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Georgie s Gal Tribute to a friend by Jim Busha photos by Paul Bowen In September of 2010 Paul Stojkov of Cleveland, Ohio, who happens to earn a living as a captain with a major airline, found himself embroiled in a very unique situation. Although Paul s real passion is flying old warbirds of the multiengine pedigree he can usually be found at the controls of the CAF s B-29 and B-24. But when he struck up a conversation with a friend a few years ago, he found himself scratching his head and pinching himself at the same time. Like most warbird tales, this one began when Paul was asked a simple question. I was approached by a longtime friend named Ed Patrick Jr. I had known Ed for almost 30 years, said Paul. Ed is a retired police officer and had also been good friends with a fellow named George Woodling Jr., who unfortunately passed away at a young age due to cancer in April of 2010. Although Ed and George were never pilots, Ed was a navigator on B-52s, and both guys shared an affliction for old warbirds, especially the World War II stuff. Both of them had always had this crazy dream of starting a museum hangar to honor veterans, and they wanted to build it near the Port Clinton, Ohio, area near Sandusky. To honor his friend George, Ed decided to purchase a warbird. Ed became the CEO of the George V. Woodling Jr. Foundation and suddenly found himself in a position to make a bunch of George s dream come true. When Ed first approached me about acquiring a warbird I first thought he was thinking about a PT-17 Stearman or maybe a T-6, said Paul. But when Ed told me he and George really liked B-25 Mitchells I was stunned! Ed wanted to not only jump in head first; he wanted to do it quickly and asked if I would help shop for a B-25. By late fall of 2010 Paul and Ed began shopping for a B-25, and www.warbirds-eaa.org 17
Heaven a few months later they located a beauty in Tulsa, Oklahoma, named Martha Jean. Martha Jean was in great shape, said Paul, and Ed instantly fell in love with it. He ended up closing the deal and purchased it. This particular B-25 was a nice solid airplane. This North American Aviation built Mitchell was actually manufactured in Kansas City and was accepted into service on June 29, 1945. Built too late during the war it never saw combat and ended up becoming a TB-25F trainer model. This B-25 Mitchell soldiered on as a trainer until 1958 when it was sent to longterm storage at Davis-Monthan. By April of 1960 the Mitchell was purchased and flown in civilian hands for the first time operating out of the Phoenix, Arizona, area. Ten years later it left the warm Arizona climate and headed north where it flew as The Devil Made Me Do It based in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It changed hands again, some pseudo armament false teeth if you will were added, and the nose art changed to Man of War. By late 1999 the Mitchell changed locations and nose art once again and flew as Martha Jean with its new owner, Dave Whea- 18 JUNE 2014
Hell? ton, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Like I said the B-25 was a very nice flier when Ed purchased it, so we flew it for a little while to a couple of air shows before making the decision to restore it, said Paul. Ed asked me what I wanted as far as an instrument panel and an interior, and I told him if he wanted to do it right, then the only guys to do it were the Aero Trader folks out in Chino, California. As far as I am concerned they are the best in the business when it comes to working on B-25s. Aero Trader s specialty remains the reconstruction of tired old B-25s along with other warbirds. Its team of craftsmen led by owners Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman take bits of twisted metal and derelict hulks of warbirds and turn them into pristine examples of the types. The company continues to maintain the largest inventory of B-25 airframes and parts in the world, which also serves as the basis for future projects. The primary market for Aero Trader s work is directed toward the B-25 owners who bring their aircraft in for restorative or mechanical work specifically suited to the state of the aircraft and the budget of the owner. The company also has expertise in other pis- www.warbirds-eaa.org 19
ton- and jet-powered warbirds. Today, Aero Trader continues to provide quality restoration and maintenance services to a large warbird ownership population. In October of 2011 we flew the B-25 out to Chino with a laundry list of refurbishments to return it to a more wartimelooking Mitchell, said Paul. Both Ed and I really strive for authenticity, but we also wanted a comfortable airplane because the plan was to fly it to a bunch of air shows around the country. This type of restoration is what Aero Trader likes to call a B-25 cruiser. It is passenger- and travel-friendly, but yet it still retains the guns and bombs and all the military hardware stuff that the warbird aficionados enjoy so much. Aero Trader thoroughly went through the airframe and overhauled both Pratt & Whitney radial engines, stripped all the liners out, removed the landing gear, and repaired, replaced, and cleaned up everything that needed it. From there it was reprimed and repainted. I could call Tony or Carl anytime and ask them anything, and they had the answers immediately. They are the B-25 experts and are great people to work with. Currently the B-25 is dressed as a J model with the.50-caliber side-pack guns and nose guns. We have it painted to represent Paul Stojkov 20 JUNE 2014
the 345th BG based out of Italy. The nose art was designed by Ed to honor our benefactor George Woodling. There are actually two different designs on either side showing the good girl, B-25 Mitchell Facts Of the more than 10,000 North American Aviation B-25 Mitchells that were built during the war between 1940 and late 1945, about 100 are still with us, with less than 50 of these treasures still gracing the skies. Specifications Wingspan Length Height Empty weight Gross weight Max speed Engines Propeller Fuel capacity Rate of climb Cruise speed Service ceiling Armament/bomb load 67 feet 7 inches 52 feet 11 inches 15 feet 9 inches 19,852 pounds 35,000 pounds 275 mph Two 1,700-hp Wright R-2600-92 radial piston Hamilton Standard Hydromatic controllable-pitch, full-feathering, three blades 974 gallons in six fuel tanks 750 feet per minute 230 mph 24,200 feet Twelve.50-caliber machine guns/4,000-pounds of bombs bad girl image with Angela on one side to represent the Angel and Helena to represent the bad girl or Hell, if you will. Ed and I both think George would be very proud of his namesake. To give the fresh-looking B-25 an honorable place to reside, especially during the cold Ohio winter months, construction began in October of 2011 on a new facility to house the very diverse and growing collection called the Liberty Aviation Museum. A 28,000-square-foot museum that not only houses old warbirds but also has two 1950s-style diners that were originally used in the New Jersey area. Not only do we operate a beautiful flying example of a B-25, we also have a 5-AT Tri-Motor project currently in restoration as well that is associated with us, said Paul. It s called the Tri-Motor Heritage Foundation, and because of that project an EAA chapter was formed right here to assist with its progress and eventual flying duties. But the collection doesn t stop with airplanes because both George and Ed also liked PT boats. We ended up finding not one but two of them, which is an extremely rare occurrence. One was located 22 JUNE 2014
right under our noses at the local marina, and that one is currently under restoration. The other was already in working order, and it was motored down from New York and is currently giving rides to our museum guests. We are very fortunate to be the custodian of these aircraft, boats, and the various other military vehicles that are also part of the Liberty Aviation Museum. We want to keep them flying, floating, and driving as a tribute to all of the vets that actually operated them in the war. As for the B-25 specifically, we fly that to carry on the traditions of those that flew them before us that fought so hard to keep our freedoms that we all cherish today. Our plan is to fly the pants off of it and fly it all over the country to honor the vets that valiantly served our country during WWII, and especially those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and didn t make it back home. by Jean Barbaud http://jeanbarbaud.blogspot.com www.warbirds-eaa.org 23