NEWSLETTER ~ MARCH, 2016 ~

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER ~ MARCH, 2016 ~

2 ANNUAL DANCE - THE GREAT GATSBY GALA The benefit dinner/dance was a huge success. More pictures next month. This picture courtesy of John Ellis. EAA TOWN HALL MEETING - AN INFORMATIVE DAY

3 EAA President Jack Pelton answering questions. Photo by Jim Cobb. On February 27th, EAA President Jack Pelton traveled to Peach State Airport to host a "Town Hall " Meeting. Over 50 airplanes flew in from points throughout the area to participate. Earlier in the day the Vintage Aircraft Association held their winter Board of Director s meeting at the museum. Board members from all over the country were in attendance for this important meeting that included planning for AirVenture Mr. Pelton also participated in the board meeting along with several VAA members. The Vintage board decided to schedule a winter meeting away from Oshkosh in order to better connect with its membership. In the board s opinion, hosting a meeting in other locations will allow the Vintage leadership to more closely align goals with member comments and suggestions. After the morning VAA board meeting, the group ate lunch at Barnstormer s Grill, an appropriately named restaurant located within the museum. Many VAA and EAA members flew in early for lunch. We could not have asked for a more perfect weather day temperature of 60 degrees, clear skies, and light winds down the runway. Just right for a fly-in. At 1 PM, Peach State Airport owner Ron Alexander opened the meeting and introduced Geoff Robison, President of Vintage Aircraft Association. Geoff and board member Dave Clark discussed a few issues pertaining to VAA. Geoff then introduced Jack Pelton who presented the group of EAA members and guests with an update on important issues pertaining to our industry. Included in his remarks were updates on medical reform, ATC privatization, the newly required volunteer requirements, and a number of other items. He then spent at least an hour answering questions from the audience. Geoff Robison joined Jack in answering some of the questions. After the question and answer session a short reception was held in the museum hangar a replica of the American Airways hangar that was originally located on the Atlanta Airport.

4 During the event a drawing was held with the grand prize being a flight in the museum s original Curtiss JN-4 Jenny. This fully restored 1917 airplane is regularly flown at Peach State. It was very fitting that EAA and VAA member Pat Blake win the prize. Pat and her husband Phil traveled from Albert Lea, Minnesota to attend the VAA Board meeting. She is a long time EAA and Vintage volunteer working tirelessly at each AirVenture. The flight took place later in the day and an excited Pat was more than thrilled to fly in this historic aeroplane. The EAA and VAA members from the southeastern part of the United States who attended this event were most appreciative of the fact that Jack Pelton made the effort to travel to be with them and to update them on pertinent issues. They were also pleased that the Vintage Board of Directors traveled at their own expense to the Atlanta area to reach out to their membership. It was a great day in Georgia for aviation enthusiasts. Assembled group listening to Mr. Pelton. Photo by EAA Photographer Erin Brueggen

5 Vintage Aircraft Association President Geoff Robison answering questions. Photo courtesy of EAA Photographer Erin Brueggen. Winner of the Jenny ride - Pat Blake. Photo courtesy of EAA Photographer Erin Brueggen.

6 WINNER OF QUILT RAFFLE During our Great Gatsby benefit dance on March 5th, we drew the winning raffle ticket for a quilt. The winner of the quilt was Keven Sasser (pictured below). Keven Sasser pictured with the quilt. Below is the story behind this quilt as told by museum volunteer Sue Hutson. "Last summer after we attended OSH and saw some other young people there A.C. and I started kicking ideas around for fund raisers to enable a trip to Air Venture for some of our Youth at the museum. Since I had started quilting, we decided that would be a fitting project. My Mom had made a Lindy quilt for our son Andy

