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Yanks Air Museum
Experience the Legacy of American Aircraft
The P-40 Warhawk. (Courtesy Yanks Air Museum)Imagine a time back in historical America, when adventurous men and women flew our legendary aircraft for fun, for show, for profit, to set new world records or to fight and defend our freedom at all costs. Come to Yanks and see the aircraft that turned the tides, and changed the fate of America’s history forever. Oh, and don’t forget, these aircraft can fly!
At Yanks Air Museum, in Chino, California, the desire to honor and preserve historical aircraft has held a prominent place in their legacy since 1972. Founded by Mr. and Mrs. Nichols, who began the search for these world-renowned aircraft, that now span more than a century and a wide variety of eras, wars, conflicts, and events. When you step into one of their hangars, you are instantly transported to another time. You’ll feel a sense of wonder and awe as you explore airpower and how it has changed the world.
Mid America Flight Museum 2016
By Nick Viggiano
Scott glover flying the P-51, Andrew Kiest flying the Beech 18 and Kelly Mohan flying the T-28. Matt Bongers was flying the photo plane SNJ-3. (Mid America Flight Museum)I started a new aviation journey about a year ago. Two friends who did not know each other (at the time) were pulling me to Mount Pleasant, Texas, and the Mid America Flight Museum. One longtime friend, Jason Bell, who lives in Mt. Pleasant, was finally bitten by the aviation bug and was pursuing his private ticket. The other, longtime friend, Erik Johnston, an aviation videographer, was volunteering and producing YouTube videos for the Mid America Flight Museum, based at the Mt. Pleasant airport.
Well, after a minimum of arm-twisting, one Saturday in February, I headed east from Dallas to visit my friend, Jason, and the Mid America Flight Museum.
After meeting up with and having lunch with Jason, we headed to the museum. As we drove onto the airport, in a hanger off in the distance, I spotted two gleaming three-blade props! Just the props were visible in the sunlight, and the rest of the aircraft was in the shadows.
I blurted out P-38! JB answered NO. As we got closer, I was dumbfounded! Now, I know my warbirds and military aircraft, but I am so-so with classic civilian aircraft. The aircraft turned out to be a rare bird. The Howard 250 is a post-war executive conversion of a Lockheed Loadstar and one of the only four built with tricycle-landing gear.
Crash Landing at Kimbolton, England – 1944 After a Bombing Raid Over Germany – in His Own Words
By Barbara Title
Byrd “Bert” Ryland in uniform. (Courtesy Barbara Title)“Our target that day was Hanover, Germany. Right after the bombs, we received three close hits that not only knocked out number four engine and caught number three engine on fire but also injured my co-pilot in the right leg, and my bombardier was also wounded in the upper leg. We went from 27,000 feet to approximately 5,000 feet in a spin. As we got it under control at 5,000 feet, the fire went out on number three, and we were able to feather it. By throwing out most of our equipment, we were able to maintain altitude across the North Sea. The crew took care of the wounded, and the co-pilot stayed in his seat to help me control the aircraft.
When the crew inspected the aircraft prior to trying to land my ball turret, gunner told me that the left main gear was partially hanging down and was holding on by hydraulic lines only. I couldn’t get any indication of gear condition, so the engineer tried to crank it down. It still didn’t come down, and I elected to land it in that condition, as I couldn’t have gone around after an approach and sure as hell didn’t want to bail out when I might have been able to save it. I made a good landing as far as it goes until I lost control of speed.
Tuskegee Airman Reflects on Time in Service
By Staff Sgt. Regina Edwards, 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
(This feature is part of the “Through Airmen’s Eyes” series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.)
Tuskegee aircrew was one of his best memories. (U.S. Air Force illustration/Staff. Sgt. Regina Edwards)“I’ve come a long way from picking cotton in the fields with my grandfather,” said retired Master Sgt. Leroy Mazell Smith, who has lived a life few could probably imagine.
He was born on an Arkansas bridge during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927; son of a logger and farmer, Smith grew up in Pine Bluff, Ark. His mother, who cared for him and his two siblings, left school at the age of 13.
He credits his upbringing to his grandfather whom Smith picked cotton with. He said his grandfather taught him the value of hard work and perseverance.
