Winter 2013-2014 - Giant Scale Warbird Association

Transcription

©
Winter 2013-2014
Preserving the History  Honoring thWarbirds
Official Publication of the Giant Scale Warbirds Association
Preserving the History  Honoring the Pilots  Flying the Warbirds
WARBIRDS JOURNAL© GIANT SCALE WARBIRDS ASSN. WINTER 2013-2014
Statement of Purpose
1. Promote the hobby of radio controlled giant-scale warbird model aviation through
participation in non-competitive fly-ins and public demonstrations, while
encouraging sportsmanship and fellowship.
2. Promote the construction and flying of giant-scale warbird model aircraft, with
respect to the safety of pilots, mechanics, spectators, and property.
3. Inform the public about the history and heritage of military aircraft — through
giant scale model aviation — by scheduled fly-ins, group flying sessions,
websites, and public flying exhibitions (fly-ins).
A NOT FOR PROFIT* ASSOCIATION
Mission Statement
The Giant Scale Warbirds Assn. was organized in 1996 for pilots, builders, and
enthusiasts of giant scale warbirds (minimum wingspans = 60" multi-wing, 80"
monoplane). Because of their warbird heritage, they can be in either civilian or military
paint schemes. Membership is open to anyone interested. Our group is the only
organization promoting giant scale warbirds exclusively. We have members in 30 states,
including: AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN, KS, KY, IL, LA, MD, MS, MT, NC, NH,
NJ, NY, OH, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA & WI. We co-host 12 fly-ins each year.
*dues are not deductible for US income tax purposes
Join or renew online: http://GSWA-renewal.freehosting.net
Organization website: www.giantwarbirds.org
Organization Contact: mailto:[email protected]
GSWA on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Giant-Scale-Warbirds-
Assn/422033134521399
On the cover:
Some of the Atlanta area aircraft attending the Warbirds Over Fort Valley event.
In the foreground is a Ziroli Skyraider owned and flown by Byron Sauriol,
WB #2, Covington, GA
–GSWA photo
Warbirds Journal is the official publication of the Giant Scale Warbirds Association
Chris Joiner, WB 1, Editor & Publisher
©MMXIV Giant Scale Warbirds Association. The GSWA reserves the right to edit articles for
publication. The GSWA logos and the name “Warbirds Journal” and images are hereby
copyrighted by the GSWA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted,
redistributed via print or email, or posted to a website without permission of the GSWA.
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Winter 2013-2014, VOL XXIII NUMBER 75
Event Reports
Calendar
GSWA News
Event Photos
Women at War
WWI Bombing
Seafire Restoration
Aviation in WWI
Lockheed Disguised
CalGrafx Rivets
GSWA Vendors
Bally’s Bomber
Salute to Gabby Gabreski
Zeamer & the Eager Beavers
WWI Seaplanes
FW 190 on Display
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6-10
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Be sure you have an active
Internet connection in
order to access the links in
this issue.
©
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GIANT SCALE WARBIRDS ASSOCIATION FOR
BUILDERS, PILOTS, & ENTHUSIASTS OF GIANT SCALE WARBIRD AIRCRAFT
Volume XXIII Number 75
Season Ends
Another warbird flying season
concluded with the Warbirds Over Fort
Valley event in November. Overall, it was a
breezy year with many pilots staying home,
presumably due to the lingering recession,
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WINTER 2013-2014
gas prices, and economic recovery, if not the
weather. At least one event, Warbirds Over
Montgomery, is no more after many years of
hosting the event.
Be sure to check the photo pages.
See you in the spring!
Calendar: Spring Events
April 4-5 – Warbirds Over ‘Bama
April 11-12 – Warbird Fly-in, Winston-Salem
April 25-27 – Sodbusters Fly-In, Camden
May 22-23 – WO East AL, Auburn
June 12-14 – WO GA, Andersonville (corrected dates)
GSWA NEWS
HODGES HOBBIES CLOSES
Charter Member Mac Hodges,
WB30, has announced that he is closing
(now closed by the time this is published)
his store. “I am “retiring”…. will work on the
flying field, play with a few models, and go to
fly-ins. I will still do a newsletter and have all of
the fly-ins and now should be able to give
them more attention and also enjoy them, as I
won’t be in the shop during the event.”
Uniquely located on one of the best
flying sites around, Mac has operated the shop
a little over 30 years,
Much of the inventory was sold to CMJ
Hobbies of Roberta, GA.
Our best wishes to Mac on his
retirement. – CJ & GSWA
Carl Bachuber prepares his Globemaster for flight
at the ’13 Warbirds Over GA. That is Hodges
GSWA photo
Hobbies in the background.
Montgomery Event Ends
Warbirds Charter Member passes
Ron Storer, of Dacula, GA., passed away last
September 24th. He was a founding member of the Southern
Scale Warbirds Assn., (later GSWA) with member #14.
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From the obituary:
“An outstanding and gifted vocalist, Ron devoted
most of his life to his love of worship. Ron's remarkable solo
voice was requested countless times for weddings, funerals
and evangelistic endeavors. He was the Minister of Music for
Atlanta First Nazarene, Lilburn First Baptist, as well as
Atkinson Road Baptist Church”.
