Mam warbirds program 2013

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Welcome to our annual Warbirds Over the Beach air show. If you have followed the growth and development of the Military Aviation Museum over the 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, many planes have been added to our flying collection. Additionally, the German Luftwaffe Cottbus hangar is now open to visitors and houses our impressive German collection.

The star of this year’s show is our “Wooden Wonder,” the de Havilland Mosquito KA 114. Currently this is the only flying Mosquito in the world, and we hope to have several Mossie vets here for the air show to celebrate the occasion.

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. 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 2

Gerald Yagen, President The Military Aviation Museum features one of the world’s largest private collections of historic military aircraft. Each aircraft has been painstakingly restored to flying condition, using original parts whenever possible, and features the paint markings of the days when it was flown with the armed forces of its origin.

The museum was founded in 2005, and its ongoing mission is to preserve, restore, and fly these historic aircraft. The museum ’s collection allows a new generation to experience and learn from what their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers 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 obtainin g 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 continue s to grow. New aircraft are always undergoing restoration around the world and are added to the museum’s collection upon complet ion. At the same time, the museum complex, at the Virginia Beach Airport, is being transformed with additional buildings. In 2012, the 1934 German Cottbus Hangar opened, and a control tower salvaged in England is slated to be the next edition opening in 2014. 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, seminar s, and visiting aircraft, please call the museum at (757) 721-PROP or visit www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org.

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On the Cover The 2013 Warbirds Over the Beach artwork is by Denver, Colorado artist Kevin Weber. This custom piece features four of the museum’s Luftwaffe collection flying over the Virginia Beach Airport and Military Aviation Museum property. In the forefront, you see the Messerschmitt Me 262–the world’s first operational jet-powered aircraft.

Following close behind is the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 “White 11”, Focke-Wulf Fw 44J and the Junkers Ju 52. Each of these aircraft is scheduled to fly in the weekend’s air show.

The Fw 190, the Fw 44 and the Ju 52 can also be seen on display daily in the Cottbus Hangar.

Kevin is a member of the American Society of Aviation Artists. His art has appeared in exhibitions and galleries nationwide and is displayed in small collections internationally. He has artwork permanently on display at the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum in Savannah, Georgia.

You can purchase copies of the 2013 Warbirds Over the Beach poster in the museum gift shop. For more information, and to see other examples of his work, visit Kevin’s website at www.kweberart.com.

Entertainment Schedule Saturday « May 18th 10:00AM-1:00PM HANGAR STAGE Visual & Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School Theresa Eaman « Frank Sings Frank « The Victory Belles 1:00PM-3:30PM AIR SHOW 3:30PM-6:00PM HANGAR STAGE

Visual & Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School Theresa Eaman « Frank Sings Frank « The Victory Belles 6:00PM-9:00PM « WWII Hangar Dance

Mark Michielsen Big Band Visual & Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School Theresa Eaman « Frank Sings Frank « The Victory Belles

SUNDAY « May 19th 10:00AM-1:00PM HANGAR STAGE Visual & Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School Theresa Eaman « Frank Sings Frank « The Victory Belles 1:00PM-3:30PM AIR SHOW 3:00PM-5:00PM HANGAR STAGE Theresa Eaman « Frank Sings Frank Visual & Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School Hampton Roads Metro Band 4

12:00PM T-6s Take Off and Fly Formations 12:40PM C-46 Takes Off for Paratrooper Drop 1:00PM

Waiver In Effect - Field Closed Paratroopers Drop from C-46

1:10PM

U.S. Trainers and Liaison Flights: Stearman, Ryan PT-22, Stinson L-5

1:25PM

Foreign Trainers & Liaison Flights: de Havilland Tiger Moth and Chipmunk, Fieseler Storch, de Havilland Dragon Rapide, Focke-Wulf Fw 44J, Polikarpov Po-2

1:45PM

U.S. Navy Pacific Theatre Flights: PBY Catalina, TBM Avenger, FG-1D Corsair, AD-4 Skyraider, FM-2 Wildcat, SB2C Helldiver

2:20PM U.S. Aircraft European Theatre Flights:

B-25 Mitchell, P-51D Mustang, Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk 2:30PM

German and British European Theatre Flights: Junkers Ju 52, Hawker Hurricane, Spitfire, Messerschmitt Me 262

2:55PM

German Paratroopers Drop from Junkers Ju 52

3:00PM

European Theatre Flights - The Fast and Heavies: B-17 Flying Fortress, Avro Lancaster Bomber, de Havilland Mosquito, Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Yakovlev YAK-3

3:30PM

All Flights Land

4:00PM Field Open All times are approximate and subject to change due to weather and mechanical conditions and advance printing deadlines of this book.

TV Broadcasts Friday, May 17 at 10:00pm « Saturday, May 18 at 9:00pm WINGS is produced and published by the Military Aviation Museum. © 2013.

Graphic Design: Shari James, Historical Research: Felix Usis

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The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was first designed in the late 1930s, and the Luftwaffe began flying it in August 1941. The aircraft was superior to the RAF’s Spitfire in many ways, and as more entered into service, the balance of power in the air began to shift away from the Allies. The Fw 190A did struggle with high altitude flight, and later modifications produced the Fw 190D which handled high altitudes better.

The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the world’s first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Designs for the Me 262 actually began prior to WWII in 1939, but 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 Me 262 lacked the maneuverability of propeller driven Allied fighters but was very effective in intercepting Allied bombers. In March 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 and only lost three Me 262s. Because of their speed, Me 262 pilots were relatively safe from Allied fighters.

By this point of the war, the Luftwaffe needed a 4:1 kill ratio to make an impact. The Me 262 was not able to make a sizable impact because it represented only one per cent of the attacking force. In 1943 and early 1944, the USAAF was able to maintain offensive operations despite loss ratios of 5% and more. The Me 262s could not inflict sufficient losses to hamper their operations.

Allied pilots learned that 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, 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 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 and April 1945, Allied fighter patrols over Me 262 airfields resulted in numerous losses and serious attrition of the force.

Due to its late introduction, limited production numbers, maintenance problems and a lack of fuel during the late war, 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.

The museum’s Me 262 was reconstructed by Legend Flyers of Seattle, Washington, working from plans developed by Classic Fighter Industries, 6

One famous Fw 190 pilot was Oberstleutnant Georg “Murr” Schott.

In 1940, Schott claimed his first victory in World War II flying a Bf-109E Messerschmitt bringing down a Hawker Hurricane. In the French campaign, he claimed a total of five victories over three Hurricanes and two Morane-Saulnier MS-406 aircraft. During the Battle of Britain, he claimed eight victories. In April 1943, he was appointed to lead the first Staffel with the main task of intercepting daytime American bombers over Western Germany. At this time, he flew the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6, “White 11”. On June 22, Schott brought down his first B-17 over Recklinghausen. He continued downing Allied aircraft until victory number twenty, another B-17, proved to be his last. On September 27th, 1943, he was shot down while attacking four-engine bombers over the North Sea. He successfully bailed out but an intensive search proved futile. Both the dinghy and Schott´s remains washed up on the shore of the island of Sylt two weeks later.

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)

Inc. This aircraft, along with several others, was built using an original Me 262 from Willow Grove Naval Air Station in eastern Pennsylvania as a template. This original Me 262 was badly deteriorated, and the U.S. Navy agreed to allow Classic Fighter Mutke at Fi ghter Factor Industries, Inc. to dismantle the aircraft y to use as a template. In return, Classic Fighter returned the Me 262 fully restored at no cost to the Navy. Work began in 1993, and in 2000, the original aircraft was returned to Willow Grove NAS. The museum’s Me 262 completed its test flight in the fall of 2011 and arrived at the Fighter Factory’s Suffolk facility in October of that year. It is powered by modern General Electric jet engines like those in Lear jets.

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.

