Hangar Happenings What s happening in and about the Yankee Air Museum. Educating & encouraging youth & adults about aviation march 2014

Transcription

1 Hangar Happenings What s happening in and about the Yankee Air Museum Educating & encouraging youth & adults about aviation march 2014

2 Yankee Air Force, Inc. d/b/a Yankee Air Museum A Non-Profit Organization 501(c)(3) D Street (48111) Willow Run Airport PO Box 590 Belleville, Michigan USA Hangar Happenings is the monthly newsletter of the Yankee Air Museum. Founding Editor: Staff: Dave Drano Steiner Pete Petersen Geoff Locke Officers of the Yankee Air Force: Chair: Vice-Chair: Secretary: Treasurer: Directors: Bill Hanney Brian Higgins William Rands III Dick Stewart Executive Director Ex Officio: Bill Abbott Contributors: Dwight Koslowski Al Hudson Linda Terentiak Meeting Schedule Ray Hunter Tom Matz Speed Gant Randy Hotton Dave Steiner Jack Roush Bob Hynes Rob Bovitz Kevin Walsh Dennis Norton General Membership/Historic Presentation 1 st Wednesday of Month - 7:30 PM Members FREE, non-members $5 Board Meeting As decided by the board YAM Dispatch Riders Meeting 3 rd Saturday of Month 10:00 AM Museum Ops Meeting As arranged. Check with Julie Osborne ex 237 Phone: (734) FAX: (734) Copyright 2014 Yankee Air Force, Inc. Opinions expressed by our columnists are rightfully their own and do not necessarily reflect the outlook of our entire organization. YANKEE AIR FORCE BYLAWS ARTICLE II - PURPOSES The YAF is organized exclusively to obtain, restore, preserve and operate historic and vintage aircraft, related components for historical research and public educational purposes, and to establish a museum to facilitate the public display and exhibition of such items. Past Dates of Interest 2-3 March 1943 US and Australian planes decimate 16-ship Japanese convoy in Battle of Bismark Sea, SW Pacific 3 March 1931 Star Spangled Banner becomes US National Anthem 4 March 1966 F-4C Phantoms attacked by MiG-17 in first air-to-air combat over North Vietnam 4-9 March 1944 Merrill s Marauders capture Walawbum, Burma 6 March 1943 First flight of B-24ST (single tail), later evolved as the XB-24K 8 March 1991 First US troops return from Operation Desert Storm 9-10 March B-29s of XXI Bomber Command hit Japanese cities in massive firebomb raids 10 March th Air Force activated under command of Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault 17 March 2012 YAM conducts THUNDER OVER UTAH air show at St George, UTAH (SGU) with the US Navy Blue Angels Dust storm makes it challenging 18 March 2012 THUNDER OVER UTAH (SGU) It actually snows during the show 18 March 1945 More than 1,200 bombers and 670 fighters raid Berlin with heaviest attack of the war 18 March 1954 Boeing produces first B-52A 19 March th BG (15th AF) flew its first combat mission from bases in Italy 21 March 1941 US Army Air Corps 99 th Pursuit Squadron Tuskegee Airmen activated February meeting was scrubbed due to WX To contact Hangar Happening s hangarhapps@yankeeairmuseum.org Phone: (734) ext 247 April 2014 issue deadline is march 14th But best to have items in march 1st 2 Hangar happenings - newsletter of the yankee air museum

