Night Witches fly the Polikarpov Po-2

The Membership Newsletter for The Military Aviation Museum
Winter 2013
1940’s Valentine’s Hangar Dance
Join us at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia
Beach for our 5th Annual 1940’s Valentine’s Hangar
Dance. Saturday evening, February 9th will be a night
to remember! Come dressed in your favorite 1940’s attire, have your sweetheart pull out her favorite red dress
from the back of the closet, as we transform our Navy
Military Aviation Museum
www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org
hangar into the dance floor in celebration of Valentine’s
Day. There will be fabulous prizes for the “Best Dressed
Lady”, “Best Dressed Man” and “Best Dressed Couple.” Terry Chesson’s Orchestra Band will be playing
all the favorites from your parents’ era to dance the night
away along with members of the Swing Virginia Swing
Dance Club. Need lessons before to brush up
yyour steps, then check out SwingVirginia.
ccom and use Echoes-of-Time.com to become
a dashing pilot for the night. Tickets are limited
aand last year we sold out, so ‘em now on the
m
museum website.
Saturday, February 9th,
come hungry and stay late
6-10pm $40 per
person with
discounts for full tables
Virginia Beach Airport
www.VBairport.com
Fighter Factory
www.FighterFactory.com
Night Witches fly the Polikarpov Po-2
Inside this Issue:
Lights, Camera, Action
2
Retirement at Museum
2
NASA sUAS Operations
3
Bash at the Beach
3
Search for Cottbus Writer 4
In Memoriam
5
Parades, Parades &
More Parades
5
Museum Take a Field Trip 6
Lenin and His Aircraft
6
Hangar Happenings
7
Event Calendar
One of the additions to the museum is the Polikarpov
Po-2 “Mule.” This was the second most built aircraft
in the world, with over 40,000 Po-2’s and built as the
most produced bi-plane in the world. Designed by
Nikolai Nikolayevich Polikarpov to replace the U-1
trainer, a British Avro 504, it was manufactured in Russia from 1928 until 1956. The prototype, named the
U-2, was first flown in January 1928, powered by a five
cylinder 99 hp air-cooled radial engine. After Polikarpov’s death in July 1944, the U-2 was re-designated
Po-2 in honor of his name.
By Felix Usis
Although entirely outclassed by more modern aircraft, the Po-2 served on the Eastern Front throughout
the Second World War, as a liaison, medevac, and a
general supply aircraft. It was especially useful for
supplying Soviet partisans behind the front line.
Perhaps the “Mule” became best known for its use by
the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, composed of allwomen pilot and ground crew. This unit became notorious for its daring low-altitude night raids on German
rear-area positions. The women pilots observed that the
enemy suffered a further degree
of demoralization simply because
their antagonists were female. As
such, the pilots earned the nickname as the “Night Witches.”
8
The Polikarpov Po-2 landing at the museum
The material effects of these harassment missions may be regarded as insignificant, but the
psychological effect on German
troops was much more visible.
The Po-2’s typically attacked in
Continued on page 2
PAGE 2
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
Lights, Camera, Action
December, Bob Coolbaugh and Boom Powell arrived early in the chilly morning at the
Military Aviation Museum in their 1911
flying outfits ready to act for a professional
film crew. Lockheed–Martin was preparing
a documentary on the development of aviation materials and what better aeroplane to
show the early days than the spruce, fabric
and bamboo Curtiss Pusher.
Polikarpov..Continued from page 1
By “Boom” Powell
sun touched the leafless trees. Eric had not
planned on a flying sequence, but as soon
as the Curtiss lifted off the grass, he had
cameramen running to better locations and
asked the pilots for multiple passes into and
away from the lowering sun.
The Curtiss was carefully pushed out of the
World War One hangar onto the still dewy,
wet grass, its spot determined by anticipated
sun angles and background. Cameras, rails,
tripods and light reflectors were positioned
and, at last, the actors called to strut their stuff.
“What do you want us to say?” they asked.
