Introducing The Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame Class of 2015

Transcription

Official Magazine of the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society
Introducing The Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame
Class of 2015
John “Pappy” Mazza
October/November/December 2015
Robert A. Rivers
Brig. Gen. David L. Young
Volume XXXVIII No. 4
VIRGINIA EAGLES
The official newsletter of the
Virginia’s
Aviation History
Is Calling.....YOU!
VAHS
Membership
Application
VIRGINIA AERONAUTICAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Officers and Board of Directors
Tim McSwain, Williamsburg, President
David Hahn, Sandston, Vice President
Charles J. Williams, Jr., Prince George, Secretary
Frank Lennon, Manakin-Sabot, Treasurer
Membership Categories
NAME: ________________________________
ADDRESS: _____________________________
Linda Burdette, Fredericksburg, Chairman
Neilson J. November, Richmond, Chairman Emeritus
CITY/ST/ZIP: ___________________________
Courtney Beamon, Richmond
Van Crosby, Richmond
Carl Fisher, Richmond
Paul Galanti, Richmond
Scott Gross, Williamsburg
Charles Hundley, Richmond
Bill Kelly, Richmond
Charles A. Kulp, Sr., Bealeton
Tom Leonard, Glen Allen
Nancy Miller, Mathews
Ret. Judge William Shelton, Richmond
Deborah J. Sterling, Ashland
Mark Sternheimer, Richmond
H. Ray Tyson, Jr., Ashland
Douglas Winegardner, Richmond
Tom Woodburn, Glen Allen
David Young, Lynchburg
HOME #: _______________________________
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VAHS
5701 Huntsman Road
Richmond Int’l. Airport, Va. 23250-2416
Organizational Director
Randall Burdette, Director, Virginia Dept. of Aviation
Chapters
Northern Neck Middle Peninsula
George Galo
Warrenton
Ron Gatewood
Williamsburg “Eagles”
Jug Gerard, Chapter President
Staff
Jennifer H. Melton, Glen Allen, Editor
Tom Woodburn, Feature Article Editor
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Lifetime membership, 2 VAHS polo
shirts or hats, 4 tickets to Annual Meeting or
Hall of Fame (one year only)
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[ ] Aviation Pioneer
$ 750
[ ] Air Racer
$ 500
[ ] Sportsman Pilot
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[ ] Mail Pilot
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shirts or hats, 4 tickets to Annual Meeting or
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Visit us on the Web at www.VirginiaAviationHistory.org
Contact us by mail at:
VAHS
5701 Huntsman Road
Richmond International Airport, VA 23250-2416
E-mail us at [email protected]
Telephone (804) 222-8690
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I
Van’s Vectors
hope everyone had a great summer. Things were
certainly busy around the Crosby house. By the
time this issue of Virginia Eagles makes it to
your door, Karis will be married and Lynn and I will
have our one and only son-in law, Chase Cox. (great
young man) We really can hardly wait, but I also look
forward to a little less daily drama!
feel good about the future of the Virginia Aviation
Museum and expect the details of the museum’s next
chapter will be decided by year end.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the Virginia
Aviation Hall of Fame on November 14, 2015
Sincerely,
Van Crosby
Chairman of the Board
In July I attended the Northern Neck chapter meeting and thoroughly enjoyed the program. We were
treated to real lesson in logistics and how USA got
all those planes to the South Pacific during World
War II. I used the opportunity to give a young man
named Miles Ford his first aircraft ride before he
headed to VMI for his rat year. His mom (Renee) is
the Director of Finance for the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport joined us and Miles would like to
become a Marine pilot! Our chapters are a big part
of the VAHS and Northern Neck has really stepped
up their activity thanks to Nancy and others. If you
haven’t made a chapter trip give it a try! Many of the
guest speakers are first class and soon some of their
stories will only be available in 3rd person. The other
chapters are in Warrenton and Williamsburg and
have speaker programs as well. The website, www.
virginiaaviationhistory.org, will post all the meetings
and information on upcoming speakers.
Remember we will have changes that take effect in
October for our leadership. Please welcome and find
an opportunity to thank them for their time and
support. Our future is in good hands!
Chairman of the Board – Linda Burdette
President – Tim McSwain
The Science Museum of Virginia has decided to
separate from the Virginia Aviation Museum. The
VAHS donated the VAM to the SMV in 1990 and
they now may return the gift. A special committee
of VAHS Board members have been working hard
all summer evaluating the best options for VAM. I
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Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame
Class of 2015
It’s that time of year again when we, the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society, induct the next class
of Virginia Hall of Fame members and celebrate their achievements and impact not just on Virginia
aviation but on aviation as a whole.
This year we are inducting John “Pappy” Mazza, Robert A. Rivers, and Brig. Gen. David L. Young. Over
the next few pages, you will get a glimpse of their achievements and their considerable contributions.
The Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2015 at the
Virginia Aviation Museum among a beautiful selection of historic aircraft. The cocktail party begins at
5:00 p.m. followed by a plated dinner. After dinner you will have the opportunity to see and hear much
more about their stories.
Tickets for the evening are $60 for VAHS members, and $70 for non-VAHS members. Reservations
are required and RSVPs must be received by November 9th. This year you will have the opportunity to
purchase your tickets on our new website, www.VirginiaAviationHistory.org. Just click on the Support
button and go down to the Online Store.
We hope you join us for this wonderful evening.
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John “Pappy” Mazza has been selected to the
Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame for his many
contributions to Virginia Aviation. John’s
aviation experience started from an early age,
flying with his father. He obtained his pilot
license and instrument rating in a Tri-Pacer.
John has always directed energy, time and resources toward making aviation accessible to
all communities. He has piloted his own plane
to provide transportation for the support and
promotion of aviation in Virginia. His service
on aviation boards and groups has ranged
from local general aviation to the Virginia state
boards who oversee all aspects of aviation promotion, facilities and service in Virginia. John
has been a dedicated and active member of the
Virginia Aviation Board, the Dinwiddie Airport
and Industrial Authority, the Virginia Transportation Safety Board, Chesterfield County
Airport Advisory Board and many others. He
is currently Chairman of the Capital Region
Airport Commission. John also was a founder
and leader of the WWII Victory Capitol Flyover
on May 8, 2015 and similar capitol flyovers in
earlier years. He was a prime player in obtaining permits to allow the flyovers – an effort which took
years to coordinate. John volunteers as a pilot and Safety Officer of Flight Operations at the Military
Aviation Museum where he continues to perform and advocate for aviation across the U.S. In his free
time he volunteers at local schools to encourage young people to pursue careers in aviation.
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Robert A. Rivers
Robert A. Rivers has been selected to the Virginia
Aviation Hall of Fame due to his achievements as a
NASA Test Pilot for 14 years at the Langley Research
Center in Hampton, Virginia. While at NASA Langley,
he became the only pilot in the world to have flown
and tested both the Concorde and Russian Tu-144 Supersonic Transports as the NASA Project Pilot for the
High Speed Research Program established to design a
new High Speed Civil Transport. He taught Astronauts
how to land the Space Shuttle while flying the Shuttle
Training Airplane and flew the WB-57 high altitude
research airplane all over the world investigating global
climate issues and testing satellite sensors. He was
one of the first WB-57 pilots to successfully track a
shuttle launch from pad to solid rocket motor separation with a sophisticated video tracking system flown
at 65,000 feet altitude. He authored or co-authored
over 25 technical papers and wrote two extensive
case studies of NASA flight test programs for a two
volume NASA special publication. He was the lead
NASA Project Pilot on many programs including the
HL-20 Spaceplane (later to become the Sierra Nevada
Corporation Dreamchaser), the Aircraft Synthetic Vision System Program, the Small Aircraft Transportation Systems (SATS) Program, the NASA Wake Vortex
Hazards Program, and the Atmospheric Sciences Earth Albedo Program. He has flown over 13,000 hours
as pilot-in-command in over 70 different aircraft types including the F-8, F-5, F-16, T-38, B-757, WB-57 F
High Altitude Research Airplane, OV-10, and the NASA G-II/Shuttle Training aircraft, as well as numerous general aviation aircraft. His many awards include NASA’s Aviation Professional of the Year Award
for 2002, a NASA Exceptional Service Medal, a NASA Director’s Commendation, and numerous NASA
Safety and Outstanding Performance Awards. As a Navy Fighter Pilot, he flew 2,000 accident free hours
and accumulated over 250 carrier arrested landings in the Navy F-8 Crusader. He won the first International Tactical Reconnaissance Meet in 1981, competing against teams from the Air Force, Navy, Marines,
Air National Guard, and Canadian Armed Forces. A resident of Virginia for over 21 years, he received his
Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1985, and currently resides
in Oxford, North Carolina.
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Brig. General David L. Young has been selected
to be inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of
Fame due to his work in building the School of
Aeronautics program at Liberty University. After
serving 29 years in the Air Force which included
both enlisted and commissioned assignments, he
retired as Brigadier General with over 6,000 hours
of military flying time, over 1,200 combat hours and
over 2,000 hours as instructor and examiner. His
experiences in the Air Force included time at the
Pentagon, Forces Command, the Air Force Personnel Center, Air War College faculty, and a variety of
flying assignments, twice as wing commander. Dave
and a fellow retired military friend Ernie Rogers
founded Liberty University’s aeronautics program
in 2002 from the ground up. The aviation program
grew into the School of Aeronautics, with Dave as
the founding dean. With Dave at the helm, the
school’s program grew from a mere 4 students at
its inception to over 1,000 students to date and 33
affiliate locations across the country. The program’s
expansion has resulted in educational opportunities
that include programs of instruction and certification for pilots, aircraft mechanics, Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAV), Commercial, Military and Aviation.
To date the school has produced over 900 pilots and other aviation-related workers who are employed all
over the world. Dave has served on the Lynchburg Regional Airport Commission and the Virginia Aviation
Board. He is currently the president of the Virginia Aviation Business Association (VABA) and serves on
the VAHS Board of Directors.