His interest in warbirds – noted for his Meister
Corsair, changed over the years and he got into giant scale
aerobatics as well as motorcycling.
Our condolences to his wife Rhonda and their family.
CJ and GSWA
It’s with regret that we report
that there will be no more
Warbirds Over Montgomery flyins. This is due to declining
attendance, noted at most of
our events, but it has it this
host-club hard.
The RAMMs Club has hosted
the event for a number of years
the last weekend of September.
Thanks to the club and its
members for having the field in
great shape each year, as well
as all of the organizational work
that goes into hosting a fly-in.
--- GSWA
WARBIRDS OVER MONTGOMERY-FINAL EVENT!
Henry Andrews, WB 18, Montgomery: a Ziroli
100” P-47, Sachs 5.8
Top Right: Chuck Mullin, WB 197, Montgomery:
a Ziroli Stuka, G-62, automotive finish
Above: Jerry Pate, WB 294, Wetumka, AL flies this
outstanding F-7F Tigercat (file photo) Right:
Pat Williams, WB 482, Montgomery: A COMP ARF
Corsair. On-board telemetry. Clocked at 121 mph!
Henry Helmke, WB 58 from Auburn,
AL. This Vailly Aviation Stinson L-5 is a
yearly visitor to this event
Left: Dave Fielder, WB 302, Oxford,
GA: TF ARC with a DA50, Warbird
Colors, 23.5 pounds.
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THIS WAS THE LAST EVENT FOR
WARBIRDS OVER MONGOMERY
WARBIRDS OVER GLEN ST MARY
Jeff Howard, WB 489. St Mary’s GA: an
EVO 35 powered P-47 featured some
fine weathering
Nick Delgross from nearby
MacClenny, FL. A KMP L-4. This is
a high quality ARF. Nose art &
bazookas on each wing.
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WARBIRDS OVER GLEN ST MARY
Left: Bryan Stephens, WB 553, Starke, FL with a
Top Flite kit of the famous P-51; automotive finish.
Above: yes, it was a warbird: this is a Stampe SV4 used by the Belgian Air Force for basic flight
training; DLE 20. Pictured is Chuck Stracener from
St. Augustine, FL.
Fred Thompson from Hawthorne, FL with a
highly detailed Piper L-4 in ¼ scale. DLE
35cc; finished with Solartex and Poly-U.
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WARBIRDS OVER GLEN ST MARY, continued
Left: Bud Inziello from Palm City, FL with his
ESM Corsair. Appears to be an excellent ARF.
DA50, ESM retracts. Above: another TF P-51,
not identified GSWA photos
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
WARBIRDS OVER FORT VALLEY
Left: Frank Gracia from Warner Robins:
a TF P-51, ZDZ 80 with functioning
exhaust stacks, 4-bladed prop
Above: Chris Hulen, WB 570.
Loganville, GA; an American Eagle
Skyraider with a Quadra 100
A rarely seen Bud Nosen P-51 flown by
Rich Schaffer from Lilburn, GA. It has a ZDZ
100 twin. Color scheme represents one of
two that were captured on D-Day
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Warbirds Over Fort Valley, continued
Byron Sauriol, WB 2 from Covington, GA: Ziroli
Skyraider, G-62, latex paint
Greg Hoke from Warner Robins, flew this TF P40 ARF. Excellent performance from the DA50
and his piloting skills!
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Don Rusin from Warner Robins flew this Hangar
9 , D.VII; EVO61.
Focus On: Women at War – from the
National WWII Museum
There were just over a thousand women
in the military before World War II,
serving either as Army or Navy nurses
stationed in the United States. When war
broke out, women wanted to contribute
militarily and fought for the opportunity to
join.
When the United States entered World
War II, the US government called on
women to contribute. With hundreds of
thousands of American men entering the
military and going overseas, more
women would work outside of the home
than ever. Many would be promoted to
positions never before attained by
women, all the while managing their
households alone for the first time.
Though professional and personal growth
opportunities were many, women’s main
charge was to support the war and the
men fighting it. The War Department
stressed to women that the harder they
worked, the quicker their brothers,
husbands and sons would return home.
There were just over a thousand women
in the military before World War II,
Women at War, continued
Women in uniform took office and clerical
jobs in the armed forces in order to free
men to fight. They also drove trucks,
repaired airplanes, worked as laboratory
technicians, rigged parachutes, served as
radio operators, analyzed photographs,
flew military aircraft across the country,
test-flew newly repaired planes, and even
trained anti-aircraft artillery gunners by
acting as flying targets. Some women
served near the front lines in the Army
Nurse Corps, where 16 were killed as a
result of direct enemy fire. Sixty-eight
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serving either as Army or Navy nurses
stationed in the United States. When war
broke out, women wanted to contribute
militarily and fought for the opportunity to
join. The Army, Navy, Coast Guard and
Marine Corps came to rely heavily on
women in crucial stateside jobs, as well
as work overseas. By the end of the war,
there were more than 288,000 women in
the US Armed Forces.