The Curtiss Pusher in flight for the camera crew
”Anything, we just need your mouths to
move.” Didn’t take too many takes to realize the star of this film wasn’t the pilots, but
rather the aeroplane. The pilots were only
there in supporting roles and as props.
Under Eric Schulzinger’s direction, short
scenes were set up, and with camera angles
and zooms being constantly changed there
were a lot of takes. One of the actors was
heard to say, “If I have to preflight the left
upper wing, wiggle the canard, and climb
into the seat one more time...”
As professional filmmakers, the seven
man crew had seen many thrilling aviation
events, but all of them agreed none had been
as exciting as seeing this century-old aeroplane lift into the air.
Although the film won’t be in theaters or
up for an Oscar, our Curtiss Pusher can
now claim to be a movie star along with the
museum’s Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter. (Flyboys,
2006, if you’ve forgotten.)
When asked if the crew was heading back
The day was educational. The film guys to company headquarters in Baltimore,
learned about Glenn Curtiss, early flying the reply was, no, they were on the way to
machines, the museum’s warbird collec- Lockheed-Martin’s plant in Fort Worth to
tion. B and B (Bob and
get footage of computerBoom) learned about
assisted manufacturing
gaffers, “apples”, standof jet fighter components
marks and not to look at
made of carbon fiber, epthe shiny sun reflectors.
oxy, graphite and tungsten. With one day’s
Finally, it was time to
travel, they would leap
“Rising
“Ri
i SStars”
”B
Boom P
Powfly. The air was still and
forward 100 years in time
ell and Bob Coolbaugh
the light was great as the
and technology. 
the dead of night, denying German troops
sleep and keeping them constantly on their
guard, contributing yet further to the already exceptionally high stress of combat
on the Eastern Front. The usual tactics involved flying in single file 3 to 5 minutes
apart, only a few feet above the ground,
climbing just before the targeted area, cutting off the engine and making a gliding
bomb run. This left the German troops with
only the eerie whistling of the wind in the
wings’ flying-wires as an indication of the
impending attack.
The “Mule” outside the hangar
German Wehrmacht troops nicknamed the
Po-2 “Nähmaschine” (sewing machine) for
its rattling sound and Finnish troops called
it “Hermosaha” (Nerve saw). Luftwaffe
pilots were given special instructions for
engaging these aircraft, which they nicknamed Rusfaner or “Russian Plywood.”
The tactics developed by the “Night Witches”
were so successful that the Luftwaffe set up
similar Störkampfstaffel “harassment combat
squadrons.” North Korean forces used the
same Po-2 in a similar role in the Korean War.
American forces referred to the Po-2’s nighttime appearance “Bed Check Charlie” and
had the same difficulties in shooting down the
wooden Po-2 as did the Luftwaffe.
A Polikarpov Po-2 is on display in the
markings of the Russion Night Witches
among the other Polikarpov fighters in the
Army hangar of the museum. 
Retirement at the Museum
It was a great privilege for the museum
and staff to host the retirement ceremony of Chief Petty Officer, Charles
D. Brandt, Jr., on September 28, 2012.
The presiding officer was CDR Steven
J. Bellack, Commanding Officer; and,
the guest speaker was LT Bradley LaFontaine. Chief Brandt was assigned to
Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic,
NAS Oceana, and VA.
Chuck is a part-time member of the staff and
as an aviation electronics technician, a great
asset to the museum’s facility team.
The staff and volunteers at the museum,
thank you for your service, Chuck. 