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Chapter News
Northern Neck/Middle Peninsula
Williamsburg “Eagles” Chapter
Contact:
George Galo
P.O. Box 545
Lancaster, Virginia 22503
(804) 462-0462
e-mail: [email protected]
Contact:
C.G. (Jug) Gerard – President
266 E. Queens Drive
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
(757) 258-0376
Meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of each month
at the Pilot House Restaurant in Topping, Virginia
at 11:30 a.m.
Meetings are held the 3rd Wednesday of the month
at 10:00 a.m. at the Williamsburg Airport.
Warrenton Chapter
Contact:
Ron Gatewood
8399 Creedmore South Drive
Warrenton, Virginia 20187-8911
(703) 534-1609
existence of the processing companies and their
role in the region’s economy. Charles Williams, a
former spotter pilot whose father and grandfather
were menhaden boat captains, will tell us about
his experiences aloft during the glory days of the
menhaden industry and about his life-long Bayside hometown of Reedville, once the richest town
per capita in the Country thanks to the menhaden.
As always, the Chapter gathers at 11:30 am on the
third Thursday of each month, at the Pilot House
Restaurant, Topping (adjacent to Hummel Field, on
Rt. 3)—All are welcome!
Northern Neck-Middle Peninsula Chapter
Quarterly Report
Pan Africa, Pungo, and the Galaxy: What in
the Wide, Wide World of Aviation History?
By Nancy Miller
F
irst: Looking ahead—this newsletter will reach
you just in time to make plans to join our Chapter
on October 15, 2015 for an aeronautical presentation
unique to the Chesapeake Bay region. The Menhaden Fishery has been important to the people living
and working in our part of the Bay, from colonial
times to the present. Almost four decades ago the
use of “spotter pilots” (aviators scouting the large
schools of menhaden for the factory fleets) became
standard practice. This changed fishing operations,
the industry that relied on the oily little fish and,
ultimately, it brought major alterations in the very
Looking back--The Northern Neck-Middle Peninsula
Chapter of the VAHS hosted presentations in June,
July and August, described below.
In June, author Tom Culbert visited the Chapter
to tell the story of Pan American Airways’ role in
Africa in WWII, long before the United States “entered the fray.” In an arrangement set up by Winston
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and the compressed time frame forged Pan Africa’s
profound and sometimes humorous history. An
astonishing, entertaining and educational session
about aviation pioneers--what more can one ask?
Churchill and Juan Trippe, Pan Am’s president, the
airline established and expanded an air route, “Pan
Africa,” to support the British in Egypt and the Allied
forces in east Asia, threatened by Japanese advances
in China and Burma. Although the operation was
quite significant to the war effort, until recently few
outside of the direct participants have known much
about it.
In July Mike Potter, Director of the Virginia
Military Aviation Museum at Pungo, provided a
PowerPoint presentation describing the Museum’s
start-up in 2005 and its amazing growth over one
short decade. Pungo may be a quiet little corner
of the City of Virginia Beach, but the Museum has
placed it conspicuously “on the map.” Of the 122
tourist attractions in Virginia Beach rated by the
website TripAdvisor.com, the Military Aviation
Museum now ranks as #1 above all others. This
museum is a destination for travelers from all over
the world primarily because it includes the world’s
largest private collection of military aircraft from the
first half century of flight--that still fly! Mike’s presentation moved quickly, telling the story of founder
Gerald Yagen’s (VAHS Hall of Fame, 2014) original
inspiration: to assemble a collection of restored
military aircraft and showcase them in airworthy
operation. The Museum’s stated mission is, “…to
Fortunately, two Virginia aviators set out to remedy that. In their book titled, “Pan Africa, Across
the Sahara in 1941 with Pan Am,” Tom Culbert
and co-author Andy Dawson describe the people,
airplanes, operations and events that make up Pan
Africa’s story. Tom draws from this book and his
related research in giving
presentations like the one
provided to our NN-MP
Chapter in June. Meticulously documented, Tom
mined many sources of
information for the book,
including formerly classified records in various
archives in Washington, D.C. Andy,
who lived it firsthand, located and
interviewed many of his former Pan Africa
colleagues, securing anecdotes and personal
photographs of their time in West Africa in the
early 1940’s. The resulting volume chronicles
the obscure tale of the Pan American subdivision whose employees built and maintained
airfields and conducted flights for concentrated airlift operations, at a time when “airlift” techniques and strategies were just being
invented. Africa, Boeing B-314s, Boeing 307s,
remote airports, DC-3s, Bristol Blenheims and
Beaufighters, P-40s, U-boats, Doolittle, Wilkie,
giraffes, a leopard mascot and vast ocean-like
expanses of desert with no navigation landmarks are all part of the authentic chronicle. With
the first flight taking place just 10 weeks after the
contract was signed, the exotic and adverse setting
Mike Potter
Director, Virginia Military Aviation Museum
help the generations born after WWII understand
exactly what Americans and their allies can and have
achieved when they are called to action with a just
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nel Michael Kenna) gave a presentation on the C-5,
discussing strategic airlift with a focus on the C-5A
and Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). In addition,
he related his personal experiences flying the C-5.
cause. Each one of the airplanes in our collection
tells a unique story about the men and women who
designed them, built them, flew them, and all too
often, died in them in order to very literally save the
world seventy-five years ago.” That inspiration and
ambition have been realized on a grand scale at the
Museum. And so much more.
The C-5 Galaxy is one of the largest aircraft in the
world and the largest airlifter in the Air Force inventory. The aircraft can carry a fully equipped combatready military unit to any point in the world on short
notice and then provide the supplies required to
help sustain the fighting force. The C-5 has a greater
capacity than any other airlifter. It has the ability to
carry 36 standard pallets and 81 troops simultaneously. The Galaxy is also capable of carrying any
of the Army’s air-transportable combat equipment,
including such bulky items as the 74-ton mobile
scissors bridge. It can also carry outsize and oversize
cargo over intercontinental ranges and can take off
or land in relatively short distances. Ground crews
are able to load and off-load the C-5 simultaneously
at the front and rear cargo openings, reducing cargo
transfer times. Other features of the C-5 are:
The scope of the Museum’s collection and activities
became clearer as Mike Potter’s presentation gave
detailed profiles of many of the airplanes now housed
there. Here are just a few examples: the Museum
shows off the only airworthy Mosquito in the world,
flying it several times a year at its many special
events—the Mosquito is a British wooden tactical
bomber, one of the fastest operational aircraft in the
world in 1941; the Museum’s B-25J, “Wild Cargo”
was built in late 1944, and following WWII it went
through many variations, became Air Force surplus,
and in 1963 was involved in a gear-up landing publicity stunt and then abandoned, eventually finding
its way to restoration and a new life at the Museum
in 2008; and, the 1944 FM-2 Wildcat returned to
Pungo in the Museum’s 2010 Warbirds Over the
Beach air show—over 60 years after it served as a
trainer at a small military airfield in Pungo in 1945.
Able to operate on runways 6,000 feet long (1,829
meters)
Five
sets of landing gear totaling 28 wheels to
distribute weight
As interesting as the individual airplanes’ stories
are, its buildings are important to the Museum’s
unique vision, too. They include the authentic 1934
“Cottbus Hangar,” transported from Cottbus
Airfield, Germany and reassembled at the
museum to house the collection’s many German aircraft, and the “Goxhill Aerodrome
Control Tower,” a British facility used by P-51
Mustangs and Lockheed P-38 Lightnings in
1943. And then there are the volunteers.
Dedicated and knowledgeable, they staff the
Museum as docents, and man the Museum’s
special events, which fill the calendar all year
long and create a Museum with few peers. To
plan your visit go to: www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org. Thank you, Mike Potter, for our
“armchair” tour!
A
In August, our own Mike Kenna, (Ret. Colo-
“kneeling” landing gear system that permits
Ret. Col. Michael Kenna
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lowering the parked aircraft to facilitate drive-on/
drive-off vehicle loading and adjusts the cargo
floor to standard truck-bed height
programs like these throughout the year. All of the
VAHS Chapters’ contact information is listed in
this newsletter; we encourage you to use it to secure
details on upcoming programs and make
plans to attend. Please join us for our next
Chapter meeting, and bring a friend! As
always, the Northern Neck-Middle Peninsula Chapter meets the third Thursday
of each month, at 11:30 am, in the Pilot
House Restaurant, adjacent to Hummel
Air Field, Topping, Virginia. All meetings
are open to the public—so join us for lunch
and a stimulating presentation!
C-5 Galaxy
Colonel Kenna served in the United States Air Force
for thirty years. During his aviation career he flew
and was an instructor pilot in the C-141, C-5, QU22B and the C-12. He commanded the C-5A Organizational Maintenance Squadron responsible for 36
C-5A’s. He is a graduate of the Squadron Officers
School, the Air Command and Staff College and
the Air War College. With over 4500 hours of flying
time, he is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying
Cross, the Legion of Merit, and the Defense Superior
Service Medal. Mike Kenna is another example of
the wealth of knowledge and experience, pure gold,
that marks the ranks of VAHS members—thank you,
Mike, for sharing with us!
Today’s News is
Tomorrow’s History
On September 17, LifeEvac III, based at the Middle
Peninsula Regional Airport in Mattaponi, Virginia,
was scheduled to bring their EC-135 emergency
medical services helicopter and their flight crew to
the Chapter meeting to provide a program on their
unique form of aviation and the dramatic impact
their service has had on critical care and emergency
medicine in our region. Since the event had not
taken place at press-time, a summary of the presentation will be provided in the next VAHS Newsletter.
Help your Society’s effort to record and
preserve the history of aviation in the
Commonwealth. You can help by clipping
and sending any newspaper articles relating
to your local airport, aviators or related
events to the VAHS office. Also welcome are
any photos of Virginia airports or anything
concerning Virginia aviation history. We
will file and scan the information so it will
be available on our website.
In the true spirit of the VAHS mission, the Chapter
endeavors to secure and present aviation history
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Shown were examples of current fleet contributions
of ongoing Science & Technology programs including transition from Advanced Affordable Turbine
Engine program to the next engines for the Black
Hawk and Apache aircraft through the Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), a program
developing sustainment technologies (ASTRO)
with emphasis on the cost of aviation sustainment,
the Combat Tempered Aircraft program to improve operational availability through durability
and Route Optimization for Survivability Against
Sensors (ROSAS) program.