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 Military Aviation Museum acquired the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 in Germany in April 2005. The aircraft was built in Bacau, Romania and is powered with a substitute ASH-82 radial engine. It underwent restoration and test modification at Meier Motors in Bremgarten, Germany, where Achim and Elmar Meier rebuilt and test flew this very rare aircraft. It finally arrived in Virginia in March 2011. The aircraft’s paint scheme represents the Fw 190 flown by Schott in August 1943.

It is standard day fighter camouflage with the black-and-white checkerboard pattern on the plane’s engine cowling used with the fighter planes of Staffel I./JG 1. The checkerboard patterns were consistent squadron identifiers throughout the Luftwaffe. First seen in the summer of 1943, the first Staffel used black-and-white checkerboards, the second Staffel used red-and-black checkerboards, and the third Staffel used yellow-and-black checkerboard patterns.

These same colors were also used in the call sign of the planes (i.e.

“White 11”). By August 1944, the recognition markings were changed into black-and-white bands for all Staffels. Finally, “White 11” includes a black cat on the left side of the fuselage, unique to Schott’s airplane, meaning bad luck when it crossed its path.

RE-ENACTORS USS Canopus AS9 Unit The USS Canopus AS9 Unit honors the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor in early 1942. This US Navy impression is based on the USS Canopus AS9 submarine tender and its sailors who served as naval infantry fighting with marine and army units against the Japanese. The ship was scuttled in April 1942 and the survivors went into captivity with the surrender of Corregidor in May 1942. This unit is comprised of members from New England to Virginia.

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Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Crew:

Siemens Sh 14a 160 hp 115 mph 340 miles 12,790 ft.

29 ft. 6 in Two; instructor and student

Competition of the Championships, Otto von Hagenburg owed his eventual success in winning the Gold for Germany to a Fw 44 “Stieglitz”.

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.

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

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.

RE-ENACTORS NAAFI-Navy, Army, Air Force Institutes The NAAFI (Navy, Army, Air Force Institutes) is a program for the British Army that provides goods and services above the basic needs provided by the Army. This includes mobile canteens, soda shops, grocery stores and the like where the soldiers can buy additional comforts for a fraction of what it would cost otherwise. During World War 2, NAAFI personnel were sent, on a voluntary basis, into the various theatres of war to provide some measure of comfort to the front line soldier. These volunteers were given an honorary enlistment in the British Army and provided with a uniform and the items necessary to begin their trek. After exhausting their initial supplies, they would trade with locals for supplies and equipment to restock. These volunteers worked on the frontlines, sometimes moving between opposing forces, to bring a little bit of home to the soldier in the trenches. Many did not return home, either killed or taken prisoner. For those caught by the enemy, the uniform was meant to ensure they were treated as a POW and not a spy.

The NAAFI unit at Warbirds Over the Beach portrays a NAAFI field kitchen. They utilize a mix of British WWI and WWII tents, British field stoves, and a 1930s tri-fuel oven that has been “appropriated” from an abandoned home nearby.

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Engine:

Horsepower: Max Speed: Range:

Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:

3 x BMW 132-A3 (Pratt & Whitney) 725 hp each 171 mph Up to 800 miles with aux. fuel tanks 18,500 ft.

95 ft. 10 in.

1 x 13 mm M131 machine gun in dorsal position; 2 x 7.92mm M15 machine guns

The Junkers Ju 52 (nicknamed Tante Ju, “Auntie Ju” or “Iron Annie”) was a transport aircraft manufactured in Germany from 1932 until 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. As a civilian aircraft, it flew with over a dozen air carriers as an airliner and freight hauler. As a military aircraft, 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 by CASA in Getafe, Spain. The official designation 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. The aircraft was overhauled in 1971-1972, and by 1976, it had only accumulated 1,500 flight hours with the SAF. In November 1976, the Material Disposal Agency of the SAF sold the Ju 52 to the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). Also known as the Confederate Air Force, this Texas-based non-profit works to preserve historic aircraft. As the Ju 52 undertook its trans-Atlantic flight from Spain to Texas, it made several stops. In Biggin Hill, England, auxiliary fuel tanks, an oil tank, and LF radios were installed. By then, winter weather had set in over the North Atlantic, and the flight was postponed.

The ten day, 8,000 mile flight to Harlingen, Texas began in July 1980. Pilots flew a northern Atlantic route via Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, Baffin Island

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 Chicago, Denver and southeast to Texas.

The CAF had the initial restoration and maintenance done by the Colorado and Southern Lake Michigan (SoLaMich) Wings of the CAF. The aircraft was 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 at air shows throughout the country. But in 1990, engine problems grounded the plane for about eight years. It flew again in May 1998 after another restoration that included converting to Pratt & Whitney 1340 engines, 3 blade constant speed props, complete rewiring and circuit breaker panels, and new control and instrument panels.

The museum purchased 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 in North America.

RE-ENACTORS SS Fallschirmjager Battalion 600 The SS Fallschirmjager Battalion 600 is a re-enactment unit that portrays German Paratroopers of WWII. This non-political group of WWII history enthusiasts includes members covering the area from Virginia to Pennsylvania, where they participate in living history events and WWII tactical battles. For more information, please visit www.ssfallschirmjager.com

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New!

1945 de Havilland DH-98 “Mosquito”

Engine: 2 x Rolls Royce Merlin V12 Horsepower: 1,480 hp each Max Speed: 366 mph Range: 900 miles Ceiling: 29,000 ft.

Wing Span: 54 ft. 2 in.

Armaments: 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon,

4 x .303 in. Browning machine guns,

4,000 lb. of bombs

The newest World War Two aircraft to join the Military Aviation Museum is the much-awaited de Havilland DH-98 Mosquito, serial number KA 114.

This British aircraft served many roles during the war and variants served in the roles of fighters, bombers, fighter-bomber and others. The museum’s Mosquito is a fighter-bomber variant, FB Mk VI. These aircraft were unique because they were constructed almost entirely of wood, giving them the nickname “Wooden Wonder.” It was first produced by the de Havilland company in 1940, and when it entered mass production in June 1941, it was one of the fastest, if not the fastest, operations aircraft in the world.

The museum’s Mosquito was manufactured in Toronto, Canada. It flew for the first time in early 1945, but was too late to see any combat service, so it was flown directly into storage with Eastern Air Command of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). It enjoyed a very short stint of flying with 7 OTU based at Debert, Nova Scotia, then once again entered storage, this time at Vulcan, Alberta.

At the end of World War Two, the aircraft was purchased by a farmer in April 1948 and stored on his property in Milo, Alberta. Unfortunately, the weather took its toll, and it deteriorated over the years. In 1978 it was purchased by the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transport (CMFT). As CMFT took possession of the aircraft, the forward section of the fuselage disintegrated, and the fuselage broke in two behind the wing area. It was also missing both engines and parts of the landing gear. It spent several years in storage at CMFT before being sold to the Military Aviation Museum in 2004.

Once purchased by the museum, it was sent to AvSpecs in New Zealand for restoration. Although the wood was in terrible condition, most of the metal parts could be used again. Glyn Powell, of Auckland, New Zealand, was enlisted to create new fuselage, wings, and tail sections. Powell employed a top boat builder to assist with creating the molds and applied a modern epoxy 10

instead of glue to join many of the pieces. Otherwise, Powell says that he was “absolutely faithful to the original drawings and specifications.” It took almost three years to build the wooden airframe.

During that time, AvSpecs had been restoring hydraulic and electrical systems, making pipes, and constructing new cowlings and other parts.

Two former Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Merlin 25s were located in Australia complete with genuine engine mounts. These were sent to California to be restored by Vintage V-12s.

The Mosquito is painted with the markings of 487 Squadron RNZAF as EG-Y in honor of the Royal New Zealand unit flying Mosquitos during WWII. They flew a number of high profile raids including the attack on Amiens Prison in February 1944. The attack destroyed a wall enabling hundreds of prisoners of war to escape.

