Biggest Little Airshow Honoring the Anniversary of the Battle of Midway

SPRING 2016 | ISSUE #26 IN THIS ISSUE 75th Commemoration Dinner Disney’s “Swamp Ghost” Biggest Little Airshow Honoring The Anniversary of the Battle of Midway Inside… PACIFIC AVIATION MUSEUM PEARL HARBOR Helping to Plan the 75th Commemoration of the Attack on Pearl Harbor EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT We welcome 2016 with a host of activities and projects. Yes, this is the 10th anniversary of Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. It is also the 75th Commemoration of our reason for being, why the Museum is here on this historic site — the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is fitting that we spend this year looking back at 1941 and the historical moments leading up to the U.S. involvement in World War II. Conflict was raging across Europe and China. At home, my father was a young sergeant in the Arizona National Guard. His Quarter Master unit was activated in August 1940 and sent to Texas. He had just graduated from Arizona State University and wanted to be a pilot. Manufacturing in the U.S. had already shifted from building cars to airplanes, like the Curtiss P-40, Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber and the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Ford Island was an active seaplane port with Consolidated PBY Catalinas, Grumman Ducks, and Sikorsky Floatplanes in the air, daily. The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and the Imperial Navy were flying new aircraft like the Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zeke”/“Zero,” Ken DeHoff Executive Director of Operations the Nakajima B5N2 “Kate” torpedo bomber, and the Aichi D3A “Val” dive bomber — all to be seen later, in Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. As we remember and honor the 75th Commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we revisit our aircraft at Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor and study their pilots and their efforts in the fight that would last nearly five years. Our B-17E Flying Fortress 41-2446 was honored this past December with Disney-designed Swamp Ghost nose art. This year, we open the display of the surviving Nakajima B5N Kate serial number 302. Both aircraft still have years of work to be done, but for now, you may see these historic warbirds in Hangar 79 and hear the stories of their missions, crews, and recoveries. This year is special — the 75th Commemoration — as we honor the sacrifices of those who flew these treasured aircraft and defended their nations. Please join us in a year of “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future” at America’s Aviation Battlefield on Ford Island. Ken DeHoff 1 EDUCATION By Shauna Tonkin Ph.D Director of Education Education has the power to transform lives and change communities. the science curriculum for their 8th grade class. Over the course of When organizations partner to provide high-quality education three days, each girl had the opportunity to explore the history and programs for young people, everyone wins. technology of aviation, learn about our collection, sit in cockpits, take the controls in our Flight Lab, and talk story with some The Education Department is proud of our ongoing partnerships accomplished women in the aviation field. with local schools and organizations. Recently, our collaborative efforts have produced significant results for students, introducing For the second year in a row, the Smithsonian Affiliates office has them to opportunities in aviation and using our historic site to recognized the value of our community outreach by naming us as reinforce important lessons from WWII. a partner for their national “Youth Capture the Colorful Cosmos” (YCCC) program. In collaboration with the Harvard-Smithsonian In November 2015, we partnered with four public schools on Center for Astrophysics, our education staff has been trained to * Kauai to present the Barnstorming Tour . Over 550 students were implement a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and excited to operate the P-40 and the portable wind tunnel, as well math) initiative with local schools. Students operate remote robotic as participate in activities that deepen their understanding of the key telescopes to explore our universe, and then learn to capture digital principles of flight. Teachers were grateful for the chance to host images of celestial bodies for creating unique artwork. This year, we’ll Barnstorming, because these types of learning experiences usually be expanding our impact through professional training for teachers, aren’t available for their students. They want us to make this an showing them how to implement the YCCC in their classrooms. annual event. These partnerships bring new opportunities to achieve the Museum’s Flight School for Girls launched the first session of 2016 with mission. Your partnership as members and supporters ensures that 24 students from La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls. Through a we can sustain and grow our impact. Thank you! unique partnership with the school, our program became part of *This partnership was supported by the G.N. Wilcox Foundation. 