WILLIAMSBURG EAGLES CHAPTER
SUMMER 2015
Submitted by: Jug Gerard
J
une 2015 -- The Eagles Chapter regular third
Wednesday meeting was June 17, at 10:00 in the
conference room of the Williamsburg-Jamestown
Airport (JCC). President Jug Gerard led the opening Pledge of Allegiance. Twenty-nine members
attended and one visitor presented an interesting
background in aviation as a Marine enlisted navigator. Business was minimal before Programs Chairman Jackson Cartwright introduced guest speaker,
Dr. John D. Berry, Ph.D., who by title, is Deputy
Director, Aviation Applied Technology, Aviation
Development Directorate, AMRDEC, Fort Eustis,
Virginia.
From a very organizational entwined and technical
program, Dr. Berry successfully explained for the
VAHS professional and nonprofessional aviation
audience a level of detail and examples of work at
Ft. Eustis, which effect Army Aviation (both helicopter and fixed-wing) safety, sustainability and
improvement.
Dr. Berry presented the Ft. Eustis based mission
of the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate
(AATD) as a major element of the new Aviation
Development Directorate (ADD), headquartered
at the Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The Science and
Technology Focus Areas of the organization portfolio cover Basic Research, Platforms, Power, Missions Systems, Sustainment and Concept Design/
Assessment. The ADD currently pursues two other
major programs: the Joint Multi-Role Technology
Demonstration and Degraded Visual Environment
Mitigation.
July 2015 -- The Chapter met July 15, on the regularly scheduled 10:00, third Wednesday at the Williamsburg-Jamestown (JGG) airport conference
room. President Jug Gerard led the Pledge of Allegiance. Four welcomed guest were afford opportunity to introduce themselves and their aviation
backgrounds. Forty-two attendees represented one
of the larger gatherings in recent months, for which
much can be credited to the scheduled and anticipated B-17 presentation.
The AATD mission is to Develop, Demonstrate and
Transition critical technologies that enhance and
sustain Army Aviation. AATD has a seventy-year
history, starting as the Transportation Corps Board
in 1944 during WWII, and moved to Fort Eustis in
1950. It has continued under a sequence of charters
to provide aviation technologies to the Army and
DOD. The in-house capabilities at AATD include
structures development and testing, ballistics test
and experimental flight test across the full spectrum of Army Aviation fixed and rotary wing platforms, with the ability to design, analyze, fabricate,
test and deliver limited quantities of flight worthy
modifications to aviation customers quickly.
Eagle’s chapter member Bob Birney provided his
recall of flying with the B-17 Flying Fortress as a
nineteen-year-old navigator during WW II. His
presentation is made easy as it capitalizes on a vivid
45-minute DVD recorded by his son, Reed Birney,
during the June 2013 rollout of a refurbished B-17
at the Pungo, Virginia, Military Aviation Museum.
The museum’s aircraft represents a former Texas
based crop duster rebuilt in the Museum’s Fighter
Factory maintenance hanger. With his B-17 background, Bob was the invited guest speaker at initial
rollout. His presentation was twofold, reflecting on
the WWII B-17 statistical history from initial early
1942 entry into the European war, to final days in
mid- 1945, and secondly his crew’s March 22, 1945,
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mission and crash landing in Belgium. (The Fighter Factory B-17 has since been sold away to Portland, Oregon.)
As part of the surge input of crews and planes, Bob
Birney flew his first mission February 19, 1945, at
a time bombing moved from strategic to tactical
with emphasis on destroying the German air force,
in anticipation of coming D-Day.
The 8th Air Force activated in January 1942 and
moved its headquarters to England the following month to immediately begin conducting aerial bombardment missions against Nazi-occupied
Europe. Early efforts reflected constant lack of
aircraft, shortage of crews and horrendous losses.
Not until mid- 1943 did the pipeline provide both
crews and aircraft to fully replace on a regular basis encountered losses. By mid- 1944, the 8th AF
reached a total strength of more than 200,000 people. At its peak, the 8th AF could dispatch more
than 2,000 four-engine bombers and 1,000 fighters
on a single mission. Bob compared the early pattern of flying with the Memphis Belle crew doing
only three missions a month in late 1942 and six
missions a month in early 1943 to his 1945 flying of
a mission almost every day. The difference was the
impressive aircraft replacement pipeline, which put
more and more planes and necessary crews in the
air daily. Although the P-51 fighter joined 8th AF
in June of ‘43, they didn’t begin escort flights until late November, taking the bombers deeper and
deeper into Germany, and helped reduce bomber
losses. Achievement came with a high price -- 8th
AF suffered one-half of the U.S. Army Air Forces’
casualties in World War II (47,000-plus casualties
with more than 26,000 deaths).
Sidelights:
-- There were 305 gunner aces in the WWII 8th AF,
along with the 261 fighter aces.
-- The Memphis Belle airframe and aircrew are often erringly co-addressed. The crew gained their
25-missions in various planes. The Memphis Belle
happened to be the plane taken to the states primarily for Bond fund-raising tour although other
airframes were equally qualified.
The second half of Bob’s presentation is reflected in
this previously written article describing his most
eventful mission:
MISSION # 20, MARCH 22, 1945
By: Robert C. Birney
Germany: Air War Europa; Chronology 19421945. By Eric Hammel, Pacifica Press, Ca. 572pp.,
p. 462: “Four-hundred and fifty 1st Air Division B17s and two-hundred and eight-nine 3rd Air Division B-17s attacked ten Germany Army bases and
encampments; three-hundred and twenty-five 2nd
Air Division B-24s attacked GAP airdromes; twohundred and eight 3rd Air Division B-17s attacked
The Mission History Summary of Bob’s unit, the
384th Bomb Gp (H):
Period
Jun ‘43-Nov ‘43
(No long Range fighter escort)
Dec ‘43-May ‘44
(P-51 escort starts Dec 11, 1943)
Jun ‘44-Dec ‘44
Jan ‘45-Dec ‘44
Days
180
#of Missions
48
Planes Lost
62
Casualties
566
180
101
55
563
210
115
94
69
25
15
300
141
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two GAP airdromes; and twenty-one heavy bombers attacked secondary targets and targets of opportunity. One B-17 and three (of the six-hundred
and thirty-two VIII Fighter Command escorts and
scouts) were lost.”
the 8th Air Force was putting up 1200 bombers a
day in the bomber stream with 800 fighter escorts.
Thirty-six groups of 36 aircraft each streaming past
a single entry point on the Dutch coast was an unforgettable sight, but things were lot more messy on
return. On three occasions, they looked out to see
another Group bearing down on them. Watching
two Groups of 36 B-17s trying to occupy the same
space at the same time was a helluva sight. Somehow, the pilots avoided what seemed like certain
collisions as the Groups shuffled the deck.
***
One by one members of Shuff ’s aircrew stepped
out into the chilled English night on their way
to the damp stone cold latrines at the edge of the
Squadron area. The distant sound of heavy aircraft
engines floated up from the maintenance hangers
a mile away. The pungent odor of sulfuric smoke
from the pot stoves filled their lungs.
Bob Birney, the navigator, was just getting his
clothes off when the hut door popped open and in
walked Lieutenant Ralph Hill, childhood friend,
the one who talked him into the Air Force now flying P-51s out of Fowlmere. “I figured I’d come over
and take a ride with you tomorrow,” were his first
words. “Not in our airplane you won’t.” Bob replied.
“That would be good for a court-martial in this
Group.” The 384th Bomb Group, based in Grafton
Underwood, Northamptonshire, was a very tightly
run outfit under Colonel Theodore Milton. Promotions were earned slowly and sightseeing fighter pilots were not welcome. Bob told Hill to come down
in the morning and watch the take-off spectacle;
and they could go into town when he got back. He
had located Hill when they had their only threeday pass to London; and one day Hill had flown
over in his P-51. It had been a good reunion.
When they left the Officers and Sergeants Clubs
the night before, the Green mission lights were on.
They had another mission tomorrow. Very early in
the AM an orderly would come through the officers’
hut, flash a light in the faces of those on the roster
to fly, and rattle off the times for breakfast, briefing
and takeoff. A senior sergeant would pop into the
enlisted men’s tent and rouse them all at once. The
mission two days ago had been wild and woolly.
The target was Hamburg, and as they came off it
and headed north powerful head winds caused the
bomber stream to stack up on itself so that groups
found themselves flying along side of each other. To
make matters worse they encountered elements of
Me 262s that came wheeling past just out of range.
The gunners reported seeing planes going down
behind them. It was the crew’s nineteenth mission
in thirty days. Everybody felt the fatigue, especially the pilots who did hard physical labor holding
the B-17 in formation hours on end. The navigator and radio operator had their chores to keep
them occupied; and the gunners had to deal with
hours of scanning the sky for trouble in its many
forms. Over time, everyone could feel it. So far
their luck had held. Despite plenty of flak on the
bomb runs, they had yet to pick up a single shard
of shrapnel; nor were there any major mechanical
problems. The Luftwaffe was nowhere in sight most
of the time. Weather was the biggest danger, both
taking off and climbing into formation or dragging
home through thick cloud cover and low ceilings.
You could lose it coming or going. It didn’t help that
At briefing, there was good news and bad news. The
good news was the mission was briefed for less than
six hours. The bad news was they were headed into
the heart of the Ruhr Valley, one of the most heavily defended places on earth. The German Wehrmacht was in a bad way. The Allies were massing
their troops for a Rhine crossing at Wesel and the
smoke pots were already lit. The 384th was targeting a small railhead north of Essen that probably
hosted a headquarters outfit. All along the line, the
1st Air Division had similar targets.
Navigators and pilots went to different briefings.
Bob was fairly relaxed as he and I filled in the route
lines and flight times to the various check points on
nice fresh maps. This was his and Charlie’s twen-
14
only the last squadron caught some.
tieth mission. His first one had been a navigational disaster. As was the custom Charlie had been
scheduled to fly co-pilot with a high mission crew
back on Feb. 19th before taking his own crew on
their first. But the navigator’s roster turned up one
short that day and Bob found himself being routed
out to go with a crew that only had a couple of more
missions to go. Totally surprised he was tight as
a drum. Europe was completely overcast that day
and when the Group tried to make a radar drop on
its target the lead decided to go for the secondary
at Munster. Bob scrambled to plot dead reckoning tracks, as they seemed to jog all over the Ruhn.
