CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1

T-34 UPDATE ATLANTA 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 !

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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. !

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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, 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

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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.

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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. The aircraft also features artwork recreating a classic Betty Grable pin- up photo well known to GIs, sailors and Marines of The Greatest Generation. A local media contest produced the name Sentimental Journey from over 800 entries. Sentimental Journey has been touring North America since the early 1980s and makes 60 stops annually. 2014 will mark the first return of the B-17 to Georgia since 1999. An unforgettable flight inside Sentimental Journey and other aircraft starts at $425 per person. For flight reservations, register online at www.atlantawarbirdweekend.com. Cockpit tours are only $5; ground viewing and photo opportunities are free to the visiting public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, Sept. 27-28. Col Chris Madrid Dixie Wing PIO !

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T-34 Update - The Dixie Wing’s New Bird

! The photo shows the aircraft opened up for inspection at Baker Aviation. By Col Jack Van Ness - First, on behalf of our membership, I would like to extend a sincere “Thank You” to Col Steve Forsyth for taking on the task of keeping our members and followers up to date about all the good things that are happening at the Dixie Wing. As you may know, earlier this year the Dixie Wing applied for, and was awarded, the assignment of a T-34 former military trainer that has been in long term storage. The aircraft has now been flown to Baker Aviation, a T-34 restoration facility for inspection, repairs and return to service. After several visits to Baker’s facility, I am very impressed by their knowledge and experience with T-34s. I am confident that when finished, we will have a !very good airplane.

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As I write this, I have just received word that our airplane has passed a very critical Eddy Current inspection that, in my mind, was crucial to proceeding with the restoration. With this hurdle behind us, all required FAA Airworthiness Directives will be performed by Baker Aviation, as well as a complete inspection and the repair of any discrepancies found. When completed, the aircraft will require painting.Col Mike McGowan has been selected by our Staff to head up a committee to research paints, painting facility/cost options, and to provide Staff with this information, as well as potential paint scheme options for Staff decisions. !Mike’s committee is well underway with their job. Like all Dixie Wing projects, projects such as this are self- funded. Unfortunately, the Dixie Wing receives no military, government or corporate funding or grants, a situation we would very much like to correct. We must raise all funds ourselves in order to continue the Mission of the CAF to continue the legacy of our military history for the benefit of future generations. Funding for our T-34 project began with enthusiastic support with immediate receipt of 10 paid T-34 full sponsors ($1,500 each). It is not necessary to be a pilot to be a full sponsor, it is open to all. A donation of $750 or more qualifies for a restoration sponsorship. Of course, we accept and appreciate all levels of donations which are fully tax deductible as the !CAF is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. !Useful “in kind” donations are always welcome. Along this line, we will need: • ELT system • Gill G51E battery !• Transponder. !For further information, contact: Col Jack Van Ness Dixie Wing Executive Officer !h 770 599 1355 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

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Aircraft Maintanance Update

! ! !Aircraft Maintenance Is an Essential Element By Col Elmer Koldoff - Aircraft Maintenance is a vital part of any aviation facility. Regarding the Dixie Wing and the CAF, it is most likely the highest-cost item but it is something that cannot be ignored. That old saying, “It takes money to make money” is our !theme. The Dixie Wing presently has six aircraft in flying status: a P-51 Mustang, SBD Dauntless, Corsair, LT-6, PT-19, and an L-16. All aircraft are representative of the WWII era, and as such, could be considered antiques, but I must add, they are of the highest quality and airworthiness. Maintaining this status requires the Best of the Best when it comes to Mechanics, Helpers, and Shop Personnel. Since we all are volunteers, the cost of

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 9 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 maintenance is primarily parts and services such as engine overhaul, accessories, tires, etc. !Shopping can provide a cheaper price on occasion, but quality is the deciding factor. We are presently in the restoration process of our P-63 KingCobra. This has been ongoing for more than 15 years and is finally on its own feet (gear), out of the shop, and sitting in the hangar. This has been a major project for the Wing, with countless man-hours and personnel involved. Parts were nearly non-existent, since this model aircraft was given to Russia during the WWII, along with supporting inventory. Russia still has some parts that we could have used, but to give an arm, leg, and firstborn to get them was beyond our expectations and abilities. Instead, we relied upon our own personnel --especially our shop personnel -- to provide what we needed. Such things as the rudder pedal assembly turned out to be a work of art, and even though the construction man-hours were excessive, the authors were extremely proud of their accomplishment, and rightfully so. A heat-treat oven and milling machines, were acquired for the performance and enhancement of shop skills, and have proven to be well worthwhile for our total operation. The engine has been installed and as of July 1, we are waiting for the gearbox to be completed by a shop in California.