The New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued the aircraft a Certificate of Airworthiness in September 2012. It took its first flight in over 60 years on September 29, 2012 at Ardmore Airport near Auckland, New Zealand.

This was the first public flight of a de Havilland Mosquito in over 16 years.

The museum’s Mosquito finally arrived in Virginia Beach in March 2013, where the Fighter Factory crew, assisted by a few members of the AvSpecs team, reassembled it. It was approved to fly by the FAA on the last day of April. All together, the Mosquito spent eight years and thousands of hours undergoing restoration. And today, it is the only airworthy de Havilland Mosquito in the world.

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. When introduced, the P-51 Mustang I variant easily achieved outstanding marks from the British. It featured the 1150 hp Allison engine and a duct coolant radiator under the fuselage. The aircraft could also carry sufficient amounts of ammunition with four .50 caliber guns and four .303 caliber guns. It could also 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 diminished the performance of the Allison engine, and the Mustang was reduced to low altitude recon and photographic missions.

The U.S. Army Air Corps realized the capabilities of the Mustang and began placing large orders of different variants of the P-51 in 1942. At that time, North American began to test the Rolls Royce Merlin 60-series engine (a Packard license-built version). The P-51D was the most highly produced variant of the Mustang, 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 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, bringing the plane’s total to six.

Previous problems with guns jamming were addressed with upright mounting, and the aircraft’s targeting was 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 aircraft’s aerial combat victories. These improvements, along with its

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

substantial range and speed, made the P-51D a perfect choice for nearly any situation.

The museum’s P-51D, serial number 44-72483, was built in 1945 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, it was sold to Maco Sales in Illinois. It changed ownership several times from 1962 until it was bought by the Military Aviation Museum in 2004 from an owner in Switzerland. It is painted as “Double Trouble Two” with black and yellow checkers on the nose to represent the aircraft flown by Deputy Commander “Wild” Bill Bailey of the 353rd Fighter Group. Bailey flew from England during WWII and named this plane “Double Trouble” for the two women he was dating back home and “Two” because it was his second Mustang.

RE-ENACTORS Pionier BatalLion 900 Pionier Bataillon 900 recreates a motorized engineer unit of the famed German Afrikakorps during the early campaigns of 1941. Used primarily as assault troops, the original unit was held at the Army level under the command of Erwin Rommel’s Panzergruppe Afrika and later became part of the 90 Leichte Infanterie Division. They participated in numerous well-known campaigns and suffered heavy casualties as the fighting continued on the African continent.

Most members of the reenacted Pi.Btl.900 have alternative WWII impressions both Axis and Allied, with the bulk hailing from Der Erste Zug (www.DerErsteZug.com). For more information on the unit, email soldat272@hotmail.com.

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1944 FM-2 “Wildcat”

1941 Curtiss P-40E “Kittyhawk” Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armament:

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.

Allison V1710-39 1,150 hp 360 mph 650 miles 29,000 ft.

37 ft. 3.5 in 6 x .50 caliber Browning machine guns; 2,000 lbs. of bombs

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.

Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:

Wright R-1820-56 1,350 hp 322 mph 1,350 w/ external tanks 35,600 ft 38 ft.

4 x .50 cal machine guns; 6 x 5 inch HVAR rockets

The FM-2 Wildcat, manufactured by Grumman Aircraft Company, had its first test flight in 1937. This retractable gear carrier-based fighter was 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, but the Wildcat’s ruggedness and tactics gave it an air combat kill-to-loss of 6 to 1 for the entire war.

The Wildcat served in many major battles during the war. Four Marine Corp 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. And land-based Wildcats played a major role during the Guadalcanal Campaign of 1942-43. Lt. Butch O’Hare became the U.S. Navy’s first fighter ace and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor

by President Roosevelt for shooting down five Mitsubishi twin-engine bombers attacking the USS Lexington carrier off Bougainville in 1942. Today, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is named in honor of him.

The museum’s FM-2 Wildcat was built in 1944 at the General Motors/ Eastern Aircraft plant in New Jersey. It was assigned to San Pedro, California and then moved on to serve in the Philippines. After that, the Wildcat was assigned to the Norfolk region as a training aircraft, and it was transferred to the small training field in Pungo, Virginia on July 3, 1945.

The airfield was located behind present-day Pungo Pizza on Princess Anne Road.

At the end of World War II, the aircraft was still stationed in Virginia, and it 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 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. Its folding wings are 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. The aircraft 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, restoring it to its original condition as when it first left the factory in 1944.

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1945 Goodyear FG-1D “Corsair”

Boeing P-26D “Peashooter”

Engine: Pratt & Whitney R2800-8W Horsepower: 2,250 hp Max Speed: 425 mph Range: 1,015 miles normal

2,100 miles w/ external

fuel tanks Ceiling: 37,000 ft.

Wing Span: 41 ft.

Armaments: 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

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 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.

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

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.

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter first flew in March 1932. It was a single seat pursuit fighter aircraft built at a difficult period of transition in aviation design. Many were skeptical of new advances in engineering, so to appease conservatives in the U.S. Army Air Corp, Boeing included several obsolete features that ended up hampering its development potential. For example, aviation experts of the time were doubtful about the value of retractable landing gear. They 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. Despite some of these challenges, 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.

Only two original Boeing P-26 Peashooter aircraft exist in the world today, both 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.

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 locate.

Six countries flew the Peashooter: the United States, Republic of China, Guatemala, Panama, Philippines, and Spain. The service history of the P-26

RE-ENACTORS The War Correspondent REENACTORS Association Begun more than a dozen years ago as a Yahoo Group, the War Correspondent Reenactors Association has grown to average more than 100 members from nearly a dozen countries worldwide. Although the organization uses the word “correspondent,” which includes reporters, writers, news staff, broadcasters and enlisted or commissioned Signal Corps personnel, the majority of member’s activity is in photography (and cinematography), often with a focus on combat photography. Members participate as living historians in various reenacting events using original equipment, cameras and processing. The focus of most members is on the WWII period, but the group also discusses and embraces other periods such as Korea and Viet Nam and even the pre-war period. On the East Coast, re-enacting events may see as many as 10-20 combat photographer and correspondent re-enactors traveling from as far away as Florida or Minnesota. Living history displays vary from simple encampments to fully functioning field processing laboratories or can display a wide variety of photographic equipment.

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1943 Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXe

Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:

Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 1,720 hp 404 mph 434 miles 42,500 ft 32 ft. 6 in.

2 x 20mm hispano cannons 2 x .50 cal Browning M2 machine guns up to 500 lbs. of bombs

The Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXe owned by the Military Aviation Museum was produced at the Castle Bromwich factory near Birmingham, England for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1943. It was part of the largest single contract for Spitfires. The aircraft was test flown by the factory’s chief test pilot, Alex Henshaw, 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, where it operated from the island of Corsica flying 95 bomber escort missions for the American forces over Northern Italy and in support of the invasion in Southern France.

After the fighting in Northern Italy, in October 1944, it was transferred to No. 32 Squadron RAF at Kolomaki, Greece, and Squadron Leader George Silvester (DFC) chose this Spitfire to be his personal aircraft. It was common for the squadron commander to put his initials on the side of the airplane, indicating that it was his personal airplane, and the ground crew asked the commanding officer what identifier he wanted applied to his personal airplane. When the CO completed his test flight of the aircraft, Corporal Graham Tylee, of No. 32 Squadron, 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 Tylee painted a large question mark where a code letter would normally be positioned. The CO was amused by this and said it could stay, and it was thenceforth known as “The CO’s Query.”

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The war ended with the aircraft flown by No. 249 Squadron RAF from Yugoslavia after the retreating German forces. After the war, it was sent to RAF Brindisi in Italy, and stored for almost a year before being sold to the Italian Air Force. The aircraft underwent a major overhaul and was accepted by the Italian Air Force at Centocelle Airport on the outskirts of Rome.