Nearly 350,000 American women served
in uniform, both at home and abroad,
volunteering for the newly formed
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs,
later renamed the Women’s Army Corps),
the Navy Women’s Reserve (WAVES),
the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, the
Coast Guard Women’s Reserve
(SPARS), the Women Airforce Service
Pilots (WASPS), the Army Nurses Corps,
and the Navy Nurse Corps. General
Eisenhower felt that he could not win the
war without the aid of the women in
uniform. “The contribution of the women
of America, whether on the farm or in the
factory or in uniform, to D-Day was a sine
qua non (something that is absolutely
needed) of the invasion effort.”
(Ambrose, D-Day, 489)
American service women were captured
as POWs in the Philippines. More than
1,600 nurses were decorated for bravery
under fire and meritorious service, and
565 WACs in the Pacific Theater won
combat decorations. Nurses were in
Normandy on D-plus-four.
At the war’s end, even though a majority
of women surveyed reported wanted to
keep their jobs, many were forced out by
men returning home and by the downturn
in demand for war materials. Women
veterans encountered roadblocks when
they tried to take advantage of benefit
programs for veterans, like the G.I. Bill.
The nation that needed their help in a
time of crisis, it seems, was not yet ready
for the greater social equality that would
slowly come in the decades to follow.
The National WWII Museum recognizes
the contribution that women played in the
success of the Allied victory in World War
.
Photos and info from the
National WWII Museum, New
Orleans, LA
In WWII, Lockheed
produced over 19,000
planes for the nation’s
war effort, employing
94,000 as the
population reaches
53,899 by 1943.
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______________________________________________________________________________________________
WWI AIRCRAFT Bombing and reconnaissance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VK3cX9ZbQ
Click links above for WWI Bomber
videos
Gotha G.V German bomber, 1917
Rare Seafire XV Restoration.
Go to:
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/
TneYPcyGbbY%26autoplay=1%26r
el=0
(as suggested by Ted Cowan, WB 22)
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As the stalemate developed on the ground,
with both sides unable to advance even a few
hundred yards without a major battle and thousands
of casualties, aircraft became greatly valued for their
role gathering intelligence on enemy positions and
bombing the enemy's supplies behind the trench
lines. Large aircraft with a pilot and an observer
were used to scout enemy positions and bomb their
supply bases. Because they were large and slow,
these aircraft made easy targets for enemy fighter
aircraft. As a result, both sides used fighter aircraft
to both attack the enemy's two-seat aircraft and
protect their own while carrying out their missions.
While the two-seat bombers and
reconnaissance aircraft were slow and vulnerable,
they were not defenseless. Two-seaters had the
advantage of both forward- and rearward-firing
guns. Typically, the pilot controlled fixed guns
behind the propeller, similar to guns in a fighter
aircraft, while the observer controlled one with
which he could cover the arc behind the aircraft.
A tactic used by enemy fighter aircraft to
avoid fire from the rear gunner was to attack from
slightly below the rear of two-seaters, as the tail
gunner was unable to fire below the aircraft.
However, two-seaters could counter this tactic by
going into a dive at high speeds.
Pursuing a diving two-seater was hazardous
for a fighter pilot, as it would place the fighter
directly in the rear gunner's line of fire; several high
scoring aces of the war were shot down by "lowly"
two-seaters, including Raoul Lufbery, Erwin Böhme,
and Robert Little. –from Wikipedia with permission
AVIATION IN WWI
About 10 years after the Wright
brothers made the first powered flight, aircraft
remained very primitive by later standards.
Because of limitations of the engine power of
the time, the effective payload of aircraft was
extremely limited. The basic structural and
materials technology of period airframes
mostly consisted of hardwood materials or
steel tubing (braced with steel wires) and linen
fabric doped with a flammable liquid, when
cured, provided the stiffness required to form
the aerodynamic surfaces of the wing(s) and
other streamlined surfaces.
Aside from these primitive materials,
the rudimentary aviation engineering of the
time meant most aircraft were structurally
fragile by later standards, and not infrequently
broke up in flight especially when performing
violent combat maneuvers such as pulling up
from steep dives.
As early as 1909, these evolving flying
machines were however recognized to be not
just toys, but weapons: The sky is about to
become another battlefield no less important
than the battlefields on land and sea....In order
to conquer the air, it is necessary to deprive
the enemy of all means of flying, by striking at
him in the air, at his bases of operation, or at
his production centers. We had better get
accustomed to this idea, and prepare
ourselves.
— Giulio Douhet (Italian staff officer), 1909
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In 1911, Captain Bertram Dickson, the
first British military officer to fly and the first
British military officer to perform an aerial
reconnaissance mission in a fixed-wing
aircraft during army maneuvers in 1910,
predicted, in a submission to the UK Technical
Sub-Committee for Imperial Defense, the
military use of aircraft and the ensuing
development and escalation of aerial combat.
The first operational use of fixed-wing
aircraft in war took place on 23 October 1911
in the Italo-Turkish War, when Captain Carlo
Piazza made history's first wartime
reconnaissance flight near Benghazi in a
Blériot XI. The first aerial bombardment
followed shortly thereafter, on 1 November,
when Second Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti
dropped four bombs on two oases held by the
Turks. The first aerial photography flight took
place later in March 1912, also flown by
Captain Piazza.