Smith graduated from high school in Fordyce, Ark., at the age of 16. While there, he attended preflight aeronautical classes, changing the course of his future.
Author George Leopold gives NASA Pioneer Gus Grissom His Due in Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom
By Mark Rhodes
Author George Leopold’s biography of Astronaut Gus Grisson, Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom (Purdue University Press) is a thoughtful and comprehensive attempt to not only tell the story of Grissom’s life but most notably put Grissom’s accomplishments in context and perspective as one of the original seven NASA astronauts. Grissom, who died tragically during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1, is a unique figure in NASA lore and history in that he was one of the few astronauts to not fully “tell his story” in the form of a memoir.
Mr. Leopold, who writes frequently about the space program, methodically traces the arc of Grissom’s rise from small town in Indiana to enlisting at the end of World War II as a teenager in the embryonic U.S. Air Force then studying engineering at Purdue before ultimately re-enlisting in Korea where he saw action in the skies (interestingly enough, unlike several of his future astronaut peers, Grissom never had an official kill, as he primarily functioned as a wingman). Post Korea, Grissom distinguished himself as one of the first rank of American test pilots at Edwards Air Force Base.
Everything changed in Grissom’s life in 1957 when Sputnik was launched into space throwing the Cold War into a very high gear overnight. Grissom competed with over 100 exceptional and accomplished candidates to be one of the “Mercury Seven” astronauts. This distinguished group of American test pilots was thrust into immediate celebrity status thanks to flattering, gushing profiles in Life Magazine. Grissom was particularly uncomfortable with this development, as the work the test pilots did was hardly public knowledge and was in many instances top secret. Grissom also didn’t possess a high degree of the natural swagger and charisma of his peers (particularly John Glenn who was preternaturally media savvy). Despite this, Grissom became the second American in space and was part of the first man-maneuvered space flight as one of the astronauts in the Gemini program.
Contrails: Our Vanishing Past
By Steve Weaver
The magnificent Supermarine Spitfire, just before the eventful flight. (Courtesy Steve Wesaver)I watched as the Spitfire, a veteran of the Battle of Britain, gently touched the sod of the country it had fought for some 70 odd years ago. The roll out was straight, and the track was true and the beautiful craft had slowed to almost a taxi pace when suddenly the left wing went down. The big fighter slewed and started to go over. It poised with the tail high in the air, just at the tipping point, where an inch further would send it onto its back, then it settled back on the right main gear and the left wing tip, the tail still high above the ground. There was a collective moan from the watching crowd, mine probably one of the loudest.
Above & Beyond: Boeing’s Centennial Traveling Exhibit
By Larry E. Nazimek
Entrance to Boeing’s “Above and Beyond” exhibit. As one walks through the entrance, the B & W Seaplane is the first thing they see. (Larry E. Nazimek)Boeing, whose headquarters is in Chicago, is celebrating its centennial, and their travelling exhibit, “Above & Beyond,” is making its rounds. We visited the exhibit as it opened in Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry.
Marcellus Rolle, of Boeing’s Centennial Anniversary Communications Office, explained, “Boeing does business worldwide, so there are actually three of these exhibits: one for the U. S., one for Europe, and one for Asia, in the appropriate languages. This one is in English, with Spanish subtitles.”
The first thing one sees as he enters the exhibit, is a ¼-scale model of the B & W Seaplane, named after its designers, William Boeing and U. S. Navy Lt. Conrad Westervelt. Made of wood, metal, and fabric, it was the first Boeing product. Its first flight was on June 15, 1916, and its maximum speed was 75 mph.
Memphis Belle Gets Her Instrument Panel, 2018 Display Date
By Ron Kaplan
Officials from the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force donated the pilot’s instrument panel from the Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force during a ceremony last month.
The Memphis Belle is one of the most famous aircraft in World War II history. In May 1943, it became the first U.S. Army Air Force’s heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe and return to the United States.
Several decades later, in Oct. 2005, the historic aircraft arrived at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, near Dayton, Ohio, where staff began a careful, multi-year conservation and restoration effort, including corrosion treatment, the full outfitting of missing equipment, and accurate markings, to bring the aircraft back to pristine condition.