2 RESTORATION By Ken DeHoff, Executive Director of Operations A trip to Hangar 79 is an inspiration, a journey that reaches both the past and the present. This historic structure houses more than aircraft exhibits. In a We recently had the pleasure to show off our Swamp Ghost’s progress, way, it’s a vibrant hospital for aircraft that now needs healing and when General Vincent K. Brooks, Commanding General of U.S. mending, after actively shaping our history. And, the work that Army Pacific, stopped by to behold this historic aircraft. It’s not the goes into the process is done just the way it was 76 years ago, when first time the General has dropped by the Army’s old Luke Field the Hangar doors were originally rolled into place. All of this to witness how we care for military aircraft that speak volumes of happens with the dedicated commitment of a team — staff and past service. The restoration team shared with General Brooks the volunteers who join hands to complete the many projects at hand. challenges of stabilizing the fuselage and attaching the wings, rudder, and ailerons, as they reconstruct and return this veteran bomber to Some projects, such as the Stinson L-5E-1 Sentinel and the Douglas an environment reminiscent of the New Guinea swamps where it lay C-47A Skytrain, have been continuing for years, exacting details waiting to be rescued for over 60 years. The General walked around and accuracy down to the rivets. Others, like the North American in awe, visually absorbing the huge engines and broken plexiglass F-100F Super Sabre and the Cessna O-2A Skymaster, were less windows, and crawling inside the fuselage, peering out from the time-consuming, allowing quick turn-around completions with cockpit as team members pointed to the 100 plus bullet strikes. revivifying paint jobs. The Ted Shealy Restoration Shop and its team members are very On the list of 2016 goals are two stabilization jobs focusing on much a part of the “Swamp Ghost,” a living exhibit which goes the Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star and the North American way beyond piecing together an aircraft’s history. Much respect, T-6 Texan. These projects are in addition to the ongoing work to admiration, love, and devotion flow into the process. reinvigorate the Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress, nicknamed the “Swamp Ghost.” With sincere gratitude to all who make it happen, Mahalo Nui Loa. 3 HISTORY By Burl Burlingame Historian At the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, the his combat post in the Operations Building. “Fortunately, medical facilities were close at Coast Guard had two aircraft in Hawaii — Shrapnel and spent bullets rained down as hand, and hundreds of men were saved,” said a J2F Duck and a JRF Goose, both assigned to he ran to the building, where he took charge Erickson. “In most battles, the wounded must cutter Taney, moored in Honolulu Harbor. Lt. of the control tower. He quickly supervised be transported long distances, usually from Frank Arthur Erickson had flown the Goose to setting up a battery of machine guns on the inaccessible places.” Ford Island on December 6th. That night, he roof of the Operations Building and directed was the watch officer, assigned to his post in counter-fire on the attackers. It was a lesson that stuck with him. In May the Ford Island Administration Building. 1942, Erickson was transferred to Coast From the roof, Erickson “could see all of Guard Air Station Brooklyn, New York, It was an uneventful night, and Erickson Ford Island and the Pearl Harbor area with and was posted to the Sikorsky factory in expected his shift to end promptly at 8 a.m. the ships, the Navy Yard, Hickam, Wheeler Connecticut. There, he established the first He planned to spend the day in Waikiki and Ewa Fields — all of which were on Coast Guard Helicopter Detachment. The with his family. fire. Practically all our combat planes were helicopter, he said, was an ideal lifesaving tool. already lost on the ground. Most of the From his post, he spotted the Marine color battleships moored along Ford Island were In January 1944, the destroyer USS Turner guard taking position for morning colors. listing badly. The Oklahoma had already exploded and burned at sea; survivors were It was about 7:53 a.m. capsized. In the Pearl City channel, the taken to a hospital nearby, on the north shore Utah had also disappeared from sight.” of New Jersey. Despite violent winds and “At this instant, there were two heavy explosions,” snow, Erickson lashed two cases of blood recalled Erickson, during a war-bond speech in The bombing stopped after an hour, plasma to the landing struts of a Sikorsky 1944.

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