Dixie Wing Mission Briefing Issue 1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 T-34 UPDATE ATLANTA WARBIRD AIRCRAFT MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MAINTENANCE UPDATE ! WEEKEND COL BILL BALDWIN THE DIXIE WING MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG - WWW.ATLANTAWARBIRDWEEKEND.COM- WWW.WWIIDAYS.ORG In This Issue • From The Wing Leader by Col Jim Buckley • Atlanta Warbird Weekend by Col Chris Madrid • T-34 Mentor Update by Col Jack Van Ness • Aircraft Maintanance Update by Col Elmer Koldoff • Recruiting Update by Col Michael Zeeveld • Dixie Wing Aircraft Schedule by Col Philip Beegle • Member Spotlight: Col Bill Baldwin by Keith Wood • The Angels: Meet Ilona Tryon by Merikay Franklin • Our Birds: The Lady in Blue, The SBD-5 Dauntless • Rides Program Brings Joy and Surprises ! ! Editor - Col Steve Forsyth Design and Digital Distribution - Col Moreno “Mo” Aguiari Issue # 1- Summer 2014 ! THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG !1 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 The New Mission Briefing The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Facebook page now has over Dixie Wing 11,000 followers,we have 2,200 people who requested to join our newsletter and we are excited to have reached so many people Aircraft Schedule around the world, but we are often asked for detailed info about the Dixie Wing's history and future.This issue marks the return of • July 25-Aug. 3 – the CAF Dixie Wing Mission Briefing after a two year hiatus. EAA Air show, The newsletter will allow us to share with the community in-depth Oshkosh, WI (P-51) articles about ongoing projects, future plans and members.All CAF • Aug. 14-17 – chapters are organized around restoring and flying vintage Marysville, OH aircraft, but each unit has its own unique focus and character. (P-51) Together, the CAF chapters create the oldest and largest WWII • Sept. 25-26 – PDK flying museum in the United States. In addition to maintaining and flying an amazing fleet of aircraft, the CAF Dixie Wing actively Atlanta, GA (P-51, seeks to work with organizations and individuals who share a B-17) passion for aviation and history. • Sept. 26-27 – Crossville, TN Our vision for the Dixie Wing is to become a premier all-volunteer (Corsair) flying museum, but also a resource for individuals and • Sept. 28 – PDK organizations determined to preserve World War II and post-war aircraft and their place in history. More importantly, our goal is to Atlanta (P-51, B-17) memorialize at every opportunity the men and women who built, • Oct. 10-12 – Great maintained and flew these aircraft. Georgia Air Show, Peachtree City, GA Mission Briefing is available to all warbird and history lovers and (aircraft to be will be published on a quarterly basis. From time to time, we will also publish special editions to highlight key events and we announced) welcome suggestions for articles about aircraft or projects. Finally, • Oct. 11-12 – CAF please feel free to share Mission Briefing with others. Airsho, Midland, TX* ! Keep ‘em Flying • *Availability subject to change due to Col Chris Madrid weather and Col Moreno “Mo” Aguiari operational issues. ! THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG !2 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 From The Wing Leader By Col Jim Buckley - I have the pleasure this month of sending out my sincere “thank-you’s” for some great efforts on behalf of the !Dixie Wing. Special appreciation goes to the team of about a dozen members who made our Reading, Pa., appearance in June with the P-51and SBD a great success. This was our best year ever at Reading, and with our subsequent trips to Dayton and Cincinnati, we brought in about $100,000! It took three weeks of travel and work, but this is the lifeblood of our organization. It takes money to support the !aircraft that support our mission. We left many happy guests in our wake after helping them enjoy their flights on our historic aircraft. That would not happen without the time and effort, the hours of travel and the nights away from home that each of our volunteers contributes. It makes me smile when I see the results of such dedicated efforts. I personally thank each person who made the trip, and everyone who helped with the !necessary tasks at home before, during and after this successful tour. We are a great team! Under the category of “miracles do happen,” we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our friends at ConocoPhillips Aviation, who donated a semi-trailer load of shop equipment and tools to the Dixie Wing, while also making similar equipment donations to the West Houston Wing !and a Monster Tug to the Gulf Coast Wing’s B-17, Texas Raiders. Col. Kevin Korterud started this ball rolling with his business contacts at ConocoPhillips in Houston. The final result was a donation of about 50 