza, which had been flying for about a year. Beech hoped to sell it as an economical alternative to the North American T-6/SNJ Texan, then in use by all services of the U.S. military and the United Kingdom throughout the 1940s. The last T-34B was completed in October 1957. Then, after 15 years, in 1973, the T-34C Turbo-Mentor was developed and powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25 turboprop engine. Mentor production re-started in 1975 for deliveries of T-34Cs to the U.S. Navy. The Beechcraft Company manufactured the Military Aviation Museum’s T-34 in 1956. Little is known about this aircraft, a Model 45, serial number G-778. It was originally delivered to the United States Air Force (USAF) as a T-34A-BH (55-0221). It is believed that it was deemed surplus in October 1964. But between its USAF service and 1975, very little is known. Since April 1975, the T-34A spent most of its time in Virginia and North Carolina as it passed through four owners registered as N56GP. It was used at public air shows in formation aerobatics. During the years, it was brought up to T-34B standards with a new engine. The museum acquired it in August 2000. Our T-34 is the newest airplane in the museum’s collection and the only one built during the second half of the last century.
North American SNJ-2
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1952 De Havilland DHC-1 “Chipmunk”
1949 AT-28D Trojan
Nicknamed “Chippie”, the DHC-1 Chipmunk was developed just after WWII by de Havilland Canada to replace the de Havilland Tiger Moth as a single engine basic trainer aircraft. The Chipmunk first flew on May 22, 1946. Initially, 218 were built for the Royal Canadian Air Force. After changing to the Gipsy Major 10 engine, 740 more planes were built for the RAF’s primary pilot training bases, designated T-10. The first RAF Chipmunks were delivered to the Oxford University Air Squadron in 1950. Soon thereafter, the Chipmunk became standard equipment in all 17 University Air Squadrons and was chosen as the basic type for the 20 or so Reserve Flying Schools of the RAF Voluntary Reserve. The last of the Chipmunks were delivered in October 1953.
Engine: Wright Cyclone R-1820-863 Horsepower: 1,425 hp Max Speed: 343 mph Range: 1,060 miles Ceiling: 35,500 feet Wing Span: 40 ft. 1 in. Armaments: 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns
Today, more than 500 Chippie airframes remain airworthy, with more being rebuilt every year. The museum’s DHC-1 Chipmunk served a long military career with the RAF College Cranwell. It appears today in its 1955 paint scheme when attached to 663 AOP Squadron based at RAF Hooton Park, Cheshire, England.
Engine: de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 MK.2 Horsepower: 145 hp Max Speed: 138 mph Range: 280 miles Ceiling: 15,800 ft. Wing Span: 34 ft. 4 in Armament: None
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In 1948, the United States Air Force (USAF) held a design competition for a trainer to replace the T-6/SNJ Texan, which would combine primary and basic training characteristics in a single airplane. North American Aviation (NAA) won this competition with the T-28 Trojan. In practice, the T-28A was found to be less satisfactory as a trainer than expected, and the USAF eventually adopted the lower-powered T-34 to provide the 30-hour course for the students before they passed on to the T-28A. In 1952, the Navy contracted to build an improved version of the Trojan. A more powerful model, the T-28B, was developed as a training aircraft for the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. This model was powered by a 1,425 hp Wright R-1820-863 radial piston engine and had a top speed of 340 mph. In 1959, 245 surplus “A” models were shipped to France and were modified with the R-1820 engine, structural improvements, and armament for combat use. These converted airframes were referred to as T-28Ss, T-28Fs, or FENNEC models. The T-28 remained a training aircraft with the USAF until the early 1960s. Some of the many different adaptations made to the Trojan for specific training purposes include tail hooks for landing on carriers, more powerful engines, sliding cockpits, and under-wing armament points for attack training. The T-28’s service career in the U.S. military ended with the T-34C turboprop trainer in early 1984. After success of the FENNEC models in combat in Algeria in the early sixties, many older T-28As were converted and designated as T-28Ds. This conversion of the T-28A involved a re-engine with the R-1820-56S, and the addition of six wing hard points. The museum’s T-28D Trojan was built in 1949 as a T-28A-NA trainer, USAF serial number 49-1634. In 1951, it was returned to the factory to be transformed into an attack version of the T-28 as N9978C. During its modification, a Curtis Wright R1820-863, 1425 hp engine and wing mounted guns were installed. U.S. registration was cancelled in 1971 when it was transferred to the Zaire Air Force. It left the Zaire Air Force in December 1997. Between then and the time the museum purchased it in August 2000, it passed through many owners.
1945 Goodyear FG-1D Corsair
U.S. Marines stationed in the Pacific during WWII called the Corsair “Our Workhorse”, while the Japanese forces referred to it as “Whistling Death”. Camouflaged in indigo-blue, the plane was difficult to see from the ground until it was too late. The Corsair was one of the most maneuverable planes built during the war, becoming the first radial engine fighter to surpass 400 mph and capable of outfighting the best Japanese fighters. The FG-1D was equipped with an impressive array of armaments, as well. It was equipped with six Browning M2 .50 caliber machine guns, up to eight 5-inch HVAR rockets and the ability to carry two 1,000 lb. bombs. The Corsair’s combination of ruggedness, maneuverability, and firepower quickly made it the premier fighter in the Pacific. The museum’s FG-1D was produced by Goodyear under license from the Vought Aircraft Company in May 1945 and was delivered to the U.S. Navy two months later under the Bureau of Aeronautics Number 92508. Not much is known about the naval history of BuNo. 92508. However, due to the extremely low engine time and excellent body condition after its 13 years of military duty, it is not likely that the aircraft was used in combat. In fact, the museum’s FG-1D is believed to have one of the lowest total flight times of any remaining Corsairs flying today. In 1964, the Corsair was purchased by a family in Santa Rosa, California. Underestimating the power and speed of the aircraft, it was exchanged for a North American AT-6 trainer in March 1968. After a quick refurbishment, the plane flew in the opening ceremonies of the Reno Air Races that same year. Less than one year later, the Corsair was sold again and ferried to Stratford, Connecticut. The plane changed hands several more times and was based with subsequent owners in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and finally Virginia. It was purchased by the museum in 1999. During 2001, the Fighter Factory undertook a massive project to restore the FG-1D back to its original wartime configuration. It was repainted to replicate the colors and markings of a former nearby
Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:
Pratt & Whitney R2800-8W 2,250 hp 425 mph 1,015 miles normal 2,100 miles w/ external fuel tanks 37,000 ft. 41 ft. 6 x Browning M2 .50 cal machine guns; 8 x 5 in. HVAR rockets; 2 x 1,000 lbs. bombs or 160 gal. external tanks
North Carolina resident, Ray Beacham, who was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Beacham joined the U.S. Navy in 1939 and earned his wings the following year. In 1943, Lt. Beacham was assigned to the VF-17 fighter squadron. The Skull and Crossbones adorned the nose of the Corsairs in this squadron and can be seen on the museum’s FG-1D, as well.
RE-ENACTORS
The War Correspondent Association The War Correspondent Association represents photographers and media correspondents who worked in war zones to relay the photographs and stories of World War Two to the people back home. The group’s goal is to promote the men and women who “got the story” and sent it across the world and home to America. Too often these individuals are forgotten when people think of those who served during World War Two.
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1943 PBY-5A “Catalina”
The plane was sold to a company in Palmer, Alaska, in 1977. It was initially used to ferry passengers to fishing sites throughout the state, and in 1978, it had bulk liquid cargo tanks installed, allowing it to haul as much as 1,500 gallons of fuel to remote parts of Alaska.
The Military Aviation Museum’s PBY-5A Catalina was built for the U.S. Navy by Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft Company at their San Diego plant. It completed its acceptance flight in October 1943 and was registered as Bureau of Aeronautics Number (BuNo) 48294, and it was delivered to Fleet Air Wing (FAW) 14 at Naval Air Station San Diego in November 1943. Two weeks after arriving at NAS San Diego, the PBY undertook the longest flight of its wartime career, 19.2 hours, as it flew non-stop from San Diego to NAS Norfolk. Once in Norfolk, the aircraft was accepted by Headquarters Squadron (Hedron) 5-2. In December 1943, the PBY flew wartime patrols from Agadir, French Morocco, south to the Canary Islands, north to the Strait of Gibraltar, and as far west as the Azores. Late in 1944, the squadron was transferred to the Caribbean, and at the end of that year, it was transferred to NAS Quonset Point, Rhode Island, to undertake patrols and anti-submarine sweeps protecting the approaches to New York. The aircraft’s armaments were removed in 1945 following the war, and it was loaned to the U.S. Coast Guard. While with the USCG, it was stationed in nearby Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and later in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Miami, Florida. In January 1946, the PBY spent the better part of a year undergoing a major overhaul and refurbishment at NAS Seattle, Washington, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This PBY Catalina saw little flying time after that, and it was formally stricken from the Navy’s inventory in 1956 with 3,567 flying hours. In 1961, the plane ended up in Little Rock, Arkansas, where it gained its civilian registration: N9521C. It stayed there until 1967, and during those years, the nose turret was removed, cargo doors replaced the side blisters, and a new seat arrangement was installed. Following all the modifications, the aircraft received its civilian airworthiness certificate in December 1967.