In 1951, it was among a group of Spitfires sold 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. The aircraft was decommissioned in June 1956 and was moved to a playground at a kibbutz in Kabri, near the border of Lebanon with the goal of sparking an interest in aviation from Israeli children. A photograph of the plane on the playground is hanging in the Army hangar.

The aircraft was found in the playground in a dilapidated condition in the early 1970s and transported to England in 1978. A firm in the south of England began the 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. It was purchased by a gentleman from Birmingham, England, and it spent the next ten years in the Midlands area flying at charity events and memorial functions.

The Military Aviation Museum inspected the aircraft and signed a contract to purchase it in May 1999 at the Duxford air show. The aircraft arrived at the Fighter Factory facilities in Suffolk, Virginia, in early 2000, the same day that Spitfire the hangar cat appeared at the hangar.

1943 Hawker Hurricane MKXII-B

The Hurricane first 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 they were flown by more than 15 countries. The Hurricanes fought alongside the Spitfires during the Battle of Britain and were responsible for destroying more enemy aircraft during this battle 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.

At that time, a long-term restoration project began, and the aircraft flew for the first time in May 1994.

In 2001, the Military Aviation Museum purchased the Hurricane, and it was returned to Canada in 2007 for restoration work which included a new

Engine: Packard Merlin 29 V12 Horsepower: 1,300 hp Max Speed: 330 mph Range: 486 miles Ceiling: 36,000 ft.

Wing Span: 40 ft.

Armaments: 12 x .303 in machine guns

paint scheme to replicate the aircraft flown by American John Haviland.

At age 19, Haviland volunteered for the RAF and flew with their forces during the Battle of Britain. During the battle, he experienced a mid-air collision but managed to land safely. Haviland was the only American-born pilot who flew in the Battle of Britain that went on to survive the end of the war. Following WWII, 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.

RE-ENACTORS Washington Area Collectors of Military Vehicles

Risk Management

The Washington Area Collectors of Military Vehicles/Blue and Gray Military Vehicle Trust is composed of members who privately own antique, restored military vehicles. Their purpose is to honor our veterans by preserving and displaying vehicles which made a significant contribution to the history of our country. The group continually supports local public, veteran and military sponsored events on a volunteer basis. These events include parades, veteran’s celebrations, public displays at local military installations, air shows and other similar events. The types of vehicles included in the club are jeeps, trucks, half-tracks, ambulances, motorcycles and some armored vehicles. These vehicles represent all periods of our history from WW2 to the present. The club has been in existence for over 35 years and has participated in numerous events in this area, the most significant of which was the dedication of the National World War Two Memorial in Washington D.C. in May 2004.

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Hawker Fury Mk I 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.

Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:

Rolls-Royce Kestrel IIS 525 hp 207 mph 305 miles 28,000 ft.

30 ft.

1 x .303 Vickers machine gun

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 our museum acquired the Fury in 2009 and had it shipped to America.

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's 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.

New!

Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 “Dora”

The Military Aviation Museum acquired its second Focke-Wulf Fw 190, a model D-9 Dora, in 2012. It was built by Flug Werks of Germany, the same company that built the museum’s Fw 190 A-8.

When the Luftwaffe started to fly the Fw 190s in August 1941, they quickly proved to be superior to the RAF Spitfire Mk V in all ways except turn radius and high altitude performance. When the RAF introduced the Spitfire Mk IX, it helped balance the air power between the RAF and Luftwaffe again, with the exception of the Fw 190s difficulties with high altitudes.

That’s when the Fw 190D was introduced. It featured a supercharged liquid-cooled Junkers Jumo 213A-1 engine. To keep the design as simple and as aerodynamic as possible, the Germans used an annular radiator installed at the front of the engine. The radiator includes adjustable cooling gills and a row of six short exhaust stacks on either side of the elongated engine cowling. Both the nose and tail of the aircraft were lengthened to accommodate the new engine and maintain balance and weight distribution.

After all of this, the Fw 190D still struggled with high altitudes, and its designer, Kurt Tank, said he intended the aircraft to serve as a stop-gap until the Ta 152 was available. Regardless, it was put into full production in August 1944 and entered service in September of that year with Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54). A total of 1,805 Fw 190D-9s were produced. The aircraft had excellent handling and performance as a medium altitude, high-speed interceptor.

The museum’s Dora is painted as “Black 12” of 10./JG54 flown by Leutnant Theo Nibel. On January 1, 1945, Lt. Nibel was participating in Operation Baseplate. He was flying with 64 Fw 190D-9s following Junkers Ju 88 guide aircraft to Grimbergen, Belgium. During the attack, he was forced to make a belly landing in a nearby field when a bird strike impacted the radiator. The

Engine: Junkers Jumo 213 A-1 Horsepower: 2,240 hp Max Speed: 426 mph Range: 520 miles Ceiling: 40,000 feet Wing Span: 34 ft. 5 in.

Armaments: 2 x 20mm cannons;

2 x 13mm machine guns British captured Nibel, and his aircraft was the first intact Fw 190D-9 to fall into Allied hands.

RE-ENACTORS Hochgebirgsjäger Battalion 4

The Dolls 5th Kompanie / Hochgebirgsjäger Battalion 4 isPaper one of the premiere mountain troop reenactment groups in the The Paper Dolls are a female re-enacting group founded in January 1999.

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

RE-ENACTORS 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), Picatinny 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.

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Yakovlev Yak-3

1945 TBM-3E “Avenger”

Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed Range:

Ceiling: Wing Span: Armament:

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.

The United States Navy began searching for a replacement for the Douglas Devastator in the late 1930s. 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. The aircraft was quite popular and Grumman could not meet demands causing it to contract 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-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 to destroy enemy U-boats. They were often accompanied by F4F Wildcat fighters. The fighters would strafe surfaced U-boats with gunfire forcing them to submerge, negating the U-boats large anti-aircraft guns. Once submerged, the Avengers would follow behind with Fido torpedoes that could detect, target, and destroy the submarine.

Aircraft carriers could carry many of these aircraft because of the small amount of space they occupied with folded wings. Sometimes, Jet Assisted Take-Off (JATO) engines were used allowing the aircraft to use short runways on ships and land. Many other countries used Avengers including Canada, Britain, France, and New Zealand.

The Military Aviation Museum’s 1945 TBM-3E Avenger (BuNo 53454) was first 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 to serve as a Pool aircraft.

Curtiss Wright R2600-20 1,900 hp 267 mph 1,130 miles w/ internal fuel 2,130 miles w/ all extra fuel tanks 31,000 ft.

52 ft. 2 in. - 19 ft. (wings folded) 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

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 returned to Texas where it was on display in Corpus Christi until 1992. It was sold in 1998 and underwent restoration work in East Troy, Wisconsin. After the mechanical restoration was completed, the aircraft was test flown in July 1999.

The current paint scheme represents the early anti-submarine markings of blue/gray upper surfaces and light gray undersides 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. That year, restoration work returned the rear gun turret to working condition. On January 10, 2010, the Avenger flew over the commissioning of USS George H. W. Bush (CN-77) in Norfolk, Virginia. Former President Bush received his Navy Wings of Gold before the age of 19. He flew a TBM Avenger with Torpedo Squadron 51 (VT-51) aboard the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) and was shot down by the Japanese.

From November 1946 through August 1948, it spent time at NAS San Diego, NAS Olathe at Olathe, Kansas and NAS Squantum in Boston, Massachusetts. In September 1950, it was transferred to NAS Norfolk, Virginia, where it remained for seven months until leaving for Miami in April 1951 with Anti-Submarine Squadron 22. It was deployed aboard the USS Palau (CVE-122), in February 1952 and 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. In September of that year, it was assigned to Advanced Training Unit 400 Anti-Submarine. It returned to NAS Corpus Christi in December 1953 and was eventually 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.

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1949 Douglas AD-4 “Skyraider” 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

Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Ceiling: Wing Span: Range:

Armaments:

Wright Cyclone R-3350-26WD 2800 hp 370 mph 27,500 ft.