In 1911, Captain Bertram Dickson, the
first British military officer to fly and the first
British military officer to perform an aerial
reconnaissance mission in a fixed-wing
aircraft during army maneuvers in 1910,
predicted, in a submission to the UK Technical
Sub-Committee for Imperial Defense, the
military use of aircraft and the ensuing
development and escalation of aerial combat.
From Wikipedia with permission
Look closely as this photo of farm fields and trees -- not what it seems. The massive Lockheed
Aircraft Company in Burbank lies beneath this clever disguise used during WWII. During the war, the
Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from a
Japanese air attack. They covered it with camouflage netting. (Lockheed photos)
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Cal-Grafx Sample kits available
Many of you saw the feature article in
Model Airplane News and read the blogs
by Gerry Yarrish, Senior Technical Editor
of MAN showing the graphic rivets and
screws provided to Gerry for his F-4U
Corsair project. At that time, graphic
rivets were in the "experimental" stage,
developed for Gerry to enhance the scale
appearance of his Corsair. We worked on
it, sent some samples to Gerry and the
rest is history. After the article was
published we were overwhelmed with
calls and emails asking about graphic
rivets.
We are now announcing the availability of
rivet sample kits for a special introductory
price as shown above. The kit includes
everything you need to try our rivets out,
Info: www.cal-grafx.com
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including application tools and detailed
instructions. We're not claiming these will
work for every modeler. Some scale
purists will still prefer the conventional
hand-applied glue dot method. However,
think about the many hours you will save
by applying perfectly-sized and perfectlyspaced rivets using our method. Our
rivets adhere well to most substrates and
can be painted or clear coated, or simply
left as applied.
Order your sample kit today and let us
know how they work for you. Availability
of production sheets will be announced
soon in various sizes and spacings to
complete an entire model.
GSWA MEMBER-VENDORS (note: all links are active if you are online)
http://www.camdencustomcutters.com/ [email protected]
Mike Chilson [email protected] http://www.rcscalebuilder.com
Jerry Bates Plans
251-478-6720,
102 Glenwood St. Mobile, Alabama 36606
[email protected]
http://www.jbplans.com/
FRANK TIANO ENTERPRISES
Frank Tiano, 863-607-6611 [email protected]
http://www.franktiano.com
CMJ Hobbies located on the field at Roberta
Rebels RC!
Hours: Monday - Closed
Tues - Wed 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Thurs - Fri 12:00 to 7:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Phone: 478-836-9788 http://robertarebelsrc.com/Home_Page.php
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Jim Coppit,
www.rcspecialties.net
[email protected]
Jim Weems, Tommy McClellan, Mike Chilson, 205-733-2021
[email protected]
http://wwwrcscaleproducts.com
AMERICAN EAGLE MODEL AIRCRAFT COMPANY
Quality Fiberglass is now handling orders
931-526-4770
http://www.qualityfiberglass.net/
Bob Neider, 504-455-KITS http://www.flyrcmodels.com
Nate Dickerson
Superior Quality Epoxy Coating System
www.klasskote.com
Vendors: your company listed here:
Contact [email protected]
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http://theballybomber.com/photos.html
(this info has been circulating around the Internet)
SPECIFICATIONS
B-17G
Wing Span: 103 ft. 9 ⅜ in.
Length: 74 ft. 3.9 in. (“Cheyenne” Tail)
Height: 19 ft. 2.44 in.
Power Plant: Wright R-1820-97 Cyclone
with 1000 hp @ 2300 rpm @ 25,000 ft
Empty Weight: 36,134 lbs.
Gross Weight: 40,260 lbs.
Cruising Speed: 160 mph.
Top Speed: 302 mph.
Ceiling: 36,400 ft.
Range: 3,750 miles
Crew: 10
Bomb Load: 6 x 1,500 lbs. and 2 x 4,000 lbs.
Armament: 11 x .50 caliber machine
guns (up to 13 x .50 cal)
Number Built: 8680
SPECIFICATIONS
Bally's Bomber B-17G, ⅓ Scale
Wing Span: 34 ft. 7 in.
Length: 25 ft.
Tail Height: 6 ft. 10 in.
Power Plant: 240hp
Fuel Capacity: 42 gal.
Empty Weight: 1800 lbs. (Est.)
Cruising Speed: 110 kts. (Est.)
Crew: 1
Number Built: 1
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The project was started back in 1999
and is just now nearing completion.
The airframe is all scratch built (of
course) and made out of aluminum.
The main gear retracts just like the real
B-17, and has proven to be the most
complicated part of the project.
The engines are the Hirth 3002, 4cylinder 2-strokes, that usually have a
reduction unit and make about 80 hp. Jack
chose this engine because of its size... it was
small enough to fit inside a properly scaled
nacelle.
However, to make it fit properly, the
reduction unit is removed which will bring the
power down around 60 hp each, with the
engines spinning the 46.4" diameter props at
about 3,300 rpm.