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou Makes Top Secret Visit to Yanks Air Museum in Chino, Calif.
By Donia Moore
(Courtesy of Yanks Air Museum)Most people love surprises. The people at Yanks Air Museum in Chino, Calif. received a double whammy of a surprise when officials recently arranged a top-secret visit of Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou to the museum. A fan of aviation history and vintage aircraft, Ma came to meet with 92-year-old retired Lieutenant Colonel Harold Javitt, USAF. Javitt is a former member of the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force. Nicknamed the Flying Tigers, the group consisted of three squadrons with approximately 30 aircraft each. It was composed of pilots from the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), Navy (USN), and Marine Corps (USMC), recruited under presidential authority and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The fierce shark-faced nose art of the Flying Tigers remains one of the most recognizable images of any individual combat aircraft or combat unit of World War II. The Flying Tigers were responsible for defending China against Japanese forces during World War II. Javitt and his family members have been invited to participate in Taiwan’s military parade held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan.
365 Aircraft You Must Fly
Outlines the Bucket List for the Serious Aviator
By Mark Rhodes
The De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle was meant to enable “Fighting Soldiers from the Sky”A fun, educational, and definitely inspirational read, 365 Aircraft You Must Fly By Robert Dorr (Zenith Press) is well within the vein of “bucket list” works such as 1,001 Books/Movies/Places you must read/see/visit before you die. As one would expect, there is a lot of aviation exotica in this work, such as the 1909 French Bleriot XI of which two restored examples exist and are distinguished as the oldest flyable aircraft in the world at present. Also here is the De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle from the mid-50s, which was intended to be a kind of “personal helicopter” to be piloted by the everyday soldier on the front lines. A few were produced and even tested. Ultimately, they were considered too unreliable and unrealistic for real world military applications.
Mentor In a Poopy Suit
By Bert Botta
The USS Randolph (CVS-15) underway on February 27, 1962. (USN Photo)In June of 1957, with the ink still wet on my high school diploma, the U.S. Navy shipped me off to my first duty station, Barin Field, Alabama.
As part of the agreement I made with the Navy as a reserve sailor, I committed to serve two years active duty immediately upon graduation from high school.
One year later, after serving my time at “Bloody Barin” as it was known throughout the Pensacola Training Command because of the frequent aircraft accidents among cadet pilot trainees, I received orders to report to Antisubmarine Squadron VS39 in Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
After arriving at Quonset, I spent a few months finding my niche in the squadron and preparing for my first deployment to the north Atlantic with VS39 aboard the U.S.S. Randolph, an aircraft carrier based out of Norfolk, Virginia.
Women of the Wind
Author Phil Nussbaum is intereviewed by In Flight USA
Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
By Donia Moore
From Here to…
The Colonel and Betty Jo. (Courtesy of Don Kindred)On Dec. 5, 1941, Colonel Robert E. Thacker, or “The Colonel,” as friends and admirers know him, was ordered to fly a new B17 E bomber from Seattle to his home base in Salt Lake City. A pilot in the Army Air Corps, the El Centro native had flown many aircraft, but never in the pilot seat of a B17. His commanding officer brushed that aside. In addition, the navigator assigned to his crew was so recently graduated that he still wore his cadet uniform. He was younger and less experienced than the Colonel. They took off on a cold, crisp, star-studded night flight over the southwest to test their skills before heading to Salt Lake and ended up in Tucson overnight due to snowy weather conditions.
The top general in the Army, General George Marshall woke them unexpectedly the next morning. With no warning or explanation, he ordered them to attach themselves to a flying convoy of 13 other bombers headed to the Philippines via Hawaii. None of the planes were armed. The Colonel called Betty Jo, then his wife of nine months, to tell her of his change of orders. The crew didn’t even have time to pick up their cars or their laundry before they had to leave. Betty Jo and a girl friend drove all night through the deep snow of Donner Pass, from their home in Salt Lake City to Hamilton Field, 20 miles north of San Francisco. When the military wouldn’t let her on the base, she cried until they gave in. After dinner with him at the Officer’s Club, she watched him taxi out to the runway, not knowing when she would see him again. He flashed his landing lights at her during takeoff to say goodbye.