50 ft.

1,386 nautical miles with external tanks 4 x 20mm cannons; up to 12,500 lbs. of ordnance with 17 attach points

In mid-1944, the U.S. Navy was looking for a replacement for its 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.

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 22

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.

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.

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 Corsair, the Hawker Hurricane, the FM-2 Wildcat, and the TBM Avenger.

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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 airliners 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.

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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 started 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.

Mike Spalding Ahoski, NC

Josh Wilson Norfolk, VA

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.

Wolfgang “Wolf” Czaia Whidbey Island, WA Wolf Czaia wanted to be a pilot since his early childhood in Germany. He started flying gliders in high school and joined the Luftwaffe in 1959.

After flight training in the US, he flew F-84Fs for two years before transitioning to the F-104. He remained with the Fighter Weapons School as an instructor until leaving the German Air Force for the United States in 1970. Working as an instructor and charter pilot, he joined AirCal (later American Airlines), and retired as a Boeing-757/767 check airman and FAA designee. Since 1988, he has flown civilian Starfighters in air shows and served as a test pilot and instructor at the USAF Test Pilots School at Edwards AFB and the International Test Pilots School at Cold Lake CFB. Since 1992, Wolf has been the test pilot for the Me 262 Project. He has authored a book on flight testing the Me 262, and can look back on more than 28,000 hours of flight time in more than 150 types of aircraft.

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 wary 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 restoration shops throughout the world to return them to a like-new condition, so they can continue their flying careers with the museum.

RE-ENACTORS

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 Baltimore-based captain for the airline. Kevin has been flying for the museum since 2010 and flies the SNJ Texan and other museum aircraft.

1st SS Division The 1st SS Division began as a small detachment for the personal protection of Adolf Hitler (Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler). It later transformed into an elite fighting force within the new Waffen SS. During WWII, this unit saw action on all fronts, with the exception of Africa. With competent veteran leaders, the unit became a fearsome opponent to any that it encountered. They were often used as “fire brigades” that moved from hotspot to hotspot, especially during fighting on the East Front. Later, when used within an SS Panzer Corps, they would spearhead offensives in France, Belgium, and the last in Hungary.

Finally in 1945, the remnants of the division surrendered to the Allies in Austria. This re-enactment group has members from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, as well as some Canadians. The unit has been together for eight years and participates in living histories and private tacticals up and down the East Coast throughout the year. www.1stlahrecon.com

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1944 Boeing B-17G “Flying Fortress” “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 group of paratroopers 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 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.

Engine: Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Horsepower: 2,000 hp each Max Weight: 48,000 lbs.

Max Speed: 269 mph Range: 2,950 miles Ceiling:

27,600 ft.

Wingspan: 108 ft.

Passengers: 62

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the U.S. Army Air Corps. It was placed into service in April 1938, and during WWII, B-17s dropped more bombs than any other U.S. aircraft. The Air Corps flew the B-17 in strategic bombing campaigns against German industrial and military targets and against Japanese shipping channels and airfields in the Pacific.

The earliest history of the museum’s B-17, 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 radar equipment, it could be used to develop blind flying procedures and equipment for BTO or “Bombing Through Overcast” operations. Typically, one Pathfinder B-17 would lead the formation of standard-equipped aircraft, and when the Pathfinder dropped its bombs, so did the others.

Military records have disappeared over the years, but it is believed that this B-17 was initially used for training or testing. The aircraft was never sent overseas during World War Two, and spent the war years in Ohio. While in Ohio, at Wright Army Air Field, this aircraft suffered two accidents. The first happened just two months after entering service on February 12, 1945. The B-17 was assigned to the Air Technical Services Command Engineering and Procurement Division, Flight Test Branch. While attempting to take 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 aircraft 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 second and third 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.

In September 1945, the aircraft was designated a TB-17G and stationed at Patterson Field, Ohio, with the All Weather Flying Center. While there, it is believed that the B-17 participated in low visibility landing research and testing. It 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

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Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:

4 x Wright R-1820-97 1,200 hp each 287 mph 3,750 miles w/ aux. tanks 35,600 ft.

103 ft. 9 in.

13 x .50 cal Browning M2 machine guns; up to 17,600 lbs. of bombs.

Corp. at Westchester Airport in New York, where it carried special research equipment.

The B-17 was eventually sent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona for storage until August 1959 when it was sold to the American Compressed Steel Corp. for $5,026. Once sold, it was assigned civil registration number of N3701G, the same number it wears today. In February 1961, it was sold again and was used to transport food between Florida and the Bahamas. It would leave Florida hauling fresh dairy products and return with cucumbers or other fresh vegetables. Locals dubbed it the “pickle bomber” and the B-17 was used for this unusual mission until 1963. At that time, 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.

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 the 486th Bomb Group B-17G. He named it Chuckie, after his wife Charlyn. Eventually, Dr. Hospers and his wife formed the Vintage Flying Museum around the B-17G. Dr. Hospers passed away in March 2010, and the B-17 joined the Military Aviation Museum in October 2010. Following a seven hour cross-country flight, it arrived in Virginia Beach on January 22, 2011.

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. Some of the first restoration projects included the addition of a chin turret and a ball turret. In late 2012, the Fighter Factory crew installed a new engine, overhauled its props and rebuilt parts of the landing gear. And this year, it was sent to Florida for the addition of an astro dome.

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1944 North American B-25J “Mitchell” 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

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.

The B-25 medium bomber was one of America’s most famous airplanes of World War II, seeing duty in every combat area. In addition to being flown

by American forces, it was flown by the British, Dutch, Chinese, Russians and Australians. The B-25 was first built by North American Aircraft Company in August 1940, with the first aircraft being accepted into service by the U.S. Army Air Corps in February 1941. By the end of the war, a total of 9,816 B-25s were built in California and Kansas in different modifications.

The B-25J Mitchell at the Military Aviation Museum, registered to the U.S. Army Air Corps as serial number 44-30129 (North American C/N 108-33414), was built in Kansas City, Kansas in late 1944. The aircraft was originally equipped with a dome in the nose and surveillance equipment in the fuselage.

Following World War Two, the surveillance equipment was removed, and it was converted into a training aircraft and re-designated a TB-25J. It was later modified into a TB-25K trainer. Norton Air Force Base, 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 inventory in 1958.

It was registered with a series of civilian owners over the years. The first was P. J. Murray, of 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 of La Mesa, California, who transferred

In January 1963, Arthur Jones of Skidell, Louisiana, purchased the B-25, “Wild Cargo,” and used it to fly exotic animals from Latin America to the United States. On one such flight into Lumpkin Field in Cincinnati, the bomber had 1,500 snakes aboard for the Cincinnati Zoo when 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.

The plane landed on its belly and afterward, the airport needed three days to round up most of the snakes. The owner never returned to claim the plane, and the local sheriff’s office eventually auctioned it off. 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 home in Newbury, Ohio. After almost three decades of sitting on his property, Soplata sold the plane to Vintage Aircraft, Inc. in December 1990.

The museum acquired the B-25 in October 1997, but the plane remained with Vintage Aircraft, Inc. 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's first flight since the landing gear accident in 1963, occurred 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 29, 2008.

Three companies are on-site at the air show offering rides. Stop by and see them just east of the museum building for details.

Commemorative Air Force Fly in the world’s only flying SB2C Helldiver–the last true dive bomber produced by the US Navy.

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Bay Aviation Take off in a Fairchild PT-19–one of the primary trainers used by the US Army Air Corp during WWII.

Texas Flight, LLC Soar in a 1943 T-6 Texan–an advanced trainer used during WWII and on into the 1950s.