The FAA has no record of ownership change over the next seven years, but it is believed that some of the records were removed for legal reasons. In September 1985, the PBY was seized by U.S. Marshals as part of a drug-smuggling case. It was forfeited to the federal government and sold the following year. The new owner removed the bulk fuel tanks and began restoring it to World War Two specifications. Six years later, the aircraft was sold to an individual in Florida who planned to operate it in Europe. It was painted with the U.S. Navy wartime two-tone blue and white color scheme with the International Red Cross insignia and sent to Milan, Italy in May 1995. While in Europe, it toured air shows for two years before it was sold and ferried to South Africa. In South Africa, the interior was rearranged to accommodate 15 passengers, from the original nine. In the summer of 1999, the aircraft began its flight back to the United States to appear at the Oshkosh Air Show, but it never reached its final destination. Instead, it ended up stopping in England where it was stored until the museum obtained it in late 2001. In 2011, the PBY-5A was sent to Canada for some restoration work. Over time, the different owners of this aircraft had changed its paint scheme, so the museum took steps to return it to its original U.S. Navy three-toned color scheme as it might have been displayed during World War Two.
Engine: Horsepower Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:
2 x Pratt & Whitney 1830-92 1,200 each 179 mph 2,520 miles 15,800 ft. 104 ft. 3 x .30 cal machine guns; 2 x .50 cal machine guns; up to 4,000 lbs. of bombs or depth charges
RE-ENACTORS
Luftwaffe Aircrew Reenactors Association The Luftwaffe Aircrew Reenactors Association (LARA) is a proud member of the three major venues of WWII Combat Aviation living history groups. Working closely with the USAAF & RAF re-enactors, the LARA represents the men and women who worked in and around some of the greatest combat aircraft in history. Strictly a non-political group, the LARA has members worldwide, including the United States, England, Greece and Australia. www.luftwaffereenactors.com
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1944 Boeing B-17 Bomber “Flying Fortress” The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the U.S. Army Air Corp. It was formally introduced and placed into service in April 1938, and during the war, the B-17 aircraft dropped more bombs than any other U.S. aircraft. The Air Corps flew the B-17 in the strategic bombing campaigns against German industrial and military targets and against Japanese shipping channels and airfields in the Pacific. The earliest history of this Flying Fortress, serial number 44-8543, is unclear. It was built by Vega Aircraft Corp. in Burbank, California, in October 1944 and was modified as a special radar-equipped Pathfinder. With the special radar equipment, it could be used to develop blind flying procedures and equipment for BTO or “Bombing Through Overcast.” Typically, one Pathfinder B-17 would lead the formation of standard equipped aircraft. When the Pathfinder dropped its bombs, so did the others. Military records have disappeared over the years, but it appears this B-17’s initial purpose was for training or testing. The aircraft was never sent overseas during World War II, and it seems to have spent its war years in Ohio. Very early in its career, this B-17 suffered two accidents. The first accident happened on February 12, 1945, after just two months of service. While assigned to the Air Technical Services Command Engineering and Procurement Division, Flight Test Branch, at Wright Army Air Field in Ohio, the aircraft crashed while taking off on an icy runway. It drifted off the side of the runway causing the landing gear to come in contact with the snow just as the airplane reached flying speed. It spun and tilted forward, damaging the chin turret and the inboard propellers. When the tail settled, the force drove the tail wheel into the fuselage damaging bulkheads and stringers in the vicinity of the tail wheel, radar dome, and the 2nd and 3rd propellers. The second accident occurred five months later on July 9, 1945, at Dayton Army Air Field in Ohio. As the pilot was taxiing out onto the runway, the B-17’s left wing struck the propeller of a P-47 Thunderbolt parked next to it. The incident damaged the left outer wing panel and the deicer boot of the B-17, but the P-47 was undamaged.
Engine: 4 x Wright R-1820-97 Horsepower: 1,200 hp each Max Speed: 287 mph Range: 3,750 miles w/ aux. tanks Ceiling: 35,600 ft. Wing Span: 103 ft. 9 in. Armaments: 13 x .50 cal Browning M2 machine guns; up to
After several years without a mission, Dr. William Hospers of Fort Worth, Texas, bought the aircraft in 1979 and restored it to its original military configuration and the markings of a wartime 486th Bomb Group B-17G. He named it Chuckie, after his wife Charlyn. Eventually, a museum was formed around the B-17G, the Vintage Flying Museum. With the passing of Dr. Hospers in March 2010, the path of the B-17G turned again. It joined the Military Aviation Museum in October 2010, arriving safely in Virginia Beach on January 22, 2011, after a seven-hour cross-country flight. The Military Aviation Museum continues to perform restoration work on the B-17, ensuring that Chuckie’s appearance mirrors those that flew during the Second World War. Two of the most noticable changes are the addition of a chin turret and a ball turret.
In September 1945, it was designated a TB-17G and stationed at Patterson Field, Ohio, with the All Weather Flying Center. While there, it is believed that the aircraft participated in low visibility landing research and testing. The aircraft flew in this capacity until 1951 when it was reassigned to a test bed by the USAF. After 1951, it was loaned to the Federal Telecommunications Corp. at Westchester Airport in New York, where it carried special equipment and was used for research for several years. The B-17 was eventually stored at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona until sold to the American Compressed Steel Corp. in August 1959 for $5,026. At that time, it received the civil registration number of N3701G, the same number it wears today. It was sold to a new owner in February 1961 and went into service hauling fresh dairy products from Florida to the Bahamas, returning with cucumbers or other fresh vegetables. Locals dubbed it the “pickle bomber” and N3701G was used for this unusual mission until 1963. In that year, it and two other surplus B-17s were purchased by a man in northeastern Alabama and converted into crop dusters. The planes were flown as fire ant bombers in a decade long battle with the dangerous pests migrating through the southeast.
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WWII Airborne Demonstration Team Foundation “Remember, Honor, Serve” The Airborne Demonstration Team participates in active parachute jumping in the style of the WWII airborne soldiers utilizing aircraft that actually participated in the invasion of Europe. In 1945, the War Bond Demonstration Team was created at the request of the U.S. Treasury Department. This paratrooper team travelled throughout the United States performing dynamic airborne operations for the public in order to generate War Bond sales. Now, the Airborne Demonstration Team performs similar jumps to educate people about this unique group of infantrymen, while generating excitement and interest in military history and research. At Warbirds Over the Beach, they are jumping from the C-46F Curtiss Commando Tinker Belle. The Curtiss C-46 Commando was the heaviest and largest twin-engine aircraft used during World War II. It was originally designed as the first pressurized airliner, but production quickly changed to cargo and troop haulers as WWII began. The aircraft was used in all theaters but primarily served in the China Burma operation carrying supplies over the Himalayas, or the “Hump”. Tinker Belle was named after the Tinker Air Force Base, which was named in honor of Major General Clarence L. Tinker, the first Native American Major General. The base assisted with its restoration, and today, Tinker Belle is the only operating C-46 in the lower 48 states. The aircraft is owned by the City of Monroe, North Carolina Tourism Bureau and maintained and operated by Warriors & Warbirds, Inc.
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Nelson Eskey Virginia Beach, VA Nelson Eskey, a Norfolk, Virginia native, grew up watching the seaplanes and fighters take off from Naval Station Norfolk, and took his first flight at age 15 in a Navy R5D. He began flying professionally in 1964 towing banners and flying sailplanes and then went on to fly for Piedmont Aviation, US Airways, and COPA Airlines. Nelson has been part owner of a Pitts Special S1-C, a Monocoupe 90AL, and he owned a Luscombe 8A. Nelson began volunteering as a docent and pilot at the museum in 2009. He has nearly 19,500 hours flight time. He holds an Airline Transport Rating (ATP) and has ratings in a Boeing 757, YS-11, and Gliders. He also has a Second-in-Command (SIC) rating in the Ju-52. John Ferguson Washington, DC John Ferguson learned to fly in the Scouts and has been flying professionally since 1989. He has also been in the Warbird community since 1989, primarily as an air race mechanic on the P-51 Mustang “Risky Business” and the Sea Fury “Bad Attitude”. John is a B-25 pilot and B-17 pilot, and flies both of these planes for the museum. On January 1, 2004, John and his wife Caroline were married in flight in the B-25 “Executive Sweet”. Currently, he is employed as a Gulfstream Captain by Northrop Grumman. John spent most of his life in Granada Hills, California, until he recently relocated to the east coast. Ray Fowler Carrollton, GA
Bob Cope Nashville, TN Bob Cope took his solo flight in a Piper Colt in 1972, and during college, he flew charters and worked as a flight instructor. Bob went on to serve as a Director of Operations of a Part 135 charter operation until he joined the FAA in 1983 as an Air Traffic Controller. After seven years, he transferred to the FAA Flight Standards Service as an Aviation Safety Inspector. Bob is type rated in the Cessna Citation and the Embraer EMB-145 and holds Second-In-Command type ratings in the PBY Catalina and the B-25 Mitchell. He has approximately 2,600 hours of flight time. Bill Crooker Hampton, VA Bill Crooker was born in Maine and grew up in Boston. He took his first flight with his father at age 4. He remained around aviation as he grew up and began taking flying lessons at age 15. He owned his first airplane, a Grumman AA1B, when he was in eleventh grade. Bill has flown for several airlines and charter companies. Currently, he flies the 747-400 for Atlas Air. He met the Fighter Factory crew while flying his own 1954 Cessna 195 over Suffolk and experienced mechanical difficulties. He has over 15,000 hours of flight time in planes such as the 747-400, L1011, DC-8, DC-3, YS11, Falcon 20, Saab 340, Beech 18, 99, 1900 and Premiere, Cessna Citation and 402, and Piper Navajo.