This project, coming to life in Dixon
Illinois, has to rank as one of the most
fascinating homebuilt aircraft projects of all
time.
With an estimated 20,000 hours of
labor required to build this cute little beast, its
understandable why.
With a 34 ft 7 in wingspan, estimated
1,800 pound weight and four 60 hp engines for
a total of 240 hp, the Bally Bomber is just pure
awesome!
More at theballybomber.com
For more photos:
https://www.facebook.com/BallyBo
mber/photos_stream
G
S
W
A
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A
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T
E
Francis Gabreski was born
to poor immigrants in Oil City,
Pennsylvania. His father was able
to buy a grocery store and Frank
helped. After graduation from
high school, he went to Notre
Dame and became interested in
flying. Frank signed up to become
an aviation cadet with the Army.
He learned on various machines
and the Link trainer.
After graduating the
course he was sent to Wheeler
Field in Hawaii to fly fighter
aircraft (P-36, P-40). At 8AM
December 7, 1941 Frank saw the
attack on Pearl Harbor. With
others they salvaged what they
could. He flew a P-36 to defend
the base. Some pilots in P-40Bs
shot down seven Japanese
planes.
He was sent to England in
1942 as part of the initial build-up
and to learn about fighter tactics.
He flew a Spitfire Mark IX which
had a high rate of climb and
maneuverability with faster speed
and high altitude performance. It
had a higher powerto-weight ratio than the P-40
(Chapter 4).
Military strategy in the
1930s advanced bombers to the
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detriment of fighters (Chapter 5). The Battle
of Britain showed the need for interceptor
fighters like the P-38 and P-47 (p.77). The
turbo-supercharger gave high altitude
performance to the P-47. There were new
tactics (p.87). The P-47s stayed with and
protected the bombers (p.103). There is a
problem with tracer ammunition and their
false trajectory (p.123). Armor-piercing
incendiary was best (p.124). Two new
improvements for the P-47 was water
injection and the paddle-blade propeller
(p.139). Gabby had the paint on his plane
sanded for smoothness and then waxed
(p.140).
In July 1944 Gabreski became the
top ace with 28 kills (p.166). But on July 20
his P-47 was damaged, he landed and was
taken prisoner (Chapter 10).
If ever a man has
earned his place in
the annals of military
history, that man is
Francis Gabby
Gabreski. His
exploits as a fighter
pilot in World War II
and Korea are
legendary; & his rise
from humble
beginnings to
success in military
and business career
Chapter 11 tells of his
months as a POW until
the Russian army arrived
(p.199). There was a
concentration camp
nearby (p.200). Gabby
felt proud to help defeat
the Germans.
In Chapter 12 he
tells of his flying in an F86 in Korea. There were
differences with jet
airplanes (p.211). Gabby
won 6.5 victories in
Korea, making him the
only flyer to be an ace
with both propeller and
jet airplanes (Chapter13).
They had to be careful to
stay south of the Yalu
river. A new flying
formation proved more
productive (p.237). He
was later invited to the
White House (p.246).
The `Epilogue'
tells of his later life with
aircraft development, and
overseas. After his
retirement he worked for
Grumman on Long
Island. –available from
Amazon.com.
Jay Zeamer & the Eager
Beavers
This story takes place in the early days of
World War II, in the South Pacific, and if
you’re a World War II history buff, you may
already know about it.
Tenacity over Bougainville
"Jay Zeamer and his crew performed a
mission that still stands out in my mind as
an epic of courage unequaled in the annals
of air warfare."
- Gen. George Kenney, 5th Air Force
Commander
Old 666, B-17E 41-2666 was a World War II B17 Flying Fortress Bomber which was
assigned to the United States' 43rd Bomb
Group in 1943 and was the aircraft piloted by
Lt. Col. (then Captain) Jay Zeamer on the
mission that would earn him and 2d Lt.
Joseph Sarnoski each a Medal of Honor, and
every other member of the crew a
Distinguished Service Cross.
Captain Jay Zeamer didn't have much
to draw from in organizing an air crew. He
couldn't even promise his men an
airplane, but that didn't deter him. He
scoured the squadrons of the 43rd Bomb
Group for the men no one else wanted, the
cast offs and screw-ups. In some ways it
might have even seemed comical.
Jay Zeamer was the pilot who still
had never been checked out to fly in the left
seat. Though likeable, he was still the guy
no one wanted to fly with, and he was
gathering around him a crew of men that like
himself, were rejected by the other air
crews. Walt Krell recalled, "He (Zeamer)
went through the outfit and recruited a crew
from a bunch of renegades and screwoffs.
They were the worst of the 43rd--men
nobody else wanted. But they gravitated
toward one another and they made a hell of a
crew."
To make matters even more comical,
Jay's misfit crew didn't have an airplane.
There again, Zeamer had his own ideas. One
day an old B-17E with the tail number 412666 was flown in and parked on the airstrip.
The bomber had seen better days and its
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frame bore evidence of its heavy record of
aerial combat. It was so badly shot up it was
now worthless, and was parked at the end of
the runway where other aircrews could
cannibalize it for needed parts. Captain
Zeamer quickly intervened and claimed it as
his own.