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Messerschmitt Me 262

North American P-51D Mustang

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8

Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk

Focke-Wulf Fw 144J

Junkers Ju 52

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Dora

Grumman FM2 Wildcat

Goodyear FG-1D Corsair

Boeing P-26 Peashooter

North American B-25J Mitchell

Stearman PT-17 Kaydet

bücker Bü 133 jungmeister

Grumman TBM-3E Avenger

Douglass AD-4 Skyraider

PBY-5A Catalina

North American SNJ-2

North American SNJ-4

Supermarine Spitfire MK IXE

Hawker Hurricane MKXII-B

Hawker Fury MKI

de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth

de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk

de Havilland Dragon Rapide

Messerschmitt 108

Yakovlev Yak-3M

Polikarpov Po-2 Mule

Polikarpov I-153

Polikarpov I-15bis

Polikarpov I-16

N3N-3 Canary

North American T-28D Trojan

Beechcraft T-34B Mentor

Ryan PT-22 RECRUIT

TG-4A Training Glider

Fieseler FI-156 Storch “Stork”

de Havilland DH-98 Mosquito

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

The Beautifully Restored Aircraft of the Military Aviation Museum 30

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1943 PBY-5A “Catalina”

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, and it was loaned to the U.S. Coast Guard. While with the USCG, it was stationed in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Biloxi, Mississippi, and Miami, Florida. In January 1946, the PBY spent nearly a year undergoing a major overhaul and refurbishment at NAS Seattle, Washington and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It saw little flying time after that and was formally stricken from the Navy’s inventory in 1956 with 3,567 flying hours.

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

The Military Aviation Museum’s PBY-5A Catalina was built in San Diego for the U.S. Navy by Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft Company. It completed its acceptance flight in October 1943, was registered as Bureau of Aeronautics Number (BuNo) 48294 and 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, when it flew 19.2 hours non-stop to NAS Norfolk. Once in Norfolk, the aircraft was accepted by Headquarters Squadron (Hedron) 5-2.

Beginning 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

In 1961, the aircraft gained its civilian registration (N9521C) in Little Rock, Arkansas. The nose turret was removed and the side blisters were replaced with cargo doors and a new seat arrangement was installed. Following all the modifications, the aircraft received its civilian airworthiness certificate in December 1967.

The plane was sold to a company in Palmer, Alaska, in 1977 to ferry passengers to fishing sites throughout the state. In 1978, bulk liquid cargo tanks were installed, allowing it to haul as much as 1,500 gallons of fuel to remote parts of Alaska.

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 and the International Red Cross insignia and then sent to Milan, Italy in May 1995. While in Europe, it toured air shows before it was sold and ferried to South Africa in 1997.

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 Military Aviation Museum obtained it in late 2001. 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. The work was done in 2011 in Canada.

RE-ENACTORS Luftwaffe Aircrew Reenactors Association The Luftwaffe Aircrew Reenactors Association (LARA) is an international group of living historians who represent the flying branch of the German Armed Forces in WWII. Working in and around iconic combat aircraft as well as presenting displays at reenactments and air shows around the world, members of the LARA come from diverse and knowledgeable backgrounds. Some members own and maintain replica aircraft such the Fi156 Storch, Me109G and Ju87 StuKa. www.luftwaffereenactors.com

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Avro Lancaster Mk X

Curtiss SB2C “Helldiver”

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 SB2C Helldiver at this year’s Warbirds Over the Beach is visiting from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) in Houston, Texas. About 7,000 were built, but this is the only SB2C Helldiver flying today.

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 well-defended 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.

Production of the SB2C began in June 1942, and the aircraft first flew into combat in the campaign for Rabaul in November 1943. By the next year, the SB2C had replaced the SBD Dauntless as the Navy’s first line dive bomber.

Some crewmen found it difficult to handle, and they dubbed it “Big-Tailed Beast.” However, the Helldiver proved to be a formidable and highly versatile weapon delivering bombs and depth charges with pinpoint accuracy and strafing with cannon, rocket and machine gun fire.

Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:

Wright R-2600 Cyclone 1,900 hp 294 mph 1,200 miles 25,000 feet 49 ft. 9 in.

2 x 20mm cannons; 2 x .30 caliber machine guns, 3,000 lb of bombs

The CAF’s SB2C-5 served the Navy from July 1945-August 1948. Most of that time it served as a pool aircraft at various locations, primarily in California.

Its final assignment was with the pool at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas in April 1948.

It was removed from active service on August 31 of that year and declared surplus in October. After that, the Helldiver was used by an aeronautical school for several years and was procured by a California museum in May 1963. A CAF member purchased the aircraft from the museum and donated it to the CAF on December 20, 1971.

In 1982, the SB2C experienced engine failure, and after thousands of volunteer hours and an excess of $200,000, the members of the West Texas Wing watched it take to the skies in September 1988. Current colors and markings are those of the carrier U.S.S. Franklin CV-13.

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1943 North American SNJ-4

1942 Ryan PT-22 “Recruit”

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

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 singleengine training aircraft of all time.

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 African Air Force (SAAF) for pilot training. The SAAF also used the aircraft in the ground-attack role, particularly against SWAPO guerilla forces in southwest Africa and against Mozambique incursions across their frontiers.

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 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.

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

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: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Crew:

Kinner R 540 160 hp 125 mph 231 miles 15,400 ft.

30 ft.1 in.

Two

The Ryan PT-22, like many military trainers, is the military version of a successful civilian aircraft, the Ryan Model ST-3 series. It was the first monoplane primary trainer used by the U.S. Army Air Corps. All pilot training aircraft used before the PT-22 were biplanes. A large number of Ryans were exported prior to the U.S. entry into WWII, with the biggest customer being the military of Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). After the invasion of the NEI, Ryans were pressed into service, particularly in reconnaissance roles, and large numbers were shot down or destroyed on the ground.

1941 Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3 “Canary”

Engine: Wright R 760 Whirlwind Radial Horsepower: 235 hp Max Speed: 126 mph Range: 470 miles Ceiling: 15,200 ft.

Wing Span: 34 ft.0 in.

Crew: Two

name “Yellow Peril” with other trainers whose predominant color was high-visibility yellow. The N3N served as the last operational piston biplanes in U.S. military service when they flew on floats from the Severn River at the Annapolis Naval Academy until 1961.

The “Canary” was first flown in 1935 as the need for training aircraft became apparent to the U.S. Navy. It was built in the only aircraft factory ever owned by the U.S. government, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which first built American Zeppelins following World War One. The Canary was used as both a land and sea plane with removable floats. It shared the 36

The Military Aviation Museum’s N3N was built in Philadelphia in April 1941. It first served as a primary flight trainer at NAS Pensacola. In October 1943, the aircraft received its civilian registration. When the museum purchased the aircraft in 2007, documents indicated that it had not flown since the 1950s. Restoration work was completed in May 2011.

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1949 AT-28D “Trojan” Engine: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:

1956 Beechcraft T-34A “Mentor” Wright Cyclone R-1820-863 1,425 hp 343 mph 1,060 miles 35,500 feet 40 ft. 1 in.

2 x 7.62 mm machine guns

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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

RE-ENACTORS Virginia-Carolina Military History Association AND 116 Panzer 6 Kompanie The Va.-Carolina Military History Association was founded in 2009 and serves Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. This registered 501(c)(3) non-profit works to educate the public about military history.

Whilethey focus much of their efforts on World War II, they do have other areas in the association. They host several events and attend many events throughout the year as part of their mission At the air show this year, the Association is being represented by 116 Panzer, 6 Kompanie. They have been re-enacting since 2004 and are founding members of the Va.-Carolina Military History Association. It is part of Kampfgruppe Peddinghaus, a group of several German World War II re-enactment units. They have over 30 members spread across several states and attend about one event each month and are always looking for people who are interested in military history and would like to help educate us about this period of history.

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1940 De havilland dh-82a “Tiger moth”

1952 De Havilland DHC-1 “Chipmunk”

enhancements over the Gipsy Moth included a strengthened structure, fold-down doors on both sides of the cockpit, and a revised exhaust system.

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

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: Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span:

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.

de Havilland Gipsy Major 130 hp 109 mph 302 miles 13,600 ft.

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

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.