Raymond Fowler has over 12,000 flying hours and flies the F-16C+ Fighting Falcon with the Air National Guard and is a civilian pilot for a major airline. Maj. Fowler was called to active duty in January 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom, as part of the largest activation in his unit’s 50 year history. His squadron deployed as the lead unit, commanding a mixture of Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Active Air Force and British Air Force units comprising the 410th Air Expeditionary Wing to prevent Iraqi missile launches. In 2004, 2006, and 2009, the unit again deployed to Iraq, and Maj. Fowler and his unit performed overwatch flights and air support. In 2008, he was the aircraft commander for a momentous Atlantic Ocean crossing to Europe in the Boeing B-17 “Liberty Belle”. Ray is actively involved with multiple flying museums and can be found flying at air shows in a variety of WWII fighter and bomber aircraft. John Glen Fuentes Centreville, VA John Glen Fuentes, originally from Chicago, Illinois, has been flying for over 30 years and is a Check Pilot for a major airline. For the past 20 years, he has spent much of his spare time flying vintage World War II aircraft like you see at the Military Aviation Museum. He has flown the Boeing B-29, the Consolidated B-24, and the North American B-25 bombers. As a flight instructor pilot, John flies the de Havilland DHC-1, Consolidated BT-13 and the North American T-6. John currently pilots the museum’s Chance Vought FG-1D, the Hawker Hurricane, the FM-2 Wildcat, and the TBM Avenger.
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Pilots continued Robert “Bob” Hill Franklin, TN Bob Hill grew up near Rochester, New York. He was fascinated with airplanes since he was a young child and spent hours watching old WWII movies and building models of the planes. He never imagined that several of his favorite models, such as the B-25 Mitchell and B-17 Flying Fortress, were destined to re-appear in his adult flying career. He began flying during college in a D-18 Twin Beech, and he eventually became a Certified Flight Instructor for both airplanes and gliders. Bob has also flown charter flights in many different aircraft and piloted forestry air-tankers. Bob has flown many different seaplanes and was the first airman in the United States to receive a type rating in both the CL-215 and CL-415 water bombers. He has flown over 110 types of aircraft. John “Pappy” Mazza Chesterfield County, VA John “Pappy” Mazza has been flying his entire life; as a matter of fact he took his first plane ride at the age of 1 month. When Pappy was nine years old he was given a check ride by an FAA flight examiner and passed the check ride for a private pilot’s license - unfortunately the examiner could not issue the license due to Pappy being only nine years old. On his 16th birthday, he soloed and went on to get his commercial license, single engine land, multi engine land and instrument rating. Today, Pappy has over 4,500 hours in over 40 different aircraft, flying everything from a J-3 to an F-16. He has flown in aerobatic competitions and raced in both the formula “V” and formula one class of air racing. Today, he flies the museum’s PT-17, SNJ, P-40 and is copilot on the B-25, and the PBY Catalina. Andy Michalak Easton, MD Andy Michalak began flying as a private pilot in 1958 and commercially in 1960. Four years later, he became a pilot in the US Air Force and was a fighter pilot with the Air National Guard throughout the 1960s and most of the 1970s. He is also a Certified Flight Instructor and has flown military trainers and fighters of all kinds, as well as various airlines like the DC-7, B-767 and others. Andy began flying Warbirds at air shows in 1989 and flying for the museum in 2004. He has over 26,000 hours of flight time. Dave Morss Redwood City, CA Dave Morss began flying at age 14 and has logged over 28,000 hours on more than 300 types of aircraft. He is founder and president of Myriad Research and conducts flight tests on experimental aircraft of all types, including first flights on 39 prototypes. One of aviation’s top test pilots, Dave holds ATP, AMEL, Learjet, B25, Commercial ASELS, RH, G, Flight Instructor ASMEGI, A&P, DAR, DE, EAE, and Flight Engineer Turbojet certificates. In 1998, in recognition of his test career, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots awarded Dave the Spirit of Flight Award honoring his accomplishments in flight testing. He also holds the record for the most races at the Reno National Air Races, at 204 races and counting. In total, Dave holds thirteen world speed records, ten of which stand. He currently flies the museum’s FM2 Wildcat and P-51 Mustang. 22
Charles “Obie” O’Brien Virginia Beach, VA Charles “Obie” O’Brien has volunteered with the Fighter Factory and Military Aviation Museum since 1999. Over the years, he has flown the Corsair, TBM Avenger, AD-4 Skyraider, SNJ, Fokker D-VII, and others. Obie was a Naval Aviator for 30 years flying fighters ranging from the Corsair to the supersonic RF8 Crusader. His first squadron was equipped with Corsairs and included a combat deployment to Korea. He also served as a flight instructor and was assigned to a Photo Reconnaissance Squadron flying the F9F-8 Cougar and the RF8 Crusader. During the Vietnam conflict, Obie was the assistant Air Boss on the Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) and also served 15 months in Vietnam. After retirement, he joined the Skytypers, an aerial advertising and flight demonstration team. He has over 7,000 flight hours in 52 types of aircraft and 735 arrested landings on 20 different carriers. Robert R. “Boom” Powell Virginia Beach, VA Robert “Boom” Powell loves aviation and will try anything. He flew A-4B Skyhawks for the Navy in Vietnam and also served as an instructor pilot in the same aircraft. As a civilian, Boom hauled freight around the world in B747-400s for Pan Am and Atlas Air. He’s also flown DC-3 charters in Africa, aerobatics in anything that can loop and gliding in his Libell 15-metre sailplane. When not flying, Boom writes articles for aviation magazines and is working on a third novel on military aviation. He is originally from Long Island, New York. Lou Radwanick Virginia Beach, VA Lou Radwanick is a retired Army pilot and a retired Airline Captain with over 21,000 hours in military airplanes, civilian airplanes, and helicopters. He began flying in 1964 while still in high school and began flying for the Fighter Factory in 2000. Since then, he has flown most of the trainers plus the Hurricane, Spitfire, Ju-52, and B-17. He spends his time restoring antique airplanes, most recently, a Stearman PT-17 and Piper Pacer. He also enjoys giving people rides in his biplane, introducing them to the thrill of open cockpit flying. Kevin Sinibaldi Virginia Beach, VA Kevin Sinibaldi was raised in the northeast US and was commissioned in the US Navy in 1984, where he completed flight training and became a designated naval aviator in 1986. He flew A6 Intruders for the Navy until he left active duty in 1995 and opened a parachute drop zone in Chesapeake, while flying in the Naval Reserve. He also began flying for Southwest Airlines and is currently a Baltimorebased captain for the airline. Kevin has been flying for the museum since 2010 and flies the SNJ Texan and other museum aircraft. Mike Spalding Ahoski, NC Mike Spalding is a Corporate Pilot in Norfolk and a Warbird Demonstration Pilot with over 13,000 hours flight time. He has flown more than 150 different types of aircraft, with many of them being their first flights. Mike grew up around airports with his father and first soloed when he was 16. He learned to fly in the Civil Air Patrol and built his initial flight hours doing search and rescue for downed aircraft. Today he owns a Stearman and a T-6 Texan; to Mike, the Stearman
is the perfect airplane, but his favorite airplane is whichever one he is flying at the moment. In 2002, he began flying the museum’s Stearman. He also flies the museum’s AD-4 Skyraider, TBM Avenger, Spitfire, FM-2 Wildcat, P-51 Mustang and others. Mike became the Chief Pilot for the museum in January 2011. Mike offers sightseeing and aerobatic rides in his own T-6, and he is an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic with Inspection Authorization (IA) and enjoys working on Warbirds when he is not flying them. Josh Wilson Norfolk, VA Josh Wilson has been flying for 17 years and has over 4,000 hours flying more than 100 aircraft from Piper Cubs to F-22s. Very early on in his training he was involved in a spin, which left him very weary of slow speed maneuvering and stalls. To overcome the fear of being out of control, Josh learned how to perform spins, rolls, loops, and hammerhead maneuvers and now has a love for aerobatics. Over the years, he has taught aerobatics and dogfighting in a WWII AT-6 Texan. In 2001, he joined the military and began flying the Venerable F-16. He has two volunteer tours in Iraq with nearly 500 combat hours on over 100 sorties. Josh currently flies F-22s from Langley AFB.
Jerry Yagen Virginia Beach, VA For over forty years, Jerry Yagen has flown as a general aviation pilot in his own business and for personal enjoyment. The first tail wheel military aircraft he flew was the museum’s yellow Stearman in 1997. Soon thereafter, he soloed in the museum’s SNJ-4 (AT-6 trainer) when it initially arrived from South Africa. The first true fighter that he flew was the Navy Corsair acquired by the museum in 1998, and in 1999, he flew the Spitfire, before the plane was relocated from England to Virginia. He still thinks of the Spitfire as his favorite and most exciting airplane of the many museum aircraft. Most recently, he can be found piloting the North American P-51 Mustang or flying the de Havilland Dragon Rapide. His greatest interests lie in helping the museum locate rare aircraft overseas in far-away remote locations. These rare finds are then assigned to restorations shops throughout the world to return them to a like-new condition, so they can continue their flying careers with the museum.
