The Wings Over Wairarapa 2013 air show in Masterton, New Zealand featured many spectacular flying displays but something really cool about this show was being able to see many World War One era wooden framed, fabric covered biplane and triplane aircraft take flight. The Knights of the Sky return!

Dawn Patrol! Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a’s

The Vintage Aviator who are based at Hood Aerodrome in Masterton provided the World War One era aircraft for the air show (when the winds allowed them to fly). They maintain and operate all of the aircraft on behalf of the 1914-18 Aviation Heritage Trust which has a major benefactor in Peter Jackson the famous New Zealand movie maker.

Sopwith excellence the Camel & Triplane

Vintage Aviator Lineup

Fokker DR.I’s the German Triplane

The Vintage Aviator do not just produce and display replica aircraft (made to look like originals), they also build reproduction aircraft following the original plans and building techniques while using as many original parts as possible (especially engines). “Our primary aim is to build WW1 aircraft, engines and propellers to the same exacting standards they were originally made over 90 years ago”.

Airco DH.5

Note the unusual “back-stagger” positioning of the wings to provide improved forward visibility

Nieuport XI “Bebe” scout

Nieuport XI “Bebe” in Italian markings and colour scheme

Sopwith Triplane

Sopwith Triplane

The Vintage Aviator collection also amazingly includes actual original aircraft from World War One which still fly! These aircraft are an Avro 504K, Bristol F2.B Fighter and a Royal Aircraft Factory Be.2F (the latter was the only one to fly at this show).

Bristol F2.B Fighter – one of the best British WW1 aircraft and operated from 1916 until 1930!

Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2F (WW1 Original)

Even moving the BE.2F  was done the old way!

Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2F (WW1 original)

Along with their original and reproduction aircraft The Vintage Aviator collection includes some famous replica aircraft used in the 1966 movie The Blue Max starring George Peppard. These are a Pfalz D.III and Fokker D.VII which were built by US companies for movie.

Pfalz D.III from The Blue Max

Pfalz D.III

Pfalz D.III

Scout vs Scout – Nieuport XI and Pfalz D.III dogfight

Fokker D.VII from The Blue Max

Sopwith Camel vs Fokker D.VII

Fokker D.VII not doing so well in the dogfight

New Zealand is the only place in the world where you can see so many aircraft from this era not only take flight but recreate the dogfights between the scouts, light bombers and reconnaissance aircraft of the British Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service along with their allies in the Australian Flying Corps and Italian Air Service (Servizio Aeronautico) up against the Imperial German Air Service Jagdstaffeln (hunting squadron) scouts. Imagine seeing a Sopwith Camel and Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a scouts up against the triplane Fokker DR.I’s of the Flying Circus. It’s great fun and something really different from your average air show!

Royal Flying Corps up against the Imperial German Flying Circus

Sopwith Camel

Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a – one of the best British scout aircraft of WW1

Sopwith Camel and SE.5a’s

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a’s

Fokker DR.I taxiing for takeoff

Fokker Dr.I

Fokker DR.I with the diversity of colours the Flying Circus were famous for

World War One aviation comes to life at Wings Over Wairarapa 2013

Fokker Dr.I

Royal Flying Corps SE.5a formation

SE.5a scouts

Apart from air shows and special flying days you can see many of these aircraft on a regular basis at The Old Stick and Rudder Co. museum hangar also at Hood Aerodrome. They run regular tours in the hangar but it was only open for general viewing during the Wings Over Wairarapa air show.

Albatros D.VA

Albatros D.VA

Albatros D.VA

Royal Aircraft Factory Re.8

Royal Aircraft Factory Fe.2B

Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2C

In addition down on the South Island of New Zealand in Blenheim is the excellent Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre which is managed by the 1914-18 Aviation Heritage Trust and has fantastic static scene displays of World War One aircraft (originals and replicas) in action along with artifacts and memorabilia from “The Great War“. I visited Omaka in 2009 and it is not to be missed! They also run an excellent biannual air show there called Classic Fighters Omaka which I went to that same year and saw the original era Avro 504K and Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2F fly.

The Avalon Air Show is a bi-annual event held at Avalon Airport in Victoria, Australia. I have been to all 11 of these shows to date (1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013) and as it is the only major international air event in Australia it always draws big crowds and some spectacular aerial displays. This years show was dominated by the presence of the USAF Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor demo team, the RAAF Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets (“Rhino“) and an incredible variety of aerobatic performances!

RAAF Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet

USAF Boeing B-52H Stratofortress

USAF F-16 & F-22 Fighters

RAAF P-3 Orion

RAAF P-3 Orion

“Otto” the Schweitzer Helicopter doing some novelty flying

RAAF F/A-18F “Rhino” Super Hornet

RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet “Rhino”

“Tinstix of Dynamite”

“Tinstix of Dynamite”

“Tinstix of Dynamite”

“Tinstix of Dynamite”

“Tinstix of Dynamite”

“Tinstix of Dynamite”

Salto Jet Glider

British aerobatic champion Mark Jefferies flying a Extra 330LX

USAF F-16 prepares for takeoff

The F-16 takes off with afterburner

F-16 Landing

Classic jet fighters and warbirds were not forgotten in the air displays. Many of the former fighters of the RAAF flew throughout the day.

CAC Sabre

RAAF history – Gloster Meteor, CAC Sabre & CAC Boomerang

CAC Boomerang

Gloster Meteor – RAAF Korean war era jet fighter

CAC Sabre

CAC Sabre landing

The Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk was the fighting workhorse of the RAAF in WW2

“Black Cat” PBY Catalina

The only flying Lockheed Hudson bomber left in the world today

Matt Hall, “Australia’s own Top Gun” performed an impressive aerobatic display. He is a former fighter pilot and Red Bull racer. He has flown over 200 aircraft including those flown by the RAAF and USAF.

Australias own “Top Gun” Matt Hall in his MXR-S

Australias own “Top Gun” Matt Hall in his MXR-S

The USAF Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air dominance fighter was described by the demo team announcer as a “first look, first shoot, first kill” aircraft. “Bring the Freedom Thunder“!

F-22 Raptor warming up

The Raptor takes off with the afterburner blazing

The Raptor concealed weapons bays

The lines of the Raptor are something to behold

Awesome machine!

The Raptor lands after an impressive display

The Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes display team are always a great hit at air shows around the country. They fly their Pilatus PC-9 turbo-prop trainers with great precision.

RAAF Roulettes open their display

The Roulettes fly over a Super Constellation

Roulettes 7 joins the rest of the team

Roulettes head on

Another training aircraft of the RAAF is the BAE Hawk 127 lead in fighter trainer. This nimble little jet put on an impressive display!

The Hawk prepares for takeoff

The Hawk takes flight

The Hawk displaying its landing parachute used to slow it down

The RAAF transport fleet were also busy during the show with a static display of the newest aircraft on the RAAF inventory the Airbus KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT that is equipped with both drogue and boom refuelling mechanisms) and flying displays by the newest Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and Lockheed C-130J Hercules. A now retired but revered aircraft in RAAF service the De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou also graced our skies once again.

The new RAAF Airbus KC-30A MRTT

RAAF KC-30 MRTT

The Globemaster III prepares for takeoff

the RAAF’s newest C-17 Globemaster III takes to the air after a very short distance

RAAF C-17 Globemaster III

RAAF Lockheed C-130J Hercules

DHC-4 Caribou

DHC-4 Caribou

The Caribou has been in use for 45 years and only retired from RAAF service in 2009! It is now operated by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society who also operate the spectacular Lockheed Super Constellation “Connie” (the first large prop driven airliner) which was rescued from the Arizona desert a few years back, restored and returned to the air!

Super Constellation “Connie”

“Connie” makes an impressive sight in the air and takes you back to to the golden age of passenger flights

Although they are a mainstay in European air shows Breitling aircraft are a rarity down under, so it was a welcome addition to Avalon 2013 to see a bit of old school barnstorming with the Breitling Wing Walkers! Although the strong cross winds meant their aircraft could not fly in formation, these daredevil ladies brought some glamour to the air show and created a lot of interest in the crowd too!

Breitling Wingwalkers

Breitling Wingwalkers

Breitling Wingwalkers

Breitling Wingwalkers

The ladies of the Breitling Wingwalkers team

A unique display by the Royal Australian Air Force of some formation flying in the new Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet (“Rhino“) and then a ground attack demo was a fantastic finale to the air show. This was the first time I had ever seen the Super Hornet flown in formation with other Super Hornets. Great stuff!

Super Hornets heading for take off

Super Hornet away!

More RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornets preparing for take off

Great flypast by the RAAF Super Hornets

“Dirty Pass”

Diamond formation

Diamond Pass

Touch Down

There was something for everyone at Avalon this year and with sunny blue skies it was a fantastic day (although on the Saturday that I attended strong cross winds unfortunately prevented the Supermarine Spitfire and CAC P-51D Mustang from flying). The air show organisers also announced some great news that at least 5 more air shows have been guaranteed by the Victorian state government. Bring on Avalon 2015!

After I wrote my blog on the 2012 Nhill Fly In I was invited by John Deckert a member of the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre to visit the workshops in Nhill (in country Victoria, Australia) where the various projects associated with their restoration of a World War Two era British designed Avro Anson Mk.I twin-engined maritime patrol, air crew training and liaison aircraft are taking place. This particular Avro Anson was built in 1941 and recovered as a virtual wreck from a Wimmera farm in 2009.

RAAF Avro Anson’s in 1938

The Nhill Avro Anson under restoration

BACKGROUND & HISTORY

The Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre will build a new museum to house the Avro Anson along with the associated memorabilia they have collected at the Nhill Aerodrome, a former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) training air base in World War Two. The base operated from 1941-1946 predominately flying the Anson to conduct air navigation and armaments training including bombing training which was completed over the nearby Little Desert (became a National Park in 1968). They will also utilise the surviving buildings at the aerodrome from that era to display the aviation heritage of the Wimmera region and pay tribute to the air force personnel who trained there. It is hoped the museum will be able to display the fully restored Anson in approximately 3 years time.

An RAAF Avro Anson over Nhill during World War Two (source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

RAAF Nhill 1945 (source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

Nhill Aerodrome 1942 (Source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

World War Two history remains at the Nhill Aerodrome today

The Avro Anson known as “Faithful Annie” was an integral training aircraft for pilots, observers and navigators in the Empire Air Training Scheme that operated in many Commonwealth countries including Britain, Canada and Australia during World War Two. The Anson was in production from 1935 to 1952 and over 11,000 were built. 1,028 were operated by the RAAF (the first were delivered in 1936 and 937 were delivered between 1940-1944) making it the most prolific aircraft type in the RAAF (the last one was retired in 1955). They were primarily used by the RAAF for training purposes with some operating in a maritime patrol capacity looking for Japanese submarines and escorting convoys during World War Two.