7 many years ago and I thought that would be the perfect pattern for this project. Originally I had planned to do it all myself and then I realized it would be a lot more fun to rope my good friends in on it. I asked Charlotte Hammond, Mary Harper, and Sue Schadle and none of them even hesitated before signing on. They were all in on a project that would benefit the kids in the youth program--plus they are all accomplished quilters. We each made 7 airplanes, then put the entire quilt together. Now, who to quilt it? I called Mary Elizabeth Mendenhall as I knew her reputation as an excellent quilter and told her about the project. We had intended to pay her but when she heard that the project would benefit the Museum Youth Program she generously donated her services. The sum of our efforts certainly surpassed what we each could do on our own. Thanks to everyone who bought tickets." The sale of tickets brought in more than $3,500 that will be applied toward sending two of our Youth Program members to AirVenture 2016 this summer. This was a great idea and proved to bring in the needed funds for this trip. The winner of the quilt was museum member Keven Sasser (pictured above). Congratulations to Keven. YOUTH PROGRAM UPDATE By Jim Hoak Activities at the Doug Davis hangar at Peach State keep marching on just as the name of the month implies. Twenty of our thirty-seven enrolled students are classified as very active or regular attendees to the Wednesday and Saturday shop sessions. In addition to their regular school activities many of them are student athletes, participate in High School ROTC and some have part time jobs. This is a busy bunch of local kids who are seeking a future in aviation too. And fourteen of them have done some flying in the J-3 Cub too. As for projects at the hangar, they are all moving along; some a little faster than others. And in addition to the actual aircraft projects, we decided to make the hangar look a little better too, since we had many visitors to Peach State from around the country for the Vintage Aircraft Board Meeting and the Town Hall Meeting featuring Mr. Jack Pelton from EAA Headquarters. The mentors and students worked together as teams and did a fine job sprucing up the hangar. The next airplane approaching completion is the Aeronca Champ. It is very close to its first run of the really nice looking engine that Mr. Don Swords produced for us.

8 Some final work on the newly created engine cowling is about all that is left to do on this airplane. The students are ready to begin flying this beauty too. Our Tango Super Cub has experienced a little setback with some trouble shooting of the intercom and radio system which isn't quite as good as we want it. This is understandable because every single wire in the airplane has been replaced. The rest of the airplane is moving along with most of the work left to be done at the front end of the fuselage. Mr. Swords also recently delivered a great looking overhauled engine for this aircraft. Of course it won't fly without wings, so we will be installing those shortly too. All four of the wings for the Brunner-Winkle Kinner Bird have been covered and rib stitched and are in various stages of painting and wet sanding. The students did a nice job of rib stitching and installing the finish tapes on those upper wings and got that all done rather quickly. It had been a while since we had stitched a wing but the former lessons learned allowed them to "get it done". Not a lot of work being done on the Sonex Sport Trainer lately, with a lot of our efforts being put into finishing the Super Cub and Champ. The Sonex horizontal stabilizer and elevators are in work at this time. The Stearman fuselage is just about all dis-assembled and the horizontal stabilizer had its old fabric covering removed recently. All of these parts will soon be cleaned and inspected and then painted. This project is a really big one for the students to tackle. Some work is being done on another J-3 with the fuselage getting the main attention at this time. One of the wings has been dis-assembled and is awaiting some new wing spars. The ailerons have been repaired and are being covered at this time. Wow, there is a lot going on at the Doug Davis hangar. Come by and for a visit and see it all for yourself! Jim Hoak

9 Jim Hoak working on the Sonex project with Youth Member Preston Ward The Youth Program is always in need of adult volunteers. You do not have to be an A & P mechanic to work with us. We have several who volunteer each session. If you would like to help out please contact Ron Alexander or Jim Hoak at the addresses below. ronalexander@mindspring.com or planejim@bellsouth.net For additional information on the Youth Program please CLICK HERE. If you would like to donate money to the program please CLICK HERE and designate your donation to the Youth Program. AVIATION CAREER DAY SATURDAY MARCH 19th Candler Field Museum, along with Women in Aviation International, is hosting Aviation Career Day on Saturday, March 19th and is inviting area students ages to attend. The museum is located just off Hwy 362 in Williamson, Ga. The event