Zeamer's crew went to work on what
would normally have been an impossible
task--turning #41-2666 into a combat-ready
bomber. They cleaned it up, patched the
holes, fixed its engines, and modified it to
their liking. Jay had a 50-caliber machine
gun mounted in the nose so he could fire
from the cockpit like a fighter pilot. In the
nose, the 30-caliber flexible guns normally
manned by the bombardier and navigator
were replaced with swivel-mounted 50caliber machine guns. The waist guns and
radioman's guns were replaced with twin50s, giving the airship unprecedented
firepower.
Zeamer's crew put guns where they
didn't even need guns, leaving loose
machine guns on the catwalk so that if a gun
jammed at a critical moment they could
dump it and quickly replace it with a spare.
Sergeant George Kendrick even mounted a
gun behind the ball turret near the waist. "I
don't know who would have handled that
except the side gunner" Jay recalls. "He
wanted all the guns he could get! He
wouldn't let another gunner back there with
him. He said, 'These are my guns. I'm going
to shoot them all. I don't want to be bumping
asses with another guy back here!' This was
George Kendrick, the screwball of the crew."
In truth, in the eyes of the other pilots
and ground crews at Port Moresby, the entire
crew was screwballs. That impression aside
however, it quickly became apparent that the
men were building a flyable, fightable,
bomber.
In preparation for a planned major
amphibious landing, they flew 600 miles
unescorted over open sea to photograph
Buka and Bougainville islands. While
passing over Buka, about 20 Japanese
fighters took off to intercept the lone aircraft.
Rather than break off the mission, however,
Zeamer continued on. As the crew finished
the photo run down the coast of
Bougainville, the first of several vicious,
coordinated attacks began. Zeamer and his
crew desperately fought against >
Jay Zeamer, continued
overwhelming odds to bring back their B17 and its precious reconnaissance film.
During the first attack, the
bombardier, 2d Lt. Joseph Sarnoski, shot
down a Japanese fighter, but he was
knocked back by cannon fire. Although
mortally wounded, he crawled back to his
gun position and shot down another
Japanese fighter before collapsing. He had
been scheduled to go home just a few days
later.
Zeamer maneuvered the B-17 to
shoot down a fighter with a fixed gun in the
B-17's nose, but cannon fire shattered his
left knee, paralyzed his legs, and caused
profuse bleeding. Enemy fire also shot the
rudder pedals away, started a fire, and
disabled the hydraulic, oxygen, and
interphone systems. Zeamer refused medical
attention, and continued to forcefully
maneuver the aircraft while the crew, many
of whom were also wounded, fought back.
.By 8:45 a.m. the American bomber
was over open seas, and the enemy fighters,
low on ammunition and fuel, were forced to
turn back to Bougainville. 6 out of 9 of Old
666's crew were dead or wounded in varying
degrees, their aircraft heavily damaged. It
was during the return flight that Zeamer lost
consciousness and Sarnoski, still manning
his guns, died.
Upon landing, co-pilot Lt. Col. (then
1st Lt.) J.T. Britton told the ground crews to
get Zeamer first, but the ground crew said,
"He's gone!"; Zeamer, however, was not
dead, and lived to receive the Medal of
Honor; Sarnoski was awarded his Medal of
Honor posthumously. In one of the most
decorated flights in history, the rest of the
crew received Distinguished Service
Crosses. This mission was featured on the
History Channel show Dogfights, episode
title "Long Odds”
. –Home of the Heroes.com via Randy Smith,
Atlanta
22
WWI Seaplanes
For this article I wanted to write about
something about WW I aviation that was
different. My mind wandered to some of the
WW I fly-ins I have attended at Mac Hodges’,
and then I remembered that Mac had recently
installed a Lake to accommodate R/C
seaplanes and boats.
That led me to think about a part of
the aerial conflict in WW I that has not been
written about very often. So, this article will
take a brief look at some of the Seaplanes
from both the Allied and German forces that
took part in that conflict. I have shown the
wingspan of these remarkable aircraft
because many of them were very large for
that era.
I can only touch the surface (no pun
intended) of this subject here, but I hope that
it might inspire someone to consider
building a WW I Seaplane model.
Rather than looking at the aircraft from each
country separately, I am going to do it
chronologically.
--Alan Yendle, WB15, Austin, TX
The Sopwith Tabloid
Wingspan 25.6ft
The Sopwith Tabloid started life in 1913
as a two seat land plane. It was called the
TABLOID because it was so small. It was
subsequently modified to a single seat
aircraft with floats and competed in the 1914
Schneider Trophy race, which it won. It was
obviously so much faster than all of the
other competitors aircraft that some, who
were scheduled to start after the Tabloid,
decided it was not worth the effort and did
not even start the race.
.
23
After completing the twenty eight circuits
required for the race, the pilot, Howard
Pixton, then made two additional laps with
the throttle opened fully, resulting in a new
world speed record for seaplanes at 92 mph.
The military placed an order for twelve
aircraft. They were fitted with a Lewis gun,
mounted in front of the cockpit firing
upwards through an opening in the top wing.