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2011 Snapshots
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North American p-51 Mustang
Supermarine spitfire
Curtiss p-40E “kittyhawk”
de havilland DRAGON RAPIDE
Grumman TBM Avenger
de havilland dh-82a “tiger moth”
North American B-25J “Mitchell”
yakovlev yak-3m
Mikoyan-gurevich mig-3
Focke Wulf-190
Focke-Wulf fw-44 “stieglitz”
Junkers ju-52
Douglas AD-4 SKYRAIDER
north american snj-2
NOrth american snj-4
Boeing p-26 “peashooter”
WACO CLASSIC YMF-5
TG-4A Training Glider
Boeing B-17G FLYING FORTRESS
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PBY-5A “Catalina”
Grumman fm2 Wildcat
goodyear fg-1d “corsair”
hawker “fury”
dhc-1 “chipmunk”
HAWKER “HURRICANE” MK-IIB
polikarpov I-153
polikarpov I-15bis
polikarpov i-16 “RATA”
NOrd Messerschmitt 108
NOrd Messerschmitt 208
Fieseler fi-156 storch “stork”
RYAN PT-22
North American t-28D “trojan”
Beechcraft t-34b “mentor”
bell p-63 “king cobra” (static)
bücker Bü-133 “jungmeister”
Stearman pt-17 “kaydet”
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Beautifully Restored Aircraft of the Military Aviation Museum 27
The Military Aviation Museum is excited to hold its “Warbirds & Wings” Aviation Summer Day Camp again this year. Two camp dates are available to choose from: August 6-10, 9:00am – 4:00pm daily (Beginner) August 20-24, 9:00am – 4:00pm daily (Advanced) During this fun-filled learning experience, children spend the week at the Virginia Beach Airport amongst one of the largest private collections of operational vintage and reproduction aircraft in the world. They will have the thrill of getting up close to vintage World War I and World War II era fighters, bombers, trainers, and seaplanes, while they learn everything about them and aviation in general. The curriculum includes lessons on the fundamentals of flight–how factors such as lift, drag, thrust and weight affect flight–as well as a brief history of flight from one of the museum’s pilots. They will also put their newfound knowledge to the test by building and flying their own gliders and then further their knowledge by building a model airplane. Kids will also learn the basics of rocketry, learning how rocket motors work, and will build and launch their very own model rockets. Ground crew training includes learning the important safety measures and hand signals required to handle aircraft. Children will enjoy two field trips during the week: one to the Virginia Air & Space Center, and one to the museum’s own Fighter 28
Factory. At the Fighter Factory, they will see how these magnificent flying machines have been restored to their former glory and can talk with the mechanics who keep them flying. The final day will be marked with demonstration flights of several of the museum’s restored aircraft and a picnic with games and prizes.
This promises to be quite the experience any young aviator won’t want to miss! The 5-day camp will be for children ages 9-14 years old, and the cost is $200 per child. Call 757-721-7767 or visit www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org for the Registration Form.
Mark Your Calendars Now! The weekend of September 21-23, 2012, marks the third World War One air show at the Military Aviation Museum. As always, we have chosen a beautiful piece of artwork by North Carolina artist Russell Smith to be the face of our event. The piece, entitled Close Quarters, depicts a dogfight that took place on September 26, 1918, on the Western Front. English SPADs from the 95th and 27th Squadrons fought German Fokker D.VIIs of Jasta 13. A French reconnaissance plane, the Salmson 2A2, can also be seen in the painting. The fight resulted in the death of Lt. Ivan Roberts of 27 Sq, flying the SPAD in the foreground. He was shot down by Lt. Franz B端chner of Jasta 13, one of the most successful German fighter aces of the war. Also depicted in the painting are Lt. Gravatt of 95 Sq., at the top of the three-plane grouping, and Lt. Frank Luke, Jr., in the lower left of the painting. This piece of art was also featured on the cover of the 100th issue of Over The Front magazine in fall 2010. The museum owns and flies a SPAD S.XIII, circa 1917, that was built in 2004. It also owns and flies three Fokker D.VII biplanes. You can see each of these aircraft up-close at the fall Biplanes and Triplanes air show in September. Copies of the poster are available now in the museum gift shop, and Russell Smith will be at the September event to sign copies and sell other pieces of his work. www.RussellSmithArt.com
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1945 North American P-51D Mustang In April 1940, the British Purchasing Commission gave the North American Aircraft Company 120 days to produce a flying advanced fighter prototype. With the laminar-flow wing to reduce drag, ducted coolant radiator under the fuselage and wide-track landing gear, the 1150 hp Allison engine easily achieved outstanding marks from the British for the North American P-51 Mustang I variant. Equipped with four .50 caliber and four .303 caliber guns, the design of the Mustang allowed it to carry sufficient amounts of ammunition. It could carry two to four times the amount of fuel as its rivals, making it ideal for long range missions. As the war progressed, air-to-air combat began to occur at higher altitudes. The thin air at these heights greatly reduced the performance of the Allison engine and the Mustang was reduced to low altitude recon and photographic missions. The U.S. Air Force realized the capabilities of the Mustang and began placing large orders of different variants of the P-51 in 1942. North American began to test the Rolls Royce Merlin 60-series engine (a Packard license-built version) in Mustangs late in 1942. The most highly produced variant of the Mustang was the P-51D, with over 8,000 produced. A new sliding Plexiglas “bubble” canopy improved visibility, and the P-51D’s firepower was substantially increased with the addition of two more .50 cal M2 Browning machine guns, bringing the plane’s total to six. Previous problems with guns jamming were addressed with upright mounting, as opposed to the angled mounting of previous versions. The aircraft’s targeting was also improved with the K-14 gun sight. This innovative sight system required the pilot to dial in the wingspan of the aircraft he was chasing, along with the range. An analog computer would calculate a targeting ring on the sight that the pilot would use to determine if he was on target. This was a major factor in many of the Mustang’s aerial combat victories. These improvements, along with the aircraft’s substantial range and speed, made the P-51D a perfect choice for nearly any situation. The museum’s P-51D was completed in 1945, serial number 44-72483, and was immediately sent to England where it was assigned to the Eighth Air Force. In September 1947, it was transferred to Sweden, and in 1955, the Swiss sold it to Nicaragua. Seven years later, Nicaragua sold this P-51 to Maco Sales in Illinois. It changed ownership several times from 1962 until it was purchased in Switzerland by the
Engine: Packard V 1650-7 Horsepower: 1,695 hp Max Speed: 437 mph Range: 1,300 miles Ceiling: 42,000 ft. Wing Span: 37 ft. Armaments: 6 x .50 cal Browning machine guns; 2,000 lbs. of bombs; 6 x H.V.A.R rockets
Military Aviation Museum in 2004. It was painted in its “Double Trouble Two” scheme with black and yellow checkers on the nose to represent the aircraft flown by Deputy Commander “Wild” Bill Bailey of the 353rd Fighter Group that flew from England during WWII. Wild Bill named this plane “Double Trouble” for the two women he was dating back home and “Two” because it was his second Mustang.
Der Erste Zug
RE-ENACTORS
Der Erste Zug is a living history and research organization dedicated to portraying the common German Landser of WWII with the highest possible level of accuracy and realism that materials and circumstances allow. Their goal is to better educate themselves and the general public about an important part of world history that is often overlooked or misinterpreted. The group is committed to historical accuracy, and they carefully research and document their uniforms, equipment, personal items, food, and more. This historical impression extends beyond the material culture to include important details such as personal mannerisms, military protocol, tactical proficiency, and use of the German language whenever possible. For more information and an extensive database of research articles, please visit www.DerErsteZug.com.
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1944 North American B-25J-25-NC
Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:
2 x Wright R 2600-29 1,700 hp 275 mph 2,500 miles (with aux. tanks) 25,000 ft. 67 ft. 7 in. up to 18 .50 cal machine guns; 6,000 lbs. of bombs
The museum’s B-25J-25/27-NC “Mitchell”, United States Army Air Force serial number 44-30129 (North American C/N 108-33414), was built in Kansas City, Kansas, and delivered to the USAAF in late 1944. Originally, the plane was equipped with a dome in the nose and surveillance equipment in the fuselage. Following the Second World War, it was converted into a training aircraft with the removal of the surveillance equipment and re-designated a TB-25J, then modified into a TB-25K. Norton Air Force Base, now San Bernardino International Airport, California, was home to this Mitchell for several years, where it was finally re-designated as a TB-25N trainer. By December 1957, it was declared surplus and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB. The USAF removed the aircraft from the inventory in 1958. It was registered with a series of civilian owners over the years. The first was P. J. Murray, of Oxnard, California, who purchased the B-25 from the USAF in June 1958. He registered it with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and received the registration number it has today (N7947C). The next owner was American Investments Syndicate, La Mesa, California, who transferred ownership internally multiple times from 1958 until 1962. Mr. C. C. Wilson, of San Diego, California, purchased it from the last registered owner of AIS in November 1962 and sold it almost immediately in January 1963. 32
Arthur Jones of Skidell, Louisiana, purchased the B-25 in January 1963. He began to use our B-25, then named “Wild Cargo”, to fly exotic animals (rare snakes and other creatures) from Latin America to stores in the United States. On one such flight into Lumpkin Field in Cincinnati, the bomber had 1,500 snakes aboard for the Cincinnati Zoo. The pilots experienced both an engine problem and a landing gear malfunction. The co-pilot parachuted over the field as they were trying to burn off excess fuel. After landing on the belly of the plane, the airport needed three days to round up most of the snakes. The owner never returned to claim the plane, and court action ensued. The local sheriff’s office eventually auctioned it off, and it was purchased by Cincinnati Aircraft Inc, of Cincinnati, Ohio. Walter Soplata, who had a large collection of aircraft, purchased the plane in September 1964, and with the help of his son, dismantled the aircraft and took it to his house in Newbury, Ohio. After almost three decades of sitting on his property, Soplata sold the plane to Steven A. Detch of Vintage Aircraft, Inc. in December 1990. The museum acquired the B-25 in October 1997, but the plane remained with Vintage Aircraft, Inc. at Air Acres in Woodstock, Georgia, for restoration. During the restoration, the clear nose was restored on the aircraft, which made the aircraft a B-25J again. Still known as “Wild Cargo”, this B-25 flew for the first time since the landing gear accident in 1963 on November 19, 2005. Eventually, it was flown to the Fighter Factory facility in Suffolk, Virginia, for additional work in preparation for final painting in Canada. The painting was complete in August 2008, and it arrived at the Military Aviation Museum on August 29th.