Ansons flying over RAAF Laverton in 1938 (source: RAAF)

An unusual mid-air collision of two RAAF Avro Anson aircraft from No. 2 Service Flying Training School (Wagga Wagga) on September 29th, 1940 near Brocklesby, NSW (source: Australian War Memorial)

A different view of the “Brocklesby Incident” in 1940 – amazingly the crews of both aircraft were not seriously injured – they all bailed out except for the pilot of the top aircraft who crashlanded the locked together aircraft using the flying controls of his Anson but the power of the engines of the lower Anson (photo source: Ian Rose collection)

The Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre have traced the operational history of their Avro Anson Mk.I (serial number W2364) that was built in Britain by A.V. Roe and Company and delivered directly to the RAAF in 1941 as follows (with some additional information I have sourced on the applicable squadrons):

July 27th, 1941 - Allocated to No. 1 Aircraft Depot at Laverton, Victoria.

December 6th, 1941 – Transferred to No. 6 Service Flying Training School in Mallala, South Australia (a gun turret was fitted later that month). 6 SFTS was a flight school to further enhance the skills of aircrew who had completed elementary flight training before they were transferred to a specialist school for more complex training and then on to operational squadrons.

August 4th, 1942 – Transferred to No. 100 Squadron (formed in 1942), a torpedo-bomber squadron then based in Port Moresby,  New Guinea. The squadron mostly operated Bristol Beaufort bombers against the Japanese. The aircraft later transferred to No.67 Squadron (formed in January, 1943) on maritime-patrol duties. The squadron was initially based in Laverton, Victoria but operated from different bases in Victoria and New South Wales during the war.

Adjusting the air to surface vessel radar apparatus of a No.67 Squadron Anson at RAAF Laverton in 1945 (source: Australian War Memorial)

No.67 Squadron Anson’s at RAAF Laverton 1945

October 18th, 1944 – Sent to Guinea Airways for what I gather was a major service overhaul (the company conducted aircraft repair work and maintenance on behalf of the RAAF during World War Two). Guinea Airways was a South Australian airline formed in 1926 that originally operated in New Guinea to service gold fields but with the Japanese invasion there in 1942 they began providing air transport and passenger services on the Adelaide to Darwin route in Australia.

Avro Anson A4-32 undergoing a major service at Guinea Airways in 1945 (source: State Library of South Australia)

April 2nd, 1945 – Returned to No. 6 Service Flying Training School at Mallala which in January 1946 became Care & Maintenance Unit Mallala.

December 23rd, 1946 – Transferred to the RAAF Air & Ground Radio School in Ballarat, Victoria (renamed the School of Radio from 1952) where the Anson would have been used as an instructional airframe.

April 24th, 1953 - Put up for sale, Anson W2364 then ended it’s 12 year career in the RAAF. 

After 1953 Anson W2364 was not placed on the Civil Aviation Register and did not take to the air again. The airframe is known to have changed hands a few times after its sale by the RAAF and was basically used for scrap parts on Wimmera-Mallee farms. Steel components of the airframe were used for farm machinery repairs and parts of it such as the tail section and nose were cut off with an axe! Graham Drage a Warracknabeal district farmer with an interest in aviation purchased what remained of the aircraft to save it from further destruction and kept it on his farm for many years. In 2008 the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre began an extensive search for a suitable Anson and a chance discussion with Graham Drage led to this airframe being donated for restoration in 2009.

What remained of the Anson in 2009 resembled a crash site! (Source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

After many dormant years the Anson “takes to the skies” again all so briefly! (Source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

The Anson being loaded for delivery to Nhill in 2009 (Source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

THE RESTORATION

The Avro Anson was constructed with a fabric covered steel tube fuselage frame and wooden wings. After almost 60 years out in the open and being taken apart for the metal, the airframe was understandably in poor condition and 3.5 metres of the rear of the Anson was actually missing! As such a new rear section of the aircraft had to be painstakingly rebuilt for the restoration project. Initially the restoration engineering process had to have an element of educated guesses with the help of photos but the remanufacturing of parts has since been significantly aided by sourcing original design plans from the UK. Restoration Manager Mick Kingwell has been primarily responsible for putting in an immense amount of work (well over 1,000 hours to date) to accurately rebuild and restore the airframe fuselage and cabin (including control columns, instrument panels, radio equipment etc.). His work is fantastic and given where he started, Mick has achieved so much in bringing the airframe back together.

The Anson makes it to Nhill (2009)….now the restoration begins (Source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

The Anson restoration was well advanced in late 2012

The rebuilt tail section

The rebuilt rudder and tail section

An old remnant of Avro Anson fuselage fabric

The restoration of the cabin is really taking shape

Radio operator position

The cockpit restoration

The cockpit – an enormous amount of work has been done to restore everything accurately

The tail rudder and tailplane of the Avro Anson are predominately made of wood. The original framework had badly deteriorated over the years, as such a new tail plane has been meticulously crafted by Len Creek initially using original but badly decayed examples and then aided with the design plans from the UK as a guide to return them to the original state (his past experience in aircraft modelling has been a great asset). Len’s work has progressed nicely and the framework is rapidly approaching being covered over with plywood to look as it once did (unfortunately this will also hide all his hard work!).

This is what Len was originally working from – not much left

Len & John with the Anson tail plane

Detailed wood work on the tail plane section of the Anson

Piece by piece the Anson is coming to life again

Many original parts for the restoration project that were not on the surviving airframe have also been sourced and donated from around the country and afar to ensure the completed project will be as accurate as possible (it is intended to have the Anson achieve taxiing status but it will never fly again). Wimpey Reichelt has been working on restoring the undercarriage and the two Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah Mk.IX seven-cylinder radial engines that powered this Anson. The undercarriage took 450 hours to complete and all this hard work really shows in the level of detail to bring it back to brand new condition. Wimpey has stopped counting how many hours he has spent on the engines but the work he is doing restoring and reconstructing them from original and remanufactured parts is immaculate. What he has done with parts that originally looked like they were only good for the rubbish tip is fantastic and the engines are really starting to look like new again! It is planned to be able to conduct taxiing displays of the Anson (it will not fly again), therefore the engines need to not only look like they once did, they need to be able to be fired up and running, hence the level of detail and work in finishing their restoration.

The state of the Ansons engines in 2009 (Source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah Mk.IX being restored

The restoration of this Anson engine has come a long way since 2009!

The engine cylinders are as good as new following extensive restoration work

Every part has to be cleaned, restored or rebuilt

One half of the Anson undercarriage in 2009 (Source: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre)

One half of the restored Anson undercarriage

One half of the restored Anson undercarriage taken during the Nhill Fly In 2012

Four years in and the restoration team have come a long way from the virtual wreck they originally started with! The Anson is about 50% complete and their work is of world-class in bringing the aircraft back to its former shape again. The team of restorers are working at a fantastic pace and they are now looking at starting the construction of the wooden wings (later models had metal wings).

The wings will be next

Once the airframe and engine restoration is complete, the inner wings, undercarriage and engines will be fitted to the aircraft and the fuselage fabric will also be attached and doped. This will allow the Anson to be moved to its future museum home (construction will commence shortly and is expected to be completed by July 2013) and eventually have the outer wings fitted (once they are built).

If you would like to contribute to the cause and help fund the Anson restoration please take a look at the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre website for information on how to do so. Australian donations over $2 are tax-deductible and would be most welcome I am sure.

AERADIO STATION

In addition to seeing the restoration project John Deckert also took me to visit the old Aeradio Station on the edge of the Nhill Aerodrome. It is possibly the last of its type in Australia. Twelve were built by Amalgamated Wireless Australasia (AWA) in 1938-1939 at aerodromes around the country to provide communications and aircraft guidance to improve aerodrome safety (they operated for around 35 years before being replaced with more modern alternatives). It is hoped to restore the building and one day equip it with original radio gear to form a part of the aviation museum. The World War Two era Flight Operations building at the aerodrome has also been restored and this forms another important part of Nhill’s aviation history.

The Aeradio Building today

The Aeradio Building in 1939 (source: Airways Museum via CAHS/Ivan Hodder collection)

Interior of the Nhill Aeradio Building in 1939 (source: Airways Museum via CAHS/Ivan Hodder collection)

Lorenz Radio Range Beacon 1938 and now (source of photo on left: Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre via Nhill Historical Society)

THANKYOU

A special thanks to everyone I met who is involved with the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre (John and Bev Deckert, Mick Kingwill, Len and Jenny Creek and Wimpey Reichelt) for making my visits possible and for your hospitality. It was a pleasure to meet you all and I had a fantastic time!

A FAMILY LINK

The Avro Anson also has a special meaning to me in general as it is one of the aircraft (along with the similar Airspeed Oxford) in which my Grandfather as a cadet was undergoing flight crew training in towards the end of World War Two when he was in the RAAF Air Training Corps at the Point Cook airbase near Melbourne (Number 4 Squadron). The ATC provided pre-entry training for air and ground crews to the RAAF (for 16-18 year olds).

My Grandfathers Air Training Corps Proficiency Certificate

RAAF Avro Ansons (source: Australian War Memorial)

A FLYING ANSON

As a nice complement to the experience of seeing the Nhill restoration project, I have recently attended the Wings Over Wairarapa 2013 air show in New Zealand which included a flying Avro Anson Mk.I in the display (restored over 10 years by Bill Reid in NZ and the only one flying in full military configuration. There is another flying Anson in the UK operated by Air Atlantique but it was a was operated by a communications flight in the RAF and has a different fuselage configuration without a turret). It was fantastic to see this machine take to the air and it was far more nimble and maneuverable than I expected. The worlds only flying de Havilland Mosquito also flew at the air show in NZ. Great stuff!

Avro Anson Mk.I taken at Wings Over Wairarapa 2013

Avro Anson operated by Air Atlantique in the UK (photo taken by Adrian Pingstone)

In September 2012 I went to one of the top aerial events of the world, the 49th annual Reno Air Races (a 5 day event) just outside Reno, Nevada USA. The races really are a fantastic event and they have it all from high-speed racing aircraft and warbirds to aerobatic aircraft and military jets. The week leading up to the air races I also got to see a mass hot air balloon launch for the kickoff of The Great Reno Balloon Race and over in Sacramento, I went to the California Capital Air Show. So it was a great aviation week for me!