10 is scheduled from 9 am to 2:30 pm and is designed to expose students to different aviation careers through interactive classroom settings. Speakers range from a variety of aviation fields including pilot, flight attendant, engineer, maintenance, air traffic control and dispatch. Many others will also be available including representatives from Civil Air Patrol and Embry Riddle. As students visit these various classrooms, they will get a depiction of what represented aviation professionals do on a daily basis and gain understanding of how they too might pursue a similar career. To register for the event, please go online to or for more information please contact Amy King at The deadline for registration is March 11th. Candler Field Museum is a living museum located in rural Williamson GA where history comes alive and education lights the future. For more information about the museum, visit Museum Administrative Assistant Amy King participating in the Griffin Spalding High School College and Career day on February 24th. GEORGIA AVIATION HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT TWO NEW MEMBERS The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame will honor two new inductees into the Hall of

11 Fame April 16 at the 2016 Annual Enshrinement Banquet at the Delta Flight Museum at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The two Georgia aviation luminaries are Brig Gen John C. Doc Bahnsen, Jr. and Lt. Col. Winship Nunnally. The two new members bring the total number of military and civilian inductees in the Hall of Fame to 109 since the hall started in The Banquet will begin with a 6:00 pm reception followed by the dinner and program at 7:00 pm. All who are interested are encouraged to purchase tickets on the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame website. Seats are $85 per person of which $35 is tax deductible. Attire is business suit or black tie optional. The expected audience of 700 people will include current and former Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Board Members, former inductees, government, aerospace and defense industry leaders and aviation enthusiast from around the state. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HISTORIC D-DAY C-47 TROOP TRANSPORT COMING TO WWII HERITAGE DAYS PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. An historic Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop transport aircraft will highlight this year s World War II Heritage Days, hosted by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Dixie Wing April 30-May 1, This restored plane, Placid Lassie, participated in the D-Day invasion of Europe and was utilized in the Market Garden operation in Holland. Ground tours will allow the public a close-up look at this historic aircraft. The CAF Dixie Wing also plans a reunion with the C-47 and a veteran paratrooper, Jim Pee Wee Martin. A member of the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles, Martin will be among several veterans honored throughout the WWII Heritage Days weekend. Placid Lassie was delivered to the United States Army Air Corps in early 1943, assigned to the 74th squadron of the 434th Troop Carrying Group in England to prepare for D-Day. The C-47s, also known as Dakotas, towed massive cargo gliders and dropped more than 24,000 paratroopers on the morning of June 6, Lassie and her crew flew several missions on that fateful morning, first towing gliders and later carrying paratroopers. The war continued for the plane and her crew, participating in all of the major engagements up to and including Operation

12 Market Garden, the attempted liberation of Holland, and the crossing of the Rhine. Jim Pee Wee Martin joined the now famous 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Camp Toccoa in July 1942 as one of Col. Robert F. Sink's Toccoa Originals made famous by the HBO mini-series, Band of Brothers. Martin was given the nickname "Pee Wee" because he was the lightest man in the regiment. Martin parachuted into Normandy and later jumped into Holland in the leading wave of "Operation Market Garden. He also participated in The Battle of the Bulge and operations in Germany in Martin is one of the last remaining Toccoa Originals who is still traveling. We are so honored to have such a notable aircraft appear for World War II Heritage Days this year, said Dixie Wing event co-chairman Chris Madrid. We seldom get to see an authentic aircraft from such a momentous event in history, and Placid Lassie will be right here with us for our 13th annual event. Jim Martin s appearance will make it an unprecedented occasion, and we will be delighted to see him here. The WWII Heritage Days program provides a living history experience unique to the state of Georgia. The event brings together historic aircraft, vintage military vehicles, antique cars, panel discussions, educational displays and demonstrations, including battles staged by war reenactors portraying Allied and Axis troops. Another highlight of the weekend is Keep em Flying a 1940 s-theme hangar dance featuring a 21-piece swing band where World War II veterans will be hosted as guests of honor. The CAF Dixie Wing s fleet of WWII aircraft will be on display for the weekend. Visitors will see the Wing s Corsair, P-51 Mustang, SBD-Dauntless dive bomber and other restored aircraft. Rides on selected aircraft can be scheduled in advance by visiting Proceeds from the dance cover costs associated with hosting WWII Heritage Days, as well as the ongoing preservation of the group s historic aircraft and Education Through Living History, a World War II history program made available by CAF Dixie Wing volunteers to schools and youth groups free of charge. Suggested donations for WWII Heritage Days are Adults 17 and Older $10, Children $5. Children 10 and under, World War II veterans, active duty military in uniform are admitted free. WWII Heritage Days will take place rain or shine. Please no pets. Tickets for Keep em Flying are $55 before April 25th. $65 at the door. Reserved tables and group discounts are available. All ticket sales are final. For more information, please visit or call The Commemorative Air Force is a non-profit organization dedicated to flying and restoring World War II aircraft. Based in Dallas, Texas, the organization has more than 12,000 members and operates a fleet of more than 162 World War II aircraft.