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To save costs of shipping the engine to California, a member hauled it out and when the overhaul was done, he went back out to pick it up. Since the warranty is essential for something of this magnitude and cost, a new warranty was negotiated that will not be !effective until the engine is first started with the overhaul rep on site.

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During my tenure as the Dixie Wing Maintenance Officer, I have been extremely proud of the people and resources we have, including mechanics, shop, facilities, and any and all who make this Wing work. The relationship between the guys that fly our product and the grunts that make it happen is outstanding. But that age factor is creeping up; some of us are even over 57 years of age now. An effort is underway to bring in younger people to continue the !legacy we have established, which is quite an undertaking by those involved. Col Elmer Koldoff Dixie Wing Maintanance Officer

Recruiting Update ! By Col Michael Zeeveld - We rounded out 2013 with really strong numbers and 2014 is shaping up to be a great year as well! I am so proud of all of the members who encouraged their friends, families and even strangers to join. It is always a continued effort to bring in and attract new members. We need to keep sharing the word about what we do. Nothing promotes the wing more than showing off the airplanes. Going down the list of data, most people joined at: WWII days, Hangar Tour, GGAS, and the B-29 Event at PDK. Dynamic Duo - The recruiting and marketing teams have been working closely together to strengthen our numbers, since so much of our efforts and goals overlap. This is a common focus of growing the Dixie Wing membership and overall awareness of the CAF and its mission. Numbers - New Colonels to the Wing: we have 71 in 2013, including 4 existing Colonels to the wing, 3 re-enlistments who had been inactive for more than a year. And for 2014 we have 12 new Colonels and 3 existing colonels to the wing. That brings our grand total to: 86 new members. That means we out-performed 11 of the past 13 years we have records for recruiting! Recruiters - Our top performing recruiters for 2013 were: Col Jake Tryon – 16 members, and achieving the status of Transporter Fighter, which means he recruited more than 10 members. Col Michael “Zee” Zeeveld – 9 members, and achieving the status of Trainer, which means he recruited more than 5 members. Col Charles Burcher – 7 members, also achieving the status of Trainer. Congrats to these Colonels and all of the members who recruited new members! Official final numbers have not been reported from CAF HQ, but it is stacking up that our recruits were the top in the CAF. We will keep you posted. Recruiting Team/Squad - A reformation of the Recruiting squad was formalized in Q4 2013. The squad’s duties will include assisting with recruiting and marketing events, air shows, booth, and civic events.

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New Members Orientation - As a reminder, we will have a new membership meeting every “even” month of the year, on the 3rd Saturday of the month, which is the same as the membership meeting, at 3pm or following the regular membership meeting. Recruiting applications - I went through and made the applications for Dixie Wing and CAF HQ more interactive. They now can be filled out digitally and then printed. I also included a multi-application that fills out the repeating data for you, to save time. Here is a link to direct prospective members to access the applications: Click HERE. Summary - In closing, we had a great year in 2013. Let’s work towards making 2014 an even better year! There are a lot of wonderful events and air shows planned this year, which are great opportunities to talk with people about the Dixie Wing and share with them the great we have the honor of taking care of! Keep ‘em Flying! ! Col Michael “Zee” Zeeveld [email protected] 704.221.7944 cell

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Member Spotlight: Col Bill Baldwin

By Col Keith Wood - Several years ago, I wrote an article about Bill Baldwin, one of the original Dixie Wing members. While it is rumored that Bill helped Moses carry the tablets down from Mt. Sinai, I will quash those rumors right now and tell you that Bill was born a few years after that. I would like to tell you a little history about Bill and his years of dedication to the Commemorative Air Force and the Dixie Wing. While Bill stood down as a pilot of Dixie Wing aircraft in 2008 after a flying career of 65 years of living his dream, he !still is a vital part of the Dixie Wing today. I don’t know what he means to everyone else, but to me, he ranks one small notch below my own dad, who introduced me to Bill in 1997 when the Dixie Wing was keeping the “Yugoslavian Cornfield Plow”, known as the Soko, and various other airplane parts at Tara Field, just south of Atlanta. He was the reason I joined the Dixie Wing, and he served as my mentor for the first couple of years when I felt out of place among all the fine people that I would eventually call my friends.