Reno Airport

Reno hosts the National Championship Air Races each year. The 2012 Reno race event was themed as a tribute to those people tragically lost in the race crash of 2011 and also to the heroism of the first responders who conducted rescue operations following the crash. A modified North American P-51 Mustang “The Galloping Ghost” flown by James K. Leeward (74 years old) crashed during a race into the crowd killing him, 10 spectators and injuring 69 others. Due to this tragedy it was feared the races would never be held again, but modifications to the race format to increase safety have allowed it to continue and the 2012 races were on. The opening ceremony tribute was a touching moment.

A tribute

USAF F-15 Eagle tribute flypast

The best way to describe the air races is to imagine a large number of aircraft flying very close together (at times wingtip to wingtip) and very low across the desert floor at high-speed (approximately 5o feet is the minimum altitude allowed). It is spectacular to watch!

The racing aircraft fly around a course which is marked out by pylons (15.2 metre / 50 foot telephone poles) out in the desert nearby Reno Stead Field. Judges are stationed near each pole to ensure the race rules are followed at all times. The entire course is visible from the airport spectator areas and the finish line is right in front of the central grandstands.

The T-33 pace jet taxiing past the Reno Air Races finish line

Reno Air Races Course

The races involve numerous heat events leading up to the finale weekend which hosts the finals to determine the grand champion across a number of race classes:

Biplane Class -  Small aerobatic aircraft like the Pitts Special, they race over a 5.12 km / 3.18 mile course flying at speed in excess of 320 kph / 200 mph.

Formula One Class - These small racing aircraft (often built by the pilots) are all fitted with the same Continental O-200 engine and race around a 5.12 km / 3.18 mile course and hit speeds up to 400 kph / 250 mph.

Sports Class – High performance kit built aircraft that race around a longer 11.25 km / 6.99 mile course hitting speeds upwards of 560 kph / 350 mph! These aircraft are very streamlined and virtually all engine!

“Sweet Dreams” a GP-5 in the Sports Class

“Relentless” NXT Sports Class air racer

T-6 Class - the venerable World War Two era North American T-6 Texan (Harvard in Commonwealth countries and SNJ in the US Navy) is raced in this class around an 8.14 km / 5.06 mile course with top speeds upwards of 370 kph /230 mph.

“Eros” AT-6 from Washington State

T-6 racers low and fast

T-6 Class air race

T-6 racers pass the finish line

Jet Class - This is an interesting mix of smaller jets, mostly Cold War era Czech built Aero jets such as the L-29 Delfin and L-39 Albatros (but is open to all similar aircraft such as the PZL Iskra, de Havilland Vampire and BAE Jet Provost). They race around an 13.63 km / 8.47 mile course exceeding 800 kph / 500 mph (great to watch at such low altitudes)!

Aero L-39 Albatros

Aero L-29 Delfin

PZL TS-11 Iskra

Albatros takes flight

Aero on Aero (L-39 & L-29)

The jets race at high speed just above the desert floor

Albratros racer

Jet racers go past Unlimited Class racers

It was great to meet the crew of an Aussie team flying an L-39 “Blank Czech“ too (they were getting about in golf buggies with inflatable Kangaroos and the Australian flag) – they come in from Australia but the aircraft is US based.

The Aussie jet team flying “Blank Czech”

Unlimited Class - Now this is the big show, the one most people come to see. These prop driven racers are mostly modified (some extremely so!) World War Two era aircraft such as the North American P-51D Mustang, Vought F4U Corsair, Grumman F7F Tigercat, Grumman F8F Bearcat and Hawker Sea Fury. They race around a 13.57 km / 8.43 mile course exceeding 800 kph / 500 mph. The aircraft in the Unlimited Class have great names too like: “Strega” (P-51D), “Rare Bear” (F8F), “Sawbones” (Sea Fury), “September Fury” (Sea Fury), ”Speedball Alice” (P-51D), “Miss America” (P-51D), “Dreadnought” (Sea Fury), “Argonaut” (Sea Fury), “Precious Metal” (P-51XR) and ”Air Biscuit” (FM-2 Wildcat). This was my favourite race event by far!

Unlimited Class air racers – Mustangs & Sea Fury’s

Yak-3U “Steadfast”

“Dreadnought” Hawker Sea Fury

P-51 Mustang “Miss America”

“Saw Bones” Hawker Sea Fury

Grumman F7F Tigercat

F7F Tigercat nose art

Sea Fury “Argonaut”

“Wee Willy II” P-51 Mustang

Sea Fury’s racing

Sea Fury’s racing

“Precious Metal” modified racing P-51

Unlimited Class racing is not to be missed!

Mustang & Tigercat Unlimited Class racers

F4U Corsair Unlimited Class racer

Unlimited Class race just above the desert floor

“Rare Bear” a modified racing Grumman F8F Bearcat

“Air Biscuit” Grumman FM-2 Wildcat

“September Fury” a modified Sea Fury

“Strega”

In addition with a special pass (available at the ticket office each day) you can wander around the pits area and get a real insight into the maintenance of these racing aircraft. You get to see the engines up close and the work that goes into getting these old aircraft up into the sky each day. I thoroughly recommend you do this if you ever attend the races.

“Strega”

The souped up Rolls Royce Merlin of P-51 “Strega”

September Fury in the pit area

“Rare Bear”

Pit area for the T-6 Class

Hawker Sea Fury

“Rare Bear” in the pits

A close up view “Rare Bears” souped up radial engine

“Precious Metal” a heavily modified P-51 Mustang!

Reno is more than just the air races as you can also see historical aircraft, warbirds, aerobatic aircraft and modern military jets in the public static areas. Then between the races are numerous flying displays of many of these aircraft that form the air show component of each day. The highlight of these air displays were the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighters of the USAF along with air force and navy heritage flights.

Breitling Aerobatics

US Air Power

Checking out the F-22 Raptors

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor

US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet

F-15 Eagle low pass

A nice looking F-15 from the ANG in Oregon

Lockheed U-2 “Dragonlady”

US Army Chinook and Lakota helicopters

US Army CH-47 Chinook

A special commemorative paint job on this US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 2 (VFA-2) “Bounty Hunters”

US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet

US Navy Heritage Flight – Super Hornet & Bearcat

The Patriots Display Team flying the Aero L-39 Albatros

The Patriots doing a low formation pass

The F-22 Raptor takes off

The F-22 Raptor – one mean machine!

USAF Heritage Flight – P-51 Mustang & F-22 Raptor

The event also hosts the National Aviation Heritage Invitational competition for the best restored flying historical aircraft. In 2012 the overall winner was a 1944 Consolidated Vultee Stinson OY-1. This aircraft is owned by Duncan Cameron of Lebanon, TN and he was awarded the Neil A. Armstrong Aviation Heritage Trophy.

A Lockheed Ventura and the trophy winning OY-1

Ford Trimotor

Rockwell OV-10 Bronco

Heritage Trophy entrants and static aircraft displays

The Unlimited Class Grand Champion for 2012 was Steve Hinton Jnr. (24 years old) flying “Strega” a heavily modified P-51 Mustang (the 10th championship for this aircraft). This was by far the standout aircraft during the heats and was more or less the favourite to win the event. The other winners were Tom Aberle in a Mong Racer “Phantom“ in the biplane event, Steve Senegal took the honours in the Formula One race in an Arnold AR-6 “Endeavor“, Rick Vandom won the jet race in L-39 “American Spirit“ and Nick Macy in “Six Cat” took out the T-6 race.

The Champ

“Strega” the gold champion

2013 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Reno Air Races. This will be a bigger than ever event and one well worth checking out on your aviation calendar.

B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund welcome sign

In Werribee a town in Victoria is a very unique piece of Australian military history.  The restoration of the last remaining Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Consolidated B-24 Liberator (and the only one in the southern hemisphere) is taking place there in an old air force hangar. The B-24 was a large (wingspan 33.5 metres/110 feet and length 20.7 metres/68 feet) 4 engined long-range heavy bomber with a 4 ton bomb load designed by the Consolidated  Aircraft Corporation of San Diego, California. It was used by the Allies in both the European and Pacific theatres of World War Two for bombing, maritime patrol and transport duties.

The Werribee B-24 Liberator

RAAF B-24 Liberator in WW2

The XB-24 prototype of the Liberator was ready for flight by the end of 1939 and proved a successful design. Redesignated the B-24, the aircraft was then put into mass-production with 18,482 being constructed between 1940 and 1945 (the most of any heavy bomber). At the peak of production a factory could produce one airframe every 55 minutes! 

B-24′s being built at the Vultee plant in Forth Worth, Texas during WW2

B-24′s being built at Fords Willow Run factory in Michigan during WW2

Due to the vast numbers of Liberator aircraft available in 1943, it was decided by Allied commanders that the RAAF was to be equipped with the B-24 to assist the USAAF in the strategic bombing role in the Pacific theatre of war. The first RAAF B-24 became operational for use against Japanese forces in February 1944 and went on to prove to be very effective in the heavy bombing role in places such as Borneo. 

RAAF B-24 Liberator A72-116 (Source: ADF Serials.com.au)

287 Liberators (B-24D, B-24J, B-24L and the B-24M models) eventually served in RAAF bomber squadrons No. 12, 21, 23, 24, 25, 99 and 102. Most RAAF B-24 crews were trained at the No. 7 Operational Training Unit in Tocumwal, NSW. The Liberator was the only heavy bomber used in the Pacific by the RAAF and they operated from the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies and Palawan in the Philippines.

RAAF B-24′s of No. 7 OTU (Source: ADF Serials.com.au)

In the latter stages of the Pacific War, RAAF No. 200 and 210 flights also used small numbers of B-24′s for special covert and electronic surveillance missions (under the direction of the Australian Intelligence Bureau). These special missions were conducted in 1945 over Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies. 200 flight was equipped with 8 B-24′s and their operations included dropping “Z-Force” special forces behind enemy lines (officially they were known as Z Special Unit). 210 flight operated 2 B-24′s from Darwin in the Northern Territory conducting electronic countermeasures against Japanese radar and radio communications. The last Liberator was retired from RAAF service in 1948 when they were replaced by Australian-built Avro Lincoln bombers. The fact that so many aircraft were built and so few remain today, makes this last surviving RAAF Liberator very special (there are only around 14 complete airframes surviving today with a couple still flying in the USA).

Camouflaged RAAF B-24 A72-6 (Source: ADF Serials.com.au)

The Werribee B-24M (RAAF serial number A72-176) is being restored at the former Werribee airfield by a dedicated group of volunteers from the B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund. The fund was incorporated in 1989 and the members of the fund and the volunteers come from all walks of life.