13 FLABOB AIRPORT TO HOST ANTIQUE FLY-IN Flabob Airport, our sister airport located in Riverside, CA, will be hosting their annual Flying Circus this coming June. This is a great event that is growing each year. For more information please go to HISTORIC AERONCA CHIEF DONATED TO CANDLER FIELD

14 Larry Bishop pictured with the Aeronca Chief. On February 5th, a beautifully restored Aeronca Chief was donated to Candler Field Museum by long time friend and EAA member Larry Bishop. Larry had the airplane restored by David Harwell and his crew at Barnstormer's Workshop located on Peach State Airport. This airplane has a very interesting history. It was used as a sub chaser with the Civil Air Patrol During WWII. The Navy was spread so thinly along the 1,200 mile sea frontier of the eastern and southeastern coasts that it could not effectively combat the raiding enemy submarines. The German subs continued their activities along the coast at an alarming rate. Air power was also spread thin. The subs were sinking ships almost at will. The worsening submarine menace convinced military authorities that the Civil Air Patrol should be used to help combat the German U-boats. An experiment was organized and it proved successful. There eventually were 21 bases along the coast where CAP aircraft would fly out to spot German subs and report their position. This slowly evolved into actual carrying of demolition bombs with some of the aircraft patrolling as far out to sea as 150 miles. Smaller planes could only carry 100 pound bombs and on occasion, one of the fins of the bomb would have to be removed to keep it from scraping the runway on takeoff. The CAP served the country for almost 18 months with 173 subs sighted, two sunk, and they dropped a total of 83 bombs and depth charges upon 57 other subs. During that period of time 26 CAP pilots were killed and 90 aircraft were lost. The donated Aeronca Chief flew out of Philadelphia on a number of these missions. It still has the attachments for the bomb rack. We are not sure as to

15 how many bombs it actually dropped but it certainly participated. We are most honored to be able to fly and display this piece of aviation history. Our plan is to fly the airplane to AirVenture 2016 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this coming July. An adult, along with one of our Youth Program participants, will fly the airplane to the airshow EVENT SCHEDULE PLAN NOW TO ATTEND MARCH 19, 2016 AVIATION CAREER DAY JUNE 4, 2016 VINTAGE DAY NOVEMBER 5, 2016 VETERAN'S DAY MUSEUM FACEBOOK PAGE Please CLICK HERE and LIKE the Candler Field Museum facebook page. We now have OVER 1,700 followers on facebook. Each time you log on you will see news about the museum.

16 HISTORIC 1915 NIEUPORT COMING TO CANDLER FIELD By Brian Karli The Germans the exasperated French Aviator said after witnessing several of his friends helplessly shot down in flames. They have a plane which shoots through the propeller without breaking it. We are beaten. There is no hope. The aeroplane was still a novelty as World War I entered its second year of fighting. Both sides of the trench figured out the rickety kites were great for observation. The French flew Farman biplanes which didn t look much different than the Wright Flyer. They tried putting a machine gun on the front, but the weight of the gun wouldn t let the poor Farman climb above 1500 feet. Then came a pre-war exhibition flyer named Rolland Garros. He mounted a machine gun on a Morraine monoplane and proceeded to shoot down a German two-seater. Garros fitted steel wedges on the back side of his propeller. Any bullet that struck his propeller was deflected out of the way. It worked great and Garros shot down five planes. Unfortunately, Garros propeller could only take so much punishment and it failed over the German side of the lines.