Approximately one hundred and sixty
seaplane versions were built. They saw
limited war service but some were still on the
books in 1918.
The Short Type 184
Wingspan 63.52ft
The Short Type 184, a Torpedo/Bomber
was also referred to as the Short 225 when
fitted with a larger engine. First flown in
1915, it was the first aircraft to attack a ship
with an air launched torpedo. One aircraft
participated in the battle of Jutland being
launched from HMS Engadine; it found four
German cruisers and reported that back to
the ship.
It had some interesting features that
included a top wing that increased in chord
from the center section to the wing tip,
folding wings operated by a winch in the
cockpit and was also fitted with a radio that
was powered by a wind generator.
Approximately nine hundred were produced
and this type remained in service until the
end of the war.
The Hansa-Brandenburg C C.
Wingspan 30.6ft
The Hansa-Brandenburg C C was
designed in 1916 by Ernst Heinkel, and
entered service in 1917 with the AustroHungarian Navy to provide air defense for
the naval bases in the Adriatic. It was also
24
used by the German Navy. The Austrian
aircraft had one Schwarzlose forward firing
machine gun while the German version had
two LMG machine guns. Approximately
seventy three were built.
The A D Flying Boat.
Wingspan 50ft 4in
The A D Flying Boat was designed by
the British Admiralty in 1916 as a patrol
aircraft. It first flew in 1917. The crew of two
sat in separate cockpits. The armament was
a single Lewis gun on a swivel mount in the
rear cockpit. It saw little service and
production was terminated just before the
end of the war. After the war, nineteen were
purchased by Supermarine Aviation and
were converted for use as transport aircraft
and named the Supermarine Channel.
The Curtiss Model H-12.
Wingspan 92ft 7in
Curtiss aircraft number designations are
confusing. I believe the Curtiss Model H12 might have been the first seaplane that
had the range to fly transatlantic. It was
used by the U.S. Navy for anti-submarine
patrols of the Atlantic coast. Armament was
four Lewis guns in swivel mounts. Several
were ordered by the Royal Naval Air Service
25
and fitted with Rolls Royce engines. This
aircraft was later to be redesigned by
Commander John Porte where, as a larger
version, named the Felixstowe F-1, it became
the prototype for the Felixstowe class of
seaplanes.
The Felixstowe F-2
Wingspan 95ft 7.5 in
As mentioned above, the Felixstowe F-2
was a development of the Curtiss H-12
undertaken by the Royal Navy’s Seaplane
Experimental Station, located at Felixstowe,
in Suffolk. They redesigned the shape of the
hull at and below the water line resulting in
much improved sea handling.
It was used extensively over the North Sea,
being well liked by its crews for its
maneuverability. It was mainly used to
search for U-boats and Zeppelins, but could
take on enemy fighter aircraft of the day.
Armament was four Lewis guns, one in the
nose and the others amidships. It remained
in service throughout the war.
Approximately one hundred and seventy five
were built.
The Macchi M. 3.
Wingspan 52ft 4in
The Macchi M. 3 made its first flight in
1916 and was used extensively by the Italian
Navy for patrol, bombing, reconnaissance
and escort missions in the Mediterranean. It
was also used to pioneer the use of aerial
26
photography for the Italian Air Force.
Armament was one machine gun and four
bombs. Approximately two hundred were
built and they continued in service until
1924.
The Felixstowe F.3
Wingspan 102ft
The Felixstowe F.3 entered service in
1917. It was the successor to the F.2 It was
much heavier than, and not as maneuverable
as the F.2 Many of this variant were painted
in a dazzle paint scheme, one such shown
above. This was done not for camouflage,
but the opposite, to make them visible if they
had to ditch at sea.
The Hansa-Brandenburg W.18.
Wingspan 35ft 1 in
The Hansa-Brandenburg W.18 was
designed by Ernst Heinkel. It entered
service in 1917 with the Austro-Hungarian
Navy. It was a single seat fighter, armed with
27
two forward firing Schwarzlose machine
guns. It was used for fighter defense and
patrol. Approximately forty seven were
built.
The Macchi M. 5.
Wingspan 39ft
The Macchi M. 5 is another small single
seater fighter seaplane that was very
maneuverable and well able to engage
enemy land-based fighters. It was first
flown in 1917 and entered service with both
the Italian Navy and Air Force. Its armament
consisted of two fixed forward firing Vickers
machine guns. Approximately two hundred
and forty were built.
The Curtiss H. 16.
Wingspan 98.36ft
Entering service in 1917, the Curtiss H. 16
was the final version of the Curtis “H” series.
Bigger and heavier than previous types, it
had a crew of four. Two pilots sat in the main
cockpit with one gunner in the forward
28
cockpit ahead of them. The other gunner
was in a dorsal position in the center of the
fuselage, right behind the wings. They were
used by the British in North Sea operations
against U-boats and Zeppelins’ and by the
Americans in anti-submarine patrols.
The Felixstowe F.5
Wingspan 103ft 8in
The Felixstowe F.5, designed in 1918,
was the successor to the F.2 and the F.3.