B-24M A72- 176

Old Werribee Airfield Hangar

A72-176 did not see combat, but was used by No. 7 Operational Training Unit to train B-24 crews. At the war’s end most B-24′s were no longer required and were scrapped for their metal which was then melted down for more urgent use. So much metal was required for the war effort that once peace came it was put back into essential items for daily life from pots and pans to cars and the like. Luckily A72-176 avoided this fate as it was required for use as a geographic survey aircraft before its last flight to RAAF East Sale in 1946 where it remained as an instructional airframe until 1948. The airframe was then sold as scrap (minus its wings and tail that had already been sold)

B-24 A72-176 at RAAF Tocumwal in 1945 (Source: B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund)

B-24 A72-176 at RAAF Tocumwal with an Avro Lincoln, the replacement for the B-24 to the left (Photo: Bob Brown, Source: Tocumwal Aerodrome Historic Aerodrome Museum)

Although a suitable B-24 airframe was located in 1988, the restoration project did not commence in earnest until 1995 with the recovery of the airframe from a property in Moe, Victoria where it had sat for the last 47 years. At some stage the owner had been living in it while his house was built! Later it became a chicken shed! 

The B-24 fuselage as found in Moe (Source: B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund)

The nose section of the B-24 being prepared for shipping to Werribee in 1995 (Source: B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund)

The tail section of the B-24 being prepared for shipping to Werribee in 1995 (Source: B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund)

The B-24 arrives in Werribee in 1995 (Source: B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund)

The majority of the airframe parts, equipment and engines have been sourced from around Australia and the world, plus through generous donations. The wings and tail were recovered from a USAAF wreck shot down by Japanese fighters in 1943 over New Guinea – these were discovered by a fund member and were recovered with the assistance of the RAAF in 1992. There are over 1,000,000 parts in a Liberator bomber but they have managed to put together virtually all the required parts (what can’t be found or is unusable is refabricated)!

From 1995 to 2013 (Source: 1995 photo – B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund. 2013 photo from my recent visit)

It’s a big airframe!

A lot of hard work and long hours have gone into this big project and although the Liberator is being restored to its original appearance (it is looking fantastic) it will not be to flight condition (it is too rare to risk). The intention is to have the B-24  be capable of starting the engines up for taxiing purposes only and for it to displayed in a museum which will eventually also include other restored aircraft such as the Avro Anson and Airspeed Oxford that were used to train crews that would go on to fly in the B-24.

Looking up to the cockpit in 1996 (Source: B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund)

The B-24 Cockpit restoration in 2013. An impressive transformation

Looking aft inside the B-24 fuselage a lot of progress has been made between 1995 and 2013 (Source: 1995 photo – B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund. The 2013 photo was taken by myself on my most recent visit)

Despite the historical significance of this being the only surviving RAAF Liberator, as far as I know the restoration group have received no significant funding from the Australian Government other than assistance in recovering the aircraft wings from Papua New Guinea and still have no permanent home when it is completed. This is a shame really – the site of this restoration is only a short drive from the historical home of the RAAF at Point Cook (also the location of the RAAF Museum) and the volunteers are mostly getting on in years (3 of them sadly passed away last year).

Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp 1200 HP engine of the Liberator

An engine housing on the B-24 wing

The fund of course needs all the help they can get to finish this project and enjoy all their hard work. Luckily they have received support from the public, various businesses and the like over the years and after almost 20 years the restoration is making slow but steady progress even after a number of setbacks.

Ball gun turret (this was fitted in the belly of the B-24)

Theres not much room inside the ball gun turret!

In 2004 the hangar that was used to store 500,000 aircraft parts was badly damaged in a storm and became a safety risk that stopped restoration work for some time until it was rebuilt. During this time some valuable parts were stolen including wingtips that had taken 4 years to build! In another later incident someone stole a lot of their tools! These were a major setback at the time that just wasnt needed in a grassroots restoration such as this. Hopefully the fund can work something out with local government and the land owners to get a permit to extend their hangar and create the museum they have planned to show this mighty old girl off in style (apparently the signs are looking positive).

The big undercarriage of the B-24

Looking up into the B-24 cabin and upper gun turret

The waist gun position

Little Brother

If you get a chance please visit this B-24 restoration project and help bring back to life an important piece of Australian history. All monies from your entry fee go towards the project (you can also become a member of the fund or make a tax-deductible donation) and volunteers are also more than welcome to apply to help out with the restoration and the running of their store. I have visited this B-24 on a number of occasions over the years and always enjoy seeing its progress. You can wander around the airframe and even take a look inside. The level of work that goes into a restoration project of this size is enormous. It will be fantastic to one day see the completed Liberator restoration!

The B-24M is one big bomber

I arrived back in Los Angeles yesterday for the first time since September 2012 and just had to head back out to the California Science Centre to see the new and impressive addition to their air and space exhibits – Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle OV-105). Endeavour was first launched in 1992 and completed her last space flight in May 2011.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Interestingly the shuttle sits on this huge metal stand which has been designed to protect Endeavour in the advent of an earthquake. The shuttle will move with the shaking of the earth to avoid damage that would occur if it was affixed to plinths or sitting on concrete.

The belly and nose of Endeavour

Space Shuttle Endeavour Rocket Engines

A Space Shuttle rocket engine

Endeavour was delivered to Los Angeles by NASA on September 21st, 2012 on the back of a special Boeing 747 shuttle transporter. This shuttle delivery completed a career of 25 space missions by Endeavour for NASA, including delivering the first US component of the International Space Station.

Space Shuttle Endeavour over Ventura, California September 21st 2012 (source: NASA)

Unfortunately I missed Endeavour’s arrival last year by just a few days, and I also missed the spectacle of transporting a Space Shuttle by road from the airport to the museum. They show a great short film at the museum on the slow and meticulous process to deliver Endeavour safely through the streets of Los Angeles whilst barely missing trees, poles and houses!

Space Shuttle Endeavour transported through the streets of LA in 2012 (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Endeavour was one of 5 Space Shuttles to serve with NASA on operational space missions. The other operational shuttles were Challenger (OV-099) – first launched in 1983 and tragically the first shuttle lost in a disaster in 1986 with the loss of all onboard; Columbia (OV-102) – first launched in 1981 and tragically also lost with all her crew in 2003; Discovery (OV-103) – first launched in 1984 and retired from space missions in March 2011 and Atlantis (OV-104) the last operational shuttle, she was first launched in 1985 and completed her last space mission in July 2011.

Challenger lifts off just moments before disaster in 1986 (Source: MPI/Getty Images)

There actually are two other shuttles of sorts. One is Enterprise (OV-101) which was used to perform shuttle test flights in the atmosphere, with the first flight taking place in February 1977. Although it looks like the other shuttles, Enterprise was not capable of space flight as it was not fitted with heat shields or engines. At one stage NASA did consider refitting her for space flight but due to design changes in the operational Columbia shuttle it was deemed too expensive to refit and never went ahead. In 1985 Enterprise was retired and sent to the Smithsonian Aviation Museum in Washington D.C. and later transferred to their Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre in Virginia (today it is on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City after the Smithsonian received Discovery in 2012).

Space Shuttle Enterprise 2010

The other “shuttle” is the Space Shuttle Trainer (FFT – Full Fuselage Trainer) used by NASA for 30 years to train all shuttle crews. It was never a complete shuttle and was only used on the ground to train crews under simulation. Today the trainer resides in the Museum of Flight in Seattle where it was delivered in 2012.

Shuttle Trainer (Source: NASA)

I have seen a number of these shuttles over the years including Discovery, Atlantis, Enterprise and the trainer (in pieces). I first saw Discovery in 1998 on a tour of Cape Kennedy as it was awaiting launch a few days later (I never saw it get launched, but this mission eventually returned the then Senator John Glenn into space – he was the first American astronaut to be sent into orbit around Earth in 1962 aboard a Mercury spacecraft and this shuttle launch was only his second time into space). The only shuttle launch I ever saw was Atlantis at Cape Kennedy in 2010. That was an amazing experience – the noise and vibration in the air was incredible!

Space Shuttle Atlantis 2010

I saw Enterprise at the Smithsonian in Virginia in 2010 and the trainer components following their delivery to Seattle aboard NASA’s amazing looking transport aircraft the Super Guppy in 2012. The trainer is now complete and on display at the Museum of Flight (this is the only version of the shuttle that you can tour inside of).

Space Shuttle trainer nose component – Seattle 2012

Enterprise 2010

In addition to the NASA shuttles I have also been inside the Soviet Union’s version of the shuttle, Buran when it was on tour in Sydney, Australia in 2000 and I have also seen a test unit Buran in 2007 in Gorky Park, Moscow. The Buran program had only one unmanned space flight in 1988. The program was eventually cancelled due to cost and the fall of the Soviet Union.

Buran 1988 with a MiG-25PU chase plane

Buran test unit at Gorky Park, Moscow 2007

The size and scale of the shuttles are impressive. To see Endeavour up so close and to be able to walk around underneath it gives you a great insight into the construction and size of the shuttle. Especially seeing all the heat shield tiles that make up the underside of the fuselage and wings to protect the shuttle upon reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Endeavour Heat Shield Tiles

The science centre has provided some specifications and important statistics for Endeavour as follows:

• Inaugural launch date: May 7, 1992
• Total number of fliers: 173
• Total number of orbits: 4,671
• Total distance traveled: 197,761, 262 km / 122,883,151 miles
• Time in space: 299 days
• Orbiter length: 37.2 metres / 122 feet
• Orbiter height on runway: 17.4 metres / 57 feet
• Wingspan: 23.8 metres / 78 feet
• Manufacturer: Rockwell International Corporation in Palmdale, California

I thoroughly recommend a visit to the California Science Centre to see Endeavour. Entry into the museum is free and the only cost to see the shuttle is a $2 timed entry booking fee. Well worth it!

The USS Midway (CV-41) is a former US Navy aircraft carrier that served from 1945 to 1991. Today she sits at the San Diego waterfront as a museum (opened in 2004) in tribute to the US Navy servicemen and women who served on aircraft carriers either as sailors, pilots, air crew or marines.

USS Midway in 1984

USS Midway today

The USS Midway is a massive ship and an impressive place to take a look around. She is 296 metres / 972 feet in length, with a beam of 41.5 metres / 136 feet and the flight deck width is 75.5 metres / 238 feet and powered by 12 boilers and four geared steam turbines with four shafts producing 212,000 shaft horsepower capable of  a speed up to 33 knots. In her final operational years Midway would typically carry 68 aircraft (36 F/A-18 Hornets, 18 A-6 Intruders, 4 EA-6 Prowlers, 4 E-2 Hawkeyes and 6 Sh-3 Sea King helicopters), a complement of  over 4,700 personnel (2,828 crew, 1,860 air wing and 72 marines) and total displacement weight was 67,000 tonnes fully loaded. Modern day nuclear carriers are even bigger. The Nimitz class nuclear carriers for example are 333 metres / 1,092 feet in length, weigh 88,000 tonnes, carry around 80 aircraft and have a ships complement of over 5,000 personnel (crew of 3,000-3,200, air wing of 1,500 and 500 others such as Marines etc.).