Boeing P-26D “Peashooter”
The Boeing P-26 ‘Peashooter’ fighter was a single seat pursuit aircraft. The first Peashooter flew in March 1932, at a time in aviation advancement between the bi-plane and the monoplane. The transition between one era and another proved to be a difficult period. To appease conservatives in the USAAC, the Boeing included several obsolete features that hampered its development potential. For example, aviation experts of the time were dubious about the value of retractable landing gear. It was believed that any reduction in drag would be offset by the added weight of the retraction mechanism. The early retractable landing gears, which were manually operated, were also notoriously prone to malfunction. Therefore, the Peashooter was designed with fixed landing gear in streamlined fairings called spats. Still, the aircraft was cutting-edge in many respects. It was Boeing’s first monoplane fighter and the USAAC’s first all-metal fighter constructed entirely of aluminum. Six countries flew the Peashooter: Republic of China, Guatemala, Panama, Philippines, Spain, and the United States. The service history of the P-26 lasted 23 years, with the first aircraft delivered to USAAC squadrons in December 1933, and the last being retired from the Guatemalan Air Force in 1956. Only two original Boeing P-26 Peashooter aircraft exist in the world today. Both aircraft were obtained from the Guatemalan Air Force. It is believed that there are only five P-26 replicas in the world today, of which the Military Aviation Museum’s is one. The museum’s P-26D (NX26PX, s/n 32-06) was built by Mayocraft of Bolton, Massachusetts in 2006. The aircraft is painted to represent the 1st Pursuit Group, 94th Pursuit Squadron, based at Selfridge Field, Michigan, circa 1935-36. The standard paint scheme used on the P-26 was very bright and the aircraft would have been easily identifiable by an enemy during aerial combat.
Engine: Pratt & Whitney R 1340--7 Horsepower: 600 hp Max Speed 230 mph Range: 635 miles Ceiling: 27,400 ft. Wing Span: 28 ft. Armaments: 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns
This peacetime color scheme is blue for the fuselage with the wings and tail painted yellow. In combat areas, like the Philippines, the color was changed to olive drab, making it more difficult to be located.
RE-ENACTORS
305 Squadron Living History Group 305 Squadron Living History Group is a member unit of the WWII Polish Living History Group, which is dedicated to educating the public about the deeds of the armed forces of Poland during the Second World War. Their goal is to honor and preserve the history of the Polish Air Force (PAF) that served in exile with the British Royal Air Force from 1939-1945. 305 Squadron attends various living history events and air shows throughout the year. They focus on portraying 305 Polish Bomber Squadron, but depending on the event, they can represent any of the PAF Squadrons that served in exile.
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RE-ENACTORS
The Paper Dolls The Paper Dolls is a female re-enacting group founded in January1999. They portray women from all walks of life who served their countries in their own unique way, from the hometown sweetheart to French Partisans. Some impressions include American Red Cross volunteers, Army and Navy Nurses, ATS, WAAF, USMC, WAC, CWAC, WAVE, ENSA, USO, German DRK Nurses and Helferin, as well as Russian pilots, snipers and infantry women. The group has civilian and military impressions for almost every WWII nation and are proud to do it well, in the US and the UK. www.thepaperdolls.org
Fallschirmjaeger Regiment 6 This historical group consists of military history enthusiasts who focus research efforts on the German paratroopers, or Fallschirmjaeger, of WWII. Their goal is to preserve military history and present the most authentic representation of WWII German airborne troops whenever they participate in historic displays and battle recreations. The group is rather unique among re-enactor groups in the United States as they have maintained ties with Fallschirmjaeger veterans in Germany through membership in Bund Deutsches Fallschirmjaeger (Federation of German Paratroopers). They have attended several Paratrooper reunions in Germany, conducted battlefield tours in Europe, and attended historic commemorative events like the 60th Anniversary of the Crete battle in Greece and the 60th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, all as guests of the Fallschirmjaeger veterans. Their direct connections with these actual veterans has resulted in a most accurate portrayal and enabled keen insight into the largest conflict of the twentieth century. www.FJR6.com
Luftwaffe FLAK Crew The 62nd FLAK Regiment is a non-political, non-profit living history organization based in the Hampton Roads area. The group’s primary activities include the crewing, maintenance, and firing of the museum’s 88mm dual purpose gun. The impression is generally that of a German Air Force heavy anti-aircraft gun crew circa 1941-42. During that period of the war, the 62nd was formed in East Prussia and went on to serve in Belgium, Northern France, and Southwestern France. By the end of the war the FLAKKORPS was only superseded by the Infantry in terms of size within the German Wehrmacht.
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1944 FM-2 Wildcat
Engine: Wright R-1820-56 Horsepower: 1,350 hp Max Speed: 322 mph Range: 1,350 w/ external tanks Ceiling: 35,600 ft Wing Span: 38 ft. Armaments: 4 x .50 cal machine guns; 6 x 5 inch HVAR rockets
The Grumman Aircraft Company first test flew this retractable gear monoplane fighter in 1937. This advanced carrier-based aircraft was initially accepted by the U.S. Navy in 1940, and in 1941, the name “Wildcat” was officially adopted. With a top speed of 322 mph, the Wildcat was out-performed by the more nimble 331 mph Japanese Mitsubishi Zero. It was the Wildcat’s ruggedness and tactics that gave it an air combat kill-to-loss of 6 to 1 for the entire war. Four Marine Corps Wildcats played a prominent role in the defense of Wake Island in December 1941. Naval and Marine Corps aircraft were the fleet’s primary air defense during the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway. Land-based Wildcats also played a major role during the Guadalcanal Campaign of 1942-43. Lt. Butch O’Hare was able to shoot down five Mitsubishi twin-engine bombers attacking the USS Lexington carrier off Bouganville in 1942 in just a few short minutes. He became the U.S. Navy’s first fighter ace and was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt. Today, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is named in honor of him. The museum’s FM-2 Wildcat was built at the General Motors/Eastern Aircraft plant in New Jersey in 1944, and it was first assigned to San Pedro, California, served in the Phillipines, and then was assigned to the Norfolk region as a training aircarft. On July 3, 1945 it was transferred to a small training field in Pungo, Virginia. As the war ended, it was still stationed in Virginia and served with various training commands throughout the Navy. It was stricken from the records and sold to an Eastern Airlines pilot in 1952. It was then sold to its next owner in Delaware 10 years later. This Wildcat served with the Navy during the Second World War at the small airfield that was located behind the Pungo Pizza Restaurant on Princess Anne Road. It was acquired by the Military Aviation Museum in 2010 and made its first appearance back in Virginia in over 60 years at that year’s Warbirds Over the Beach air show. It is the most original example of a Wildcat still flying today. It has folding wings, operated by small hand cranks imbedded in the wing fold mechanisms, and the retractable landing gears require 31 turns of the hand operated wheel in the cockpit. It is powered by its original Wright R-1820 radial engine that produces 1,350 horsepower. During the war, it was armed with four 50-caliber wing mounted machine guns and could carry two 250 lb. bombs or six rockets. In 2011, the aircraft underwent a restoration process with the Fighter Factory, including a new paint scheme matching the Atlantic colors, to restore it to its original condition as when it first left the factory in 1944.
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Focke-Wulf Fw-190 A-8
Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:
BMW 801-D2 1,677 hp 408 mph 560 miles 37,400 feet 34 ft. 6 in. 4 x 20 mm cannons; 2 x 7.92 mm machine guns; 6x 73 mm rockets; 1,100 lbs. of bombs
The museum originally acquired the Focke Wulf Fw-190 A-8, “White 11” in Germany in April 2005, from Cipriano Kritzinger. The aircraft was constructed in Bacau, Romania and is powered with a substitute ASH-82 radial engine. It went under restoration and test modification at Meier Motors in Bremgarten, Germany, where Achim and Elmar Meier rebuilt and test flew this very rare aircraft. In March 2011, Fighter Factory employees went to Germany to assist in the disassembly and packing of the aircraft into an ocean shipping container for transport to Virginia. In April 2009, Steven Atkin of Great Britain painted the aircraft after researching suitable paint schemes in Germany. Steve also assisted in repainting the museum’s Spitfire and adding the proper markings onto the Wild Cargo B-25. The paint scheme selected for the new Focke Wulf was that of Oberstleutnant (equal to Lt. Col. in U.S. Air Force) Georg “Murr“ Schott, Staffelkapitaen of I./JG 1. Schott began his career in the Spanish Civil War with the German Condor Legion. He flew a Messerschmitt Bf-109C for the Second Staffel and downed three enemy fighters in December 1938 (two Polikarpov I-16s and one Polikarpov I-15). The museum has examples of such Russian-built aircraft in its collection and on display. In 1940, Schott claimed his first victory in World War II flying a Bf-109E Messerschmitt bringing down a Hawker Hurricane on May 19th near Lille, France. On the same day, Schott recorded another victory over a Hurricane in the Battle of La Cateau. In the French 36
campaign, he claimed five total victories over three Hurricanes and two French Morane MS-406 aircraft. During the Battle of Britain, he claimed eight victories. The first was against a Spitfire over Sheerness on September 2nd and another was against a Spitfire over Biggin Hill in October 1940. The last aerial victory was over a Spitfire near Bologne in January 1941. In April 1943, he was appointed to lead the first Staffel as “Staffelkapitaen,” whose main task was the interception of daytime American bombers in Western Germany. At this time, he flew the “White 11” Focke Wulf Fw-190 A-6. On June 22, Schott brought down his first bomber, a B-17, over Recklinghausen. In July, a Hawker Typhoon near Scheveningen could not escape him, followed by a B-17 over Leek. Victory number twenty, which would be his last, was another B-17 over Schiedam. On September 27th, 1943, he was shot down in aerial combat while attacking four-engine bombers over the North Sea. He successfully bailed out and managed to climb into his life raft. An intensive search proved futile. Both the dinghy and Schott´s remains were washed upon the shore of the island of Sylt two weeks later. The paint scheme of the Fw-190 A8/M is standard day fighter camouflage which depicts how the plane was painted in late August 1943. The black cat on the left side of the fuselage was an identification marking for Schott’s airplane and meant bad luck when it crossed your path. The unique identifying characteristic to this scheme is the checkerboard pattern on the plane’s engine cowling, used only with the fighter planes of I./JG 1. This was consistent throughout the whole German Luftwaffe. First seen in the summer of 1943, the first Staffel used black-and-white checkerboards, the second Staffel used red-black checkerboards, and the final third Staffel used yellow-black checkerboard patterns. These were the so called “Staffelfarben.” These same colors were also used in the call sign of the planes (i.e. “White 11”). Later in August 1944, the recognition markings were changed into black-and-white bands for all Staffels.