By David Hunt
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
PAGE 3
NASA’s Drone Operations at the
Museum
By Jeffrey S. Hill, NASA LaRC Range Safety Officer
NASA Langley Research Center recently
began operating small Unmanned Aerial
Systems (sUAS) at the Military Aviation
Museum in September 2012. This is all part
of a five year project that NASA, DOD, DHS
(Department of Homeland Security) and the
FAA are working together in
a coordinated
effort to safely
integrate unmanned
aircraft into the
national
airspace by the
year
2015.
sUAS during preflight set
The emphasis
up at the Museum’s
is on safety
Virginia Beach facility
to allow both
manned and unmanned aircraft to operate by the Military Aviation Museum. All opin the same airspace ubiquitously. Cur- erations associated with NASA’s sUAS are
rently all unmanned aircraft are segregated scheduled and coordinated via the Musefrom manned airplanes in accordance with um’s Director, David Hunt. Over these next
operating rules and policy governed by the two years, NASA will operate their sUAS
FAA in which case, UA can only operate in to develop and test various procedures and
certain locations in the airspace by spe- protocols that may be applied to safely opercial approval of the FAA, Certificate of ate unmanned aircraft seamlessly among piloted aircraft in
Authorization for public
the National Air
use only or in restricted
Space. Keep an
airspace set aside for speeye out during
cial use operations for the
your visit for
military. NASA recently
a NASA drone
obtained a two year certiftaking off or
icate from the FAA to oplanding along
erate at the Virginia Beach
the main runAirport location along
way. 
with written permission
Working inside NASA’s 24- foot
to operate on the premises
sUAS operations trailer
A Bash at the Beach
The first Travel Alliance Partners (TAP)
was held in mid October. Bob Cline of TAP
partnered with U.S. Tours spearheading the
project along with Jim Coggin, tourism sales
manager, of the Virginia Beach Convention
and Visitors Bureau.
Virginia Beach, having a strong military and
patriotic heritage, and TAP planners decided
to emphasize that culture when planning
their event. The first tour of its kind combined three days of touring with three nights
of high-profile patriotic entertainment.
With over 1,200 people attending, the first
evening event took place at the Virginia Beach
Convention Center, where guests enjoyed a
“Virginia is for Lovers” dinner, accompanied
Folks lined up for the morning USO event
By David Hunt
by live piano music. After dinner, singers and Air Force Band and 15 men in uniform, along
musicians took the stage to perform “New with actors impersonating Bob Hope with the
Jersey Nights,” a musical show featuring the Andrews Sisters.
music of the famous Four Seasons.
“When the air show was over, we went
The second evening brought a swanky din- downtown, where we had our own version
ner in the Oceanfront Ballroom of the Vir- of a USO show,” Cline said. “The orchesginia Beach’s Cavalier Hotel. A small jazz tra performed Glen Miller tributes, and Bob
combo entertained guests during the meal, Hope and the Andrews Sisters did tribute
followed by a big-band jazz show called performances as well.”
“The Frank Sinatra Legacy.” “Coincidentally, the Cavalier Hotel hosted many tea
dances back in the 1940s and ’50s,” Cline
said. “Frank Sinatra used to play there.”
As part of its patriotic objective, this inaugural TAP event included a benefit for the
actual USO, raising more than twenty thousand dollars in contributions.
The third day of the events was perhaps the A big thank you to Jim Coggin from the
most anticipated. Taking place at the Mili- Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors
tary Aviation Museum, the event began with Bureau for putting on such a wonderful and
a swing band performance on the tar- most successful event. 
m
mac, followed by an opportu
tunity for guests to see some
550 of the Firest and Second
World War historic warplanes
W
in the museum’s collection.
The museum’s pilots then put
T
oon a private air show flying
five historic biplanes and warpplanes. The beginning of the
aair show coincided with the ar“Bob Hope,” “Andrew Sisters” and the rest of
rrival of our double-decker bus
the USO tour stepping off the museum’s bus
bbringing the Glen Miller Army
PAGE 4
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
Search for the Cottbus Writer
by Sandy Thomson (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
The Military Aviation Museum asked us if We started our hunt by simply stopping elwe would help them complete the story of derly residents and asking them if anyone
Waclaw Annusik, the man who left his name had ever heard of our man. Nobody had,
until we found someone
scratched into the strong Krupp
who
w
told us that there
steel beams of the German
was
w
one
very old man by
hangar. We discovered that the
the
th
name
of Czeslaw, and
writing was in Polish and since
if
we
could
find this elder
my wife was born in Poland,
citizen,
c
he
might have
we just might be the best peomet
m
and
known
many of
ple to track down the mystery
the
th
earlier
residents
of
of this unknown author. Even
the
th region. Eventually,
though we live in Canada, my
we
w saw him riding his
company is building a bearing
bicycle
b
along the main
plant in my wife’s native Poroad
r
on the way to the
land, so we travel there several
town’s
to
only variety store
times each year.