Vought F-8 Crusader you are clear for takeoff

The Midway served with distinction on a number of tours during the Vietnam War (April to November 1965, May to October 1971, April 1972 to  February 1973 – apart from combat missions, 48 rescue missions of downed pilots were also conducted by helicopters from Midway during this last tour). The Midway and Carrier Wing CVW-5 received the Presidential Unit Citation (Navy) from Richard Nixon for extraordinary heroism displayed during the period of 1972 to 1973 on the carriers last combat tour of Vietnam.

USS Midway 1963

Midway pilots from Fighter Squadron VF-21 “Freelancers“ flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II scored the first 2 air to air kills of North Vietnamese MiG’s (MiG-17′s) by US forces on June 17th, 1965; and the last air to air kill of that war on January 12th, 1973 (also a MiG-17) was achieved by the crew of an F-4B Phantom II from Fighter Squadron VF-161 “Chargers“. Air to air combat was not a major function of Navy pilots during the Vietnam War but Midway crews were credited with 8 confirmed air to air victories and the aircraft silhouettes are still painted on the ships island today (6 MiG-17′s and 2 MiG-19′s of the North Vietnamese Air Force).

F-4B “MiG Killer” of VF-161

USS Midway MiG Kills (Source: http://www.midwaysailor.com)

The “Island”

Although combat operations for USS Midway ceased in Vietnam in 1973, she performed one last major mission in that theatre in 1975, Operation Frequent Wind.  Following the full invasion of South Vietnam by the North Vietnamese Army in 1975 the carrier was despatched to the South China Sea with only helicopters onboard to assist in the evacuation of hundreds of US personnel and South Vietnamese citizens on April 29th, 1975.

Operation Frequent Wind 1975

Operation Frequent Wind 1975

One amazing incident during Operation Frqequent Wind was the landing by South Vietnamese Air Force Major Buang-Ly in a Cessna O-1 Bird Dog aircraft that had onboard not only himself but his wife and 5 children! He dropped a message onto the deck stating who was onboard and navy personnel actually pushed millions of dollars worth of helicopters over the side of the carrier into the sea so he could land safely! He and his family made it!

A South Vietnamese UH-1 is pushed overboard on the USS Midway in 1975

Major Buang-Ly lands his O-1 on the Midway

A recreation of that famous O-1 landing aboard the Midway today

After the people were rescued and safely deposited on other ships, 100 South Vietnamese helicopters and aircraft were either landed or transported onto the deck of the Midway and transported to Guam. Saigon fell and the rest is history.

South Vietnamese UH-1 helicopters aboard USS Midway in 1975

The Midway served on many more missions and tours around the globe, including the first Gulf War in 1991. This was to be the last combat tour before this proud ship of the US Navy went into retirement.

It is fantastic that today as a museum the USS Midway still serves in a way and people can get a hands on experience of carrier operations. You can go on guided and unguided tours around the ship and there are numerous presentations to explain carrier operations. You can enter the crew quarters, operations rooms, officers quarters, the captains quarters and the Admirals rooms (the latter quarters are much more roomier than the general crew quarters!).

Crew Quarters – crowded to say the least (but not bad compared to submarines)!

Junior Officer Quarters

Flight Commanding Officer Quarters

Captains Quarters

Captains Dress Uniform

Admirals Quarters

Admirals Quarters

One of the engine rooms is open for display and you can even enter the brig (an onboard jail). Dont miss the pilot ready rooms either. These were where pilots and crews would be briefed or debriefed on missions and contain lots of memorabelia and models (most are accessed by stairs on the side of the flight deck).

The massive anchor chains

Engine Room Number 3

The controls for Engine 3

The Brig

Communications Room

F-4 Phantom II Pilot Ready Room

F-4 Phantom II Pilot Ready Room door symbol

Pilots Gear

Today the USS Midway is not only a museum in which you can tour the inner workings and flight deck of the carrier, it also has on display 29 former US Navy aircraft and helicopters that served on carriers from World War Two and throughout the Cold War to the present day. Aircraft are located on both the flight deck and hangar deck.

Douglas SBD Dauntless

Vought F4U Corsair

A busy flight deck

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet Aggressor

North American A-5 Vigilante

An A-1 Skyraider, F9F-8P Cougar & A-5 Vigilante

The aircraft displayed on the Midway represent some of the greatest naval aircraft to ever take off from a US aircraft carrier. They are beautifully restored and well maintained.

Lockheed S-3 Viking

Grumman A-6 Intruder

Grumman E-2 Hawkeye

Flightdeck and “The Island”

The flight deck is always busy

Its a long way from end to end on the flight deck

Vought A-7 Corsair II

Helicopters are an integral asset to carrier operations

Navy Helicopters

Grumman F9F-8P Cougar used for photo recon

Douglas A-3 Skywarrior

Once you are done looking at all the aircraft on the flight deck you can go up into the carriers “island” on a guided tour to see where she was controlled and where flight operations were monitored. This area gives a great view of the entire flight deck. All in all the USS Midway is a very interesting place to spend a day.

The launch deck view from “The Island”

The view of the flight deck from “The Island”

The view of the flight deck from “The Island”

The view of the flight deck from “The Island”

Across the bay from USS Midway you can see the current super carriers that serve in the US Navy on Coronado Island. On my recent visit I saw USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and USS Nimitz (CVN-68 – with her full complement of aircraft on deck and ready to sail). The past and the present are never far apart in San Diego bay.

Looking across from USS Midway to USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz

The Past: USS Midway (CV-41)

The Present: USS Nimitz (CVN-68) loaded up and ready to go

The Present II: USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)

The Present III: USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)

A US Navy Seahawk keeping a watchful eye

The Planes of Fame 2013 Air Show in Chino, California was  a special one this year. 5 Lockheed P-38 Lightning  aircraft from the World War Two period flew together at the show. There are only 7 P-38′s flying in the world today (6 in the USA and 1 in Europe – unfortunately the 6th US one could not make it), so for the past 60 years this has been a very rare event to see this many flying together!

The flying P-38 aircraft involved were Planes of Fame museum’s P-38J “23 Skidoo“, Allied Fighters P-38L “Honey Bunny”, Tom and Dan Freidkin’s P-38L “Thoughts of Midnite”, Tillamook Air Museum’s P-38L “Tangerine” and P-38F “Glacier Girl” owned by Rod Lewis (this one has an amazing history, it had to belly land on Greenland in 1942 where it was abandoned. 50 years later in 1992 it was recovered from deep ice 268 feet thick and returned to the US where it was restored to flight status in 2002). The Yanks Air Museum of Chino also had their photo recon F-5G-6-LO Lightning (P-38L) on static display to round out the “Lightning Strikes” theme of Planes of Fame 2013.

23 Skidoo

Honey Bunny

Thoughts of Midnite

Tangerine

Glacier Girl & Honey Bunny

F-5G-6-LO Lightning (P-38L) from Yanks Air Museum

23 Skidoo

Thoughts of Midnite

Tangerine

I went to the Saturday flying display. It was a warm sunny day but quite windy. Earlier in the day 2 of the P-38′s performed a USAF Heritage Flight display. Normally this would be done with a historic and modern day fighter, but due to budget cuts this wasn’t going to happen this year. 

USAF Heritage Flight – 23 Skidoo & Thoughts of Midnite

Later in the day all 5 P-38′s took off and circled around the air field to form up. They seemed to have some difficulty in staying in formation though (probably from the windy conditions) and in the end we didn’t get to see them fly past the air show display line in mass formation.

P-38′s forming up

It was proving difficult to keep the formation

The formation just wasnt working out apparently

Despite this problem with formation flying, each one did a number of very low flypasts one after the other which was really cool to see. It was great to be able to see so many of these aircraft together again.

23 Skidoo

Honey Bunny

Thoughts of Midnite

Tangerine

Glacier Girl

Later that afternoon following the air show it seems the air show organisers arranged a formation photo shoot of all 5 P-38′s.

(Source: Britt Dietz Photography)

The P-38 was a long-range heavy fighter used for interception, close air support and bomber escort duties in the European, North African and Pacific theatres during World War Two (there were also reconnaissance versions, one of which was on static display at the show too). The Lightning proved to be very successful in all roles and was in production for the entire period of the US involvement in World War Two.

The design of the aircraft by Lockheed began in 1937 in response to an Army Air Corps specification requirement. Following the winning  design a prototype XP-38 first flew in 1939 setting an air speed record of seven hours and two minutes from California to New York. Unfortunately it crashed on this flight(!) but the speed of the aircraft was enough to demonstrate it capability and an initial order was placed for 13 aircraft (designated YP-38), all of which were introduced into service in 1941.

Lockheed XP-38 in 1939

The Lockheed design team responsible for the P-38 was led by the legendary Clarence “Kelly” Johnson (1910 – 1990). His design team would later develop a string of successful aircraft for military and civilian purposes including the revolutionary Constellation passenger liner which changed the face of long distance air travel (first introduced in 1943 for military use and then in 1945 for TWA Airlines), P-80 Shooting Star (in 1945 the P-80 became the first operational jet fighter used by the United States Army Air Forces) and the famous U-2 (introduced 1957 and later variants are still in use today) and SR-71 Blackbird (introduced in 1966, retired 1998) spy planes.

Clarence “Kelly” Johnson

With the advent of the Japanese declaring war on the Allied nations and the success of the aircraft, P-38 production continued through numerous variants and improvements until 1945. At war’s end over 10,000 Lightnings had been built. Interestingly they were all built just 45 minutes away from Chino in Burbank, California. By 1950 all variants of the P-38 had been retired from USAF service (by then they were designated as an F-38).

P-38 Lightning WW2

Apart from setting speed records and offering fantastic performance with a maximum speed of 666 kmh/ 414 mph, the P-38 was a formidable aircraft armed with a 20mm cannon and 4 x 0.50 calibre machine guns in its nose and could also carry bombs and rockets. The P-38 became one of the most successful aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War Two.

P-38 firepower

Dubbed the “Der Gabelschwanz Teufel“ (“Forked Tail Devil“) by German pilots the P-38 was credited with sharing the first air to air kill of a German aircraft by US Forces  on August 14th, 1942 and went on to be a major contributor in establishing Allied air superiority over Europe. In the Pacific theatre the P-38 was credited with more air to air kills of Japanese aircraft than any other type and was the aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces top aces Richard Bong (40 victories) and Thomas McGuire (38 victories).

