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In Flight USA Articles
News from the CAF Nevada Wing
By Joe Gonzalez
The Stinson AT-19 in WWII. (Courtesy of Joe Gonzalez)In an airplane hangar north of Las Vegas, a rare Stinson AT-19 Reliant has been undergoing restoration by the Nevada Wing, one of the smallest units in the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). After 11 years of painstaking work, the Nevada Wings is now on the threshold of returning this aircraft back to the skies where it belongs–but we need your help. With donations totaling just $15,000, this airplane can be back in flying condition–and back to honoring the men and women who built, flew, and maintained this aircraft in World War II. Will you help make this possible by making a gift today?
Sentimental Journey: A Living Legend
By Paul Tannahill
Emitting a belch of white smoke, the number three engine of Sentimental Journey slowly comes to life. With a cost of over $2000 an hour (and climbing) to operate, continued public support and donations are imperative to keeping this important piece of history alive. (Paul Tannahill) Smoke wafts through the fuselage catching in the light that streams through the windows as one by one each of the Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone engines belches to life before settling down to a smooth rumble. Crewmember Robert Morril watches intently as each one turns over, looking for any signs of an issue. There are none. Slowly taxiing to the runway, the breaks emit a low groan as they work. Run up on an aircraft of this type takes a bit of time, but eventually we creep out to the runway centerline. With a steady surge of power and a roar like thunder the aircraft trundles down the runway.
As we lift from the ground I glance towards Robert and though he has done this countless times before, a wide grin stretches from ear to ear. I’m sure I look about the same. Undoubtedly, our reaction to the experience is quite the opposite of the feelings of the thousands of Flying Fortress crews as they took off to fly into the deadly unknown of the skies above Europe so many years ago. They are the brave individuals who truly made this glorious aircraft the icon it is today.
Wathen Center Educates for the Future
By David Gustafson
The Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy hosts middle and high school students.Recognizing that a million professional pilots and A&P mechanics are going to be needed over the next 20 years, the Wathen Center, which is headquartered at historic Flabob Airport in Riverside, Calif. has initiated planning to train young men and women for those professions. The Center already has a successful middle and high school program on its grounds and is moving rapidly to establish the A&P program, while upgrading its flight training operations.
The Boeing Bee
By Paul Tannahill
Since restoration began on the aircraft in 1991, the Museum of Flights rare B-17F “Boeing Bee,” has been for the most part, inaccessible to the general public, largely viewable only by special appointment. (Paul Tannahill)One of the most iconic aircraft of WWII is the B-17. And nowhere is this sentiment more true than in the birthplace of Boeing, Seattle, Wash. After years hidden from public view, the Museum of Flight’s rare B-17F Boeing Bee has emerged from the shadows and has gone on display following an intensive restoration by museum volunteers.
Constructed by the Boeing Airplane Company in their Plant II facility at Boeing Field in Seattle, Wash., B-17F-70-BO s/n 42-29782, was accepted by the Army Air Force on Feb. 13, 1943. The aircraft was immediately flown to a modification center operated by United Airlines at Cheyenne, Wyo.