Writing on the wall of the
to
t cash in an empty beer
on a forest full of WW2 artillery and German anti aircraft guns.
The hangar inscription said only that “Waclaw Annusik worked here, October 14,
1944”. It was during this time that the Focke
Wulf company operated an aircraft assembly
plant at the Cottbus Luftwaffe airfield. It was
here at the time of the inscription that they
were building aircraft parts and components
all over Germany, but doing the final assembly work for the Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-9
radial and Fw 190 D-9 inverted V-12 fighter
planes in the hangars there at Cottbus.
Cottbus was a strongly fortified city which
was an important hub for rail and road traffic. The city was attacked on April 21, 1945
by the Red Army troops. The Russian Third
Army led by Ukaninian Marshall Konev captured over a hundred tanks, 2,000 vehicles,
and 1,700 Germans were made prisoners in
the heavy fighting. Marshal Konev wrote in
his memoirs that “The relatively small number of prisoners is due to the fierce resistance
of the enemy, who fought almost to the last
man.” On April 23rd, the Soviet forces occupied the Cottbus airfield which had been
attacked by a Russian aircraft squadron from
the Minsk region that was led by a woman.
Thereafter, Cottbus continued to be occupied
by Soviet troops for the next fifty years until
the collapse of the Soviet Union in
the 1990’s.
th
Cottbus Hangar by
bottle for a full one. Since
Waclaw Annusik
We carved out two days of our
I am a professional film
planned trip to Bytow, Poland,
producer and never go
last spring, and arranged to visanywhere without some kind of a camera,
it the small town which had been identified we recorded my wife, Marianna’s, interview
by the museum and their German friends with Mr. Brenda Czeslaw.
as the most likely former home of Waclaw
Annusik. Since it was probable that Mr. Bingo! He had known Waclaw Annusik, but
that was at least 20 years since he had last
Annusik was a slave laborer brought from
seen him. Annusik had been conscripted by
his native Poland during the Second World
the Germans to do civil construction work.
War to work in a German munitions fac- When the war was over, these workers came
tory, there was a possibility that there might back to Poland and were granted some type
still be some history of his whereabouts of state compensation for having been defrom the country that had imprisoned him. prived of their normal working routine. AnMany years after the war, the modern
day German government had offered
retribution payments to all those that
were caught up in the Holocaust or
Forced labor ~ how did Waclaw
F
were imprisoned by the German Third
Annusik think it would all end? We
A
Reich during World War Two. Therelearned so little, but that day will
le
live on in our memories forever.
li
fore, there was some record of Annusik
Would he not have been surprised
W
after he had written and applied for
to learn that the inscription that he
such a payment. The German governwrote on the inside bean of an airw
ment would not provide much actual
The
h Junkers
k Ju-52 in ffront off the
h Cottbus
b hhangar
plane hangar would have eventually
information about his existance after
ended up in far away America. In
the war, but we were able to determine
October
1944, his knowledge of the Amerinusik
never
really
had
to
ever
work
again.
what was most likely his village. Therefore,
cans
would
have been very limited. He
He
lived
alone,
never
married
and
was
it did seem that he survived the war and
probably
only
knew of this mysterious and
known
in
the
community
as
a
very
good
soon returned back to his native country.
singer. People saw him walking around magnificent country being a land far away
town, visiting friends, but never having any that occasionally came with their bombers
We didn’t have much to go on; the town of
to drop their bombs on the airfield and the
type of a steady job.