Richard Bong in a P-38

The P-38 also took part in one of the most famous missions in the Pacific known as “Operation Vengeance“. On April 14th , 1943 Japanese communications had been intercepted indicating that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Fleet was going to be flying from Rabaul, New Guinea on an inspection tour on April 18th. He was seen as the principal architect of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 and a major influence on Japanese strategy. Hence the codename  ”Operation Vengeance“.

Admiral Yamamoto (1884 – 1943)

This was an opportunity too good to ignore but the problem was the attack needed to be kept secret to avoid the US aircraft being detected early and Yamamoto being able to get away. To do this the aircraft needed to fly a long way from enemy air space before intercepting his plane near Bougainville. The P-38G fitted with drop tanks was ideal for such a long-range mission and 16 of them from the  339th Fighter Squadron set off from Guadalcanal flying no higher than 50 feet in complete radio silence. They intercepted Yamamoto’s Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bomber along with another carrying his chief of staff and six escort Mistubishi Zero fighters at around 9:30am on April 18th, 1943. A group of P-38′s took on the fighters while others took on the bombers, both G4M’s were shot down for the loss of only one P-38. An important leader in the Japanese military was negated that day and the success of the P-38 was proven once again. It is fantastic to be able to see this aircraft still flying 70 years later so close to where they were once built.

Lightning breakaway

After having seen the worlds only flying de Havilland DH98 Mosquito (a FB Mk.26 fighter-bomber model with the serial number KA114) earlier this year in New Zealand over a 3 day period at Wings Over Wairarapa 2013 I was having some withdrawal symptoms and needed to see this beautiful machine fly again! I also have a special affection for this aircraft as a relative (Charles Scherf) flew them in World War Two and was one of Australia’s top air aces during this conflict, as such I had grown up hearing lots of stories about him and the “Mossie” from my Grandfather.  Given I am back in the USA I thought what better than to head to Virginia Beach to see her first public flying display in this country at Warbirds Over The Beach Air Show 2013 held at KA114′s new home the Military Aviation Museum.

Mosquito KA114 at Virginia Beach 2013

This serial number is becoming very famous

In the Hangar for an engine check

Good to see her back together

The Merlin Engine was one of the greatest from WW2

Unfortunately Warbirds Over The Beach was the air show that never was. The weather was atrocious and due to heavy rain the grass strip became more or less unusable for the majority of aircraft. As such the day I was there (the Sunday) flight operations were actually cancelled. This followed a heavy downpour, lightning and 3 paratroopers getting stuck high up in trees off the airfield after being dropped by a Curtiss C-46 Commando (one of the few aircraft to fly that day). They had to be rescued by just about every emergency vehicle in Virginia Beach it seemed!

The C-46 takes off with much anticipation from the crowd

Look at that ominous sky as the paratroopers leave the C-46!

Trouble awaits…..

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Just a fraction of the emergency services heading out to attend to the paratroopers up in the trees!

The day before was apparently not much better (except without all the drama), so the only day Mosquito KA114 briefly flew was the Friday practice day which I of course missed out on totally. Quite a shame for the organisers but overall I got to take a very close up look at the “Mossie” (including inside the cockpit and under the engine cowl to see the mighty Merlin) and there were a lot of great aircraft to see in the museum and on the tarmac, so it wasn’t a total waste of time. Just disappointing after travelling so far, but it was nice to see KA114 is back together again (and flight capable) after being disassembled and shipped across the world!

Working on the Merlin Engine

Packard Merlin 225

The Wooden Wonder

Inside the cockpit

Clean lines

Firepower

The next major public display for KA114 will be at the Hamilton Air Show 2013 in Ontario, Canada. I would love to make it up there, but I really want to see the Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Fifi” fly in Pennsylvania next month….too many choices out there in the USA!

Warbirds Over The Beach promised so much…….

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a long-range four engine heavy bomber introduced into service in 1944 with sophisticated features including a pressurized cabin and remote-controlled gun turrets. The B-29 was used with devastating effect by the United States Army Air Force against the Japanese in the Pacific theatre of World War Two (this was the aircraft that basically ended the war in 1945 by dropping 2 atomic bombs on Japan) and then by the United States Air Force in the Korean War (1950-53) against communist forces (initially on daylight bombing raids, but with the introduction of the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter in 1950 by the Communists, flown by Soviet pilots, around 30 B-29′s were shot down and they were switched to night raids and continued successfully in that role for the rest of the war).

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

The two B-29′s that dropped the Atomic bombs on Japan (following a final ultimatum to surrender that was ignored) were called “Enola Gay” (named after the pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets Mother) which dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 and “Bockscar” (piloted by Major Charles W. Sweeney) which dropped “Fat Man” on Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945. This second atomic bomb and the horrific destruction of atomic warfare finally forced the surrender of Japan. The aircraft then became 2 of the most famous (or infamous) aircraft to take to the skies.

Colonel Paul Tibbets waves from “Enola Gay” before heading to Hiroshima in 1945

“Enola Gay” 2013

“Bockscar” 2009

Both aircraft have been preserved and are on display today in museums in the United States (“Enola Gay” is a the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia and “Bockscar” is at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, Ohio). On previous travels in 2009 and 2010 I have seen them both and  just a few days ago I saw “Enola Gay” once again. Such a large aircraft, gleaming in its silver polished finish, it is hard to not be impressed by the B-29.

“Enola Gay” 2013

“Bockscar” – USAF Museum 2009

Between 1943 and 1946 almost 4,000 B-29′s were constructed, but today only 26 complete airframes remain either in museums or under restoration (with a further 8 incomplete airframes) and only one of these is still flight capable. This B-29A built in Kansas was delivered to the USAAF in 1945 and retired from service into desert storage in 1958. She is known as “Fifi” and is operated by the Commemorative Air Force of Texas who acquired the aircraft in 1971. They were able to get her back in the air in just 9 weeks! Full restoration was much longer and took 3 more years of hard work.

“Fifi” on takeoff – WW2 Weekend at Reading, PA 2013

“Fifi” is a regular performer at air shows around the United States and today I was lucky enough to see this magnificent aircraft fly at the World War Two Weekend hosted by the Mid Atlantic Air Museum at Reading, Pennsylvania. Given her flight status I think she is easily the third most famous B-29 and I am glad I finally got to see her fly.

“Fifi” – WW2 Weekend, Reading, PA 2013

The Junkers Ju-52 “Iron Annie” or “Aunty Ju” as she was known, is a tri-motor transport and troop carrying aircraft from the 1930′s and 40′s made with construction of a corrugated aluminium skin known as Duralumin that although looks unusual was very practical for strength purposes. The Ju-52 was the workhorse of Lufthansa and other airlines around the world such as Swissair in the 1930′s; and then primarily for the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) first in the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939 and also used as a bomber during this conflict) and then World War Two (1939 to 1945).

Lufthansa Ju-52 @ National Air & Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Ju-52/3m of the Eurasia airline – a subsidiary of Lufthansa founded in China in 1935 (Source:US Library of Congress Digital ID fsa.8e00833)

The Ju-52 was in production in Germany from 1932 to 1945, France from 1945 to 1947 and Spain from 1945 to 1952, During that period approximately 4,845 were built, but today less than 20 remain. Surprisingly at least 8 are kept in flying condition (1 in Germany, 4 in Switzerland, 1 in France, 1 in the USA and 1 in France), with a number available for joy flights and the rest are on display in museums around the world. Although I have seen many of these survivors in museums, recently at the Warbirds Over the Beach Air Show 2013 in Virginia Beach, USA I was hoping to see their Ju-52 fly, but poor weather kept her grounded the day I was at the show (I have only ever seen one fly at the Berlin Air Show in 2010).

Ju-52 @ Virginia Beach

“Iron Annie”

Ju-52 from the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach

The Ju-52 at Virginia Beach is immaculately maintained

Slow (top speed of only around 265 kmh /165 mph), ungainly, lightly armed and vulnerable to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft guns, yet the Ju-52 was operated in all theatres by the Germans during World War Two, under all-weather conditions and despite heavy losses during paratroop drops early on in the war (in Holland 1940, 280 were lost and Crete 1941 probably at least a third of the 500 Ju-52′s used were lost in action during that airborne invasion - the Germans never used large-scale Paratroop drops again), the Ju-52 remained the main transport  for the Luftwaffe throughout that conflict (primarily due to their reliability).

Ju-52′s damaged on Crete 1941 (Source: Deutsches Bundesarchiv)

Despite her appearance the Ju-52 was probably the most beautiful sight to the German Wermacht soldiers of the Sixth Army trapped inside the bloodbath that was Stalingrad in Russia during the 1942/1943 Winter when what was left of the Sixth Army finally surrendered. Some may have been lucky to leave on one, others would be glad for the desperately needed yet meager supplies that would be onboard. Nearly 500 aircraft were destroyed in the air or on the ground trying to resupply the city including almost 270 Ju-52′s (which alone equated to about a third of the transport air fleet on the Eastern Front)!

Ju-52 landing at Stalingrad in late 1942

In the end the Ju-52 was not the most successful aircraft in combat, but none the less she performed tireless work and with reliability and ease of production was the backbone of the Luftwaffe transport fleet in World War Two. It is good to know that despite heavy losses in the air and destruction on the ground at least a few of these old workhorses are still around and even better that some still take to the skies where they belong.

A classic tri-motor fit-out

The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania hosted their annual World War Two Weekend on June 7th to 9th, 2013. What an event! Despite inclement weather leading into the weekend it turned out pretty nice and plenty of flying was able to happen with many classic Warbirds from that era taking to the skies. On top of this was an incredible array of military reenactors who had set up a huge base camp complete with uniforms, weaponry and vehicles. A very impressive show! This blog is part 1 of an overview of the event specifically for the bigger aircraft that flew or were on static display during the weekend along with the vast number of military reenactors on the ground. A number of these aircraft were giving joy flights throughout the day if you had the cash!

Reading, PA WW2 Weekend

I had specifically come to see two World War Two era bombers. “Fifi” which is the worlds only flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress and also a Consolidated B-24 Liberator.  Alas the latter had engine mechanical problems and did not arrive at the show but “Fifi” flew all day taking passengers on warbird flights and also completed a fantastic air show display. It was fantastic to see this large yet so streamlined bomber flying low to the ground and giving us a great top view! Almost a work of art if it wasn’t for it’s intended destructive role!

Fifi takes off

“Fifi”

An interesting low pass by the B-29

Another joy flight underway in “Fifi”

The absence of the B-24 was ably taken up by the presence of one of the USAAF other prominent World War Two bombers the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In this case ”Yankee Lady“.

B-17 “Yankee Lady”

The B-17 – A classic WW2 aircraft

B-17 “Yankee Lady” on take off

B-17 “Yankee Lady” giving a joyflight to some lucky people!