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 13 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 ! Bill set out to live his dream of becoming a pilot by working as a hangar boy at the Municipal Airport just west of downtown Galesburg, Ill. He worked in exchange for flying time, and soloed in 1943. While home on leave during the war, Bill obtained his private pilot’s license and was accepted as a cadet in the Naval Aviation Cadet Training program. With the end of the war looming, cutbacks in the program caused Bill to end up in the Combat Air Crew program as plane Captain, !mechanic and gunner on the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura. After operational training, Bill was sent to Crow’s Landing, Calif., for transition to the PV-2 Harpoon. When Japanese spies warned Emperor Hirohito that Bill was about to go active duty, the Emperor capitulated and surrendered to the Allied Forces. The war ended and Bill was discharged in 1946. Bill returned to Galesburg and resumed his flight training, obtaining his Commercial and Instrument ratings as well as an A&E Mechanic rating and an Advanced Ground Instructor !rating. With all the flying and training Bill was doing, you might think he was constantly in the books or in the sky. Such was NOT the case for our hero. A sweet little farmer’s daughter named Loraine had caught his eye, and for a while the learning took a back seat to courting. Bill once told his friends that Loraine was prettier than Jane Russell in a haystack, so Bill set out to convince Loraine that he was a good and honest man.Once he accomplished that mission, Bill and Lorraine jumped the broom, and the GI Bill helped Bill get busy with the !books and the flying again. Bill and Lorraine’s 60-plus-year union produced children Gary, Janice, Col. Mark Baldwin !and Michael. As the GI Bill wound down, Bill was hired by Eddie Rickenbacker of Eastern Airlines as an instructor in the Pilot Ground School in Miami, Fla. Among Bill’s first duties for Capt. Rickenbacker was to pass the Flight Dispatcher rating test, which he did with flying colors. Upon passing the test, Bill taught a dispatcher class, and taught Martin 404 and Lockheed Constellation pilot ground school courses. While teaching, Bill also passed his Flight !Engineer Test on the Constellation. Bill’s fun meter pegged out when he was given the additional duties of writing and revising the Martin 404, DC-7 and Constellation Flight Manuals in Eastern’s flight manual !department, but not to fear, the dream job was just over the horizon. ! In October 1953, ten years after obtaining his Private Pilot’s license, Bill was hired by Eastern as a pilot and was transferred to Charlotte, N.C., flying Second Officer in the Martin 404 and

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Convair 440. In March of 1957, Bill was promoted to Captain andthree years later, the family packed up and returned to the! Chicago area. Bill spent more than 20 years flying out of Midway and O’Hare airports for Eastern in the Martin 404, Convair 440, Douglas DC-7, Lockheed L188 Electra, Boeing 727 and DC-9 as co- !pilot, Captain and Check Captain. Bill retired from Eastern Airlines in 1986 as Captain on the A-300, and Eastern’s loss then became the Commemorative Air Force’s gain as the Dixie Wing was just beginning to !develop. Bill, along with Jake Tryon, Mike Conley and a few other individuals, began to meet at Mike’s American Legion Hall prior to receiving an official Confederate Air Force Charter. In 1987, the group received their charter from CAFHQ and obtained the Dixie Wing’s first PT-26, which initially was kept at South Fulton Airport. After discovering rot in various parts of the PT-26, the plane was taken to Bill’s barn in Brooks, Ga., where four years of work produced a beautifully restored aircraft. Bill was the project manager of the restoration of the PT26, and was the pilot on the maiden post-restoration !flight at , where the airplane was kept in a T Hangar. Bill has been many things to the Dixie Wing, from Facility Officer to Wing Leader to Aircraft Restoration Officer, and of course, he has always been a very safe, level-headed pilot. He was check pilot on the PT-26 for many years and also flew the C-45 “Bucket of Bolts” for a period of time. In Bill's spare time at the Dixie Wing, he has given hundreds of tours at our facility and regularly gives educational presentations on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway utilizing the Dauntless, Kate and Zero. One of Bill’s projects at the Dixie Wing has been to donate and restore the L-16 Aeronca, which bears the name of that pretty farmer’s daughter !from Galesburg, Miss Loraine. What a lot of folks around here do not know is that Bill is the recipient of The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, which he received at the Retired Eastern Airlines Pilots’ Association convention in 2006. The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award is presented by the FAA, which recognizes the efforts of pilots who have followed and continue to follow the precautions and awareness of safe operations. To be eligible for this prestigious award, candidates must have completed either a flight review or equivalent within the 24 months before qualifying for the award, to verify currency as a pilot, have held a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority or FAA pilot certificate with 50 consecutive years or more of experience, and have three letters of recommendation from holders of FAA pilot certificates. Additionally, recipients of the award must never have had a revocation or FAR violation for the entire 50- year period. There are approximately 600,000 airmen at any time on the rolls of the FAA, with thousands dropping off every year and thousands added to the list, and while Bill does not think this is a big deal, only 2200 airmen have ever received this award.