Contrails: The Epiphany
By Steve Weaver
It must seem to newcomers in our world of aviation that the pilots who were flying back in “the day,” must be conspiring to weave a universal tall tale about how aviation was in the old days. Then they take turns telling the tale while the rest of the codgers nod in solemn assent.
In these times of six and seven dollar avgas and single engine piston aircraft pushing three quarters of a million dollars, it’s hard to visualize a world of 40 cent fuel and affordable airplanes, which the factories were pumping out like popcorn. Imagine a time when we had the freedom to fly just about anywhere in almost anything and when almost anyone who was working could afford an airplane of some kind.
To those of us who lived and flew during those halcyon days, it seemed normal at the time because we hadn’t known anything else. Most of us thought that it would continue this way always and that was just the way it was supposed to be. It also seemed to us, to me anyway, that aviation was probably about the same in every progressive country. I had no clue what an oasis of aeronautical privilege we were living in.
The Man, The Myth and The Legend: Author John F. Ross’s new book on Eddie Rickenbacker Celebrates the Life and Times of America’s First Aviation Hero
By Mark Rhodes
Eddie Rickenbacker’s natural charisma helped forge the public image of military aviation as a glamorous, albeit risky profession. (National Archives)Eddie Rickenbacker is a major figure in U.S. Military History, becoming America’s first flying Ace in World War I and subsequent Medal of Honor winner. After the war, his work as a businessman and aviation advocate with Eastern Airlines helped pave the way for sustainable, safe and reliable commercial aviation in post World War II America. Add to this his dashing exploits as an early pioneer of auto racing and his many escapes from death (the publicity material for Enduring Courage lists eight separate incidents, including a horrific Pacific Ocean crash where he and several others were stranded on rafts for 24 days in 1942) and you have a great example of American Heroism taken to the nth degree.
Despite this, Eddie Rickenbacker, while not an obscure figure is not exactly the household name he was in the first half of the 20th century. John F. Ross’ brilliant new biography Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed (St. Martin’s Press) is a welcome corrective to this, placing Rickenbacker’s contributions in a variety of fields in proper context in 20th century American history. Mr. Ross paints a picture of a tough-as-nails, complex man whose quick thinking, physical skills, hard edged charisma and instinct for survival helped make him one of America’s most influential and admired men of the first half of the 20th century. Mr. Ross was nice enough to correspond via email about his work and the man, the myth and the legend of Eddie Rickenbacker.
Where American Legends Live On: Yanks Air Museum Welcomes AOPA to Chino, California
By Donia Moore
Setting the Stage
Imagine a younger America where patriotism was the order of the day and dashing heroes boldly flew legendary aircraft, fighting wars to defend American ideals of freedom at all costs. Envisage new and unconventional aircraft turning the tides of history forever. Discover more than 200 fully restored proud American legends of yesterday living on at world-class Yanks Air Museum in Chino, Calif.
A Stellar Trio
The “sister” ship of the famous “Ryan N.Y.P.” Spirit of Saint Louis, piloted by Charles “Lucky” Lindberg. The aircraft is made of welded chrome-moly steel tubing, solid spruce spars and covered with fabric (Yanks Air Museum) The lanky, quiet young U.S. mail-carrier ambled out to the airstrip and climbed into his Ryan B-1 Brougham. On May 20-21, 1927, this former barnstormer/wingwalker wasn’t flying his regular route. He was on his way to accomplish the first solo non-stop New York to Paris flight. He caught the imagination of the world. The popularity of his five-seat passenger transport sky-rocketed. Demand was so high among aviators that production of the B-1shot up to three planes a week for a price of $9,700.00 per plane. Only 142 of these were eventually built. Today, the only flyable Ryan B-1 in the world, the “sister” ship to Charles “Lucky” Lindberg’s “Spirit of St. Louis,” is at Yanks Air Museum in Chino, Calif.
An Early Trip to Texas and a Unique Grass Seeding System
By Charlie Briggs
The year was 1946. The plane was small. The hour was early. The weather was good. The destination was Seminole, Texas. For me this was like going to another country. I looked it up on the map. It was 420 air miles. Going another direction we could have been going to Denver or Kansas City!