Grabow is located about two hour’s drive
previous summer, that they had landed their
south of Warsaw. In the middle of roll- There was no remaining trace of Waclaw
troops in northern France at a place called
ing farm country, it’s a part of Poland that Annusik, as he had apparently gotten quite Normandy. At the same time, the Russians
has not seen great change since the days of ill and had been moved to a retirement home were inching forward towards Germany to
World War Two. In fact, you can still see the in another community, but no-one could tell evenually reach Cottbus in April of the folcraters from German bombs and artillery us exactly where that was. We then thought lowing year and then encircle nearby Berlin
about the possibility of the existance of local
shells in the farm fields.
to bring an end to the war. 
Church records. Back in town, we stumbled
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
PAGE 5
In Memoriam: Bill Cuthriell
By Steve Turner
The Military Aviation Museum as well as
the entire Hampton Roads aviation community lost a close friend and an ardent supporter when USAF Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Chaplain William "Bill” Cuthriell passed away
on 28 Oct. 2012 following an accidental fall
at the Atlanta Airport. He was born in Deep
Creek, Va. and upon his retirement from the
Air Force in 1979, he was presented a third
award of the Meritorious Service Medal.
After his USAF retirement, Bill was the
Executive Director of Chesapeake Volunteer Youth Services Program from 1987 to
1998 and was singled out as the outstanding
volunteer program in the U.S. awarded by
the National Council of Juvenile and Family
Court Judges. Bill was active in a variety of
Kings Grant Baptist Church programs, was
a former President and active in the Kiwanis
Club of Chesapeake, and was a long-time
volunteer at the Chesapeake free clinic and
Wellington Woods Civic League. But Bill’s
long-time passion was for all aspects of aviation and especially nurturing that passion
through such youth programs as AF Junior
ROTC and Civil Air Patrol. In his role as
the President of the Tidewater Chapter of
the Air Force Association, Bill sponsored
and supported a number of joint programs
with the Military Aviation Museum aimed at
fostering enthusiasm and passion for aviation and its history among our youth. Bill
was a true icon in the aviation community
and he will be missed. Donations in Bill’s
memory may be made to the Junior AFROTC Scholarship Fund AFA Chapter 242.
Mail to: Col. (USAF Ret.) Robert Hudson
3113 Lynnhaven Dr., Virginia Beach, VA
23451. 
Parades, Parades
and more Parades
By David Hunt
The Military Aviation Museum’s double
decker has been making appearance all over
town, including the Towne Bank Holiday
Parade at the Beach, which was the BEST
ONE EVER!
“We are delighted you were able to be a part
of creating a magical evening for thousands
of the young and young-at-heart along Atlantic Avenue. We appreciate the great work
you did in decorating, rehearsing, costuming, and performing for very little in return!
Once, again, on behalf of the Holiday Parade at the Beach planning committee, you
have our sincere thanks for participating
with us!” 
Gerald Yagen and Bill Cuthriell
Veterans Parade on
Remembrance Day
Towne Bank
Holiday Parade
Neptune Parade and
Princess Anne Middle School band
PAGE 6
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
The Museum Takes a Field Trip
by Wendy Lason, Post 51 Associate Advisor
The Military Aviation Museums Explorer Post This trip was coordinated by one of the
51’s first off site field trip was a great success, Post’s explorers who worked with Lt.
by visiting Carrier Airborne Early Warning Poynton, senior Naval Flight Officer, and
Squadron (VAW) 120 “The Greyhawks” facil- Mr. Bob Sage. The Explorers were briefed
ities and aircraft at Norfolk Naval Air Station. on the squadron’s mission and its aircraft.
The Greyhawks’ mission is to fly and train Na- They were also able to observe the squadval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, and Naval ron complete Carrier Certification requireAircrewmen to safely and effectively operate ments and learn more about different caE-2 and C-2 aircraft, preparing them to join reer fields in naval aviation.
the fleet. The E-2
Hawkeye is critical
A
Andrew. said, “It
w
was very fun to
to Command and
Control of the Nassit in the cockppit. The “on the
vies’ Carrier Battle
gground” experiGroups. The C-2
eence was the only
Greyhound prow
way you could,
vides Carrier Onre
board
Delivery
really, appreciate
th
the
dimensions
(COD) of critical
The E
E-2
Hawkeye
Th
2H
k
supplies.
and design of the
plane. You saw, up close and personal, all
the computers and electronics.”