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 15 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 ! Even though Bill doesn’t fly now, let's remember that he is and still will be an integral part of the Dixie Wing for years to come.

! GGAS 2013 - Dave Hansen, owner of the PV-2 Harpoon “Attu Warrior” took Bill for a flight around the field during the 2013 great Georgia Airshow. Col Keith Wood ! ! !

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The Angels: Meet Ilona Tryon

By Merikay Franklin -The ladies of the Angel Squad proudly support the events and activities of the Dixie Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. We range in age from young mothers with small children all the way to great grandmothers. Our common thread is that we value the efforts and dedication of the men and women of the Dixie Wing, and stand beside them to support events at the Dixie Wing.We meet on the third Saturday of each month (same day as the Dixie Wing Colonels) at 11 a.m. in the Dixie Wing Briefing Room. We serve by supporting WWII Days and the Keep ‘Em Flying Swing Dance, every year in April. We help staff the Dixie Wing PX, provide support in the Canteen for Dixie Wing Bingo, provide hospitality for various events at the Dixie Wing and organize the Dixie Wing Membership Christmas Party. We also volunteer at the Great Georgia Air Show and enjoy social time together (plays, sightseeing, dinners, and concerts). ! !Angel Spotlight on Ilona Elias Tryon Meet Ilona Elias Tryon, one of our special members of the Angel Squad. Ilona has been part of the Wing for many years, alongside her husband, Jake. Ilona has an amazing history. She was born in Hungary. During the Hungarian revolution against the Communist government in 1956, food became very scarce. Her father helped transport food from the countryside into the city, and he knew he was a threat to the Communist government. At the age of 11, Ilona remembers it was decided that for the safety of the Elias Family, they had to escape in the middle of the night by train to the border of Austria and Hungary. Once there, they paid a local fisherman to get them safely across the lake from Hungary to a refugee camp in !Austria. It was a very dangerous process. At that time, various countries, including the U.S., France, Switzerland and Canada, would grant passage to their country. The Elias Family was granted asylum to the U.S., arriving in New Jersey and staying with other refugees in an Army barracks until a church or charity sponsor came forth. Not knowing anyone in the U.S., they waited for a sponsor; eventually a church sponsored her family (Ilona has one brother and one sister). They all had to learn English, and Ilona remembers dearly a very special 6th grade teacher who would sit next to !her every day and help her learn English. Eventually her father got a job as an engineer and they settled in Philadelphia. Ilona became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1962. While going to high school, Ilona worked part- time in a

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 17 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 clothing store for men. Guess who came in to shop? Yes, it was Jake! That is how they met, and the rest is history. But it took three years for !Ilona to be sure Jake was the right guy! After they were married, Jake was working as an A & P mechanic with Eastern Airlines, and they moved to New York. For three years, he worked at LaGuardia Airport, where Ilona worked as an air freight agent for a cargo carrier. In 1985, Jake decided it was just too darn cold in the north country, and he transferred to Atlanta with Eastern Airlines. When Eastern closed, Jake was laid off for a year before going to work for !Northwest. Ilona and Jake are great supporters of the Dixie Wing. When you see Ilona, be sure to tell her we !appreciate her! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! To join the Angel Squad click HERE. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

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“FLYING THE GHOST”

By Col Keith Wood - As one of the pilots who currently flies the Commemorative Air Force’s Dauntless, I often wondered about the history of the airplane. Where was it built? Had it ever seen combat? How many different owners has it had since World War II? Most of what everyone knew about the Dauntless (or thought they knew) was the information that is posted on the Dixie Wing’s website:

“Our "Lady in Blue" and the pride of the Dixie Wing, the Douglas "Dauntless" SBD-5 dive- bomber, was assigned to us by the headquarters of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) in 1991. The Dixie Wing's "Dauntless" was built at the El Segundo factory in California. After the war, it was sold to Mexico as XB-QUC and used for aerial photography until mid-1964. Ed Mahoney (sp) acquired it in 1965 and it was subsequently purchased by the

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CAF in 1970, flown to San Antonio,Texas, and registered as N54532. It was moved to Harlingen, Texas in October 1978. Other sources on the web and in print indicate that the CAF’s Dauntless was with Seaboard and Western Airlines after World War II, then went to the Fuera Aerea Mexicana (Mexican Air Force), then as an aerial photographer in Mexico until coming back to the U.S. Because this very historic aircraft, one of only two airworthy Dauntlesses in the world, is nearly 66 years old, I thought that statement to be a bit sparse. A little investigation into the history of our Dauntless brought out some interesting information. Like many in the warbird community and the CAF, I proceeded on the assumption that this airplane was not actually an SBD, but an A24 Banshee. Several of the aforementioned publications and websites show this airplane to be an A24B Banshee, the Army Air Force version of the Dauntless. Using the serial number, Air Force and Douglas records indicate that Douglas A24-B, 42-54532 was one of the 615 A-24B-10-DTs built for the USAAF under Contract AC-28716 as of Nov. 12, 1942. It was built not in El Segundo, but in Tulsa, Okla., in September 1943 and delivered to the USAAF on Sept. 14, 1943 with serial number 42-54532 and a construction number of 17371. Upon receipt by the USAAF, it was flown to Oakland, Calif., then to Long Beach, Calif., where it was loaded on a ship and taken to the Hawaiian Air Depot, Hickam Army Air Field in Hawaii. It was assigned to the Seventh Air Force, Pacific Theater of Operations on Oct. 7, 1943. It was initially assigned to the 420th Sub Depot (Pacific), which was a third- echelon maintenance facility.

13 Dec. 43 - A-24B, s/n 42-54459 taxiing at Makin Island. USAAF Photo

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 20 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 ! It is unclear at this point whether 42-54532 was used in combat, as a maintenance trainer, or in the inglorious wartime role as an airfield hack, but it was sent to Hawaii in the time period leading up to Operations FLINTLOCK and CATCHPOLE, which were operations in the Gilbert Islands. In December 1943, shortly after arrival of 43-54532 in Hawaii, A24s from Oahu and Canton Island assembled on Makin Island to begin taking the fight to the Japanese. The 531st Fighter Bomber Squadron and the 86th Combat Mapping Squadron were involved in these operations, and both used A24s. Many authors say that after being introduced and performing poorly in New Guinea at the beginning of the war, the A24s were withdrawn from service by the USAAF. Actually, Air Force documents show that the A24s were highly effective against the Japanese in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands in late 1943 and early 1944. The pre-eminent factor in making these A24 raids successful was the fact that at the time, the USAAF had established air superiority in the region. Except for 41 unescorted sorties over Mille Atoll, the A-24s were accompanied on all missions by P-39s of the 46th and 72d Fighter Squadrons, P-40s of the 45th Fighter Squadron, or F6Fs of the Navy. Occasionally, even Navy SBD-5s flew with and accompanied the Army A24s. ! At this point, most would say the road in the history of the Dixie Wing’s Dauntless gets a little bumpy, but it actually comes to a screeching halt. On July 31, 1944, the AAF listed the airplane on the history card as condition “CON,” meaning it was condemned. Even more peculiar is the code used as the reason for the condemnation. That code is “M”. “M” in AAF parlance at the time meant “Missing Due to Enemy Action”. One source I spoke to said, “You are flying a ghost!” Well, I couldn’t be flying a ghost, because I was flying a real airplane. While I knew the airplane that I am privileged to fly is certainly a legend in the annals of Navy and Marine Corps history, it is not a ghost. It is a loud, 8000 lb., 1200 horsepower, smoke belching, oil leaking, avgas drinking brute of an airplane. It is loved by those who fly it and was loved by the thousands of aviators that called her cockpit home, and said a silent “thank you” to her every time she successfully brought them home. If it was written off, did the Air Force sell a wreck to Mexico for parts? Did Seaboard and Western’s founders, (both former Air Force pilots) see the wreck sitting in Hawaii and buy it? The answer to both of those questions was no, and after short email exchanges with noted aircraft historians Dan Hagedorn and John Davis, and the acquisition of another history card, the pieces started falling into place. John and Dan, both members of the Latin American Aviation Historical Society, indicated that the mix-up likely occurred because there were actually two Dauntless’s produced with serial number 54532, the first being the aforementioned A24B, serial number 42-54532, and the second, BuAer 54532, a Navy SBD-5 produced in El Segundo and accepted into Navy inventory on March 3, 1944. As Army Air Force’s 42-54532 was lost in July of 1944, the only logical conclusion would be that the CAF’s Dauntless is in fact the Navy SBD-5, BuAer 54532. BuAer 54532 was delivered to the US Navy in April 1944, and in August 1944 was assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics General Representative in Los Angeles, where it was likely used as a personal transport aircraft until June of 1945, when it was transferred to the Bureau of Aeronautics Representative (BAR) in Baltimore. It was assigned to the BAR Baltimore until