RE-ENACTORS

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.

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.

We are pleased to support the Military Aviation Museum and Warbirds Over the Beach

The Provisional Parachute Group The Provisional Parachute Group is a military historical group that is dedicated to honoring the American Airborne of World War II. The group is comprised of veteran re-enactors and living historians from central North Carolina.

kaufCAN.com

RE-ENACTORS 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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MAM PROPERTY

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.

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.

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

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.

In late fall 2012, the 1934 Cottbus hangar opened to the public at the northwest end of the museum property. The Military Aviation Museum obtained Hangar 6 in 2004 from the Cottbus Air Field in Cottbus, Germany, a small town southeast of Berlin. The hangar was disassembled and shipped to Virginia Beach, and in 2010, the Woodard Group began reassembling it at the museum.

Hangar 6, as well as the other hangars at the Cottbus Air Field, was designed by World War One fighter pilot Gotthard Sachsenberg. During the war, he shot down 31 Allied aircraft flying Fokker Eindekker monoplanes and Fokker D.VII biplanes. Following the war, he founded the company which designed these hangars. The museum has a Fokker D.VIII in

its WWI hangar painted in the bright yellow and black markings of Sachsenberg’s aircraft.

During reconstruction of the hangar, the crew found an inscription on one of the support beams of a person’s name and date, which is believed to have been written by a Polish forced laborer in October 1944. You can see this inscription and read the story inside the hangar.

Today, the hangar is home to our Luftwaffe aircraft, and during the air show, is “occupied” by the re-enactor group, Battle of Crete, May 1941.

This German paratrooper re-enactor group will be giving jump school training demonstrations on Saturday at 12:30pm and Sunday at 11:00am.

RE-ENACTORS

RE-ENACTORS 601 Squadron

RE-ENACTORS

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

Battle of Crete, May 1941 (German Paratroopers) The “Battle of Crete, May 1941” display educates public visitors on the very first large scale airborne invasion in history. On 20 May 1941, German airborne and air-landed troops launched a 10-day campaign that resulted in the capture of this strategic Mediterranean island. The location for this interactive display is inside the museum’s original Luftwaffe Cottbus Hangar, with the group focusing its attention on German airborne preparations the day before their famous airborne assault. The display area features authentically uniformed German paratroops, demonstrations of German airborne school training techniques, parachute packing training, equipment and weapons used by German paratroops in the Battle of Crete, and informational stations showing battlefield maps, opposing forces and historical context.

Be sure to visit their jump school training demonstration at 12:30pm Saturday and 11:00am Sunday!

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1944 de Havilland DH-89 “Dragon Rapide”

Engine: Two Gipsy Queen Engines Horsepower: 200 hp Max Speed: 160 mph Range: 556 miles Ceiling: 19,500 ft.

Wing Span: 48 feet Passengers: Six

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 Dragon Rapide Edward, Prince of Wales, became a pilot and flew in World War One. He continued flying following the war, and in 1935, he purchased a de Havilland DH-89 Dragon Rapide. Prince Edward had the aircraft painted in the Royal Guard’s red and blue colors and installed red leather seats which included the Prince of Wales’ feathered crest embossed on the back of each. He used the six-passenger aircraft for official trips to the numerous royal family homes. In fact, it is likely that American Socialite Wallis Simpson joined Prince Edward on getaways in the Dragon Rapide.

Edward became King Edward VIII on January 20, 1936, and he was the first English monarch to fly in an aircraft, when he travelled to London for his Accession Council. However, less than a year later on December 11, 1936, King Edward shocked the world when he abdicated the throne, so he could marry Simpson (the two were not able to marry while he was King because she was divorced). With his abdication, his brother Albert became King George VI, and Edward became the Duke of Windsor. During World War Two, he governed the Bahamas with Wallis by his side.

The Museum’s Dragon Rapide The museum’s de Havilland DH-89A Dragon Rapide was built for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1944 at Brush Coachworks Ltd. 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 44

any longer, but it is known that the aircraft was placed into storage with 5 Maintenance Unit in February 1947.

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 issued a Certificate of Airworthiness (no. 9919) 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. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Dragon Rapide changed hands many times and held registrations in England, Ireland and France. Its French registration was cancelled in November 1972.

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, and it was placed in Cotton’s museum in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. In October 1987, the Rapide was sold at auction 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 that lasted two years. It is painted in the royal colors of the King’s Guard. The aircraft’s interior also mimics the one owned by Prince Edward, including the feathered crest on the backs of the six passenger seats.

High Flight

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds — and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue, I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew.

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untresspassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God. –John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

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WWI Air Show Announced!

1936 Polikarpov Po-2 “Mule”

Join the Military Aviation Museum October 12-13 for the fourth annual Biplanes & Triplanes World War One Air Show. It’s our chance to celebrate the brave men who flew these delicate wood and fabric aeroplanes just a few years after the Wright Brothers took their first flight in nearby Kitty Hawk, NC. See beautiful reproduction aircraft representing England, France, Germany and other nations fly.

Engine:

Horsepower: Max Speed: Range: Ceiling: Wing Span: Armaments:

Each year, art by Russell Smith serves as the official air show artwork. This year, Russell’s custom piece is entitled Early Bird at Langley. It depicts a lone JN-4 Jenny coming in for a landing at Langley Field in 1918. Langley Air Force Base is one of the oldest continuously working air bases in the United States with its origins dating back to 1916.

psychological warfare. German troops called the plane the Nähmaschine or “sewing machine” due to the odd rattling noise made by the engine.

The plane was used very effectively by the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment, “Night Witches.” Their goal was to harass enemy ground units by bombing them at night and depriving them of sleep.

The museum owns a JN-4 Jenny, which is just ending its reconstruction phase in Argentina, South America. The JN-4 Jenny will arrive at themuseum later this summer and is scheduled to fly at Biplanes & Triplanes.

The Polikarpov Po-2 was a general-purpose Soviet aircraft. Originally named the U-2, it was designed by Nikolai Polikarpov to replace the U-1 trainer and Avro 504. Following his death in July 1944, it was renamed the Po-2 in his honor.

The Po-2 first flew in January 1938 and more than 40,000 were built between 1928 and 1953, making it the second most produced aircraft in aviation history. It was used in liaison, ground attack, observation, training and

Shvetsov M-11 5-cylinder air-cooled radial 125 hp 97 mph 249 miles 13,125 ft.

37 ft. 4 ¾ in.

1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine-gun

The museum’s Po-2 was found in a forest outside Vladivostok and restored in far eastern Russia. A handful of Po-2s are still flying today; some even with the original engine. The great numbers built and the long service time proves that this plane was truly excellent in its field. The name Mule seems extraordinarily appropriate for this little aircraft: undemanding, unglamorous, durable, efficient and forgiving. Yet at times, able to deliver a nasty kick!

Monday-Saturday 9:00am-6:00pm

739 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510 (757) 627-1018 StarkandLegum.net

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MAM PROPERTY

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

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.

In April 1942, the French company Morane-Saulnier, operating under German control, began to manufacture a number of German aircraft. In October 1943 when the Fieseler Werke company began building the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, production of the Storch was shifted to the Morane-Saulnier plant in the Paris suburb of Puteaux. At the same time, Leichtbau Budweis in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (better known as Czechoslovakia) also began building the Storch, and in 1944, another Czech firm, Benes-Mraz in Chozen, began building the plane under the name K-65 Cap. The Military Aviation Museum’s Storch entered into production in 1944, but was not fully finished until 1947. The fuselage bears a German data plate with the serial number 2631 dated 1944. Production of the Storch slowed from June 1944 through the end of the war, and this aircraft’s completion was disrupted by the end of the war and left to gather dust.

At the end of World War Two, the French kept a number of German designs in production to rebuild both its military and its aircraft industry.