When he finally got his first reliable G-box fix he
was a full thirteen miles off and his log was full of
blanks. As he left the aircraft his ‘toggelier’ said,
“You were working way too hard Lieutenant.” But
he had learned lot since then and today’s mission
looked like a milk-run. He was the last of the crew
to arrive at the hardstand of #630.
Green flares from the tower signaled Start Engines
and the mission was on. Thirty-six heavily loaded
B-17s began filling the taxiways to the end of the
takeoff runway. Five thousand pounds of bombs
and 2700 gallons of fuel gave Charlie a handful as
he taxied into place. Hoggy and Bob stayed in the
nose and Shorty stood between the pilots. The others were in the radio room. There was no point in
leaving the nose. If the plane failed to get airborne
it would simply add to the large charred spot already off the end of the runway. Every airbase had
them. Fully loaded aircraft left no survivors.
Climb out was an hour of rising circles in pursuit of the leader. All over southeast England the
groups swarmed around their beacons forming up
in response to color coded flares from their leaders.
Straight forward enough on a clear day, it could be
nerve wracking when the cloud cover ran from 800
ft up to 12,000. Then at breakout everyone scanned
for others and hoped there had been no collisions.
The crewmembers were getting their gear on board
including their .50 cal machine guns. Joe had installed Bob’s gun for him. He had never fired in the
air. The gunners all test fired their guns on the way
into Germany but Bob worried about a jammed
round figuring the last thing they needed was a .50
round exploding in the nose. He had them jam in
practice and did not trust himself to clear it. Fred
and Charlie were finishing their walk around and
getting ready to start their checklist. Each position had a parachute, flak jacket and steel helmet
for use on the bomb run. The hazard now was flak,
German 88s, fused to explode among the formation. They would reach the Group’s 19,500 ft altitude with ease; and since the weather was clear they
would be using their superb telescopic sights.
The mission track ran due east into Belgium along
the Scheldt estuary. They went on oxygen at 12,000
ft and the formation began to tighten up. Joe
squeezed into his tail seat propping his chute and
walk around bottle just behind him. He could see
the English Channel to the south and the North
Sea to his right. He would report on the formation and any flak to the pilot. Cramer had entered
his ball turret leaving his chute and bottle behind
since there was no room for them. He spun the
ball to test it while Shorty did the same in the top
turret. Charlie and Fred took turns at the required
formation flying. Hoggy checked his switch panel
one last time to be sure he could salvo the bombs
on the leader over the target. Itch had bundles of
aluminum foil strips called chaff, which he would
push out a slot behind his seat on the bomb run.
Each strip sent a return to German radar to confuse
the signal. #630 was equipped for radar and radio
jamming and a sergeant was on board to operate
the equipment. No one knew him. On a beautiful,
clear March day, none of this would matter much.
They would be seen just fine. Bob had excellent
The intensity and accuracy of the flak varied a lot.
If the Germans thought they knew the track of the
bomb run they could fill a “box” with steadily exploding rounds. They had run into one of these
over Bremen. At first, it looked like a large dark
smear in the sky ahead. Then as they closed on it
the tight swirling black balls began to appear until
finally there might be one close enough to see the
red flash. Occasionally there was no flak at all, or
15
when he returned Charlie did the same. He went
through the riddled radio room, past the severed
control cables and after seeing Lesko decided he
needed major medical attention. That meant England. As they got closer to the coast, he could see
a long convoy moving up the Channel ahead. Not
wanting to cross it, he began easing south along the
coast, but figuring he had to cross he told Shorty to
get some red flares ready to show he had wounded
on board.
checkpoints along the way with precise times and
marks. Already he could see the smoke at Wesel.
He got ready to call out the time to the Initial Point
(IP) so everyone could get into flak jackets, helmets
and positions for the bomb run.
The IP was just inside Germany and almost immediately Joe called out that he could see flak appearing. With less than two minutes to Bombs Away,
the plane took close bursting flak that riddled the
waist and radio room.
Shorty leaned in and said, “There’s a fire in #2.”
A cry of anguish filled the intercom. “Who is it
someone asked?” “It sounds like Birney.” Itch said.
Bob replied, “No, it’s Lesko, Itch. Better get back to
him.” Charlie came on saying “We don’t have any
rudder left. Give me a heading out, Birney.” Bob
came back, “The bombs aren’t away. Stay with the
Group.”
Charlie called Bob. “Where’s the nearest airfield?”
“Ten miles south, why?” “#2 is on fire! We need
an open field.” Charlie could see fire trailing all the
way back to the tail. Joe could see it too. Charlie
told the men in the waist to hook Lesko’s parachute
to a static line and prepare to push him out. They
informed him they had cut his parachute harness
off to get to his wound. They had no spare because
they had forgotten the emergency duffle bag. He
put the wing down to start down and Bob called
up to say there was airfield practically underneath.
Bob sent Hoggy back to the waist. He had taken his
gear off looking for his wound. Bob followed him
up to the flight deck and took up a position behind
Fred. Shorty was behind Charlie. Later Charlie described what happened next.
At that moment, Hoggy toggled on the leader and
the bombs left. He had been startled by a piece of
flak that had hit his jacket. The #3 engine was running away, the sound getting higher and higher until Fred feathered it. When the flak hit on the flight
deck Charlie looked down to see a hole the size of a
baseball in the floor, and looking up there was another one in the roof. Fred checked the palm of
his glove, which had torn out without breaking the
skin. The Group began its turn to the north when
the jammer yelled that the oxygen was shot out and
Itch had passed out. Joe started out of the tail to try
to help when Charlie put the plane into steep dive
and asked for a heading. Voices faded quickly until people popped their ears painfully. Bob had no
track but saw the Wesel smoke and picked a heading to track for Mansion in Kent, which served as a
huge emergency landing field for crippled aircraft.
“I made a left turn sending the flames over the radio operator’s window. Itch yelled, “We’re on fire!”
We made a rapid descent from 8500 ft -- full flaps,
wheels down, even the cowl flaps open. For no reason we did not feather #2 engine. (Feathering an
aircraft engine is when you shut the engine down
and rotate the prop blades so they are 90 degrees to
the line of flight. This creates less drag.) Not feathering the props created more drag, which let us descend more rapidly. Later Shorty said he thought
this probably kept the flames from the tank -- who
knows?
Shorty and Itch tried to make Lesko comfortable
as he lost consciousness. He had taken a fragment
in the spine. Charlie totaled up the damage and
figured he had problems. His rudder cables were
gone, #3 engine was out as was the radio, and he
had a badly wounded crewman. But he was straight
and level with three good engines. Once settled in
at 8500ft. Fred went back to check on the waist and
On the down wind leg, I noticed a stream that was
just short of the runway. This would be right between us and the runway as we made the approach.
I was planning on being little high and hot as we
16
seat after checking on Lesko, he failed to fasten his
seat belt. After the plane stopped in the mine field,
on the saplings, White had not moved from his seat
nor realized that his belt was not fastened.
only had two engines. This stream probably pushed
me a little higher than planned. Before we turned
on the approach, I told Shorty to get the red flares
ready. These would let the troops on the ground
know we had injured on board. I turned on the approach and a fighter pulled on the runway to take
off. I was thinking, “Little fellow, you better hurry
because you’re fixing to have company.”
After the plane stopped Birney and Hendricks
(who were standing behind our seats) were shaking hands and saying, great landing, great landing!
I yelled, “Get outa here, we’re on fire!” Fred and
Shorty went through the bomb bay on the waist,
Charlie went out his window and dropped to the
ground; and Bob passed back to the smashed in
nose and went out that way. When they got to the
tail the others were carrying Lesko on a blanket.
They had stopped and were listening to a Canadian
officer yelling they were in the middle of a mine
field. (The Germans had used the place for mine
school training and they were everywhere.)
As I said before, my plans were to come in hot and
high. I was planning on slipping when I was sure
we would make the field. By slipping a B-17, you
would turn that big tail to the side and you would
really drop. When it was time to slip, I pushed the
rudder pedal with my foot and had no rudder. The
rudder cable had been shot in two. During normal
flying, we never used the rudder. No rudder meant
I could not slip the plane. So -- we were too high
and too fast.
An ambulance arrived and a soldier with a mine
detector came to lead them out. The plane continued to burn itself out. Charlie and Itch went with
the ambulance and the rest of the crew loaded on
a truck that followed. After a while a doctor appeared and told Bob that Lesko was dead. The next
day they returned to the crash site. The entire center had been burned out. Alderman reported he
had found badly bent metal pieces on his flak jacket. No Purple Heart for him. That night in the officers’ mess a pair of Typhoon pilots told about taking part in the slaughter of the Germans caught in
the Falaise Pocket. An army photographer showed
up with pictures of the plane.
Wondering what do we do now I told Shorty to
shoot the flares. He stuck the flare gun in the hole,
but did not lock it down. The gun went off with
all of the noise and smoke coming back into the
cockpit. My brains said, “That’s it!” However when
the smoke cleared we were still flying. I knew that
without rudder we could not hit the 1500 ft landing
strip. I also knew we could not go around. We were
going to land somewhere!
I could see what appeared to be a fairly level field
right off the end of the runway. There was no way
of knowing if there were holes, rocks or whatever,
so I decided a belly landing was safer than wheels
down. With the wheels already down I asked White
to pull the wheels up. He did not hear me, so I had
to tell him again, “Wheels up!” As we passed over
the field sure enough I could see a lot of holes. We
were landing in a mine field. The holes were where
the locals had dug them up. We touched the ground
very softly and were sliding along nicely with what
looked like small pines about twenty feet tall on our
right. The right wing caught them and cut them like
a mower cutting grass. This turned the bow of the
plane to the right. The plane rode up on the trees
and stopped. To give you an idea how smooth the
landing was -- when White returned to his co-pilot
In the morning they loaded us into a truck for
Brussels where we found ourselves in a huge arena building with wooden double deck bunks and
straw biscuits. It was a collections site for downed
aircrews and it soon appeared that half the 8th had
been shot down. The place was jammed. The last
airdrop of the war had gone off on March 24th
north of Wesel. The 2nd Air Division had supplied
240 B-24s for low level (500 ft) supply drops behind
the German lines. All told we lost forty-five C-47s,
fourteen B-24s and five B-17s that day. Many more
made emergency landings in France and England.