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December 1946, when it went into the pool at NAS Norfolk. There is no evidence that this particular specimen made its way aboard a U.S. Navy carrier, and it was stricken from Navy inventory on Feb. 8, 1947 as “transferred to another agency”. The “other agency” turned out to be the War Assets Administration (WAA), and when the Dauntless was registered in 1947 as NL1339V, later N1339V, the construction number was given as 6046, the SBD-5, BuAer 54532. A review of sale documents from the WAA however, listed the serial number as 42-54532. ! N1339V was registered to none other than Andy Stinis of the Skywriting Corporation of America. Interviews with Stinis’ relatives indicate the Dauntless was initially purchased to be a high-altitude Skywriter, but the fuel consumption was more than double that of Skywriting’s AT-6s, so the airplane was sold.

! Dan Hagedorn provided information that N1339V was sold to CIA Mexicana Aerofoto on Oct. 18, 1951 and six days later the US registration was cancelled as “exported to Mexico”. Mexicana Aerofoto registered the Dauntless as XB-QUC. From 1951 to 1966, the Dauntless racked up hundreds of thousands of miles flying as an aerial photo ship for CIA Mexicana Aerophoto. Flying with the company founded by Luis Struck, the pioneer of aerial photography in Mexico, the Dauntless was one of the aircraft Struck used to take countless

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 22 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 photos for Pemex, the Mexican Oil Company; the Mexican Electricity Commission and even the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a study of the Mississippi Delta. After operating for many years with Mexicana Aerophoto, the Dauntless was sold on Jan.11, 1966 for $1600 to Ed Maloney of the Movie World Planes of Fame Museum. He displayed the SBD in his museum from 1966 until he sold it March 4, 1971 to the very colorful Robert Griffin, one of the Confederate Air Force’s early donors who nicknamed the Dauntless “Speedy D”. Griffin, of San Antonio, was one of the CAF’s first Dauntless pilots and he is responsible for purchasing and donating not only the Dauntless, but the SB2C “Helldiver” and the FM-2 “Wildcat”, which are currently in the CAF fleet. The Dauntless finally made its way aboard an aircraft carrier in 1975, participating in the retirement ceremonies for Admiral Ralph W. Cousins, Commanding Officer of the Atlantic Fleet on board the USS Nimitz. The Dauntless, sporting a new paint job in the colors of Adm. Cousins, was hoisted onto the flight deck next to the Navy’s newest F-14 Tomcat fighter, which at the time was just entering the fleet. Adm. Cousins, credited with a hit on the Japanese Carrier Shoho during the Battle of the Coral Sea, was reportedly very pleased and surprised that “Speedy D” was aboard for the ceremony. In the late 70s and 80s, “Speedy D” soldiered on, but never having been properly restored, it was becoming the Hangar Queen of Harlingen, Texas, the CAF’s Headquarters. A decision was made by General Staff of the CAF to assign the Dauntless to a unit that could completely restore the airplane to pristine condition.

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 23 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 ! In 1991, “Speedy D” was assigned to the Dixie Wing of the then Confederate Air Force, (now the Commemorative Air Force) to undergo an extensive multi-year restoration. The Dixie Wing’s restoration team, led by Mike Rettke, Gerald Carlson, Tex Layton, and many others, spent years restoring the Dauntless to a condition that would make the workers at El Segundo proud. On a cold February morning in 1999, “Speedy D” took to the air for the first time in almost a decade. With Mike Rettke at the controls, the Dauntless took off and actually lived up to its nickname, quickly outrunning the T6 “chase” plane that had assembled to assist with the maiden flight.