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1943 Hawker Hurricane
Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:
Packard Merlin 29 V12 1,300 hp 330 mph 486 miles 36,000 ft. 40 ft. 12 x .303 in machine guns
The first Hurricane models were entered into service with the Royal Air Force in December 1937. As the outbreak of the war became more apparent, there was an urgency to produce the fighters, and they decided to build the aircraft at the Canadian Car and Foundry plant in Fort William, Canada. Over 14,000 Hurricanes were built between Britain and Canada and were used by more than 15 countries. The Hurricanes fought for the RAF alongside the Spitfires during the Battle of Britain and were responsible for destroying more enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain than all other defense systems combined. The museum’s Hurricane MkXII-B was built by the Canadian Car and Foundry in 1943. It was originally assigned to Eastern Air Command in 1943 and sent to 129 Squadron in Dartmouth. It moved around Canada for several years until it was taken out of service in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, in October 1946. The plane sat derelict on a farm in Saskatchewan from 1948 to 1965 when it was purchased by a new owner in Vancouver, Washington. This owner performed a long term restoration and first flew the plane in May 1994. The museum purchased the Hurricane in 2001. In 2007, it was sent back to Canada for restoration work, including a new paint scheme to replicate the Hurricane flown during the Battle of Britain by American John Haviland. Haviland volunteered for the RAF at age 19. During the Battle of Britain, he was in a mid-air collision but was able to land his Hurricane. He was the only American-born pilot who flew in the Battle of Britain to survive the end
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of the war. Afterwards, he returned to the United States, attended college in Colorado, and then moved to Virginia where he became a professor in the engineering department at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1945.
Hawker Fury Mk I
1949 Douglas AD-4 “Skyraider” In mid-1944, the U.S. Navy was looking for a replacement for their obsolete SBD Dauntless dive-bomber. By March 1945, Douglas had redesigned, built, and flown the new Dauntless II. The Navy bought the initial production order just before the end of the war in the Pacific. The term “Able Dog” for the Skyraider was originally coined from the phonetic alphabet for ‘AD.’ The first version of the AD-1 had gradual improvements made to its design, which eventually led to the introduction of the AD-4 Skyraider in 1949.
Engine: Rolls-Royce Kestrel IIS Horsepower: 525 hp Max Speed: 207 mph Range: 305 miles Ceiling: 28,000 ft. Wing Span: 30 ft. Armaments: 1 x .303 Vickers machine gun
The Military Aviation Museum’s Hawker Fury (N31FY, s/n WA6) is a replica built by Westward Airways (Lands End) Ltd. completed in 1982. It is considered a replica due to the many new parts in its construction, but Westward Airways was able to find and use many original parts. The most exciting is the engine; Westward managed to find a very rare original Kestrel engine. This aircraft is the only airworthy example of this historic biplane fighter in the world. After its completion, it made some very rare public appearances between 1993-1996. At the time, it was registered as OO-HFU. The aircraft stalled and crashed during a slow, low level pass at a Belgian air show in 1996 and was very badly damaged. Fortunately, the pilot suffered only minor injuries. The aircraft was completely rebuilt and was test flown again in 2000. This time it was under British registration, G-BKBB, and it was an airworthy but static display in the Shuttleworth Museum at Old Warden in the UK from 2000 to 2003. This Fury made its last flight in 2003, when it flew back to Belgium. It was stored and maintained in full airworthy condition in Belgium until the museum acquired the Fury in 2009 and had it shipped to America.
There were seven different models of Skyraiders built and several versions of each type. Skyraiders were used for combat in all weather situations, refueling, target towing, troop transportation, medical transport, photo reconnaissance, submarine detection, and other missions. The final Skyraider rolled off the Douglas assembly lines in February 1957. Skyraiders continued to serve through the Vietnam War, and the Navy retired its last Skyraider in April 1968. The aircraft also served with various overseas foreign governments such as South Vietnam, Sweden, and France. The museum’s Douglas AD-4 Skyraider was built in 1949. During its first tour of duty, it was part of the VA-55 squadron that was deployed in the Korean War. Its third and final tour of active duty ended in February 1956 with the Marine Corps Squadron VMAT-20. It then spent 10 years on static display in Atlanta, Georgia, before being purchased in 1966 and restored back to flying condition. It was sold several more times, and the Military Aviation Museum acquired the plane in August 2000. In the spring of 2001, it was repainted to replicate the airplane flown by VA-195 Commanding Officer Harold “Swede” Carlson. LCDR Carlson led the VA-195 Squadron on the torpedo strike of the Hwachon Dam. In 1951, the Chinese Communist Forces were using the sluice gates in the Hwachon Dam to flood the lower Pukhan River, preventing the United Nations Forces from crossing the river and proceeding northward. Skyraiders dropped Mk-13 torpedoes on the sluice gates, preventing the Chinese Communist Forces from controlling the flow of the Hwachon River. The attack earned them the nickname “Dambusters.” The Skyraiders attack on May 1, 1951, was the last time the United States Navy used torpedoes in an actual act of war.
It is painted, as were most Royal Air Force aircraft of the time, in all silver with the squadron markings on the side. The Military Aviation Museum Hawker Fury Mk I, K1930, is painted as the aircraft flown by the Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader L. H. Slatter of 43 Squadron, circa early 1932 at Tangmere.
Engine: Wright Cyclone R-3350-26WD Horsepower: 2800 hp Max Speed: 370 mph Ceiling: 27,500 ft. Wing Span: 50 ft. Range: 1,386 nautical miles with external tanks Armaments: 4 x 20mm cannons; up to 12,500 lbs. of ordnance with 17 attach points 39
1947 Fieseler Fi-156 Storch “Stork”
Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:
Argus As 10 C-3 240 hp 109 mph 239 miles 15,090 ft. 46 ft. 9 in. 1 x 7.93mm machine gun
In April 1942, the French company Morane-Saulnier, operating under German control, began to manufacture a number of German aircraft. The Morane-Saulnier plant at Puteaux, in the suburbs of Paris, France, was directed to build the Storch. In October 1943, the Fieseler Werke in Kassel, Germany, started producing the Focke Wulf Fw-190 and production of all Storch types were shifted to France. At the same time, production commenced at Leichtbau Budweis in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (better known as Czechoslovakia). Leichtbau Budweis built one Storch in 1943 and 72 the following year before production was transferred to another Czech firm, Benes-Mraz in Chozen, where the plane was built under the name K-65 Cap. The Military Aviation Museum’s Storch is one such aircraft. It is believed that the basic fuselage was built, but not completed, while the Germans still occupied France as it bears a German data plate with the werksnummern 2631 (serial number). While aircraft construction was never really halted by Morane-Saulnier, it did slow down from June 1944 until the end of the war. The end of the Second World War disrupted this plane’s completion, and the fuselage was left to gather dust. Upon the conclusion of the Second World War, the French government decided to keep a number of German designs in production to rebuild both its military and its aircraft industry. Thus, 925 Fi-156s were ordered under their new designation, the Morane-Saulnier MS-500 Criquet. Construction commenced beginning with the leftover sections from earlier production. By then, Morane-Saulnier had made slight modifications to the aircraft. During the war, wings were made of wood because of material shortages. After the war, damaged and surplus aircraft were scraped and melted down, and the French constructed the newer wings from aluminum. The museum’s Storch was completed with metal wings in 1947 for the French military. It was the 751st off the production line. Thus, two serial numbers were assigned the airframe: the first for 40
the original airframe construction during the German occupation, and the second for the final production by Morane-Saulnier. The factory completion date was May 23, 1947. With obscure documents comes interesting information, like the names of the first two pilots who were believed to be Monsieurs Goujon and Frantz. The delivery date to the military at Rouen is reported to be December 22, 1947. The museum’s aircraft was further modified in 1950-1951, into a photo-reconnaissance airplane. This modification added a vertically placed camera behind the pilot, with a ‘parachute sender’ and explains why this plane has a different shaped lower fuselage from other Storches. (A ‘parachute sender’ is a parachute release system to parachute the film canister to awaiting ground intelligence personnel.) Records indicate that this modification was completed in February 1951 and delivered to Châteauroux Air Station in March 1951. It was also modified later in its military career to lay cable or telephone line. Because of its low speed capabilities, the aircraft could reel out cable from the bottom of the fuselage for a few miles. By 1966, it was deemed surplus and the French military sold it. The new owner, Herr Hans-Joachim Meier, partially restored the aircraft and painted it in Luftwaffe North African Corps green / gray colors with the radio code letters or ‘Stammkennzeichem’ of ‘EA+ML.’ In 2001, it was brought to the US. The museum’s aircraft was painted to represent a Storch (DL+AW) used by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in his North African Campaigns.