A number of other large combat Warbirds were also present such as 5 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers all with fantastic nose art (“Panchito“, “Briefing Time“, “Take Off Time“, “Yankee Warrior“ and “Georgie’s Gal“) and a Lockheed P-2 Neptune maritime patrol aircraft.

North American B-25 Mitchell “Panchito”

“Panchito”

“Panchito”

B-25 “Panchito”

B-25 “Yankee Warrior”

“Yankee Warrior”

B-25 “Take Off Time”

B-25 “Take Off Time”

B-25 “Georgie’s Gal”

My favourite nose art on the B-25′s ”Georgie’s Gal” which was different on each side (devil and angel)

My favourite nose art on the B-25′s “Georgie’s Gal” which was different on each side (angel and devil)

B-25 “Briefing Time”

B-25 “Briefing Time”

Lockheed P-2 Neptune

Transport aircraft included a Beech C-45 Expediter called “Bucket of Bolts“(!), 2 Douglas C-47 Skytrains, a Curtiss C-46 Commando and a Douglas C-54 Skymaster. The majority of these took to the sky for various flight displays during the day.

Beech C-45 “Bucket of Bolts”

C-47

C-46

C-47 surrounded my military re-enactors

C-54

The military reenactors covered a number of nations. I noted American, British, German and Chinese Nationalist forces out there. These men and women take this very seriously and their level of detail and attention in regards to uniforms, equipment, weapons and vehicles is impressive to say the least!

USMC Iwo Jima flag raising re-enactment

USMC

Here come the Brits

German Kubelwagen

Here come the Germans!

US Willy’s Jeep & M3 Halftrack

German Sd.Kfz. 251 Halftrack

German Stug III (a replica made on the base of 2 British APC’s apparently)

German Kubelwagen & Staff Car

German Motorcycles

A well armed Willy’s Jeep

German halftrack & AA gun

Chinese Nationalists

In addition to the military reenactors there were also veterans giving presentations and signing books and the like. There was even some comedy with an Abbott and Costello routine!

Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First”

All in all the World War Two Weekend was a great event that was well-organized and very entertaining. If you are ever in Pennsylvania in June I thoroughly recommend attending this weekend event. Part 2 of this blog features the fighters and other smaller aircraft that flew or took part as a static display at the air show.

The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania hosted their annual World War Two Weekend on June 7th to 9th, 2013. What an event with many classic Warbirds from that era taking to the skies! This blog is part 2 of an overview of the event specifically for the smaller aircraft including fighter planes that flew or were on static display (my previous blog, part 1 was on the bombers such as “Fifi” the Boeing B-29 Super Fortress and transports that flew at the show along with a vast array of military reenactors on the ground). A number of these aircraft were giving joy flights throughout the day if you had the cash!

F4U Corsair

Smaller combat aircraft at the show included a number of former US Navy ones such as the mighty Vought F4U Corsair fighter with its distinctive inverted gull wings (designed for use on aircraft carriers, this shape allowed for a shorter and stronger undercarriage to accommodate heavy deck landings), a Douglas SDB Dauntless dive bomber, a Grumman TBM-3 Avenger torpedo bomber and a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bomber (first time I had seen one fly). All of these aircraft flew together at one stage with an old enemy amongst them. A replica of the Japanese Aichi D3A Type 99 “Val” dive bomber which was actually made from a North American T-6 Texan for the 1970 movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!”

Corsair

Dauntless

Helldiver

Avenger

Japanese “Val”

The USAAF was not forgotten with 3 North American P-51D Mustangs taking flight. Regarded as one of the best fighters of World War Two, it is always great to see and hear them fly! A Supermarine Spitfire and Curtiss P-40 Warhawk were also meant to be on display but were not present when I was there (they may have arrived on the third day which I did not attend).

P-51D Mustang “Rebel”

P-51D Mustang

North American P-51D Mustangs

There were also many training aircraft such as the Boeing Stearman, Fairchild PT-19, PT-22, PT-23A and PT-26, Consolidated Vultee SNV-1 Valiant and numerous North American T-6 Texan’s (also known as a Harvard in Commonwealth countries and SNJ in the US Navy). Many of these trained vast numbers of pilots during the war and it is really interesting to see how aircraft design changed and improved from the 1930′s to the 1940′s (from biplanes with open cockpits and fixed undercarriage; to monoplanes with a canopy and retractable undercarriage amongst many other changes).

Boeing Stearman

Fairchild PT-19 with a joy flight passenger in tow

Fairchild PT-19

Fairchild PT-23A

Valiant

T-6 Texan

A modified Bucker Jungmeister performed some nice aerobatics in the sun and there were many liaison and civilian aircraft  on display. These included a Piper Supercub, an Aeronca L-16 Grasshopper, 2 Aeronca L-3 Defenders, an Interstate L-6 Cadet, a Stinson L-5 Sentinel, a Piper L-4 Grasshopper and 2 Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshoppers. It is interesting that a lot of these aircraft shared the same name!

Bucker Jungmeister

An Aeronca L-3. One of many liaison aircraft at the show

Interstate L-6

Stinson 10

Piper L-4

In addition the museum had on display their long-term restoration project. A Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter which they plan to restore to flight. This type was first introduced into service in 1944 and was used in all main theatres of operation in World War Two, with the last retired in 1954. That will be something to look forward to as it is only one of four left today and will also be the only one to be flight capable when it is completed.

P-61 Black Widow restoration project

This was my first time at the World War Two Weekend. It was a great event that was well-organized and very entertaining. If you are ever in Pennsylvania in June I thoroughly recommend attending this weekend event.

The Junkers Ju-87 Stuka was a dive bomber produced in Germany before and during World War Two (the name was derived from Sturzkampfflugzeug which translates to dive bomber). Approximately 6,500 were built between 1936 to 1944.

Early model Ju-87′s with a very unusual looking wheel fairings

In the Spanish Civil War  (the Ju-87 entered combat with the German Condor Legion in 1937) and the early days of the Blitzkrieg of World War Two (1939-1940), this purpose-built aircraft spread terror amongst allied troops and civilians alike, with its screaming sirens fitted to the undercarriage struts and deadly payload. Luftwaffe pilots could be very precise in their dive bombings and close support operations and the aircraft was used with great effect in places like Poland and France.

Achtung Stuka!

Stuka mass formation

By 1940 and the Battle of Britain the big gulf winged Ju-87 soon proved to be slow with a top speed of just 195 mph / 318 kph (compared to an RAF Supermarine Spitfire flying at 355 mph / 517 kph) and poorly armed with just two 7.92mm machine guns in the wings and one in the rear of the cockpit (used by the radio operator/gunner) to defend itself against better aircraft and opposition than it faced in the early part of the war. RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes made a meal of the Stuka and without heavy fighter protection they were unable to operate effectively and were removed from the air battle.

Stukas in action

A good view of the Stuka

Despite this set back the Stuka continued to be further developed and improved but it became an obsolescent aircraft that just had to soldier on. Later models could reach a top speed of around 250 mph/400 kph but this was still significantly slower than then modern fighters which were reaching speeds upwards of 430 mph / 700 kph.

Many Stuka’s met a similar demise

While still slow and vulnerable, the Stuka was used effectively on the Eastern Front for bombing various targets including ships and tanks (some versions were fitted with two under wing 37mm cannon pods for tank busting). In the close support role it was eventually replaced by more effective aircraft such as the Focke-Wulf FW-190 fighter that could more readily defend themselves.

Tank busting JU-87

Hans-Ulrich Rudel

Germany’s most decorated pilot in World War Two, Hans-Ulrich Rudel was a “Stuka Ace“ (he also flew the FW-190 on ground attack missions and managed to shoot down or destroy 11 Soviet aircraft in the process) and one of the most feared pilots on the Eastern Front. He flew an incredible 2,530 missions (over 2,000 were in the Stuka), destroying a vast amount of Soviet material (2,000 targets destroyed) including 519 tanks and 800 vehicles. His tally also included a number of ships and trains.

Although Rudel was never shot down by enemy aircraft, he was forced down 32 times by enemy anti-aircraft fire and had to escape from behind enemy lines on a number of occasions. He displayed a lot of courage during battle, was wounded a number times and even landed behind enemy lines in his Stuka to rescue downed German aircrews. As such he was rewarded accordingly including the highest German military decoration the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with golden oak leaves, swords and diamonds! This just goes to show that despite its setbacks, the Stuka in the right hands was still a lethal weapon.

Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with golden oak leaves, swords and diamonds

On February 1945 Rudel was badly wounded and had a leg amputated from below the knee. Amazingly he returned to flying duty  the following month and destroyed 26 more tanks before the war’s end! Regardless of who he fought for, he was one tough and relentless pilot! He avoided capture by the Soviets (oh would they have loved to get their hands on him!) by flying his aircraft with other members of his squadron to surrender to American forces. He spent 11 months as a prisoner of war, migrated to Argentina, then went on to be successful in business in Germany before passing away in 1982 at the age of 66. I can thoroughly recommend his autobiography as a great read (Stuka Pilot: Hans-Ulrich Rudel).

Rudel demonstrating the weak points of a Soviet T-34 tank

Amazingly of all the Stuka’s produced (6,500), only two complete airframes remain in the world today. One an earlier 1941 Ju-87R-2 kitted out for tropical operations (captured during the North African campaign) is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois in the USA and the other a later model 1942  Ju-87D in the RAF Museum in Hendon, UK. I have been lucky enough to see both of these extremely rare aircraft (along with some incomplete and damaged airframes). The Ju-87 in the RAF Museum is painted up as one from a “tank buster” squadron (minus the cannons). They are much bigger than you expect!

JU-87R in Chicago (taken 2013)

Ju-87R

RAF Museum Ju-87D (taken in 2012)

RAF Museum Ju-87D (note how more streamlined the design is from the earlier model)

The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first supersonic bomber to enter operational service with the USAF. 116 were built, of which 86 entered service (the other 30 were test aircraft, prototypes etc.). The B-58 was in service from 1960 to 1970 as a frontline nuclear deterrent. It was one of the assets of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), which operated from 1946 to 1992 when it was broken up into separate commands. SAC was in control of all USAF land based strategic bombers and nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM’s) along with the aircraft required to support this role such as air to air refueling, strategic reconnaissance and airborne command posts.

The Hustler

The big delta wing and relatively thin and streamlined fuselage accompanied with 4 powerful General Electric J-79 engines (the same as in the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter) enabled the B-58 to reach supersonic speeds. The J-79 engine with afterburner provided 15,000 pounds of thrust each and a top speed of 2,132 km/h / 1,325 mph! One fast bomber! Cruising speed was 982 km/h / 610 mph (faster than the top speed of the previous bomber used in this role, the B-47). The weapons load of 8,820 kg / 19,450 lb would have been made up of up to 4 nuclear bombs in a weapons pod or on under wing pylons.