My father’s plane was a new Luscombe 8E. All metal and sturdy, it boasted a continental engine that purred along at a neat 100 miles per hour from the efforts of the 85 horses stored in the four dependable cylinders up front. No big appetite for fuel either, and using a miserly four gallons per hour at less than 30 cents per gallon, it was a real bargain in transportation.
The pre-flight was quite simple and took all of about five minutes. Check the controls, drain the sump, check the oil, make sure no owls made a nest under the cowl, and it basically was time to get cranking.
Historic Flight Foundation At Kilo-7 Offers Collection Of Important Aircraft Produced Between 1927 And 1957
In Flight USA thanks the Historic Flight Foundation and HFF volunteer Liz Matzelle for the use of our cover photo. The Foundation website is www.historicflight.org.Historic Flight’s mission goes beyond serving as trustees of an era. They want you to experience the roar of their F8F “Wampus Cat” taking off; Watch engineers at work restoring the aircraft to flying condition; Share the rush of viewing international treasures from all angles.
Whether you’re an experienced aviator, a student of history, or a newcomer to aviation, Historic Flight will spark and fuel your passion. Sited at the southwest corner of Paine Field, Wash., Kilo-7 offers a journey into the energy, hard work, and passion that fueled aviation from 1927 through 1957. Like the aircraft in their collection, the hangars at Kilo-7 are designed to reflect beauty, durability, and honestly expressed materials.
Every aircraft in their collection has a unique “backstory.” Some are packed with drama, some simply offer prime examples of the roles aviation played during 1927–1957— and fun facts about the people and events that make up the aviation world. Dig into to collection, learn more, and come back soon for new stories! The collection includes the following and their stories can be found on the organization’s website: http://historicflight.org/hf/collection/ The collection includes Waco Upf-7, North American P-51b, Mustang, Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Ixe, Grumman F8f Bearcat, Canadair T-33 Silverstar, Beechcraft, Staggerwing D-17s, North American B-25d Mitchell, and Grumman F7f Tigercat.
Contrails: Yesterday’s Treasures
By Steve Weaver
Beacon tower at U.S. Air Mail field at North Platte, Nebraska. (National Air and Space Museum Archives)If you’ve ever flown into the Elkins, West Virginia Airport (EKN) on a clear night you may have noticed during your approach to the airport that the rotating beacon became visible much sooner than you might expect. And if you stopped to consider that the airport is tucked into a broad valley guarded to the east and west by fifteen hundred foot ridges of the Appalachian Mountains, you might have wondered how you could see the beacon at all. The answer of course is that a beacon is located near the airport, but at the very top of the eastern mountain ridge. That in itself isn’t so unusual, but I find the origin of that beacon to be very interesting.
Aviation history has always had a great fascination for me. I love reading about it, and examining preserved items in aviation museums across the country is one of my favorite things to do. However, the thing that really fires my imagination is stumbling across the bits and pieces of yesterday’s aviation that still exist outside of museums.
Joseph Flint's Rescue From Innocence
A combination of aviation thrills, ripped from the headlines intrigue and romance make for a satisfactory late summer beach read.
By S. Mark Rhodes
Author Joseph Flint is one of the most experienced flight test engineers in the world. He has tested all variety of aircraft and has now added ‘author’ to his impressive resume. (Courtesy of Joseph Flint)Joseph Flint is one of the most experienced flight test engineers in the world with more than 30 years experience testing and flying experimental aircraft all over the globe. He has tested all variety of aircraft including the Chinook, Apache, as well as the Boeing 737, 777, 787 and 747. To this impressive resume Mr. Flint has just added author with the recent publication of Rescue From Innocence (Xlibris Corp.), which was inspired by Mr. Flint’s own experiences working within the realm of global politics more than two decades ago. The book reads as a satisfying thriller with some welcome romance and soap opera elements (as well as a charismatic protagonist named Walter Judge) thrown in for good measure, Mr. Flint was nice enough to check in with In Flight’s Mark Rhodes about his colorful and accomplished life and his recently published book.