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1949 Junkers Ju-52
The Junkers Ju-52 (nicknamed Tante Ju - “Auntie Ju” - or “Iron Annie”) was a transport aircraft manufactured in Germany from 1932 until 1945. It was in both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with well over a dozen air carriers as an airliner and freight hauler. In a military role, it flew with the Luftwaffe as a troop and cargo transport and briefly as a medium bomber. The Ju-52 continued post-war service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s. The Military Aviation Museum’s Junkers Ju-52 was built under license by CASA at its plant in Getafe, Spain. The official nomenclature for the aircraft was CASA 352 and only 170 were built. The Spanish Air Force (SAF) assigned it serial number T2B 176. Originally, it was believed to be CASA 352L serial number 67, built in May 1950. Further research revealed a second data plate, inside the cabin under multiple layers of paint, which matched a second data plate on the outside of the fuselage indicating CASA serial number 77 with construction date of January 1949. It was overhauled in 1971-1972, and by 1976, it had only accumulated 1500 flight hours with the SAF. In November 1976, the Material Disposal Agency of the SAF placed sale advertisements for a CASA 352L. The Confederate Air Force (CAF) spearheaded a successful fundraiser to procure the aircraft. Upon purchase, the trans-Atlantic flight from Spain to the US commenced. The first stop was Biggin Hill, England, where auxiliary fuel tanks, an oil tank, and the LF radios were installed. By then, winter weather had set in over the North Atlantic, and the flight was postponed. In July 1980, a ten day, 8000-mile flight to Harlingen, Texas began. A northern Atlantic route was chosen via Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Baffin Island (where they were fined $50 for dripping excessive oil on the ramp), and Quebec. The aircraft first touched down in the United States in Bangor, Maine, where they landed during an air show, and then flew on to Harlingen, Texas, by way of Midway Airport (Chicago), Denver, and southeast to Texas.
1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
Engine:
3 x BMW 132-A3 (Pratt & Whitney)
Horsepower: 725 hp each Max Speed: 171 mph Range:
up to 800 miles with aux. fuel tanks
Ceiling:
18,500 ft.
Wing Span: 29 ft. 4 in. Armaments: 1 x 13 mm M131 machine gun in
dorsal position; 2 x 7.92mm
M15 machine guns
Initial restoration, maintenance, and flying were accomplished by the Colorado and Southern Lake Michigan (SoLaMich) Wings of the CAF. The aircraft was stripped and repainted as a Ju-52 of the 7th Staffel KGzbV1, 1st Bomber Wing of Special Operations. After further research, the tactical/operational markings of ‘1Z+AR” and markings for the invasion of Crete on May 21, 1941, were added. Luftwaffe Lieutenant Franz Lankenau flew the original aircraft in these markings on approximately 250 missions in Poland, Norway, Netherlands, France, Greece, Crete, and Russia. He donated his log book to the CAF and supplied much of the information required for the restoration. He also provided pictures of the coats of arms on the nose nacelle: Brandenburg, for the city where the Staffel was first based and Hapsburg, for their commanding officer. “Alte Tante Ju” (meaning Old Auntie Junkers) became well known throughout the country at air shows. Engine problems grounded the plane for about 8 years in 1990. It began flying again in May 1998 after another restoration that included converting to P&W 1340 engines, 3 blade constant speed props, complete rewiring and circuit breaker panels, and new control and instrument panels. The museum obtained the Ju-52 from the CAF in 2010. The best count indicates there are seven Ju-52s flying in the world, and the museum’s is the only one on this continent.
RE-ENACTORS
The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion 1942-1945 is a non-profit, educational organization with the purpose of facilitating the development of, and participation in, battle reenactments and living history of the World War II era. In a spirit of volunteerism, the members of the Battalion seek to contribute to a broader understanding of the lives, the issues and the experiences faced by the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and their families during the period of 1942 to 1945. www.1canpara-hq.org.
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Yakovlev Yak-3
Engine: Klimov VK-105PF Horsepower: 1,300 hp Max Speed: 407 mph Range: 405 miles Ceiling: 35,000 ft. Wing Span: 30 ft. 2 in. Armaments: 1 20mm ShVAK Cannon, 2 12.7mm Berezin machine guns
The Yak-3 was a Soviet fighter plane that entered into service in 1944. It was a favorite of both pilots and ground crew because it was small, robust and easy to maintain. The Yak-3 was one of the lightest major combat fighters used by anyone during the war and was highly successful in dogfights, flying low over battlefields and engaging in dogfights below 13,000 feet. As it reached the front lines in the summer of 1944, the 91st IAP of the 2nd Army was tasked with using it to gain air superiority. They flew over 430 missions and shot down 20 Luftwaffe fighters and three Ju 87s, while only losing two Yak-3s. The Yak-3 seen at the museum today was actually recreated in 1991 by the Yakovlev company using original parts and dies in Orenburg, Russia. It is powered by an American V-12 Allison engine.
Messerschmitt KR-200 At the end of World War Two, aircraft manufacturer Willy Messerschmitt lost control of his factories and served prison time. After he regained control of his business in 1948, he was not permitted to produce aircraft, so he shifted manufacturing to cooking utensils, prefabricated houses and electric power supply masts. By 1953, the company signed an agreement to manufacture Fritz Fend’s Kabinenroller three-wheel microcar. Fend originally began designing a muscle-powered, three-wheeled vehicle in 1946 for war invalids. The car sold well, and Fend’s small company could not meet production demands, so Messerschmitt was called in to assist with production. A team of Messerschmitt engineers refined the design for large scale production, but the early KR-175 version had numerous flaws. When the 42
KR-200 made its debut in 1955, it was a fast, fuel efficient, reliable vehicle with a comfortable suspension and great handling. Soon thereafter, Fend and his new partner, axle manufacturer Valentin Knott, bought the three-wheeler division of Messerschmitt. Together they made production of the KR-200 profitable. But time for microcars quickly reached an end, as larger post-war vehicles entered the used-car market. By 1964, all production ended. The museum’s KR-200 was built at Fend’s factory, not Messerchmitt’s, but people still refer to the three-wheeled vehicle as a Messerchmitt.
Mk V Fuel Bowser
The Military Aviation Museum’s 1938 Royal Air Force Fuel Bowser is both historical and functional. Bowser is a generic term for a tanker, and during the Second World War, the RAF utilized several different designs for portable aircraft refueling tankers to meet the demands of its growing fleet. Both towable and self-propelled bowsers were used throughout the war, and the museum’s bowser, the Mk V, is a unique, three-wheeled self-propelled unit. It was built by Thompson Brothers in Bristol, England. The Mk V carries two fuel tanks and one oil tank allowing it to service a variety of aircraft and other military vehicles. Many of these units were used well into the 1990s at civilian airfields. This particular bowser was used by the famous RAF North Weald Airfield, near Essex. The field was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain
RE-ENACTORS
601 Squadron 601 Squadron (County of London), RAF, Recreated was founded in 1991. It is a group of dedicated individuals striving to accurately recreate a wartime squadron of the RAF. Many members are ‘old salts’ of the hobby, having ten, or even twenty years of experience in historical re-creation. The original 601 Squadron was dubbed the “Millionaire’s Squadron” and included prominent individuals such as Roger Bushell (‘Big X’ of Great Escape fame), Max Aitken, the American Billy Fiske, and Willie Rhodes-Moorehouse. The 601 was very active during the Second World War seeing action in France, the Battle of Britain, the Western desert, Malta, and Europe. They flew Blenheims, Hurricanes, the ill-fated Airacobras and the famous Spitfire. The group focuses on the early war years with an emphasis on the Battle of Britain. While striving to accurately portray the pilots involved in the squadron, they also place great emphasis on the airmen. Without the stout service of the common everyday “erk” – from fitter to rigger and mechanic – a normal squadron would not be airworthy. All of the historians in the unit understand and deeply appreciate the significance of the Battle of Britain and the aircrew that played a part defending Britain during those pivotal summer months. www.601Squadron.com
HQ Company, 116th Infantry, Reg. 29th Division, AEF This is a World War One re-enactor unit that is part of the Great War Association. Their goal is to portray the average WWI Doughboy. The recreated HQ Company was formed in 1986 to commemorate the sacrifice of brave soldiers whose heroism was displayed during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918. www.harrellshistory.org//WW1/HQ_company/index1.htm
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FRANK SINGS FRANK Frank Cubillo is the voice and energy behind a Frank Sinatra-style entertainment act called “Frank Sings Frank.” Frank retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2009 after serving 37 years. A New York native who now calls Virginia Beach home, Frank has been singing all his life. His repertoire includes over 150 “Standards” and all of Sinatra’s Greatest Hits. Complete with a tux and Sinatra’s trademark Fedora, Frank sings and performs with an energy and style all his own, guaranteed to have you tappin’ your feet and singing along with this upbeat entertainer. Frank has performed as a main entertainer at Virginia Beach’s Beach Street USA and on the J.P. “Gus” Godsey radio talk show on WHKT 1650 AM.