Convair B-58A Hustler (Photo: US Air Force 1967)

The range of the B-58 un-refueled was 7,080 km / 4,400 mile. Compromises had to be made for high-speed and this was not enough to make it unrefueled to Moscow from the continental USA.

B-58 being refueled during “Operation Heat Rise” in 1962 (Photo Source: US Air Force)

The Hustler carried an aircrew of 3 who sat in tandem: a pilot, a navigator/bombardier and a defensive systems operator. The latter controlled the electronic counter measures and a remote-controlled 20mm cannon in the tail (they also operated as a performance engineer).

B-58 Crew

Originally conceived as a high level bomber, the B-58 replaced the Boeing B-47 Stratojet (bomber variants were in service from 1951 to 1969) in the Strategic Air Command. Improvements in the Soviet’s defensive Surface to Air Missiles (SAM’s) soon changed the role of the B-58 to being a low-level penetrator to minimize visibility and exposure time to the missiles. Unfortunately at lower altitude the B-58 could not fly at supersonic speeds and its range was reduced. Thus its effectiveness was also reduced and eventually it’s relatively short career was ended in 1970 with the introduction of the smaller, faster (top speed Mach 2.5) and harder to hit swing-wing General Dynamics FB-111A (retired in 1991 or converted to the F-111G variant which was retired in 1993).

Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Strategic Air & Space Museum – Nebraska)

FB-111A

The FB-111A was itself supplemented with a modern equivalent of the B-58; the swing-wing Rockwell B-1 Lancer which was introduced in 1986 initially as a nuclear bomber and later with conventional munitions. The B-1 continues in USAF service today and is used as a low-level penetrator with a top speed at altitude of Mach 1.25. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (the earliest variants came into service in 1955 and the latest are still in use today!), B-1 and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit ”Stealth Bomber“ (entered service in 1997) serve as the “Big 3” strategic bomber force of the USAF today.

B-1 Lancer

B-1 Lancer

Although the Hustler only had a brief career, in its day it set 19 world speed and altitude records such as New York to Paris in 3 hours and 19 minutes (1961) and a Los Angeles to New York roundtrip in 4 hours and 41 minutes (1962)! A B-58 called “Greased Lightning” set a record in 1963 flying from Tokyo to London (a distance of 12,920 km / 8,028 miles) in 8 hours, 35 minutes! The average speed during the flight was 1509 km/h / 938 mph and 5 inflight refueling’s were required to make that distance. Now if only modern air travel was that fast!

“Greased Lightning”

Record Breaker

The B-58 replaced the B-47

Today “Greased Lightning” is on display at the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. I recently visited this excellent museum that contains the major Cold War assets of the former Strategic Air Command (operated from 1946 to 1992) including the previously mentioned B-47, B-52, FB-111 and B-1 along with the monstrous Convair B-36 Peacemaker (the largest piston engine aircraft ever mass-produced and in service from 1949 to 1959 – 6 rear facing prop engines and 4 jet engines under the wings)! In the entrance foyer is also a fantastic display of the fastest aircraft to see regular service in the USAF, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spy reconnaissance aircraft capable of speeds up to Mach 3.5!

Convair B-36 Peacemaker

The big B-36 dominates all the other aircraft on display at the Strategic Air & Space Museum

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

The mighty Blackbird

Apollo program insignia

The words “Houston we’ve had a problem” were spoken by astronaut Commander James A. Lovell on April 13th, 1970 during a failed NASA mission to the Moon aboard Apollo XIII (this was the seventh manned mission in the Apollo program and intended to be the third landing on the Moon until an oxygen tank burst 2 days after takeoff resulting in damage to a service module that was essential to the operations of the command module and causing the mission to be aborted). Those words were relayed back to the very control room you can see today on the “Historic Control Room tour” at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre on the outskirts of Houston, Texas.

The historic mission control room was used from 1965 to 1992 and is today a National Historic Landmark. The modern control rooms still used at the centre command NASA space missions and activity aboard the International Space Station.

A National Historic Landmark

Historic Mission Control

Historic Mission Control

Man on the Moon

Between the Johnson Space Centre (space mission control, training and development centre) and Space Centre Houston (museum) you can see many NASA space travel artifacts that paved the way for man to land on the moon and conduct regular missions into space. These include various early space capsules and a replica of the Space Shuttle which is known as “Explorer” (prior to the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in 2011 this was on display at the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex in Florida).

Faith 7 Mercury capsule (1963)

Gemini 5 Capsule (1965)

Apollo XVII Command Module (1972)

Space Shuttle “Explorer”

The big ticket item at Johnson Space Centre  is the mighty Saturn V multi-staged liquid fuelled rocket. This is the space vehicle that took man to the Moon and back on the Apollo missions between 1967 – 1972  (first flight 1967, first manned flight 1968, Moon landings 1969 – 1972) and also launched the Skylab space station (3 missions between 1973 - 1974).

Apollo XI (1969) – Armstrong, Collins & Aldrin

Apollo XI Takeoff 1969 (Photo Source: NASA)

Skylab 1973 (Photo Source: NASA)

Skylab was in the Earth’s orbit from 1973 to 1979. I remember the demise of Skylab well, as parts of it crashed upon Western Australia and it made news right across the country! The training facility used by the Astronauts who served upon Skylab is also on display at the Space Centre Houston.

Skylab Training Facility

Inside the Skylab Training Facility

Crew quarters – Skylab Training Facility

Walking around the Saturn V rocket you can not help but be overwhelmed by its size (363.0 feet / 110.6 metres long and 33.0 feet / 10.1 metres in diameter) and sheer power (the first stage of the rocket could produce 7,648,000 pounds of thrust)! 1960′s technology at it’s best!

The Saturn V @ the Rocket Park in the Johnson Space Centre

Apollo XI Takeoff 1969 (Photo Source: NASA)

While there do not miss the tour to the Astronaut training facility in the Johnson Space Centre, where you can see a mock-up International Space Station (ISS) a Russian Soyuz rocket and capsule, which with the retirement of the Space Shuttle is the current means of sending crew and supplies to the ISS. Although retired, there is also still part of a Space Shuttle training module in the facility along with various training areas that Astronauts use in preparation for travel into space.

International Space Station training facility – the Soyuz and Space Shuttle training modules can also be seen in the background

International Space Station training facility

International Space Station training facility

Soyuz training facility

Within the Astronaut training facility there is also a training version of the future Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Orion is being developed to bring NASA back to the forefront of space travel and will enable Astronauts to travel beyond a low Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon, asteroids and even Mars.

Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle

Orion will be launched into space by NASA’s proposed Space Launch System (SLS) which is a heavy lift launch vehicle and kind of like a cross between the Saturn V rocket and the Space Shuttle launch system. The design is planned to be operated as a crewed version and an even larger cargo version.

A concept image of the future Space Launch System (Image Source: NASA)

The crewed version of the planned Space Launch System (Image Source: NASA)

An interesting highlight of my visit to the Astronaut training facility was seeing a number of new experimental vehicles for use by Astronauts on the surface of the Moon and potentially Mars some day. Now that’s something I would like to see in my lifetime, mankind on the surface of Mars!

The future of Moon buggy design

Another lunar vehicle design

The past: a 1970′s Moon Buggy

Two sleek-looking NASA Northrop T-38 Talons impressively stand guard at the main entrance to Space Centre Houston in Texas. Originally a USAF aircraft, the nimble T-38 first entered service with NASA in the 1960′s and due to its high level of capability and low operating cost, is still used today for Astronaut flight proficiency and training along with mission support duties such as acting a safety chase plane and photography platform.

T-38 Gate Guardians

The majority of the active NASA fleet are operated from Ellington Field near Johnson Space Centre which is right next door to Space Centre Houston. You may also spot them from time to time in the skies over California and Florida at other NASA bases. It’s nice to see that such an old design is still effective and in use (including in the USAF). Northrop really designed a winner in the T-38.

NASA T-38′s over California (Photo Source: NASA)

Following on from my visit to the California Science Centre in Los Angeles to see their new addition the retired NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle OV-105), I couldn’t miss seeing one of her sisters, Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle OV-103) in her new home at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre in Chantilly, Virginia.

Space Shuttle Discovery

Discovery was completed in 1983 and first launched by NASA in August 1984 on a mission to place 3 satellites into orbit. The last mission for Discovery was in February 2011 to deliver a new module, equipment and supplies to the International Space Station.

Discovery’s maiden voyage August 30th, 1984 (photo source: NASA)

Although the first of the active shuttles to be retired, Discovery ended up being the oldest shuttle in service and completed the most missions (39) and travelled the most distance of any shuttle.  The final reading was 238,533,142 kilometres / 148,221,675 miles – apparently that is the equivalent of travelling to the moon and back 288 times!

Discovery docked with the International Space Station in 2005 (photo source: NASA)

One of the most significant missions completed by Discovery was to carry the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit in 1990. The images this telescope have provided from beyond the boundary and interference (such as distortion and pollution) of the Earths atmosphere has been invaluable to the science of Astronomy.

Hubble Space Telescope (photo source: NASA)

She has a very prominent location within the museum and from both at ground level and up high in the walkway gantries you can get an excellent view of Discovery. Space Shuttles are very large and it is great to see one up close to truly appreciate the true scale of Discovery.

It is great to be able to see a shuttle up so close

Then to see Discovery from up high is something else too

Discovery was one of 5 Space Shuttles to serve with NASA on operational space missions. The other operational shuttles were Challenger (OV-099) – first launched in April 1983 and tragically the first shuttle lost in a disaster on January 28th, 1986 with the loss of all onboard; Columbia (OV-102) – first launched in April 1981 and tragically also lost with all her crew on January 16th, 2003 just 16 minutes prior to the shuttles scheduled landing; Endeavour (OV-105) – first launched in May 1992 and retired from space missions in May 2011 and Atlantis (OV-104) the last operational shuttle, first launched in October 1985 and completed her last space mission in July 2011.

Space Shuttle Discovery in The Smithsonian

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre has one of the best aviation and spacecraft collections in the world. I have been there a couple of times and can thoroughly recommend it to any aviation enthusiast as a must see museum. Plan to spend quite a few hours there too if you want to see it all.

One thing I really enjoy about sharing my experiences at aviation museums, airshows and events is the fact that I often get feedback from current and former servicemen and women (or their families) who served at bases I have visited or flew or maintained the actual aircraft I am writing about.

Thanks for taking the time to look at my blogs and contacting me. Also thank you for your service. Your positive feedback, comments and information are much appreciated!

Regards
Deano