Over 900 Fi 156s were ordered under their new designation, the Morane-Saulnier MS-500 Criquet. Construction began using the unfinished sections from earlier production. By then, Morane-Saulnier had made

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 the original air frame construction during the German occupation, and the second for the final production

by Morane-Saulnier. The factory completion date was May 23, 1947 and delivered to the military at Rouen in December 1947.

The newest construction project at the Military Aviation Museum is the reconstruction of the Goxhill Aerodrome Control Tower. This tower was part of the airfield when it opened in June 1941 as the No. 1 (Bomber Command) base. Between 1941 and 1945, the airfield was used by various bomber, towed target flight and fighter groups.

Between August 1942 and March 1945, the USAAF Eighth Air Force used the airfield as a fighter operational training base. The 52nd Fighter Group, along with others, was given theatre indoctrination at this base.

In December 1943, the 496th Fighter Training Group, comprised of P-51 Mustangs and Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, was based here. In January

1945, the base was transferred back to the RAF and used for training and maintenance until it was deactivated in 1953.

The actual control tower acquired by the museum is similar to other airfield buildings hastily built during the war. The two-story building was constructed of brick with a runway balcony and small rooftop tower. The tower was dismantled and its bricks were shipped to Virginia, where they are currently being cleaned and inspected. When construction is finished and the tower is opened to the public, it will be fitted with authentic RAF furnishings and equipment from World War Two. It is expected to be open to the public in 2014.

This aircraft was further modified into a photo-reconnaissance airplane in 1950-1951 with the addition of a vertically placed camera behind the pilot and a “parachute sender.” A parachute sender is a parachute release system to drop film canisters to awaiting ground intelligence personnel. The 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 United States. Today, the Storch is painted to represent DL+AW flown by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in his North African Campaigns.

RE-ENACTORS Hochgebirgsjäger Battalion 4 5th Kompanie/Hochgebirgsjäger Battalion 4 is one of the premiere mountain troop reenactment groups in the country. In 1942, the Independent High-Alpine Battalions were formed within the Gebirgsjäger organization.

They were skilled Alpinists who trained for operations in the highest mountain peaks. Battalions 1 and 2 fought during Operation Edelweiss in the Caucasus Mountains of Southern Russian. In 1943, Battalions 3 and 4 fought in Italy and the French Alps. Hochgebirgsjäger-Battalion 4 fought in Greece, in Italy at Monte Cassino and Monte Cairo and along the Gustav and Hitler-Senger Lines. In the French Alps in the Mont Blanc area, they fought at altitudes over 16,000 feet. www.gebirgsjaeger.4mg.com

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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 Two-era 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 E. Eaman 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. She has appeared at Warbirds Over the Beach since its inaugural year in 2009, and we welcome her back again for the 2013 event.

www.JazzDiva.net

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The Hampton Roads Metro Band, originally called the Norfolk Fire Division Firemen’s Band, was formed in the early 1930s by its first conductor, Pacific Romeo. After his death in 1970, he was succeeded by Hal Peterson. In 1981, the Norfolk Fire Department was no longer able to sponsor the band, and at this time, it adopted its present name, Hampton Roads Metro Band. Over the years, the Band’s membership grew and shrunk and grew again. Conductors included several notable retired military musicians and music educators. The current conductor, Dick Schroeder, assumed the post in 2005. Currently, there are over 45 members and the Band proudly continues to provide music for the citizens of Hampton Roads.

www.HRmetroband.org

The students from the Visual & Performing Arts Academy are making their debut this year at Warbirds Over the Beach.

“Inspiration, Creation, and Realization” are the themes of the Academy which offers curriculum to develop talent and interest in the arts. The students at the air show will be performing 1940s inspired radio skits creating live sound effects with props, commonly called Foley. Join them in the Navy hangar and watch a “live” radio performance take place.

www.VBschools.com/curriculum/ academyprog/vp_acad.asp

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 52

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MAY

JUNE

May 27 Memorial Day Flyover, 12:30-1:30pm Each year, the museum participates 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 1 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 1 Flying Proms, GaTes open at 3:00pm. Concert begins at 6:45pm.

The Military Aviation Museum and Virginia Arts Festival bring you Flying Proms for the third year. This show pairs the soaring sounds of the Virginia Symphony with breathtaking maneuvers of vintage aircraft, ending in a light-up-the-sky fireworks finale. Tickets are available at the museum gift shop or at www.VAFest.org.

June 10 NAS Oceana Tours Begin, 11:00am weekdays Monday–Friday June 10–August 30 (excluding July 4th). Visitors can tour NAS Oceana on board the museum’s doubledecker English bus. The tour leaves from the 24th Street Kiosk on Atlantic Avenue. Visit the kiosk for tickets.

JULY

SEPTEMBER

October

July 15-19, 9:00am  4:00pm daily

Ticket Includes Museum admission, no discounts at the gate Tickets at VAF Box Office, 440 Bank Street, (757) 282-2822, VAFest.org Groups Save: Adult Groups of 15+ Save 15%, call (757) 282-2819

October 3-6 WWI Radio-Controlled Planes “Mid Atlantic Dawn Patrol” Show See enthusiasts fly their RC aircraft across our field performing tricks the big ones can’t! Learn how to build, maintain, and operate these miniature aircraft.

October 26 Air & Auto Classic Have an interest in cars of a certain caliber? Then come to the Air & Auto Classic. Dozens of Porsches from throughout the years will be on display alongside our vintage aircraft.

During the week, children spend time at the Military Aviation Museum among one of the largest private collections of flying vintage and reproduction aircraft in the world. They will have the thrill of getting up close to World War I and World War II era fighters, bombers, trainers and seaplanes, while they learn everything about them and aviation in general.

$45 General Admission Seating, $35 Lawn; Students Under 25, $15 Lawn

September 28 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 12-13 Biplanes & Triplanes World War One Air Show 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 along with period entertainment and re-enactors.

The Military Aviation Museum is excited to hold its “Warbirds & Wings” Aviation Summer Day Camp for the third year. The 2013 camp dates are:

The curriculum includes lessons on the fundamentals of flight, as well as a brief history of flight from one of the museum’s pilots.

They will build and fly their own gliders and build a model airplane.

Kids will also learn the basics of rocketry 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.

July 15-19 Warbirds & Wings Aviation Summer Camp, 9:00am-4:00pm daily 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.

October 26 Wounded Warriors Plane Pull Get a group together and come out to raise funds for the Wounded Warriors organization. Groups test their strength pulling one of our aircraft across the tarmac for prizes and bragging rights. For more information or to register your group, watch the museum's website as fall approaches.

NOvember

Children will take field trips to the Virginia Air & Space Center and to the museum’s own Fighter Factory. At the Fighter Factory, they 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.

DECEMBER

The 5-day camp is for children ages 9-14, and the cost is $200 per child. To register your child, call 757-721-7767 or download the registration form at www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org.

ON-GOING

November 23 Runway 5K The Virginia Beach Runway 5K raises money for Untamed Spirit, a program designed to enhance and enrich the lives of individuals with special needs through a partnership with horses. Come join us among the historical aircraft and have a go at the 3.1 mile course (or half miler for the kids) on November 23rd.

November 29-December 1 Trains, Plains & Santa Claus The Military Aviation Museum, in association with The Tidewater Division of the National Model Railroad Association, hosts its annual model train show. Santa will fly in to see the little ones on Saturday and Sunday. See the museum website for more information as the date approaches.

Monthly Hangar Talk Series Saturdays at 11:00am Each month, the Military Aviation Museum invites veteran aviators to speak with you about their experiences with these amazing machines. Hear from pilots, bombers, navigators, and more. The lecture series is free with paid museum admission and weather permitting, demonstration flights are flown following the speakers’ presentations. Watch the Events Calendar on the museum’s website for details about upcoming speakers.

Visit www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org to learn more!

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BECOME A MUSEUM MEMBER!

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 501 (c)(3) Tax Deductible Foundation

www.FighterFactory.com www.VBairport.com www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org (757) 721-PROP 56

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