The Victory Belles, direct from New Orleans, are a charming vocal trio who will take you on a nostalgic journey through World War Twoera musical classics. Take a trip down memory lane as you enjoy such hits as Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Don’t Sit under the Apple Tree, Chattanooga Choo Choo and I’ll Be Seeing You, all sung in rich three-part harmony. The Victory Belles have performed at Warbirds Over the Beach the past three years. They regularly perform at the National WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen and travel the world entertaining GIs, performing with the USO. The Victory Belles also sang the National Anthem at the home of the Super Bowl XLIV Champion New Orleans Saints!
www.FrankSingsFrank.com
www.VictoryBelles.org
Theresa Eaman began performing jazz standards in her early teen years in Reading, Pennsylvania. A classically trained vocalist, she specializes in jazz standards and re-enacting the music of the World War II era. She presents the listener with renditions of all their favorites featuring the stylings of the original recordings, while incorporating her own personal touches. Theresa’s performances celebrate an era where music made people laugh, cry, and fall in love. Theresa has performed in New York City, San Diego, California, and throughout Pennsylvania and Idaho, where she currently resides. She has appeared at Warbirds Over the Beach since its inaugural year in 2009, and we welcome her back again for the 2012 event.
www.JazzDiva.net
Photo: KC Gibson
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The Ultimate Abbott & Costello Tribute Show
Bill Riley and Joe Ziegler transform themselves into Bud Abbott and Lou Costello to bring you their unique Tribute Show. Vintage dress and an authentic recreation of the team’s mannerisms and vocal stylings will transport you back in time and give you the opportunity to interact with the famous comic duo. Sit back and laugh as they perform the vaudeville and burlesque routines, including the classic baseball routine, “Who’s On First?” Bill Riley is an actor, comedian, and musician from Paterson, New Jersey (Lou Costello’s hometown). He moved to Baltimore in 1985 and is currently Director of Broadcasting at The Sheffield Institute for the Recording Arts. Joe Ziegler was born in Baltimore and has been a professional performer since the age of fifteen. Joe and his wife, Sherry, have won numerous awards for their portrayal of another famous duo – Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Riley and Ziegler have performed as Abbott and Costello since 1994. In May 2004, it was their great pleasure to perform in Washington, DC at the Disabled American Veterans’ Dinner as part of the WWII Monument Celebration and Dedication Ceremony. Jason Crutchley began working with the team as their sound engineer and announcer in 2002. In 2004, Jason joined Bill and Joe as “Scoop Fields-Ace Press Agent.”
www.UltimateAandC.com
The Mark Michielsen Big Band
The Mark Michielsen Big Band joins us at this year’s Warbirds Over the Beach as the feature of the Saturday evening hangar dance. Mark has been playing trombone for over 30 years, and his band has been entertaining crowds since 2010. Mark Michielsen is originally from Midland Park, New Jersey. He began his music career in the Marine Corp in 1981, and he has performed around the world at both military and civilian venues with various Marine Corp bands, the Virginia Symphony, Hawaii Symphony and others. He also taught at the Armed Forces School of Music and is a talented composer. Mark has a Bachelor of Music Degree in Composition from Old Dominion University and a Master of Music Degree in Composition from Norfolk State University. The 17-member Big Band plays all sorts of venues across the country and has a huge collection of big band music in their repertoire. This rambunctious crew of gifted musicians has performed throughout Europe, Japan, the Middle East, and of course, the United States. The musicians have worked individually and together on numerous recording projects for movie soundtracks and CDs, and most have had the honor of performing for various United States Presidents and the US Congress, as well as other dignitaries and heads of state around the world. Join us in the Navy hangar Saturday evening and dance to all your favorites from the World War Two era. You may even hear a Mark Michielsen Original performed! The band’s CDs are also on sale in the museum gift shop.
www.CreativeComposerMark.com 45
RE-ENACTORS
Panzer Aufklärungs Abteilung 11
This WWII German reenactment group portrays Heer (army) soldiers of the 11th Panzer Division’s reconnaissance regiment. Their primary goal is to study and teach others about one of the United States’ most capable military adversaries through the demonstration of authentic small unit tactics and the display of uniforms, weapons, and equipment. Based in Northern Virginia, Panzer Aufklärungs Abteilung 11 has members from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. They participate in public and private tactical events, living history displays, and other military demonstrations. www.11thpanzer.com
Grossdeutschland Grossdeutschland is one of the oldest World War Two reenactment units with over 30 years of experience in Living History interpretation. The unit has participated in Living History Displays throughout the Eastern United States and has won numerous awards and accolades from prestigious institutions such as the Aberdeen Proving Grounds (MD), Ft. Indiantown Gap (PA), Jamestown Historical Foundation (VA), Picatiny Arsenal (NJ), and West Point Military Academy (NY). Members organize and attend battle reenactments, volunteer with period restoration projects, and educate the general public on life in the German Army. Grossdeutschland is unique in that they focus their efforts on a Unit Impression — not an individual one. By doing so, they can best represent the German Army as it was during the tumultuous days of World War II. Currently, they have a growing and stable membership base of over 130 people on the East Coast.
JANITORIAL SUPPLIES * FOODSERVICE * PAPER *CHEMICALS
Third Kompanie, Dietrich’s Warriors Dietrich’s Warriors is a historical society that strives to preserve and strengthen the bonds between present day and yesteryear. They concentrate on the Waffen-SS soldier assigned to the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, 1st Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 3rd Company. Formed in 2009, the group began with only five members. They are headquartered in the Mid-Atlantic region, and members assemble nationwide to participate in some of the most authentic World War II reenactments and living history programs. www.lahpanzer.com.
1st SS Aufklärung The 1st SS Aufklärung is a group of non-political history enthusiasts who portray combat soldiers of the 1st SS Leibstandarte at public displays and private reenactments. They are located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic/Virginia area but have members from all across the East Coast. They represent a small Aufklärung or reconnaissance Gruppe and join forces with the 1st Btl. SS-Pz. Gren. Rgt. II “LSSAH” Stab and 2nd SS “Das Reich” to form the battle group “Sonnenwende.” www.1stlahrecon.com 46
476 Viking Drive #102 Virginia Beach, VA 23452 (757)622-0355
kaufCAN.com
I hope there’s a place, way up in the sky, Where pilots can go, when they have to die. A place where a guy can buy a cold beer For a friend and a comrade, whose memory is dear; A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread, Nor a management type would ere be caught dead;
We are pleased to support the Military Aviation Museum and Warbirds Over the Beach
Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke, Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke; The kind of a place where a lady could go And feel safe and protected, by the men she would know. There must be a place where old pilots go, When their paining is finished, and their airspeed gets low, Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young, And old songs about flying and dying are sung, Where you’d see all the fellows who’d flown west before, And they’d call out your name, as you came through the door. Who would buy you a drink, if your thirst should be bad, And relate to the others, “He was quite a good lad!”
Your only criteria for selecting a law firm should be its commitment to do all the right things to help you succeed. We can. And we will.
And then through the mist, you’d see an old guy You had not seen in years, though he taught you to fly. He’d nod his old head, and grin ear to ear; And say, “Welcome, my son, I’m pleased that you’re here.” “For this is the place where true flyers come,” “When their journey is over, and the war has been won.” “They’ve come here at last to be safe and alone” “From the government clerks and the management clone,” “Politicians and lawyers, the Feds and the noise,” “Where all hours are happy, and these good ole boys” “Can relax with a cool one, and a well deserved rest;” “This is heaven, my son… You’ve passed your last test!”
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MAY
May 28: Memorial Day Flyover 12:30-1:30PM For the past six years, the museum has participated in a Memorial Day flyover with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. Planes launch at 12:30, flyover the Veterans Memorial at the Convention Center at 1:00 and arrive back in Pungo at 1:15.
JUNE
June 2: Virginia Beach Crime Solvers Annual Pig Pickin’ Attend the annual Crime Solvers Pig Pickin’ on Saturday afternoon. Enjoy BBQ, entertainment, flight demonstrations, and help raise funds for the Crime Solvers.
June 8-10: WWII Radio-Controlled Planes See enthusiasts fly their RC aircraft across our field. Learn how to build, maintain, and operate these miniature Warbirds.
JUNE 9: Hangar Talk & Flight Demonstration 4:30pm Hear the stories of a B-17 pilot followed by a flight demonstration of Chuckie, our very own B-17.
JUNE 9: Drive In Movie Night Following the Hangar Talk and B-17 Flyover, fill your car with friends and family and come enjoy the film “Memphis Belle” under the stars. More information will be on the website as details are available.
June 11: NAS Oceana Tours Begin 11:00am-2:00pm Daily June 11 – August 31 (excluding July 4th). Visitors can tour NAS Oceana on board the museum’s double-decker English bus. The three-hour tour leaves from the 24th Street Kiosk on Atlantic Boulevard. Visit the kiosk for tickets. JULY
July 21: Hangar Talk & Flight Demonstration 11:00am Check the museum’s website for speaker announcement soon.
AUGUST
August 6-10: Warbirds & Wings Aviation Summer Camp 9:00am-4:00pm daily Beginner Aviator Week - Bring your children to the museum for this unique summer camp, where they will learn the fundamentals of airplane flight and rockets and get ground crew training. Perfect for children age 9-14.
August 18: Hangar Talk & Flight Demonstration 11:00am Check the museum’s website for speaker announcement soon.
August 20-24: Warbirds & Wings Aviation Summer Camp 9:00am-4:00pm daily Advanced Aviator Week - Pick up with more training and more fun building off what was taught during Beginner Aviation Week.
SEPTEMBER
September 21-23: Biplanes & Triplanes World War One Air Show Back for another year, the Biplanes and Triplanes Air Show is our way of celebrating the men fighting throughout Europe during the earliest days of aviation. The museum’s collection of reproduction aircraft from England, France, Germany, and the United States will fly and be on display. Also enjoy period entertainment and re-enactors and see planes from other museums and personal collections visiting from around the country.
September 29: Wings & Wheels It’s time for the annual Wings and Wheels car show at the museum. Come see vintage cars alongside our military aircraft from the same era.
October
October 5-7: WWI Radio-Controlled Planes “Mid Atlantic Dawn Patrol” Show Come see over 150 pilots fly their RC aircraft and perform tricks that the big ones can’t!
October 20: Hangar Talk & Flight Demonstration 11:00am Check the museum’s website for speaker announcement soon. NOvember
November 3: Porsche Car Show Have an interest in cars of a certain caliber? Then come to the Porsche Car Show. Dozens of cars from throughout the years will be on display.
November 17: Hangar Talk & Flight Demonstration 11:00am Check the museum’s website for speaker announcement soon.
November 23-25: Trains, Plains & Santa Claus The Military Aviation Museum, in association with The Tidewater Division of the National Model Railroad Association, is hosting its annual model train show. Santa will fly in to meet and greet with kids, too. See the museum website for more information as the date approaches.
DECEMBER
December 15: Hangar Talk & Flight Demonstration 11:00am Check the museum’s website for speaker announcement soon.
www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org 48
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!
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