17 Find a better way, the German High Command told their brilliant Dutch designer Anthony Fokker. His company came up with a cam and rod mechanism that didn t allow the machine gun to fire when the propeller was in the way. Mounted to a Fokker Eindekker, French and British biplanes rained to the ground. The Germans owned the skies. Until the Nieuport 11 showed up. The Bebe, as it was affectionately called, was faster than the Eindekker and more maneuverable. It could climb better. It had ailerons which allowed it to turn quicker than the sluggish wing warping method used by the Germans. But the French had not figured out what Anthony Fokker already knew how to safely fire a machine gun through the propeller. So, they mounted a Lewis gun on top of the wing which fired over the propeller. Hey, the Bebe may not have been able to shoot as well, but it could get out of the way and quickly get on the Fokker s tail. Eindekkers began falling from the skies. There will soon be a Nieuport 11 Bebe at the Candler Field Museum. In a joint venture between the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome and the Candler Field Museum, a Nieuport 11 will be restored to flying condition. The replica was built by Gordon and Kay Bainbridge in the 1960 s and flown at Old Rhinebeck until an unfortunate accident thirty years later. Craftsman at Candler Field will bring the Nieuport back to life. It will remain on display in Georgia for a period of three years before returning to Old Rhinebeck. It

18 will be powered by the original LeRhone rotary engine. Anyone interested in assisting with the restoration should contact Brian Karli at the museum. Brian is also doing a blog on the progress of the Nieuport. Please CLICK HERE to view the updates. DATA PLATE COLLECTION By Brian Karli The Candler Field Museum was fortunate to receive a large collection of aircraft data plates from the Jack Barbery estate. Over fifty data plates were collected over a period of many years by Jim Hester of Bowie, Maryland. More were added when Jack Barbery purchased the collection in We will feature a couple of these data plates in each newsletter along with the story that goes with each one. Stinson SM6000 Serial Number 5048 This tri-motored Stinson was part of Century Pacific Air Lines in It was a company owned by E.L Cord s and based in Glendale CA. Eventually, it was acquired by AVCO which became American Airlines.

19 More stories in the April issue. MARCH 2016 CANDLER FIELD FLYING CLUB NEWSLETTER Please CLICK HERE for the latest issue of the Flying Club newsletter For more information on the Candler Field Flying Club please CLICK HERE.

20 NEW WEBSITE BARNSTORMER'S GRILL NOW HAS A NEW WEBSITE CLICK HERE TO VIEW DOWNLOAD OUR NEW APP FOR YOUR CELLPHONE AND RECEIVE SPECIALS AND OTHER INFORMATION. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SUNDAY BUFFET Join us each Sunday for a great buffet served from 11 AM until 4 PM. You will not be disappointed.

21 CFM Board of Directors Ron Alexander, Chairman Regina Alexander Jon Goldenbaum William Hammond Brian Karli John Kuck John Laughter, Jr. Glen Marsh Jack Smith Doug Warner Advisory Board members: Scott Coile Youth Program representative James Hoak - EAA Chapter 468 representative Williams Reynolds Civil Air Patrol representative ************************************************************************** Candler Field Museum, Inc. is a Georgia Non-Profit Corporation, and qualifies under IRS code 501(c)(3) as a charitable organization. All donations are tax deductible. Please consider becoming a supporting member and a regular donor to this worthwhile organization. You may contribute in person, by mail, or CLICK HERE TO DONATE OR TO JOIN THE MUSEUM. Like Us on FaceBook! Candler Field Museum Copyright Phone Located on Peach State Aerodrome, 349 Jonathan's Roost Road, Williamson, Georgia 30292