Nathan was surprised by how cramp the
Hawkeye was inside and wondered how
the crew managed to bail out in an emergency. He was told that they practiced getting to the door frequently with all of their
gear.
If you are interested in finding out more
about Aviation Explorer Post 51 check out
our FaceBook page and see what has been
planned for 2013. www.facebook.com/#!/
AviationExplorerPost51.
New members and mentors are always welcome! 
Lenin and his Aircraft
by Diane Perez
You may have noticed a statue of Vladimir
Lenin, ardent student of Communism, leader of the Bolshevik Party, and architect of
the world’s first Soviet Republic, on display
in the museum. Some folks may wonder
why we would possess and display the effigy of such a controversial figure.
Russia’s October Revolution of 1917 resulted
in Lenin becoming the Chairman of the Soviet Council of People’s Commissars, a Socialistic form of government. Small of stature with a distinctive large, bulging, head,
Lenin would lead his country for only five
years. Historians have well documented the
ruthlessness and tremendous violence he
employed to accomplish his political objectives. A highly intelligent man and persuasive orator, he had the ability to convert hordes of the populace to his cause.
One ill-advised appointment of his governance was naming Joseph Stalin to the
post of General Secretary. This position
allowed Stalin to amass a great deal of
authority and eventually led Lenin to
regret his choice and attempt to reverse
it. Poor health, however, prevented him
from achieving Stalin’s removal. The
oppressive tactics of their combined regimes were responsible for the loss of
millions of lives during their reign of terror
in the Soviet Union.
Suffering from several strokes attributed to
a failed assassination attempt in 1918, Lenin
was forced to resign from politics in 1922.
He passed away on January 24, 1924 at the
age of 53. Stalin succeeded him as leader of
the Soviet Union.
Throughout the twentieth century, statues
and pictures of Lenin could be found in public squares, offices and historical sites all
across his homeland, although many have
since been removed or destroyed. Our own
statue is more unique than most, as it is constructed of metal, rather than the more com-
Vladimir Lenin next to the 1938 Polikarpov I-153
mon gypsum or concrete. Originally housed
at the cultural club of a boiler station in Murmansk, it was obtained by the museum when
purchasing some Russian airplanes.
This station was responsible for producing
boiling water that was used in heating local
homes and buildings. The culture club located there housed a cinema, theater groups,
a dance hall, children’s activities, and other
social events. The statue was likely a tribute
to the man who was considered a comrade by
the working class at the time. Now defunct,
the club has become a modern business center no longer in need of Lenin’s visage.
Our museum displays military aircraft and
artifacts from both allies and enemies to
represent the part they all have played in
re
hhistory. Vladimir Lenin was such a notable individual in Russia’s past that it
ta
would be remiss to ignore his existence.
w
Named by Time Magazine as one of the
N
1100 most important people of the 20th
ccentury and one of the top 25 political
icons of all time, it is quite appropriate to
ic
hhave him stand among his airplanes as a
symbol of Russia’s failed style of governsy
ment. In the words of philosopher George
m
Santayana, “Those who cannot remember
S
the past are condemned to repeat it.” 
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
PAGE 7
Hangar Happenings
Annual Air & Auto Classic Charity Car Show
USS Truman
By Sam Gassel Each year the Military Aviation Museum is
The Third Annual Air & Auto Classic Charity
Car show was held in November at the museum. 2012's event was a record breaker that
exceeded all expectations. The large and diverse group of people had a wonderful time.
The mix and quality of cars was spectacular
and most importantly, the end result was over
$8,000 raised for the Virginia Beach SPCA
and the Foodbank of Southeastern VA.
The event was essentially
a sell-out as organizers ran
out of room to park the cars!