3 Save the Bomber Plant - The Final Push Kevin Walsh - Executive Director 61 Days & Counting! 3 As the May 1 st deadline on the Save The Bomber Plant Campaign quickly approaches, I want to take a moment to share with you the importance of the remaining days of this pivotal campaign. The most critical message that we need to understand is that the May 1 st deadline is a final and non-negotiable deadline. If we are unsuccessful in obtaining the financial goal by May 1st, the wrecking ball will be taking down the final piece of the bomber plant in the July/August time frame. We have one final push, one final opportunity to save a piece of one of the most historic manufacturing buildings of World War II. It was in the hallowed walls of the this superstructure, where the might of Detroit industrial production help defeated the axis forces half a world away! More than 8,000 B-24 Liberators rolled out of the portion of the Bomber Plant that we hope to obtain. It is our hope that this be the final collective home for the Yankee Air Museum. It would be a historic place for a historic organization to educate our future generations about the triumphs of our veterans on the warfront and the dedicated folks on the home front who helped win the war. After May 1 st, we will not have another opportunity to save such an important structure. I urge you to give what you can and spread the word as we near the final push. You can make a difference, you can help save it, you can help bring the museum back together. Please give today! WE CAN DO IT! Yankee Air Museum Historic Presentation Night News Randy Hotton February 5th tuned. Meeting cancelled due to WX. Speaker rescheduled to April 2nd or perhaps July 2nd.. Stay March 5th John Wukovitz a local author who has spoken at the museum before (you ve also seen him on the Military History Channel) has a new book about USS Samuel B. Roberts. For Crew and Country: The Inspirational True Story of Sacrifice and Bravery Aboard the USS Samuel B. Roberts, is the story of the crew of a destroyer escort that in October 1944 sacrificed itself to help save MacArthur's forces ashore. John is a very good speaker! April 2nd Lt Col Joe Rutkowski USAF (Ret), a Gulf War I veteran, to tell of flying the A-10 in the Middle East. Joe has a special connection to the YAM as he flew his A-10 into Grosse Isle for the 2003 Airshow. This is not confirmed but there is a good chance we will have former Astronaut Jack Lousma make a presentation on his experiences as an Astronaut for one of these months. May 7th Dennis Norton, member #1 and the first President of the Yankee Air Force will tell us about the start of the Yankee Air Force and how they got the C-47, the B-52 and the B-17. June 4th Tim Burns from North American Rockwell will tell us of his experiences with the space shuttle, B -1, and dismantling the last of the F-86 lines If you are not attending the Yankee Air Museum Historic Presentation Night then you are missing some very interesting presentations. If you know of anyone you think we could use as a speaker, please let me know and we will try to schedule them. pilotyip@aol.com.

4 Volunteer Appreciation Evening Enjoyed by All In spite of really bad wx, there was a very large turnout for the volunteer appreciation banquet and yet still food to take home. Plenty of desserts too! Volunteers were recognized for different levels of volunteer hours. Many, many thanks to all the volunteers who make the Yankee Air Museum one of the most dynamic museums in the country. A volunteer from each department was also recognized as volunteers of the year for their efforts and each received a $100 gift card. 500 Hours Robert Ball Barry Tyrell Kandy Sue Crawford Merv Wygant Larry Stewart 1000 Hours Chris Aldridge Adam Tremain Jerry Towler Bill Stimac Tavi Prudeanu Don Walls II Jonathan Drake David Nowak 1500 Hours Dave LaBeau Nick Nichols Ben Osvath Ken Nelson 1500 Hours Alicia Pulley Bill Tonak 2000 Hours Pat Trevas Hank Woods Al Hudson Phil Vinci John Yates Chuck Huntley Norm Weakland 3000 Hours Jom Howard Rick Waite Jim Gilkey Gene Blanchard Dennis Vukovich Bob Sloan Bob Gilkey 4000 Hours Bob Anderson Erwin Stirnweis Bob Catalano Larry Arnett Roy DuHadway Dale Burgess Chris Curran Ralph Koehler John Vander Ven Pete Stone Tony Pequeno 5000 Hours Dwight Koslowski 10,000 Hours Ray Christiansen Jim Malzone Dave Saunders These volunteers were recognized as Volunteers of the Year Merv Wygant - Collections Suzanne Bosarge - Education Robert Stoliker - Restoration Dan Petrosky - Facility Rentals Karen Ellickson - Retail Bob Hynes - Public Relations Christina Warren - Docents IT - Glenn Wilkewitz Flyable AC - Jon Rule Flyable Maintenance - Octavian Prundeanu Living History - John Fitzgibbons Archives - Ron Bendry Air Shows - Sara Krein Oral History - Louise Schmaltz Dispatch Riders - Bob Armstrong Security - Larry Stewart Exhibits & Design - Matt Korich Your veterinarian is the best source for up-todate pet health care information. Call or check our web site: Ask us about discounts on professional services for active duty military personnel. Ex Dir. Kevin Walsh left with Volunteers of the Year. Plenty of cake and desserts. Capacity seating & O2 in front of F-4. Photos Al Hudson Colonial Veterinary Clinic is again running an ad in every month of 2014 HH. Make sure you call them for the very best in veterinary care for your pet. Paid advertisement 4 Hangar happenings - newsletter of the yankee air museum

5 MAXIMUM EFFORT NEEDED FOR THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN 2014 WHEN WE HOST THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE THUNDERBIRDS THEIR FIRST EVER VISIT TO WILLOW RUN If you volunteered last year for a specific department and wish to do so again, you should contact your department head immediately regarding this year. If you are a new volunteer or member, contact your department head or Volunteer Coordinator Tom Carroll at volunteers@yankeeairmuseum.org for where you might fit in. Tom will put you in contact with those air show department heads who need more volunteers. T-Shirt order deadline is April 5 th. Don t delay. A-Team volunteers needed. Contact Dave Drano Steiner dsteiner@blackmoreco.com A-Team: (admissions) one of the most important groups at the air show, they take money and tickets at the gate and make sure patrons get into the airfield as expeditiously as possible. You ll work in two person teams. Be prepared to stay on your feet for a couple hours at a time, 4 hr shifts only, but we try to have enough folks to cycle people out so you can get short breaks. Calling All Rosie s and Would-be Rosie s for Another Attempt at Guinness World Record When: March 29, 2014, check-in 2pm, photo at 4:30pm Where: Hangar 1, Bay 1, west side of Willow Run Airport (plenty of convenient & free parking) On October 30, 2013, 143 women dressed as Rosie the Riveter gathered at the Willow Run Bomber Plant for an attempt at setting a Guinness World Record for the largest number of people dressed as Rosie the Riveter in one place. The event was full of patriotism and Rosie Spirit. Falling 107 short of the 250 required by Guinness to set a record, the attendees, in true Rosie fashion, remained undaunted and vowed to try again. The next Rosie Guinness World Record attempt will be Saturday, March 29, 2014 at Hangar 1 Bay 1 at Willow Run Airport. Sign-in begins at 2 pm, photo will be at 4:30 pm. Based on the response after the October attempt, we are expecting a very large turnout of between 500 and 1000 people. If you are planning on joining us, please plan on arriving early enough to check in and be in position for the picture. The Rosie outfit, required by Guinness, is dark blue coveralls or dark blue pants, a dark blue shirt, red socks and black or brown work boots. NO light denim, NO halter tops, NO high heels or sneakers. Please see the SaveTheBomberPlant.org website for details and updates. Guinness has very strict rules of how one of their events must take place. We would like to thank the following people for helping make the October event a success: Our original Rosie s; Ruth Webb, Shirley Clark, Vivian Litchard, and Rachel Mae Perry who continue to represent Rosie with dignity and are role models for us all. Brenda Stumbo, State Representative Gretchen Driskell, Mayor Pro tem Lois Richardson, SFC Dawn Bird, Trig of Video Images, Anthony Collette, Crystal Peatee, Jenny Wolf Harrison, Alex Harrison, Peter Morrissey, Mark McGraw, Steve Hopper, Alicia Pulley, The Bomber Restaurant staff, the staff at B-24's Coffee Shop, Steven Vass, Yankee Air Museum, Dennis Norton, Mike Montgomery, Michigan Aerospace Foundation, Wayne County Airport Authority, Donaleen Lanktree, Robert Webb, Security and hangar staff from Yankee Air Museum, Christy Mayhew, Jeannette Gutierrez, Nancy Zajac and Kim Godek

6 DEADLINE is MAY 1!! JUST 61 DAYS Ford Archives photo Because the campaign has been so successful so far, the deadline has been extended so the fundraising continues for the campaign to save a corner of the old Willow Run bomber plant as the new home for Yankee Air Museum. To not save this very historic CROWN JEWEL of the Arsenal of Democracy would be a shame. Yankee Air Museum is working with Michigan Aerospace Foundation to try to raise pledges and funds. If you know anyone who can contribute a significant amount please contact a Yankee board member. BUT NO contribution is too small. Go to the web site and pledge as much as you can! SAVETHEBOMBERPLANT.ORG If the project comes to fruition, Yankee would have about 165,000 square feet of really HIGH BAY space, inside a truly historic structure. That volume would allow us to do just about anything we want, including bringing the historic Ford schoolhouse & B-52inside. Photos by Drano View from catwalk out the Bomber Plant doors 2,000 pledges of $1,000 gets the $2 million Still needed! View to the Bomber Plant doors from Bay 8, Hangar 1 Cavernous space would give us all the room needed to build a fitting tribute to the people, structures and products of the Arsenal of Democracy Right: Artist s concept of the Yankee Air Museum in the roll-out bays of the Willow Run Bomber Plant. We are trying to save just a corner of this massive historic structure. SAVETHEBOMBERPLANT.ORG The campaign is going SO well the deadline has been extended BUT THE DEMOLITION HAS started, SO THERE IS now A HARD DEADLINE OF MAY 1ST That s only 61 days and counting! 6 Hangar happenings - newsletter of the yankee air museum

7 7 Resolution of C-47 Troop Seat Issue Grant Schwartz (Or the Doug Rides Again, here we come Lee Bottom!) As many members know the C-47 Member Trip program was suspended temporarily for the 2013 season. We are happy to report that the program will resume for the 2014 season. What may not be well understood is the reason why this took place. Early in 2012 museum management and the Flight Operations department began an application process with the FAA for a Letter of Authorization or LOA to conduct Scenic Flight Operations in the C-47. This type of operation is similar to our Flight Experience program in the bomber aircraft, but due to differences in aircraft certification standards requires a somewhat different process from the FAA s point of view. C-47 over Detroit 2005 While our C-47 was delivered to the Air Force from the factory as a military type C-47B in 1945, the aircraft was later certified by the museum as a DC-3C and issued a Standard Airworthiness Certificate in Ostensibly this was done for a number of operational reasons, including insurability issues when the organization was young and first getting established in flight operations. As a Standard Category Civil aircraft it is treated differently by the FAA than are the bombers. This often requires higher standards for airworthiness as well as for approvals for modifications. In 1985 the museum located, rebuilt and installed a complete set of Troop Carrier style, folding, metal pan seats for the aircraft. These seats were installed according to factory specifications using existing holes patterns found in the aircraft, and using new fastening hardware. Paperwork was prepared and submitted to the FAA using what is known as a FAA Form 337, Major Repair & Alteration document. The museum operated the aircraft in this configuration carrying members and guests without question for 27 years. What changed in 2013 was that we were seeking FAA authorization to offer rides to the general public for a charge. The process of making this application included close scrutiny of our operation by FAA officials, focusing on the particular standards for operation of a Standard Category airplane in passenger carrying operations for compensation and hire. The FAA officials involved in our request could not find a case of the military style seats being approved in an aircraft registered as a DC-3. Other operators with these seats still have their aircraft registered as a C-47. Therefore the museum was issued a letter late in 2012, by the FAA, denying our request for a Letter of Authorization, and furthermore prohibiting the use of the troop seats by any persons during flight operations. After receiving this letter the Maintenance and Flight Operations groups immediately begin work on resolving this issue. The goal was to get the member trip program back in service to the organization as soon as possible and secondly to continue work toward the LOA. A great deal of background work was required to ensure we were on firm ground as to the suitability of our seats under the certifications standards for the DC-3. After that was accomplished we met with the FAA to discuss ways to resolve this issue. A plan of action was agreed to in early The museum engaged the services of an FAA designated structures engineer to analyze the seats and seat belt attachments for conformity to the civil aircraft standards applicable to the DC-3. This was done using copies of the Douglas Aircraft technical drawings for the various part numbers, and various measurements of fittings on the aircraft. When the analysis was complete a plan was put together to approve up to 12 passenger seats in the cabin. For good measure, we also elected to install newly manufactured military style seats belts in the aircraft. Having completed these tasks we again submitted paperwork citing the engineering analysis showing that our Troop Carrier seat installation meets and in some cases exceeds the certification standards for a DC-3 aircraft. This action returns the C-47 to the operational status for member excursion trips we enjoyed up to 2012.

8 2014 YANKEE AIR MUSEUM AIRSHOW SCHEDULE As of January 16, 2014 B-17? B-25? May Spirit of St. Louis Airshow BA (KSUS) FLEX Chesterfield, MO B-17? B-25? May Thunder Over the Valley Airshow TB (KYNG) Youngstown, OH B-17! May American Airpower Museum Display (KFRG) FLEX Farmingdale, NY B-17! May Bethpage Airshow at Jones Beach BA Bethpage, NY B-25! C-47! May 26 YAM Memorial Day Open House (KYIP) FLEX Willow Run. MI B-17! Jun 05 Mid Atlantic Air Museum Display (KRDG) FLEX Reading, PA B-17! B-25! C-47! Jun MAAM WWII Commemorative Weekend FLEX Reading, PA B-17! Jun Barnstorm / Static Display (KWWD) FLEX Cape May, NJ B-17! Jun Wings and Wheels Expo (KTEB) FLEX Teterboro, NJ B-25! C-47! Jun Wings Over Gaylord Airshow (KGLR) FLEX Gaylord. MI B-17! B-25! C-47! Jun Barnstorm / Static Display (KRNP) FLEX Owosso, MI (Train Expo 2014 Steam Railroading Institute) B-17? B-25? C-47? Jun Waterloo Airshow SB (CYKF) (B-17 FLEX?) Waterloo, Ontario B-17? Jly Manistee Forest Festival (KMBL) FLEX Manistee, MI B-17! Jly 12 Liberty Aviation Museum (KPCW) FLEX Port Clinton, OH B-17! Jly Champaign Aviation Museum (KI74) FLEX Urbana, OH B-25! Jly 12 Angola Balloons Aloft (KANQ) Angola, IN B-25! Jly 13 Barnstorm / Static Display (KAZO) FLEX? Kalamazoo, MI B-17! Jly Wings of the North Air Expo (KFCM) FLEX Eden Prairie. MN Jly A Gathering of Eagles Airshow (KLNN) Willoughby, OH B-17! Jly EAA AirVenture TB (02-03) (KOSH) Oshkosh, WI B-17! B-25! C-37! Aug Thunder Over Michigan TB, GK (KYIP) FLEX Willow Run, MI B-17! Aug Wings Over Halls Airshow (KM31) FLEX Halls, TN B-25? C-47? Aug 24 Oakland County Airport Airshow (KPTK) Waterford, MI B-17! B-25! C-47! Sep Selfridge ANGB Airshow BA (KMTC) Selfridge, MI! = YAM Participation Confirmed? = YAM Participation not Confirmed Awaiting Signed Contract FLEX = Flight Experiences (rides) to be Sold in YAF B-17 and/or B-25 BA = U.S. Navy Blue Angels TB = USAF Thunderbirds GK = U.S. Army Golden Knights SB = Canadian Snow Birds To participate as part of the crew at an airshow is a privilege, not an entitlement, of Yankee Air Museum membership. There are only so many aircraft seats available, depending on the number required for a crew. Crew members are chosen for the good of Yankee Air Museum and for the particular aircraft scheduled. Obviously, not everybody can go at the same time. The 2014 Airshow Crew Sign-Up Request forms are available in the lunchroom at Yankee HQ. Completed request forms must be returned to a bin so marked in the lunch room Please do not request an airshow that has not yet been confirmed (! = confirmed) as indicated in the latest schedule above. Check the website for the most recent information. Updated versions of this schedule and the C-47 Excursion Schedule will be posted on the website. Neither the air show or C-47 Schedule may be printed in every issue of HH. Save this page if you don t have web access, or call Bobbie Farkas (734) /7 or (734) for C-47 Excursion information. 8 Hangar happenings - newsletter of the yankee air museum

9 2014 c-47 excursion schedule PM DATE DESTINATION NAME YAM MEMBER #/exp date PHONE NAME YAM MEMBER #/exp date PHONE NAME YAM MEMBER #/exp date PHONE CONTACT STREET ADDRESS: CITY STATE ZIP HOW MANY SEATS? x COST PER SEAT = TOTAL ENCLOSED PERSONAL CHECK # AMERICAN EXPRESS DISCOVER MASTERCARD VISA NAME ON CARD CREDIT CARD # EXP DATE ALL TRIPS ARE FOR MEMBERS ONLY - JOIN TODAY! A minimum of ten passengers needed to confirm a flight. Seats must be purchased a minimum of two weeks prior to flight. Unless otherwise indicated, listed amounts are for flights only and do not include ground transportation or other incidental expenses. Dates and prices are subject to change. Destination additions or subtractions are possible as circumstances dictate. Cancellations, other than by Yankee Air Museum, from one to four weeks prior to flight will incur a $50.00 processing fee. Cancellations less than one week prior to flight will not receive a refund. FOR RESERVATIONS or any questions: Call Bobbie Farkas (734) /7 or complete the above Registration Form, or c47flights@yankeeairmuseum.org One form per trip, per person please! Complete, clip/copy and mail to: YANKEE AIR MUSEUM C-47 DAY TRIP PO BOX 590 BELLEVILLE MI Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for faster delivery Please save this copy of HH or clip this page for future reference. The c-47 schedule MAY not appear in every issue. For latest updates check yam website+ Tuesday June 3 Detroit Tour (5:30 pm) Willow Run $ Tuesday June 10 Popkey Armor Museum Crawfordsville, IN $ Tuesday June 17 AirVenture Museum Oshkosh, WI $ Fri./Sat./Sun June Planes, Trains and Classic Cars Owosso, MI $ Tuesday June 24 Mackinac Island $ Tuesday July 1 National Cherry Festival Traverse City, MI $ Wednesday July 9 Detroit Tour (5:30 pm) Willow Run $ Wednesday July 16 Put-in-Bay and Liberty Aviation Museum Port Clinton, OH $ Monday July 28 EAA AirVenture * Oshkosh, WI $ Wednesday July 30 EAA AirVenture * Oshkosh, WI $ Saturday August 2 EAA AirVenture * Oshkosh, WI $ Wednesday August 6 Detroit Tour (5:30 pm) Willow Run $ Tuesday August 12 Gilmore Car Museum Hickory Corners, MI $ Mon./Tue. August USS LST 393, Silversides Sub ** Muskegon, MI $ Wednesday August 20 Burke Lakefront Airport (USS Cod sub) Cleveland, OH $ Tuesday August 26 Win Schuler s for Lunch *** and Tour of Marshall, MI $ Wednesday September 3 Detroit Tour (5:30 pm) Willow Run $ Saturday September 13 Jackson, MI for Lunch *** Jackson, MI $ Friday September 19 National Museum of the USAF, Dayton (Restoration Tour) $ Mon./Tue. September Wine Tasting St. Joseph, MI $ Wednesday September 24 Color Tour (5:00 pm) $ Fri./Sun. September Lee Bottom Hanover, IN $ Saturday October 4 Color Tour (Noon) $ *Includes Airshow Admission Fee **A Lake Michigan Dinner Cruise is available ***Lunch not included in fare + Links on the web provide more information about your destination

10 Hello Yankee Members! As many of you are aware of, our Exhibit Design team is wrapping up construction of our new permanent diorama based on the Vietnam War. We are currently looking for Military Dress Uniforms from each of the different Military Branches that are period-specific to the Vietnam War era. These uniforms will be used in display cases throughout the exhibit. If you would be interested in donating your Dress Uniform to the Museum to potentially be displayed in the exhibit, please our Conservator, Julie Osborne. Please include pictures of your uniform and your personal service history, as this will help tell the story of veterans of the Vietnam War. Any information that we can provide to the public will add greatly to the display. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Julie. Thank you and Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans! Julie Osborne Conservator x237 Yankee Dog Tags Your Ticket to Ride BE A YANKEE DOG TAG MAKER GO TO AIR SHOWS FOR FREE! Air show Dog Tagging will begin as soon as the flying season starts. If you d like to be considered for the Dog Tag & Retail Team and be eligible to work air shows this coming flying season, make sure you get some training early this spring. A good time to start is at the Polishing Party/Bomber Buffing on April 5th. Making Dog Tags at air shows can be intense but you ll have fun too. And a free flight there and back on a Yankee AC! Contact Steve Hopper at retail@yankeeairmuseum.org to find out more about Dog Tag training school. See more details on page 5 or go to the web site SaveTheBomberPlant.org to see this poster The Yankee Ladies Chapter of Women in Aviation International (WAI) meets monthly at Yankee Air Museum All are welcome, 2 nd Tuesday March 11 th SPECIAL PROGRAM Laura Edge - author On the Wings of Dawn The compelling story of researching her father s WWII experiences as an aviator and POW in Europe Yankee Air Museum Room snacks informal meeting and/or program 10 Hangar happenings - newsletter of the yankee air museum

11 How Detroit Saved the World; Installment Eleven - Randy Hotton B-24 airplane. A meeting was set in Washington DC on February 21, 1941 to have the Letter of Intent issued. 11 On January 9 th, 1941, after looking over Consolidated s assembly methods in San Diego, Charles Sorensen head of Ford manufacturing was convinced that anything Ford could produce could not be used by Consolidated. He told Consolidated s Ruben Fleet, We are not interested in subassemblies, we ll make a complete airplane or nothing. Sorensen had just taken on the biggest project of his life when he committed Ford Motor Company to build a four engine B-24 Bomber an hour at the factory that would be named the Willow Run Bomber Plant. It should be noted that even after the war in 1946, an Army Material Command report on airplane manufacturing during WWII stated that Sorensen had picked his production numbers out of a hat. They had ignored Sorensen s manufacturing back ground, the resources available at Ford Motor Company and the ability of the Detroit auto maker s tool and die industry to do the impossible. Sorensen explained to Dr. Mead. The reason why we want to build a complete airplane is that we believe we can do a good production job. He stated If the Air Force will give Ford Motor Company a contract and will spend up to two hundred million dollars, we will build and equip a plant capable of turning out one Liberator Bomber an hour. Then he showed Dr. Mead and the Army his sketches from the previous night. The offer and estimate took Mr. Mead and the Army by surprise. Mead said this plan was just what he wanted; now instead of building an additional 520 B-24 s per year, we could build 540 B-24 s a month. Fleet agreed to give Ford a license to build the B-24 and provide drawings for all the parts of the airplane. Mead said Let s leave it at that. Develop the idea as much as you can, and I will call you to Washington in a few days. So desperate was the Army for bomber production that on the basis of pencil sketches on hotel stationary, they were about to award the largest contract ever issued in the history of the United States. Sorensen thought he would have a problem getting Henry Ford to give his approval to the plan to build the B-24 bomber. Henry Ford had rejected the Rolls Royce Merlin engine contract the previous summer due to his anti-war stance. Sorensen then showed the senior Ford the plans he had drawn up in San Diego and told Mr. Ford that he had made the ultimatum of; I will make the complete airplane or nothing. In return he got the standard Ford lecture against war and Washington, but the lecture finished with Make a complete airplane only. This was Sorensen's authorization to proceed with building the world s largest manufacturing plant. On January 12 th, three days after the San Diego visits, Ford officials visited the Army Air Corps at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio and notified them that the Ford Motor Company could start as soon as the Government ordered it. On January 31 st General Echols, head of procurement for the Army Air Corps, came to Dearborn and asked Ford to draw up a Letter of Intent. The Letter of Intent was a contract shortcut that had been drafted by Bill Knudsen the summer before in order to expedite manufacturing projects. The Army Air Corps wanted a proposal for manufacturing an Educational Order of one B-24 and a proposal for making parts for bomber plants in Tulsa and Fort Worth. Echols also asked Ford for a proposal to manufacture the entire Alfred Kahn General Oliver Echols Sorensen had two things he had to do before that meeting. He had to design a plant and pick a place to build it. To design the plant, he contacted Kahn Associates, the architectural firm he had been dealing with since construction of the Highland Park Assembly Plant. He had the architects lay out a cross section of the bomber plant high enough for a full plane sitting on the floor with overhead cranes capable of covering the whole area. He then had William Pioch and Harry Hanson do studies on of all the metal work and electrical equipment; and they broke the airplane down into nine different departments. There would be one for each section; center wing, two wings, two wing tips, front and rear fuselage, and nacelles and tail section. The factory would have a mile long assembly line that was a quarter mile wide. To build a factory and an airfield to support the factory, he needed three to four square miles of sparsely populated, open, level land. This meant that the built up areas of Detroit were out of the picture. For a location of of this mile long plant he picked the Ypsilanti area, where Henry Ford had big acreage in soybeans. It had the perfect drainage for the airport, and it was not too far from Ford River Rouge operation. Ford had taken years to plan and develop the River Rouge Factory; they were now to build a Willow Run Boy s Farm factory in less than six months. On February 19 th Knudsen announces that Ford will erect a bomber plant in Ypsilanti to manufacture parts for Consolidated in Fort Worth and for Douglas in Tulsa. On February 21 st Ford receives a two hundred million-dollar contract to build fuselage assemblies for new plants in Texas and Oklahoma. In a record time of less than seven weeks, the sketches on hotel stationary had become the largest single contract ever awarded by the U. S. government. Now that Ford s proposal had been accepted the problems started.

12 Volunteer and Become the Excitement! Many Yankee Air Museum Members and Friends have found that volunteering is a fun and rewarding experience. Please help us fill these volunteer positions. Volunteer Hours Admin Person who is strong in Excel with an attention to detail to maintain a master spreadsheet of the hours worked by Yankee volunteers. Photo Preservation Preservation, handling, storage and tender loving care of Yankee s collection of old photographs, particularly the World War 1 era. Cub Reporter A Jimmy Olson to interview Yankee volunteers and write articles for monthly Hangar Happenings newsletter. Public Relations Outgoing, marketing oriented people to participate in the planning of and attendance at Yankee Air Museum related events. If you are interested, or would like to know about additional volunteer opportunities, please contact Tom Carroll, Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@yankeeairmuseum.org. Tom is also the point person if you are looking for something to do at Thunder Over Michigan Yankee Photo Gallery Here s the link to the Yankee Photo Gallery maintained by Dwight Koslowski. The latest HH images in COLOR are there along with thousands of other Yankee and Yankee related photos. Check it out and bookmark or save as a favorite 12 Hangar happenings - newsletter of the yankee air museum

13 Need to Reduce Your Tax Bill? Join Yankee Air Museum Your membership is tax deductible! And you get these benefits as well FREE Museum Entry Hangar Happenings EVERY month Discounts at the Museum Store C-47 member trip eligibility (See schedule page 9) AND FREE THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN Air Show Ticket! Contact Alicia Wilson Membership Director (734) ext 222 Light A Candle For Yankee Air Museum YAM supporters are now able to purchase Yankee Candles to help support the Museum. YAM will get 40% of each item purchased. Go to: Our group number is: Member Survey DID YOU SEND IN YOURS THAT WAS IN JANUARY HH? Clarification from B-25 Party Article in January HH The artwork information referred to on page 7 of the January HH issue regarding the B-25 ELLEN E. & SON includes only the three renderings created by Davis Ails. The larger picture shown in the background was for display purposes only and was not part of the unveiling, nor are there copies of that picture available for purchase through the museum. This picture was a gift presented to YAM B-25 crew member Dick Sprague and was painted by YAM member Robert Aikins. We regret the error.