17
Charlie ran into a pilot he had trained with. (Thirty
years later Bob learned that his oldest daughter’s father-in-law, Stanley Plagenhoef, had also been there
after making the Wesel raid). Two days later they
took a C-47 back to England and grabbed a truck
for home base. Bob got to call Hill who had been
left asking the returning crews where they were. He
finally found someone who told him Shuff had left
under power. That’s all he knew. Until he got Bob’s
message.
Bob’s “Shuff ’s Crew” group began reunions in 1955,
continuing every five years until 1995. The three
surviving members of the crew still keep in close
touch. A recent “chance encounter” with a couple
from Knokke, Belgium (on the Belgian coast) resulted in a return to the crash site as their guests
during May 2008. The Belgian who hosted the visit
was only 13-years old at the time of the crash, yet
remembers the event.
August 2015 -- The Chapter again met at the regular third Wednesday 10:00 time, August 19, in the
conference room of the Williamsburg-Jamestown
Airport (JGG). President Jug Gerard led the introductory Pledge of Allegiance. Forty-plus people,
including three guests, attended. A short business discussion covered activities that will carry
the Chapter through the end of 2015. Programs
Chairman Jackson Cartwright introduced guest
speaker, nationally known, prolific award-winning
author of narrative nonfiction, Amy Waters Yarsinske. Her works include 60-plus books, 20-some
directed to aviation and aviation events or subjects
from the earliest days of aviation in this country to
the present. Her educational background includes
a BA in English and Economics from RandolphMacon Women’s College, Master of Planning from
the University Of Virginia School Of Architecture
and numerous graduate certificates. She is published since graduate school, is a former U.S. Naval
Reserve Intelligence Officer serving both in uniform and as a civilian senior intelligence adviser.
Her most recent publication is “An American in the
Basement: the Betrayal of Captain Scott Speicher
and the Cover-up of His Death”. Two other publications typifying the variety of her work are “Flyboys over Hampton Roads, Glenn Curtiss’s Southern Experiment” and an expansive “Wings of Valor,
Wings of Gold, an Illustrated History of U.S. Naval
Aviation”. Amy lives in Norfolk with her husband
and three children.
When the crew retuned to their tent they found
Lesko’s area completely clean. All of his personal
effects were on their way to his family. After a medical check-up the word came they would spend the
next week at flak houses near Oxford. The pause
felt good. In April the crew flew five more missions,
the last as Deputy Lead to Seddin. The results that
day were perfect. Four days later the 8th Air Force
stood down. Thus ends the story of the lone B-17
lost on March 22, 1945.
-- According to German records the 8th AF lost
five B-17s on the Ruhr raids that day. See JG, by
Mandred Boehme, Schiffer Military History, Atglen, PA.
-- Sgt. George Lesko lies interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
***
About the Author: Robert C. Birney, Ph.D., grew up
in Haddonfield, NJ, graduating from High School
in 1942 at the age of 17. During the school year of
42-43 at Glassboro State Teachers, Birney enlisted
in Aviation Cadets program and reported for service on 1 August of ‘43. He graduated from an Air
Force Navigation school at Selman Field in August
1944, and arrived in the 384th Bomb Group, 8th
Air Force, Grafton-Underwood in January ‘45. He
completed 26 missions by the war’s end in Europe.
Bob used the G.I. Bill to earn degrees in Psychology. He taught for 14 years at Amherst College,
Massachusetts; followed by ten years at Hampshire
College (also located in Amherst), serving the last
seven years as College Vice President.
She chose to speak about Major Alfred (Al) Joseph
Williams, USMCR early naval aviator, for which
she is currently assembling material for a proposed
biography to be titled “Wings of Light“. Amy has
access to and retained much of Al Williams’ ar-
18
Williams was recognized as a strong contemporary
to and consultant with names like Lindberg, Mitchell, Doolittle, Arnold, Rickenbacker and other notables of the era. Although he was not highly visible, while more often working behind the scenes,
he is noted for his brilliant mind. While often not
recognized, he did much to shape America’s attitudes about aviation. From 1930 to 1937, he
thrilled thousands of airshow spectators with the
dazzling performance of his Curtiss Gulfhawk. He
continued to fly with his Grumman Gulfhawk 2
until 1948. His final Gulfhawk 4 was a Grumman
F8F, which was destroyed in a landing accident in
January 1949. Prior to WW II, he and a Gulfhawk
toured Europe where he evaluated qualitative gaps
between our military air arms and those of our potential enemies. His reports highlighted the effectiveness of German aircraft, such as the ME-109, as
superior to our products of the time.
chives, which otherwise faced destruction until she
interceded to preserve them. She highlighted as an
example of her detailed journalistic research, that
Williams’ official bio reflects his birth in New York
City as 1896, while she possesses his birth certificate indicating 1891. He passed away from cancer
in 1958 at his farm, The Eyrie, near Elizabeth City,
North Carolina and is buried at Arlington National
Cemetery.
Al Williams, a graduate of Fordham University
and Georgetown University Law School, gave up a
promising career as a baseball pitcher to enlist in
the U.S. Navy for Pensacola flight training in 1917.
(Although most of his service is USN, his highest
rank held is Major, USMC Reserve.) He became
a flight instructor and developed many techniques
for recovery from unusual flight attitudes and hazardous situations at personal risk to himself. Many
became standard procedures for military pilots.
In 1925, he became Chief Test Pilot for the Navy,
where he flew many airplanes virtually to the point
of destruction to discover weaknesses, needed improvements and capabilities. He developed or perfected many aerobatic maneuvers and was considered one of the world‘s foremost aerobatic pilots.
In retrospect Williams can be looked upon as a
“Renaissance Man of his age” with far-reaching interest, such as breeding Boxer dogs, extensive patent filings, gentleman-farmer, pianist and prolific
skillful writer who authored numerous technical
papers and popular articles, as well as a syndicated
newspaper column and radio show. He developed
and fostered air-mindedness programs for young
Americans.
During the early 1920s, when the Army and Navy
viewed air racing as a key aspect of aeronautical development and public support, he was a member
of the Navy racing team. In 1923, he won the Pulitzer Trophy and set a world speed record of 223
mph. His technical analysis and reporting of flight
tests and air races were the basis for many significant airplane design and construction improvements. In 1929, he was awarded one of the first
Distinguished Flying Crosses for his extraordinary
heroic and significant contribution as an engineering flight test pilot. He conceived and developed
the technique of dive-bombing. In 1930, he resigned his Navy commission in order to facilitate
his strong advocacy of independent airpower and
needed advances in aviation technology, to become
Manager of the Aviation Department of the Gulf
Oil Co. From there he became a strong supporter
of private pilots participating in aviation events.
Amy’s follow-on question and answer period delved
into her POW/MIA work and the broad expanse of
her selected writings and topics. As one chapter
member reflected after the presentation, “Clearly
we are better informed because of her.”
19
Calendar of Events
Beach. For more information visit http://militaryaviationmuseum.org/ww1-airshow_2015.html
October 1, 2015
Fall Aviation Safety Week Program will take place
at the Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond from
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. The presenter will be Pat Brown and
the topic will be Cross Country Challenge. When
we talk about safety, we normally tackle one issue
at a time - thunderstorms one day, taxi clearances
the next. But out in the real world, any given flight
cna bring together a whole range of interconnected
safety issues: Fly through that precip ...or deviate
and cut into my fuel reserve? Climb above that scattered layer...or risk airsick passengers? Fly with an
underinflated nose strut...or delay and fly in worse
weather? Our new seminar reflects that reality.
You’ll follow along as we “fly” two fictional trips,
answering questions (and debating answers) along
the way. From preflight planning to tie-down technique, if it’s related to the flight, it’s fair game! For
more information contact Mike Lauranzon, Virginia
Department of Aviation, at 804-774-4641 or mike.
[email protected]
October 10, 2015
16th Annual Culpeper Air Fest (2015) will take
place at Culpeper Regional Airport.
October 17, 2015
45th Anniversary and Open House at Williamsburg Jamestown Airport will take place from
10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. See airplanes, Corvette
Club and MG Club along with other antique cars
on display. Visit participating organizations such
as Five Forks Ruritan, Williamsburg Aviation
Scholarship Program, Williamsburg Flight Center,
Commemorative Air Force, Virginia Helicopter Association, and warbirds.Charly’s Airport Restaurant
will be open for lunch. Raindate: October 18th.
October 24, 2015
Aviation Day and Monthly Breakfast Fly-In at
Chase City Airport beginning at 9:00 a.m. is open
to pilots and all who are interested in good food, fun
and meeting and greeting, learning about aviation,
as well as supporting our airport. (donations welcome!). Chase City Aviation Day will begin around
10:00 a.m. and is aimed at promoting out historic
airport and exposing the joys and careers available in
aviation to the general public -- especially the youth.
The Young Eagles Program, a national program for
promoting aviation among youth, are being invited
to give free rides to young people, a hugely popular
attraction for youth and their families. Food and fun
are planned for both young and old and will run until
mid-afternoon.
October 3, 2015
EAA Chapter 186 Fall Fly-In will take place at
Warrenton-Fauquier Airport from 8:00 a.m. until
4:00 p.m. The EAA 186 Fall Fly-In, long recognized
as one of the East Coast’s fun aviation events is
back! With airplane judging, a flymart for aircraft
parts, exhibits, seminars, aircraft displays, fabulous
food, and much more. Bill Harrelson, retired airline
pilot, who successfully circumnavigated the earth
via the polar route earlier this year, setting the world
record in his modified Lancair IV N6ZQ, will be the
featured speaker. There’s plenty of space to park a
plane or car, so fly-in, or come by car and stay for
the whole event. Admission is free!. Visit www.
eaa186.org for more information.