The F.5 was intended to be an improvement
over both of those. While the prototype had
a superior performance, the production
aircraft were modified to make construction
easier by using components from earlier
versions, resulting in a lower overall
performance. It did not enter service during
the war but did replace all of the earlier
versions becoming the standard flying boat
for the RAF until 1925. It had a crew of four.
Armament was one Lewis gun in the nose,
with another three mounted amidships
behind the wings. It could carry up to a 920
pound bomb load, and had an endurance of
up to seven hours.
Approximately fifty three were built with
another two hundred and twenty seven built
of a F.5L version that had Liberty engines as
opposed to the Rolls Royce Eagles.
The Hansa-Brandenburg W.20
Wingspan 22ft 3in
Perhaps the most interesting of all, the
Hansa Brandenburg W.20 was a very
unusual looking aircraft. Designed in
1917/18, it was intended to be disassembled
and carried on the deck of a submarine in a
29
water tight container. When the submarine
surfaced it was to be removed from the
container and assembled so that it could be
used for reconnaissance missions for the
submarine. It had a crew of one and was
unarmed. Only three were built.
The Hansa-Brandenburg W.29
Wingspan 44ft 4in.
The only Monoplane in the group, The Hansa
–Brandenburg W-29 first flew in March of
1918 and so it only had a short operational
exposure. It was operated from German
bases in the North Sea. In spite of its late
entry, over seventy of these aircraft were
built. It was armed with either one or two
fixed LMG machine guns mounted on the
front fuselage and one Parabellum machine
gun operated by the second crew member
from the rear cockpit.
The Curtis N C (Naval Curtis)
Wingspan 126ft 6in
The Curtiss N C, nicknamed the Nancy, was
used by the US Navy from 1918 through the
early 1920’s. It was designed for long-range
flight with sleeping quarters and radio
equipment. In May of 1919, four of these,
NC-1, NC-2, NC-3 and NC-4 were designated
to make a transatlantic flight to Portugal by
way of Newfoundland and the Azores.
NC-1 crashed but her crews were rescued.
NC-2 was damaged during trials and never
30
flew again. NC-3 was forced to land in the
sea and floated the rest of the way to the
Azores. NC-4 eventually reached its
destination in Lisbon, Portugal. Only ten of
these large seaplanes were built.
R/C comments
I have a short kit for a Felixstowe F2a that
was given to me some years ago. It has a
wing span of just over 100 inches. It was
WWI Seaplanes, continued
designed for two small, 20/25cc glow
engines, but I gave up using those many
years ago. I have opened the box several
times but never had the courage to make a
start at building it. For me it would have to
be electric. I think that the motors and
escapes would fit into the nacelles, but it
would need long leads to the batteries that
would have to be located in the front
fuselage.
Maybe one day …….
Anyway, just to close and show why I am still
not ready to build it, here is a three view
drawing of the Felixstowe F.2a
Struts anyone? It would be a LOT of work. -- Alan
31
FOCKE-WULF Fw 190 on display
I
n the dark days of the Second
World War, the German
Luftwaffe sent wave after wave
of Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters up against
the RAF. Only 28 of those aircraft remain
– and one of them has now gone on
display at the RAF Museum Cosford.
But the plane is no stranger to
museums – it spent more than 20 years
suspended from the ceiling of the
Imperial War Museum in London.
Clare Carr, RAF Museum Cosford
assistant curator, said: “Anything
German and World War Two is a rare
aircraft, so it’s just wonderful we can
have it here in Shropshire. As an aircraft,
it was so prolific and so successful
during the war, but is now so scarce. To
have one here, and one with such a
unique history, is so exciting.”
Cosford’s new exhibit is a
unique survivor of a German Mistel
combination, where a small fighter
plane would be mounted on top of a
bomber, such as the Junkers JU 88.
It was used to train pilots in Denmark,
where it was surrendered in Denmark
in May 1945, and then flown to
Germany, still joined to the Junkers.
In Germany, it was split from the
bomber and both were due to be
transported to Britain for examination.
But the Ju 88 half never reached
the UK, and it is assumed it was
scrapped.
Ms Carr added: “It has been
displayed in the Imperial War Museum
for many years and during their
redevelopment it has been brought to
our conservation area here in Cosford,
but the opportunity for us to have it on
display was so great we made room for
it.
The aircraft spent several years
on display at RAF Cranwell before a
short period in storage at RAF Biggin
Hill.
Four years later, it was moved
to Imperial War Museum South
Lambeth, where it remained until last
December when it came to Cosford for
some maintenance, where it is now set
to be a permanent display.
BRAND NEW!
P-38 SPECIAL ISSUE
--From the Shropshire Star (UK). Oct. 2013
32
From the editors of Flight
Journal, P-38 Lightning is an
exclusive collection of combat
tales and P-38 trivia that belongs
in every enthusiast's library.
Featuring the finest Lightning
photography, the issue is loaded
with "did you know?" facts and first
hand comments on flying the forktailed legend. This issue will never
go out of date and will be read
again and again.

Winter 2013-2014 - Giant Scale Warbird Association

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