pieces of equipment, ranging from small items like printers to large items such as lathes, drill presses and welders. The items were divided between Dixie Wing and West Houston Wing, and we each ended up with significant additions to our shops thanks to ConocoPhillips. With the tug donation to Texas Raiders group, this was an outstanding example of cooperation among CAF wings for the !betterment of all. Much of the equipment is already available for use at the Dixie Wing, and Col. Doug Franklin reported that the machines and testers were like new, complete with manuals and more !materials than expected. As we all know, every dollar we don’t have to spend for equipment and materials is a dollar that can be used for our restoration and operations programs. And the better equipped we are, the better job we can do in keeping our aircraft flying in service to our mission. A huge thank-you goes to our friends at ConocoPhillips, who have provided an immeasurable boost !to the Dixie Wing and our Texas associates. This was a great team effort! Col Jim Buckley Dixie Wing Wing Leader THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG !3 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 The Atlanta Warbird Weekend Arizona B-17 Flying Fortress coming to the Peach State Tour stop will headline Atlanta Warbird Weekend, connecting history, generations By Col Chris Madrid - One of the last flying B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, “Sentimental Journey,” will lead a flight of vintage World War II aircraft to Dekalb- Peachtree Airport (KPDK), Chamblee, Ga., for the inaugural Atlanta Warbird Weekend, Sept. 27-28, 2014. Cockpit tours and flights will be available in the B-17 and other aircraft, including a P-51 Mustang and rare SBD Dauntless dive bomber. When first flown in 1934, the four- engine B-17 was one of the most advanced designs in the world. During World War II, the aircraft was the primary bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces on long-range missions against Nazi Germany. Of the 12,731 B-17s originally built, 4,750 were lost in combat. Only 50 airframes are known to exist around the world and less than a dozen are capable of flight. The Atlanta Warbird Weekend is a first-time project between two chapters of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), Airbase Arizona in Mesa, Ariz., and the Peachtree City, Ga.- based Dixie Wing. “Atlanta is home to the busiest airport in the world” said Jay Bess, CAF Dixie Wing Marketing Officer, “and Georgia is a state that has thrived on aviation commerce for nearly 100 years. Our vision is to create an annual event that celebrates an important era of America’s aviation history.” Bess explained the purpose of Atlanta Warbird Weekend: “Our goals are to teach World War II history, increase awareness of the Commemorative Air Force in Atlanta, and raise much- needed funds for the restoration, maintenance and operation of these aircraft. Seeing these planes in the air brings history alive in a way a museum, textbook or video never will.” Veterans groups and education displays will also be on hand. THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG !4 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 Peachtree-Dekalb Airport was used as a Naval Air Station during World War II, training thousands of Navy and Marine pilots. Today, the airport handles 200,000 aircraft operations each year and is known for hosting community events promoting aviation. ! Joining the Flying Fortress will be a North America P-51 Mustang, considered by most historians to be the best all-round fighter and premier bomber escort of the Second World War. The B-17 and P-51 are often remembered as stable mates, with bomber crews nicknaming the protecting fighters “Little Friends”. Fighter pilots in turn referred to the bombers as “Big Friends”. A ride in a Flying Fortress or Mustang is a lifelong dream for many aviation and history enthusiasts. Organizers will host a “Big Friends, Little Friends” Dinner & Symposium at the 1940s- themed 57th Fighter Group Restaurant Saturday evening. Noted author and historian Bruce Gamble will give a B-17 presentation and moderate a bomber and fighter pilot panel discussion. “Sentimental Journey” has been flown continuously since it was manufactured in 1944, performing missions from military reconnaissance to drone “mother ship” during nuclear testing, as well as firefighting, before being retired after three decades of service. In 1978, the aircraft was donated to the then-named Arizona Wing based in Mesa, Ariz. Volunteers have meticulously restored the Flying Fortress to full military specifications, THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG !5 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 painting the B-17 in the markings of the 457th Bomb Group as a tribute to all aircrew who served during WWII.