October 24, 2015
Military Aviation Museum Speakers Program
will take place at 11:00 a.m. Lt. Col. Melvin Ornoff, WWII P-47 pilot and retired aviator will be
the speaker.
October 3-4, 2015
2015 Biplanes and Triplanes Air Show will take
place at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia
20
of each month at the Dinwiddie County Airport. For
more information call (804) 861-9915.
November 14, 2015
Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame will take place at
the Virginia Aviation Museum. Festivities begin at
5:00 p.m. with a cocktail party, followed by a seated
dinner. Come join the VAHS to celebrate this year’s
inductees: John Mazza, Robert Rivers, and David
Young. Tickets are $60 for VAHS members, $70 for
non-members and can be purchased online at www.
VirginiaAviationHistory.org or call 804-222-8690.
Lonesome Pine EAA Chapter 1416 invites pilots
and guests to attend free “Hotdogs & Hangar Talk”
beginning at 11:00 a.m. the third Saturday of each
month at Lonesome Pine Airport (follows the EAA
Chapter Meeting at 10:00 a.m.). For more information contact Bob Spera, Director, Liberty Flying
Service, (276) 328-5300 or [email protected]
or visit www.libertyflyingservice.com.
November 17-19, 2015
Gordonsville Municipal Airport has a free lunch
provided by GAPS (Gordonsville Airport Preservation Society) members on Saturdays and Sundays.
Call in advance to confirm menu (540) 903-6624.
(67th) NBAA 2015 Business Aviation Convention
& Exhibition (NBAA2015) will take place in Las
Vegas, NV
Ongoing Events
Flying Circus Airshow (Open every Sunday, May
through October) including precision aerobatic and
formation flying, wing walking, hot air ballooning,
skydiving, and antique open cockpit airplanes. Biplane rides are available before and after every show. Gates open at 11:00 a.m. Show starts at 2:30 p.m.
$10.00 for adults and $3.00 for kids. Group rates
available. Concession stand, picnic grounds, gift
shop. Picnic pavilion available for party rental. The
Flying Circus Aerodrome is located at Rte. 17 and
Rte. 644 (Richie Road) in Bealeton, Virginia. For
more information visit www.flyingcircusairshow.
com or call (540) 439-8661.
Pancake Breakfast at Franklin Municipal Airport (FKN) takes place on the fourth Saturday of
each month except December. Sponsored by the
Commemorative Air Force’s Old Dominion Squadron and EAA Chapter 339, each pancake breakfast
takes place in the Old Dominion Squadron’s hangar
from 8:30 to 10:30 AM. The cost per person is a
$7.00 donation. For more information, e-mail: [email protected]. Fly-In 2010 at Twin County Airport (KHLX) will
take place the second Saturday of every month April
through October. Everyone is welcome for food,
drinks, and fellowship. Food served from 8:00 a.m.
- 1:00 p.m. All proceeds go to Local EAA Chapter
1426. For more information contact Brian Sutphin
(276) 733-4198.
Pancake Breakfast at Mecklenburg-Brunswick
Regional Airport takes place the first Saturday
of each month (from 8:00-10:00 a.m.). Breakfast
and social hour with regularly scheduled live presentations by FAA and/or NTSB. Sponsored by
Mecklenburg-Brunswick Regional Airport and The
Club/Lake Gaston Resort. For more information
contact (434) 729-2591or [email protected]
World War II Veterans Honor Flights via DCA
Air Carriers take place each Saturday and Wednesday April-May and Sept.-Oct. from 9:30 a.m. to
6:00 p.m. at Ronald Reagan Washington National
Airport Terminals A, B, & C. Sponsored by US
Airways, AAL, Delta, and Air Tran. Between 100450 WWII veterans are flown to DCA via charters
from various east coast airports to visit the WWII
Memorial on the Mall in Washington, DC. Numerous air carriers fly-in vets on chartered flights while
other passengers warmly cheer and welcome them
back to DCA. 7700+ WWII vets flew into DCA on
64 charter flights during 2009.
Friends of the Petersburg Pilots Association holds
a breakfast from 8:00-10:00 a.m. the third Saturday
National Capitol Squadron (NCS) of Culpeper,
Virginia holds a hangar open house on the second
21
or [email protected]. See the website at
http://VirginiaChapter99s.shutterfly.com
Saturday of each month. The NCS is a division of
the Commemorative Air Force and is focused on
World War II aircraft and honoring past and present
veterans and more specifically the aviation history of
the 1940’s. For more information visit http://www.
nationalcapitolsquadron.org/
Ninety-Nines - Old Dominion Chapter meets the
third Tuesday of each month at various locations.
All women pilots and student pilots are invited to
attend. For more information call Susan Passmore
at 703-328-2051. See the website at http://www.
olddominion99s.com.
Regular Meetings:
Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society - Northern Neck-Middle Peninsula Chapter meets at the
Pilot House, Hummel Field, in Topping, Virginia in
the “Eagle’s Nest” at 11:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month unless otherwise posted. Pilots
can fly-in and park at the door of the restaurant. Visitors are welcome at these luncheon meetings. There is an interesting speaker from the field of
aviation each month. Come visit the “Eagle’s Nest”
at any time and see the collection of aviation art and
other memorabilia.
Peninsula Airport Commission Meetings are held
the third Thursday of every month beginning at 8:00
a.m. in the Commission Room at the Newport NewsWilliamsburg International Airport. The meeting is
open to the public.
Wingnuts Flying Club meets on the first and third
Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Chesterfield County Airport terminal building.
Civil Air Patrol - Hampton Roads Composite
Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol meets every
Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Chesapeake Regional Airport located at 1777 West Road, Chesapeake, VA. Cadets aged 12-21 interested in solo
flying airplanes/gliders, search & rescue, and more
are invited to join. Adults welcome! Email us at
[email protected], call 757-77-HRCS-1 (757774-7271), or visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com to
find a squadron near you.
Williamsburg Chapter of the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society meets the 3rd Wednesday of
each month at the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport
in the upstairs meeting room at 10:00 a.m. Call
(757) 229-1597 or (757) 220-9115 for information.
Ninety-Nines - Hampton Roads Chapter meets the
first Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. alternating
between Newport News-Williamsburg Airport and
Norfolk International Airport. For more information, contact Linda Mathias (757) 268-1022 or Diana
Curtis 757 877-6803.
Civil Air Patrol - The Newport News Composite
Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. at 904 Bland Blvd on the
grounds of the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport. All aviation enthusiasts interested
in search-and-rescue and young people ages 12-18
interested in the Cadet Program are invited to join.
For details visit www.vawg.cap.gov/newportnews
Ninety-Nines - Shenandoah Chapter meets the
third Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m. at the
Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport. All women
pilots and student pilots are welcome. Contact Sara
Fultz (540) 896-9842 or Jackie Estes (540) 3475679, to confirm meeting date in the event of late
changes.
Civil Air Patrol - Leesburg Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol - Adult members meet
the first and third Tuesday of the month and cadet
members meet every Tuesday at 7pm at the Leesburg National Guard Armory. We welcome anyone
interested in Search & Rescue and aviation. Details
and directions at: www.leesburgcap.org
Ninety-Nines - Virginia Chapter meets the third
Saturday of each month at various airports around
the state. All women pilots and student pilots are
invited to attend. For more information contact Barbara Headley at (804) 580-4624 or (804) 347-7592
22
building’s conference room) and Hampton Roads
Executive Airport (PVG) in Chesapeake November
through March in the airport terminal building’s
conference room. For more information, view the
brochure or visit www.OldDominionSquadron.org.
Civil Air Patrol - Wallops Composite Squadron of
the Civil Air Patrol meets Tuesdays at 6:30 PM at
Atlantic Vol. Fire Dept. located at 10071 Atlantic Rd
in Atlantic, VA. We also meet the 1st Saturday each
month at the NASA Wallops Visitor Center from 10
AM to 2:30 PM to demonstrate flight simulators to
the public and assist Visitor Center staff with model
rocket launches. Anyone interested in aviation and
search and rescue or youth between 12-18 interested
in Cadet Programs are invited to join. Visit www.
wallops.vawg.cap.gov or email joseph.parlett@
vawg.cap.gov.
Civil Air Patrol – The Fort Pickett Composite
Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol meets every
Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. at the National Guard
Armory at 1008 Darvills Road, Blackstone or the
Army Airfield, Blackstone. All aviation enthusiasts
interested in search-and-rescue and young people
ages 12-18 interested in the Cadet Program are
invited to join. For more information and to confirm meeting location please contact 1LT Kruse at
[email protected].
Shenandoah Valley EAA Chapter 511 meets at
7:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at
the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport. For more
information visit www.geocities.com/eaa511va.
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 231 meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Friday
of each month at the rear of the Virginia Aviation
Museum (except for February which is designated
for the Annual Dinner). For more information and
to confirm meeting date and time visit www.231.
eaachapter.org.
Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1099
meets at 7:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month
at Dogwood Air Park. For more information go to
www.eaa1099.org, e-mail [email protected] or call
Lindy Kirkland at (540) 903-7580.
The Orange County Airport Boosters Association, Inc. (OCABA) holds its monthly organization meeting on the first Saturday of each month.
Welcome to all supporters of Orange County Airport
(KOMH). See http://www.ocaba-omh.org for more
details.
Commemorative Air Force’s Old Dominion
Squadron holds monthly membership meetings on
the second Saturday of each month (except December). These meetings are open to the public. Each
monthly meeting begins at 10:00 AM at Franklin
Municipal Airport (FKN) April through October
(Old Dominion Squadron hangar or airport terminal
23
Virginia Aviation
History Project
A MOST IMPROBABLE ADVENTURE:
RECOLLECTIONS OF MY TIME WITH
BARNSTORMER’S AIRSHOWS
by Tom Woodburn, Feature Article Editor
F
nover County Airport, Virginia
to gas up my Luscombe. While
in the landing circuit I had noticed an unusual airplane being
worked on next to a small hangar
and so, after paying my bill, I set
of to investigate. I found Steve
Hoffmann, who would become
my employer and friend, working on a disassembled PT-17 in
preparation for repainting. We
introduced ourselves and before
I knew quite what was going on
I was wet sanding the Stearman’s
primer coat. Steve was soon engaged in some other task and I was left to work on
my own. This chance meeting began an adventure
that for me ran the gamut of aviation tasks from
sweeping the hangar floor to flying the airshow
routines. For more than 6 years I worked and flew
for Steve Hoffmann and for his amazing and most
improbable of creations, Barnstormer’s Airshows.
What follows is what I know of the story.
lying circuses were all the
rage in the ‘20s and ‘30s.
Itinerant pilots, most late of the
U.S. Air Service, barnstormed
the country doing what could
be done to entertain the populations of small towns and
county fairs. Using displays
of aerial acrobatics, parachute
jumping, wing walking, ballooning and the selling of rides
they hoped to earn enough to
pay for gas and eat. Some enterprising pilots formed groups,
known as “circuses”, and put on
large shows and exhibitions providing the pilots
semi-regular meals, employment and some profit.
But that was in the ‘20s and ‘30s. This recollection
is set in the late ‘70s when both the flying circus
and the barnstormer had been pronounced extinct.
Fortunately for me that proclamation of death was
a bit premature.
M
MY INTRODUCTION
y association with Barnstormers Airshows
began quite by accident and my log book
marks the date as May 9, 1975 when I flew into Ha-
S
THE COMPANY
teve Hoffmann came to Richmond in the ‘70s as
a talented interior designer and he had recently
completed the restaurant at the new Holiday Inn
24
adjacent to what was then Byrd Field. The theme
of the restaurant was World War I dispersal/ ready
room and the decorations included bits and pieces
of period airplanes and equipment, artwork and
uniforms for the staff. Steve’s interest in airplanes
and his work on the restaurant led him to take up
flying and after becoming a partner in an Aeronca
he became a fixture at the Hanover County airport
near Ashland, VA. In 1973 Taft Broadcasting’s president Dudley Taft arrived at the Hanover airport
seeking a company to perform an old time, barnstorming type airshow to be sponsored by the Firestone tire and Rubber Company and performed
nightly at Taft’s new King’s Dominion amusement
park being built north of Ashland. This inquiry
led him to Steve who first approached the Flying
Circus Aerodrome, of which he was a member, to
take up the show but they declined. Ignoring the
setback Steve, with his characteristic enthusiasm,
some would say, jokingly, lack of careful thought,
called Taft and in short order had a contract with
King’s Dominion for 100 airshows beginning with
the 1974 summer season. Now all Steve needed
was a complete airshow.
W
Dominion logos . The designs Lou created struck
a perfect balance between the airplane designs that
had their origins in the ‘30s and the clean, modern
company logo that incorporated each of the 3 main
acts in the show.
The show itself was designed by Steve to reproduce
a ‘30s style airshow with biplanes, skydivers and
balloons. Steve took advantage of the size and noise
of the Stearmans for the aerobatic display, the maneuverability of the then new “square” parachutes
used in the skydiving exhibition and the majesty
of the 77,000 cubic foot Raven hot air balloon that
would fly from International Street. The result was
a series of carefully choreographed aerial acts that
presented 30 minutes of non-stop entertainment.
The Kings Dominion show was staged at the head
of International Street with the park’s recreation of
the Eiffel Tower in the background. Steve would enter to the strains of “Putting on the Ritz” and in the
style of old time flying circus “barkers” entice the
crowd to gather around. Steve would keep up a running narration for the duration of the show keeping
the crowd engaged and explaining the finer points
of the acts. During the opening the ground crew
would set rope barriers to protect the crowd and
roll out a 40 foot square astroturf carpet complete
with a bulls eye as an aim point for the sky divers.
The aerobatic team in the Stearmans would be circling just off site, sometimes “loosening up” with a
few loops and rolls, ready so that when the crowd
was gathered they would make their entrance to
open the show.
THE SHOW
ith a contract signed for shows to begin in
less than one year Steve set about building
his flying circus. The Kings Dominion – Firestone
International Airshow as produced by Barnstormers was the centerpiece of the company’s offerings
and right from the start the sponsors figured heavily
in the company identity. While Steve was designing
the show he commissioned local pilot and graphic
artist Lou Mathews to design a distinctive company
identity using the colors
white, red and black, the
same as used by Firestone.
Lou designed striking color
schemes for the airplanes,
hot air balloon, skydivers
jumpsuits and parachutes
and ground equipment
that prominently included
the Firestone and Kings
The company’s two PT-17 “Stearman” biplanes
would open the show by
flying over the park, line
abreast, with their smoke
systems marking their path.
At the eastern edge of the
park and over the designated airshow line the planes
would break one north and
one south and begin a series of individual and formation aerobatic maneu-
25
Others including Frank Rodriguez of South Boston
and Larry Parmer were long time airshow performers. Master Gunnery Sergent Hank Henry was a career Marine and combat parachutist. Rounding out
the skydiving team were Joe Paquin, Steve Kenyon,
Jerry Holler, “Dave Death” Bellack and Frank Paynter. The level of experience and professionalism
of this team was of the utmost importance as the
King’s Dominion landing zone was less than 100
feet square and ringed with buildings, flag poles
and trees.
vers designed
to impress the
crowds with
loops, spins,
barrel and slow
rolls done singly, in formation and from
opposing directions. The
finale was a line abreast formation loop performed
over the park, smoke trails flowing, that always
brought enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
Due to the short work up time for the first season
Barnstormers owned only one Stearman and had to
look for a second to comlete the act. Steve was most
fortunate to find not only a second Stearman but
also to convince the owner, Parke Smith, to join the
show. Parke, a long time resident of Richmond had
joined the RAF early in WWII after being denied
entry into the US services.
Parke flew P-40s, Spitfires
and P-51s from North Africa
through Italy and out of England across the North Sea
and fought, in total, 3 years
with the RAF. Also called
upon that first year was John
King of Warrenton with his
UPF-7 and Ron David flying
when John was not available.
Additional pilots on the roster were John Ostergren of
Hanover and long time pilot and flight examiner
Lin Bottoms of Richmond. Rounding out the early
roster was Jim Willess of Arlington. Later, Steve
Chancey, Scott Sieler and myself qualified and were
added to the list of pilots.
Primary jump pilots were all local and included
Fran VanStavern, Allen Cottrell, Bryant Whitehead and myself. On site from the beginning of the
show the jump plane would circle the park gauging
the wind and setting up the jump run timed to be
on the final run as the Stearmans exited the show
area. As Steve built up the crowd’s excitement the
jump plane would turn on the final run at 6000’
and the jumpers would fire
red smoke markers attached
to their boots to mark our
entrance and the jumper’s
freefall. When over the drop
point the jumpers would
leave as a group and begin
their part in the show. Occasionally they would leave
with the jump plane’s ignition
key or after turning off the
engine fuel supply. We pilots
soon learned to carry a spare
key to preclude the need to land in the emergency
field next to the park and wait for the key to be returned. The fuel valve problem was never totally
fixed though chasing the jumpers with the airplane
at least made them consider their behavior. After
a free fall of 3000’ the jumpers would open their
‘chutes and set up for their approach and landing
directly in front of the crowd. If an accuracy champ
was performing in a show it was not uncommon
for Steve to place a $20 bill on the bullseye. If the
jumper touched it with his foot he won the money.
Much to the crowds delight Steve lost with some
regularity. The team was that good.
Following the “acro” segment of the show was the
skydiving exhibition. This act consisted of 3 skydivers in Barnstormer’s jump suits and flying the latest square style parachutes, all red, and decorated
with the sponsor logos. The Barnstormer’s skydiving team was made up of a group of highly skilled
and very experienced skydivers. The team included
Jimmy Davis and Tommy Bryant who both held
world championship ranking in accuracy contests.
Immediately after the jumpers cleared the drop
26
ground crew would pack up the equipment and
head off in what was sometimes a wild and extended chase of the balloon and its occupants. The
speed of recovery depended on many factors and
keep in mind that this was long before cell phones,
GPS and Google maps! Chase crew success relied
almost exclusively on the crew chief ’s familiarity with the pilot’s flying habits, knowledge of the
surrounding country side and keen observation
of the winds. Some nights were easy and within
an hour the crew was back at the hangar ready to
join the other participants at the well stocked refrigerator for a debriefing. Other nights when the
wind, weather or pilot was contrary the crew would
stumble in well after dark having retrieved the balloon from a forest or swamp, the only landing sites
available as night forced a landing.
zone and begin to mingle
with the crowd
the hot air
balloon crew
would begin
set up for the
final act. Led
by one of the
3 crew chiefs
David Tyndall,
Mark Olphin
or Duane Roberts the crew
would wheel
out the 77,000
cubic foot Raven Industries
hot air balloon
and prepares it for launch. The overall balloon operation was supervised by one of the company’s
very experienced aeronauts that included the boss,
Steve Hoffmann, Chuck Deafenbaugh, Frank Tyler
and Brian McDermott with Jim Schiller and Mike
Kohler filling in as needed. To prepare for launch
the wicker gondola containing the fuel tanks, burner and instruments was placed on the upwind side
of what was recently the drop zone. Next, the envelope, stretching over 75 feet in length was laid out
downwind and attached to the gondola’s rigging.
When lay out was complete that evening’s pilot began the process of inflating the envelope, first with
cold air from a gasoline engine powered fan and
then, when the envelope had enough shape, heated
air from the propane fueled burner on the gondola’s
super structure. Gradually, as the heat was added
and the envelope began to take the familiar shape,
it was eased to the vertical and all held in place by
the ground the crew. With the balloon fully inflated
and ready for flight the crowd came to understand
not only the complexity of operating a hot air balloon but the beauty that is a fully inflated aerostat.
The show concluded with the aeronaut and any
passengers boarding the gondola and, with a rousing send off by the audience, fly off into the evening
sky, the Eiffel tower reproduced on the envelope
in full view. Once the balloon was flown away the
And then we would do it all again the following
night.
I
THE REST OF THE SHOW
n addition to the KD show Barnstormer’s took
the show on the road performing all or part of
the act in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. Barnstormer’s staged multi-day shows both
at King’s Dominion and other venues. One of the
acts borrowed from the ‘30s and included in the
larger shows and outside promotions was wing
walking. Skydiver Hank Henry would leave the
cockpit of the Stearman and crawl over and under
the airplane hanging first from a wingtip then from
the landing gear. His finale was to stand atop the
Stearman’s top wing while Parke Smith performed
aerobatics. Hank brought an excitement to the act
that few companies could compete with. Balloon
promotions were popular advertising tools and
Barnstormers appeared with the King’s DominionFirestone balloon at hundreds of events. The skydiving team was in great demand and opened many
football games and shopping centers. A specialty of
the team was the “Santa Claus” jump where Santa
would arrive by parachute at any shopping venue
that needed to boost customer attendance and so
the jump pilots and skydivers stayed very busy
in the two weeks either side of Thanksgiving day.
These Santa promotions were welcome in what was
27
a slow time for the company but as the jump plane
operated with no right side door I found I much
preferred summer promotions. Barnstormer’s operated a banner tow service and provided limited
flight instruction but the off season mostly was
spent reworking and repairing for the next season.
Our practice sessions began in early April leaving
little time to get prepared.
T
airplanes, hangars, hot air balloons and everything
else that goes into an airshow company had to be
acquired and prepared. Finally, and most importantly, the endeavor would require someone with
the talent, determination and shear audacity, not to
mention an unfettered imagination, to start from
nothing and build a ‘20s style airshow company
in 1974. From a rushed beginning, less than one
year, Steve Hoffmann created a company that flew
an airshow five nights each week from Memorial
day through Labor day for seven years. In addition
to the weekly shows the company would fly hot air
balloon promotions, make appearances to promote
the park and produce a
three day airshow event on
the opening and closing
weekends of the season.
Barnstormers performed
over 100 shows at Kings
Dominion during each
summer season and with
the outside work Barnstormer’s contracted for
the company put on over
1000 airshows, all without
injury to the participants
and all without damage to
an airplane or the equipment. And what of the people, many of whom
started in aviation with Barnstormer’s? A number
are now airline or corporate pilots. Some own aviation businesses. Many have stayed with aviation as
a hobby. An impressive legacy, I say.
THE FINAL ACT
he King’s Dominion- Firestone International
airshow flew for the final time at the end of the
1980 season. The entertainment offerings at KD were
changing and Firestone
would not renew sponsorship for the 1981 season.
With no sponsor in place
to continue the show Steve
made the decision to end
the KD part of the business. The skydiving, hot air
balloon and banner towing
were retained but the Stearmans were to be sold off. I
delivered N179M in February 1981 to David Grow of
Gloucester, VA and N7772J to Coudersport, PA on
a snowy, 15 degree March day. My daily connection with Barnstormer’s ended with that last delivery flight but I would remain connected to Steve to
this day. Barnstormer’s continued staging promotions and running a successful balloon ride business thus solidifying a reputation for quality aerial
promotions and advertising.
I
Could Barnstormer’s Airshows happen again? Perhaps, and the irrational side of me would like to
think yes, but the circumstances surrounding the
creation of Barnstormer’s Airshows were unique
and not likely to occur again. But what if it did?
Then I would take down my leather helmet, too
long on a hook; polish the dust from the lenses of
my goggles; dig out the flying coveralls, white with
the red and black stripes and most surely too small,
and head out to the field to join with my surviving
colleagues to again take part in that most improbable and truly grand adventure that was Barnstormers Airshows.
YES, MOST IMPROBABLE
began this recollection by stating the existence of
Barnstormers Airshows was most improbable. I
said this for a number of reasons chief among them
the several important and seemingly disconnected
events that had to line up at the proper time to bring
Barnstormer’s Airshows to life. Consider: First, a
significant number of talented, dedicated personnel to staff the company had to be found. Second, a
venue for the performances had to be built. Third,
28
They Stole Our Stealth The Old Fashioned Way
by Mark Sternheimer, VAHS Board Member
R
Wright Patterson AFB. German equipment and
technology were described in technical articles and
actual equipment was then available. The Air Force
then sent much of this equipment and technology to
various engineering schools throughout the country
including the University of Virginia. It was stored
The new Chinese and Russian radar systems operand examined in the basement of the Engineering
ate in the VHF-UHF frequency range which is used
School where I was a student. One of the most inin the United States for FM and over the air TV
teresting items was a Jumo 004 jet engine used in the
broadcasts. This frequency range is from 88 to 900 ME-262 jet fighter. This engine was later given to the
Mhz. We were using the VHF frequency range for
Virginia Air Museum and is now
our early WWII radar systems,
part of their collection. Another
but after the war, this frequency
revelation was how good the
range was assigned to FM and
German radar systems of WWII
television use and no US radars
were. Technical brochures were
could occupy this band. We
prepared for all of their equiphave spent billions of dollars
ment for use on the ground as
developing Stealth aircraft so
well as airborne. The Germans
that they could not be picked
used the same VHF-UHF freup by any kind of radar system.
quency band that the Chinese
German Mammut VHF Radar
Stealth has been the top priorand Russians are using and that
ity for the last 20 years, but old
we now use for FM and TV. The
fashioned technology has found an answer.
Germans did not have the magnetron (invented by
the British) which allowed the US and Great Britain
After looking at the pictures of these new radar
to move their
systems I realized that I had seen radars that looked
like these many years ago – more than 67 years ago r a d a r f r e quencies up
to be exact. After WWII all much higher
by a factor of
of the German
radar systems 10 and which
allowed
and technimuch smallcal equipment
er antennas
were studied
and b e tte r
by the Foreign
German FLAKLETT G
E q u i p m e n t a c c u r a c y.
The German
Branch of the
German ME-262 VHF FUG 218 NepAir Force at radar system was tightly knit into a complex fighter
tune Radar
and anti-aircraft system which allowed them to conecent articles in several technical publications
state that both China and Russia have now developed long range radar systems that would detect
our most stealthy aircraft such as the B-2 bomber
and the F-35 stealth fighter.
29
the Hawaiian island
where Pearl Harbor
was located. This
radar was a VHF
system operating on
106Mhz and it detected the Japanese
Air Armada that
was headed for Pearl
Harbor 130 miles
out. (Approximately 55 minutes flying time.) Because US SCR-270 VHF Radar at Pearl
Harbor
this was a new radar
system the warning was disregarded
even though it is well documented that it should have
been reported. This very same SCR-270 radar is
now on display at the National Historical Electronics
Museum in Baltimore Maryland.
centrate
their fire
power on
the bomber stream
approach
path. Several of
their sysRussian 55Zh6M VHF Radar
tems were
FLAKLETT G, Wasserman and Mammut, which had
a range of 195 miles. They also used an airborne
system (FuG 218 Neptun) in their ME-262 jet fighter.
Because of the frequency range used, the rams horn
antennas were quite large and slowed the ME-262
by almost 50 miles per hour. Pictures of some of
these radars are attached to this article so you can
see the similarity of the antennas between them and
the newest Chinese and Russian radars. This type of
antenna was patented in 1929 and called the Sterba
Array so there is nothing new about this antenna
design.
In 1946, in operation Diana, a modified version of
the SCR-270 was used to bounce a radar signal off
of the moon – 238,000 miles away (a round trip of
476,000 miles). It is obvious that these VHF frequencies are very suitable for long distance radar use.
Over the years a number of experts have pointed
out to our government that these stealthy aircraft
were not immune to VHF radar since it is a physical
impossibility to hide such a large target from these
frequencies. The US government has pointed out
that just because you can pick up and identify these
Stealth aircraft at long distances, it does not mean
that you can shoot them down.
According to the
Chinese, the reason that the Chinese
and Russians have
moved their radars to
these VHF frequency
bands is because the
radar cross section of
a target increases by
a factor of 300 when
the radar frequency
is reduced from X
band (10,000 Mhz) Chinese VHF JY-27A Skywatch
Radar
to the VHF band (100
Mhz). Since the B-2
Bomber claims to have a radar cross section of about
the size of a bird you can see that increasing it by a
factor of 300 makes it quite large as a radar target.
That argument does not hold up well when we also
consider newer technologies that have great accuracy. For example IR (Infra-red) detection which
was first used on the F-14 many years ago, is now so
sensitive that it picks up a target at long distances.
Any object that moves through the air generates heat
(IR) molecules, so theoretically if the IR system is
sensitive enough any aircraft, stealthy or non-stealthy
can be detected and the signal can be used to accurately direct defensive weapons. Laser optical sights
are very accurate and if the target is optically visible,
On December 7, 1941 we had a new radar system
called the SCR-270 installed on Opana Point on
30
they can also direct weapons. In the last few years,
Directed-Energy (DE) weapons have been developed
which are now being installed on many of our Navy
ships. These high power laser beams travel almost
at the speed of light and have proven to be able to
shoot down small targets with great accuracy. All in
all, it appears that both old and new technology has
caught up with our stealthy aircraft. Just recently,
an F-16 fighter was able to outmaneuver the latest
F-35 fighter. One has to wonder if it wouldn’t be
better to make our aircraft more capable in speed ,
weapon load, and maneuverability (as the Russians
have done) instead of concentrating on strictly
stealth capabilities.
Al Orgain Drive
On June 27, 2015, one year after his passing, the Sabot Hill Owners Association dedicated a plaque and a
road in memory of VAHS Chairman Al Orgain, led by VAHS Treasurer Frank Lennon, Sabot Hill Owners
Association President. Al’s wife Jan, and his two sons and their families were present along with many
other Sabot Hill friends. A fitting tribute to a great man.
31
Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society
5701 Huntsman Road
Richmond Int’l Airport, Virginia 23250
Non-Profit Organization
US Postage PAID
Richmond, Virginia 23232
Permit No. 120
Address Service Requested
October/November/December 2015
The
Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society
Board of Directors
cordially invites you to attend a reception and dinner marking the Induction of
Robert A. Rivers
and
into
The Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Virginia Aviation Museum
Richmond, Virginia
Reception: 5:00 p.m.
Dinner: 6:30 p.m.
Reservations Required
R.S.V.P. by November 9
Tickets may be purchased at www.VirginiaAviationHistory.org or (804) 222-8690
$60 VAHS members; $70 non-VAHS members

Introducing The Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame Class of 2015

Transcription

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