“Speedy D” has been to hundreds of airshows in the 10 years since its restoration. She continues to fly to honor the memory of those members of the “Greatest Generation” who designed her, built her, and took her into battle. Other than a handful of museum examples, she is one of only two Dauntless aircraft that continue to fly. Let’s all hope she flies another 65 years. ! © 2009, Keith Wood

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 24 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 ! Rides Program Brings Joy and Surprises ! By Col Jerry Robinette - The Dixie Wing Rides Program has been very successful this summer, following a great year in 2013. All of us associated with the Rides Program enjoy the hard work we put in to ensure that all of our riders receive an experience they will never forget. We are always cognizant that many of our customers have waited a “lifetime” for the opportunity to ride one of our WWII aircraft. Occasionally, we have an experience that we will never forget. Last summer, I had been working for several months with a gentleman, Doug Sano, whose dad, Dominick, served as an SBD tail gunner during WWII. During the Atlantic campaign he was a rear seat gunner on the Dauntless. He flew out of London and his was one of three Navy planes that were Channel Watchers. During the Pacific campaign, he flew from the USS Intrepid, where he would support troops making island landings and attacking enemy fleets.

Doug knew his dad loved the SBD but had not seen one since his WWII service, except once in a museum. When Doug learned from our website that the SBD would be in Fond du Lac, Wis., he phoned me and the scheming began. Doug said that his dad had very little interest in being in crowds, such as air shows, but he convinced him to go to Oshkosh. They had to pass right by the Fond du Lac County Airport, and Doug told Dominick that he saw a couple of old airplanes sitting over on the tarmac, so they stopped to “take a look”.

I had not met Doug or Dominick, and only talked to Doug on the phone. I didn’t recognize them, but I knew it was about time for them to arrive for Dominick’s ride. As they walked up to the front of our rides table, I heard an older gentleman say in an almost shocked voice, “That’s my airplane!” Doug introduced the family. Dominick was a bit puzzled that I seemed to know his son, but asked if he could go out and get a closer look at “his plane”.

As we walked out to the plane, I introduced him to Jim Buckley and told him that Jim would be the pilot for his ride. He asked what I was talking about, and I told him he was about to climb in the “gunner’s seat” and go for a ride. He had a look of amazement on his face and was speechless. Doug told him that his sister actually paid for the ride after Doug had told her what he was planning to do.

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Well, needless to say, when Dominick climbed out of the plane he was a different person. He was one big smile and talking non-stop. We asked him to sign the logbook holder on the plane (as we do with all of our vets who flew in the SBD in WWII) and he was so proud to have the opportunity to put his name on our SBD. They stayed for a long while after his ride. In fact, I don’t think they even went to Oshkosh. They had accomplished their mission.

Experiences like this are what makes it all worthwhile. Just seeing the look on Dominick’s face when he climbed out of that gunner’s seat made us all proud to be a part of an organization that can bring this much joy to a WWII veteran who risked his life to guarantee our freedom.

! And, that’s not the end of the story. About a week after we returned from Fond du Lac, I received an email from Doug, thanking us again for our professionalism and dedication. He also said that his dad had never really talked much about his WWII experiences and didn’t

THE MISSION BRIEFING WWW.DIXIEWING.ORG 26 CAF DIXIE WING THE MISSION BRIEFING ISSUE #1 seem to remember a lot of the details of his service. However, Doug says that his dad’s ride has triggered so many memories that now they are having a hard time writing them all down. He says that is all his dad has talked about since returning home. He has also told all of his friends about his “mystery trip”, as he calls it.

By the way, Doug has asked for our schedule for Fond du Lac this year; seems that Dominick is already talking about riding the SBD again. Doug says we awoke a “sleeping giant.” Doug also stated in another email to me: “you took an 86-year-old and turned him back into a young scrapping sailor/tail gunner. You really need to bottle that fountain of youth you seem to have found!”

Col Jerry Robinette ! Dixie Wing Website: www.dixiewing.org

Atlanta Warbird Weekend Website: www.atlantawarbirdweekend.com

WWII Heritage Days Website: www.wwiidays.org ! To join the Commemorative Air Force click HERE. ! Address & Phone Information

Dixie Wing, CAF - 1200 Echo Ct. - Peachtree City, GA 30269

Main Phone: (678) 364-1110

Hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 9am - 4pm

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