In total 140 cars including
VW's, American muscle cars,
vintage Porsches, Ferraris and
late model Mustangs. This year a new twist was
added by including a motorcycle show hosted
by FTW motorcycles of Virginia Beach.
The museum flew several of their vintage
aircraft and OBX Biplanes was back again
to offer rides in their Waco Biplane. A very
special treat was the surprise fly-bys of the
museum's beautiful P-51 Mustang. A total of 29 trophy plaques were given out to
the lucky owners of the winning cars. Categories were a mix of people’s choice and
judged import and domestic classes.
proud to host the USS Harry S. Truman's
(CVN 75) Children's Christmas Party. Each
year is filled with fun and surprises and this
one was no different.
Photos by: Art Norfolk
The carnival atmosphere was added to with
music donated by Subu
urban
Key Party & great
f
food
was offered by Zook's
B
BBQ,
as well as whole
s
slew
of great raffles. The
S
SPCA
brought some adora
able
adoptable dogs and
s
several
vendors were on
s with vintage signs, ausite
tomobilia, motorcycle clothing and jewelry.
We thank everyone who joined us in 2012
and hope they'll tell friends what I great
time they had. It's fun, and it's all for charity.
Make a date in your calendar for this year’s
show planned on October 26th. 
Trains, Planes and Santa
by Starr Adler
The Military Aviation Museum outdid itself
this year with the Trains, Planes and Santa
event! We have a 4-year old and a 2-year
old and they had the best time, as did my
husband and myself! After we got our ticket
to see Santa, we headed to the hangars to
see the trains. My sons especially loved the
engine they could hop in and ring the bell
and push the buttons to make the town with
trains come alive, so much fun! There was
an announcement that there was a plane
headed our way and we ran out to watch,
over the loud speaker, we heard a “HO HO
HO!!!” and then from around the corner
of the museum, there was the red WACO
with Santa inside! They did a few fly-bys
with Santa waiving and children screaming
out with joy from below. He made his way
through the crowd and said he couldn’t wait
to hear what they all wanted for Christmas.
We had a little while to wait, but no worries, cause there were so many fun things
to do and look at. We stopped by and got
some goodies from the Southern Fried table
and grabbed our holiday cupcakes from the
cupcake lady, got our faces painted, made a
Lego airplane and went to the other hangars
to look at the planes. The ever growing collection of airplanes and buildings is amazing! When we went to see Santa, he said,
“Jameson & Jaxson!!! Have you been good
boys this year?” The kids couldn’t believe
he knew who they were already! It was surreal. They sat on his lap and explained what
they had rehearsed asking him for, and took
the cutest picture with him and one of his
helper elves. They got their goodie bags and
we wrapped up our exciting day! Thanks to
the museum for putting on such a unique
event that is such a fun experience for the
children and the child in all of us. We will
be talking about it until next year, as this is
an event we won’t ever want to miss! 
Become a Volunteer!
If you like
meeting people
and vintage airplanes why not
consider volunteering at the
Military Aviation Museum?
If a tour guide is not your
thing then we are always
looking for volunteers with
specific skills and anyone
can help our Museum in
many different ways.
The next class is
being held on
April 27th, 2013
Call David Hunt at 721-7767
PAGE 8
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
Event Calendar
Dinosaurs in Their New Park Surroundings
FEBRUARY
9 - Valentine’s Day Hangar Dance
16 - Speakers-Tuskegee AirmenSgt Grant Williams at 11:00am
APRIL
20 - Bonanza Fly-In
20 - Promise Places Plane Pull
20 - Hangar Talk - see website for
further details
27 - Volunteer Training
MAY
17, 18, & 19 - Warbirds Over the Beach
(WWII Air Show)
25-Strawberry Fest Parade
JUNE
1- Crime Solvers Pig Pickin’
1- Flying Proms
Don’t forget to pick up your museum wine.
Dua
l Fo
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Wul
09
W-1
’s
Open Daily
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
(757) 721-PROP
1341 Princess Anne Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23457
Return service requested
Membership Newsletter for
The Military Aviation Museum
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
PERMIT NO. 235
PAID
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE