CAF s P39Q Warbird Hobo Travel log of a warbird fanatic article and photos by Dennis Bergstrom www.warbirds-eaa.org 11
CAF s P63 CAF s P63F A long time ago my family learned that our weekend trips or longer vacations usually involved something to do with warbirds, either visits to private collections or air museums or air shows. I m sure many of you who share this addiction can relate. As a case in point, here s a collection of warbird news and photos that I ve collected from February to June 2012. At the Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, Texas, in February, it was gratifying to see that the museum has recovered well from the heavy hurricane damage that it sustained several years ago, no doubt due to the hard work and donations from many volunteers and supporters. Some of its pristine flyable warbirds, like the B-17, Chino s B-25J, Pacific Princess Chino s P-38L, Honey Bunny Zeros parked at Chino 12 SEPTEMBER 2012 Chino s P-51D, Dolly
Collings P-51C Collings B-24J P-51, and SBD Dauntless, were having winter maintenance work done before the arrival of the 2012 air show season. The museum is making steady progress on its awesome PB4Y Privateer restoration, which will be an air show superstar when it s completed. Evergreen s FW 190 Also on display in the museum is the Douglas A-26C Invader Million Airess NL26BP that is owned by Rick Sharpe, Houston, Texas, and registered to the Marine Aviation Museum. Lone Star is moving forward with its plans to move to Ellington Field in Houston within the next several years. When I visited the Commemorative Air Force s Central Texas Wing s base at San Marcos, Texas, in February, its Bell P-63F Kingcobra was ready for its first flight in more than six years, which was being delayed by cold and windy weather. It finally took its first post-restoration flight later in the month, and the worldwide count of flying P-63s went back up to three. Its airworthy Bell P-39Q Airacobra Miss Connie was having sheet metal repair on the leading edge of one wing, and according to a very recent report, that project is still in progress. It is one of only two flying Airacobras worldwide, both of them based in Texas. The CAF wing members fondly call their museum the Cobra Den. The Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Springs, California, presented several weekend events in February to honor the Tuskegee Airmen. Its P-51 Mustang was repainted in the markings Evergreen s PBY Evergreen s ME262A www.warbirds-eaa.org 13
FHC s Fw190A FHC s Zero FHC s IL2 of Lt. Bob Friend, now 92 years old, who flew 142 missions with the 332nd Fighter Group, 12th Air Force. Along with fellow Tuskegee Airman Rusty Burns, Bob answered questions about his wartime experiences at an afternoon symposium that was organized and moderated by noted aviation artist Stan Stokes. Ten of the Tuskegee Airmen signed the rudder of the Mustang during the previous weekend. The museum s staffers have restored its PV-2 Harpoon to impressive display condition since my last visit in 2011. Its Bell P-63 Kingcobra Pretty Polly is Historic Flight s B-25D Grumpy. 14 SEPTEMBER 2012
being flown regularly and appears at regional air shows each year. At Chino, California, in May, I was pleased to see that the Yanks Air Museum is making steady progress on the restoration of its Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat. When completed, it will join the F6F-5 Hellcat on display. Yanks always has many restorations in progress, but its F4U-4 Corsair, Curtiss SB2C-3 Helldiver, Grumman TBF-1C Avenger, and Waco CG-4A Hadrian glider restorations were of particular interest to this WWII buff. Its Lockheed EC-121T Super Constellation was a static display on the flight line during the Chino Air Show and was available for public tours. Its PB4Y Privateer was flown as a fire bomber for many years by Greybull, Wyoming, based Hawkins and Powers before making a last ferry flight to Chino for the Yanks Air Museum collection. The Planes of Fame Air Show in early May was its usual amazing display of flying warbirds: three days of almost continuous engine sounds! This year it featured a rare gathering of three flying Japanese Zeros: NX46770, NX553TT, and N712Z. A nearly completed Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk restoration, which was usually surrounded by photographers and admirers, and the Planes of Fame s Yokosuka D4Y4 Suisei Judy dive bomber static restoration were on display on the flight line. In Planes of Fame s Friedkin Restoration Hangar, work is steadily progressing on the restoration of its Hispano HA 1112 Buchon (Spanish-built bf109), which was damaged in a landing accident a number of years ago. Paul Allen s Flying Heritage Collection at Paine Field, Washington, offers a number of free fly days from May through September featuring varied combinations of its very rare aircraft LoneStar s A26C. Million Airess Lone Star s PB4Y Museum of Flight s B17F Museum of Flight s B29 collection. The Father s Day weekend display in June was scheduled to feature the highly anticipated debut of its Ilyushin Il-2M3 Shturmovik, but due to technical issues that flight has been rescheduled for September 15. FHC flew its Focke Wulf Fw190A, P-47D Thunderbolt, and P-51D Mustang towww.warbirds-eaa.org 15
Palm Springs P51D Bunny Palm Springs PV2 gether instead, which was a delight to hear and watch. On the previous weekend it showcased the flying debut of its rare two-seat Mitsubishi A6M3-22 Reisen Zero fighter. To add to the cool warbird sights and sounds of the day, the Historic Palm Springs Tuskegee seminar Flight Foundation across the runway made a flight with its B-25D Mitchell bomber named Grumpy. It was also hosting the Collings Foundation s Wings of Freedom tour, which consisted of its B-24J Liberator Witchcraft, B-17G Flying Fortress Nine O Nine, and P-51C dual-control Mustang Betty Jane. At the Museum of Flight in Seattle, its rare, fully restored Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress has been sitting outside for more than a year in the rainy Puget Sound weather. The museum offers tours of the bomber. Its Boeing B-29 Superfortress is now sitting outside as well, though it s protected from the elements by a total shrinkwrap. It is my fervent hope that both of these aircraft will be moved to an indoor display in the very near future. Please contact the museum if you share my concern. The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, now has full-scale replicas of two famous WWII Luftwaffe fighters on display. Both aircraft were fabricated by Legend Flyers in Everett, Washington. Its Fw190A-7 is based on a Flug Werk kit that was purchased from a gentleman in Colorado in 2010 and reworked Planes of Fame s Judy Planes of Fame s Buchon 16 SEPTEMBER 2012
Yanks Connie for a more authentic look. It arrived at the museum in January 2012 and is painted in the markings of Heinz Bar, a 221-victory Luftwaffe experten (ace). Its Me262A is painted in the markings of Alfred Ambs who shot down seven USAAF B-17s and a P-51 before being shot down in March 1945 by Earl Lane, one of the Tuskegee Airmen. Legend Flyers is currently restoring a Mitsubishi Zero for the museum collection. Evergreen s PBY Catalina is now displayed outside. I m looking forward to the next six months of warbird travels. Yanks PB4Y www.warbirds-eaa.org 17