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Breckenridge Airshow 2017
By Nick Viggiano
Zero (Nick Viggiano)It was a long wait, but after 21 years, the return of the Breckenridge Airshow finally took place on Memorial Day Weekend! By all accounts the show was a huge crowd pleaser.
Breckenridge, a small west Texas town, (60 miles northeast of Abilene and 100 miles west of Ft. Worth) put on another great show. And just like the old days, first time attendees were amazed at the number of warbirds (70), the precision of the flying and the size of the crowds.
According to FaceBook posts, there were people attending the show from all over North America, and also Australia! I personally met people from South Bend, Indiana and Parker Colorado.
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.
The Sanders Legacy
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.
EAA Clears Confusion Over Training in Restricted Category Aircraft
Uncertainty surrounding flight training in restricted category aircraft, and potentially experimental exhibition aircraft, has been clarified following EAA efforts to reach out on behalf of those who own these unique aircraft and train pilots to fly them.
EAA received reports from specialty aircraft examiners of restricted category aircraft that the FAA was considering policy changes that would prohibit the aircraft from being used for initial type rating exams, recurrent proficiency exams, and other flights necessary to operate as pilot in command of the aircraft. The restrictions would have put owners in the awkward position of not being able to qualify pilots to fly their unique airplanes.
While aircraft in the restricted category are generally not associated with EAA members, such as agricultural and firefighting aircraft, any policy change could have an unintended effect on experimental exhibition category aircraft, including warbirds and unique vintage airplanes.
Military Aviation Museum
By A. Kevin Grantham and Stan Piet
The de Havilland Dragon Rapide. One of the museum’s crown jewels. This particular airplane was originally built in 1944 and is restored to resemble the aircraft that was ordered by the Prince of Whales in 1935. (A. Kevin Grantham)Virginia Beach, Va. is well known as one of the best places on the east coast to visit and enjoy the surf and sand of the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the home of Gerald “Jerry” Yagen’s Military Air Museum, which is quickly becoming a major attraction for the resort town.
The museum was established in 2005 and is located on the privately owned Virginia Beach Airport in Pungo, Va. It is only about a 15-minute drive from the shore to the museum. The first hint that something special is ahead is when the red and white water tower appears on the horizon. The museum’s 1930s era hangars come into site a few yards farther down Princess Anne road, and as you turn into the entrance you are instantly greeted by some wonderful dinosaur sculptures. This is not exactly something one would expect to see in a somewhat rural area of Virginia, or for that matter at an air museum. But seeing these colorful static creatures brought back fond memories of the roadside attractions that littered the United States during the post-World War II pre-interstate era. No doubt Yagen had that in mind when designing his Jurassic Park gallery.
Warbird Adventures, Inc. Exciting from the Ground Up!
(Cover Photo by Michael Jorgensen. Provided by Warbird Adventures, Inc)The idea behind Warbird Adventures, Inc. came to shape on a cocktail napkin back in 1997. Founders Graham Meise and Thom Richard decided to max out all their credit cards and buy a T-6.
By Jan. 7, 1998 the company had been formed and the first aircraft purchased in California. It took six days to bring it home to Zephyrhills, Florida after which extensive modification had to be done. Four months later, the proud owners sat on the ramp with a shiny T-6 waiting for people to come by.
The original plan was to barnstorm around the country, but they ended up in Kissimmee by accident and set up shop out of the Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum instead. The rest is history.
Restoration of Glacier Girl, Part 3
Reprinted by permission of the Arkansas Educational Television Network
In Flight USA has run the story of Glacier Girl in three parts. The first part, the history of Glacier Girl, ran in the May Issue. The second part covered The Recovery of Glacier Girl and ran in the June issue. Here we present the third part that tells the story of the Restoration of Glacier Girl. This story leads us to AirVenture, July 25-31, where Glacier Girl will be on display.
Glacier Girl during restoration in Roy Shoffner’s hangar in Middlesboro, Kentucky.Restoration of Glacier Girl began in January of 1993, after all shipments of aircraft parts from the dig were finally gathered together. The restoration was being done in Roy Shoffner’s (project financier) hangar in Middlesboro, Kentucky. Under supervision of Bob Cardin (project coordinator for the 1992 expedition) warbird specialists began their task by disassembling the massive center section. After initial deconstruction of the plane began, it was evident that damage was more extensive than what appeared on the surface. The more they took apart, the more damage they found. The plane had to be taken apart down to the smallest manageable pieces, making sure each piece was marked for later identification. Parts were then cleaned and checked for functionality to determine if it could be used again, repaired for use, or replaced entirely. Damaged parts served as templates for construction of replacements.
Mustang Day At Nut Tree Airport
By Jim Dunn
Representing the Navy fighter aircraft of World War II is Tom Camp’s General Motors built FM-2. Flown at the event by Brain Sanders, the FM-2 Wildcat was the final production version of the Grumman F4F that carried much of the fighting in some of the most difficult early days in the Pacific. (Jim Dunn)On Oct. 9, under a bright-blue California sky the Travis AFB Air Museum, in association with Solano County/Nut Tree Airport, held the second edition of Mustang Day. The event featured examples of both the famous World War II North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft and the Ford Motor Company’s popular “Pony” car, the Ford Mustang.
This year, there were a total of five P-51 Mustangs on the ramp for visitors to see close-up. These Mustangs included: Bob Button’s highly modified Reno air racer Voodoo; Ted Contri’s P-51D Rosalie; Terry Tarditi’s P-51D Comfortably Numb; Michael Coutches modified P-51D; and the Nut Tree-based P-51D Sparky, owned by Steve Seghetti.
Record-Setting Wings Over Wine Country
By Hayman Tam
The Chinese-designed Nanchang CJ-6 first flew in 1958. (Hayman Tam)More than 24,000 airshow fans helped to make this year’s Wings Over Wine Country Airshow the best one put together by the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) in Santa Rosa, Calif. This two-day show takes place at Charles Schulz - Sonoma County Airport (STS) and has been the museum’s major fundraiser for 14 years. The cloudy skies cleared and the temperature was perfect, just right to put in earplugs and sunscreen and enjoy the festivities.
The flying got off to a small-scale start with exhibition flights of radio-control planes by local modelers. One memorable creation was a flying doghouse complete with Snoopy perched on top, gunning for the Red Baron.