14 Yankee Public Relations Department Bob Hynes is head of the Yankee PR Department. PR sends out press releases and asks that you contact PR with any news about Yankee events so they may be promoted as far and wide as possible. Also, if you hear about something questionable with regards to the Museum, contact PR first so Bob and his staff may check it out first to ascertain that it is fact or fiction before telling others. If he doesn t know about it, he ll look into it right away and get back to you with the correct information. Bob also heads the Speaker s Bureau, so if your organization is interested in having someone give a presentation about Yankee Air Museum, give Bob a call. Call the Museum (734) ext 242. or Bob via at bob.hynes@yankeeairmuseum.org or bobhynes@yahoo.com Need a Yankee Speaker? If your organization would like someone from Yankee to give a presentation, contact Bob Hynes. The Yankee Speakers Bureau can provide speakers from the Yankee ranks to talk about the Willow Run Story and the future of Yankee Air Museum. Contact: bob.hynes@yankeeairmuseum.org or call (734) ext 242 Elson B. Spangler December 30, 2013 Elson wrote a very good book about his combat experiences in the B-24 in Italy that was reviewed in HH. He also gave a very interesting presentation for a Wed night program. He was instrumental in getting the B-17 to Beaver Island, where his family very graciously hosted the crew. YANKEE BRICK INSTALLATION UPDATED If you have purchased a Yankee Brick for the flagpole area at the east end of the Museum parking lot, many new bricks have been installed recently, so it is substantially up-to-date. So come on out and have a look. If you don t see your brick, contact Steve Hopper, steve.hopper@yankeeairmuseum.org and let him know the details so he can see to it that your contribution is acknowledge and a brick made. Yankee Air Museum Available for Rent Coolers available for summer events Yankee s Collections & Exhibits Building is a unique venue for meetings of all sorts and sizes. There is a link on the web site with all the rental information. Send it to anyone or organization you know of that is looking for meeting space. There are brochures too, pick some up at HQ to pass or mail out. The Yankee Education Center is also available for rental to smaller groups of 50 or less. Yankee Air Museum offers three 20 x40 Multi-Purpose rooms. Room partitions are easily removed to offer a total of 2,400 square feet of event space. Each room offers state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment that is able to meet any and all of your needs. The High Bay can seat Competitive rates and plenty of FREE PARKING. Contact Alicia Wilson 734) ext 222 or alicia.wilson@yankeeairmuseum.org for more information 14 Hangar happenings - newsletter of the yankee air museum

15 On the Horizon at Yankee air museum East side of Willow Run Airport at Beck and Ecorse Roads Headquarters D Street, Willow Run Airport March First 4 Saturdays Tuesday 11 th Yankee Edu Dept Mars Madness - see front page Yankee Ladies - special program, author Laura Edge, On the Wings of Dawn. 6:30pm Yankee Air Museum. See details on page 10. Saturday 29 th Rosie the Riveter Guinness World Record Attempt - Hangar 1, Bay 1 West side of Willow Run Airport. Sign in 2pm. See pages 5 & 10 for details or go to the web site SaveTheBomberPlant.org April Saturday 5 th T-Shirt deadline for THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN 2014 & BOMBER BUFFING! 10-2 Hangar 1 Bay 8. See back page Saturday 26 th Bistro Night - see flyer on back page May Monday 26 th Memorial Day Commemoration at Yankee Air Museum FREE Open house. NO pancake breakfast this year. JUly Saturday 12 th THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN MASS MEETING. 1pm room 124 Get T-shirts, wrist bands and final briefing Friday 25 th Saturday 26 th & Sunday 27 th August Saturday 9 th Sunday 10 th THUNDER OVER UTAH - twilight air show, St George Municipal Airport (SGU), St. George, Utah THUNDER OVER UTAH - St George Municipal Airport (KSGU) St, George, Utah, featuring the US Navy Blue Angels THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN Willow Run Airport (KYIP) Ypsilanti, MI THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN Willow Run Airport (KYIP) Ypsilanti, MI Featuring the USAF Thunderbirds! It is now official! Bookmark on your browser Click on Yankee Photo Gallery for COLOR pics from this issue of HH and MUCH MORE! PHONE FOR DETAILS (734) ext 237 WATCH FOR UPDATES AT

16 YANKEE AIR MUSEUM P O BOX 590 BELLEVILLE MI USA Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 56 Belleville, Michigan March 5 th Historical Presentation Night John Wukovitz - author The extraordinary story of the USS Samuel B. Roberts Details page 3 Meeting is at 7:30pm at the NEW Yankee Air Museum Collections & Exhibits Building east side of Willow Run Airport. Yankee Air Museum is part of the PLEASE CHECK YOUR MAILING ADDRESS! NOTIFY OUR MEMBERSHIP OFFICE OF ANY CHANGES (734) ext 222 Please Do Touch the Airplanes! 19th annual Polishing Party R u a Bomber buff(er)? Saturday April 5th 10-2, Hangar 1 Bay 8 Northwest side of Willow Run airport FREE & open to the public. A family friendly event. Pizza lunch served. Bring a can of Mother s or Meguiar s aluminum polish and lots of clean/soft rags. Join the Museum that day and get a cockpit photo in the B-17 and a ticket to the air show featuring the USAF Thunderbirds!