Third Quarter (Jul - Sep) 2007

Volume 20, Number 3

The Newsletter of the War Eagles Air Museum

Editorial here has been a lot of excitement around the War Eagles Air Mu- T seum over the last few months. As you can read about in the “Featured ” article in this Plane Talk, we re- cently acquired, through the Deutsches Luftwaffenkommando (German Air Force Command) at Fort Bliss, Texas, an im- maculate T-37B Tweety Bird twin-jet training aircraft. The T-37 served in the U.S. Air Force as a primary trainer for almost 50 years. The fine example that the Luftwaffe kindly donated to the Museum perfectly complements the three World War II piston-engined trainers (Boeing/Stearman PT-17, Vultee BT-13B Valiant and North American AT-6F Tex- an) already in our collection. Another new aircraft that you may see when you visit the Museum is a red- and-white 1954 Piper Super Cub that we recently acquired. The ultimate develop- S Temporarily airborne, the Cessna T-37B Tweety Bird hangs under a hoisting crane ment of Piper’s popular Cub (the Muse- Featured Aircraft near the Luftwaffe Headquarters building at um has the world’s oldest flyable exam- very military pilot who has ever Fort Bliss, Texas, before being moved to the ple, a 40-horsepower J-3 built in 1937), War Eagles Air Museum. the Super Cub enjoys an excellent repu- flown, in peacetime or in combat, tation for performance, reliability and for E has one thing in common—he (or just being “fun to fly.” This one will be she) learned how to fly in a training air- in the air a lot. Look for the full story in a craft. Most World War II U.S. Army Air future issue of Plane Talk. Corps student pilots started out in a Boe- Contents ing/Stearman PT-17 primary trainer, pro- The Las Cruces Public Broadcasting Editorial...... 1 System (PBS) affiliate KRWG-TV is go- gressed to a Vultee BT-13 Valiant basic Featured Aircraft...... 1 ing to use the Museum for filming inter- trainer and graduated to a North Ameri- views with local military veterans. The can AT-6 Texan advanced trainer. After From the Director...... 2 station will air these interviews in con- the War, cadets in the newly es- Emmet E. Cook (1918−2007)....5 tablished U.S. Air Force learned to fly in junction with the broadcast of renowned Science-Fiction Film Stars Visit .6 documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ epic a new fleet of training aircraft. One of Membership Application ...... 7 14-hour series “The War.” Check your them was Cessna’s T-37B Tweety Bird. TV schedule—you won’t want to miss Corporate Youth Sponsors ...... 7 this “event” when it airs in the Fall. Featured Aircraft (Continued on Page 2)

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Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 1) From the Director In the spring of 1952, the Air Force s War Eagles Air Museum nears issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its 18th anniversary, we are sad a new, lightweight, jet-powered primary A to have lost yet another distin- training aircraft called the “Trainer Ex- guished military veteran, Museum volun- perimental,” or “TX.” The aircraft that teer and good friend. Within the last year, the Air Force sought was to be the first we have mourned the passing of Jack designed from scratch as a trainer—other Bell, Joe Russo and now Emmet Cook— trainers in service at the time, such as the three brave men who unselfishly served Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, were mod- S This grainy but historic photo shows their country when needed, and who em- ified fighters. Eight companies responded Cessna’s boldly marked XT-37 prototype, bodied key American values that we rare- to the RFP with a total of 15 designs. Af- with test pilot Bob Hagan at the controls, in ly see demonstrated today. Persons who ter a thorough evaluation, the Air Force, flight over hazy Kansas farmland. enlisted in the Service at the beginning of in December 1952, chose Cessna’s twin- World War II, if they were of legal age engine, side-by-side-seat Model 318 as craft have trained more pilots than those (many lied about their age to get in), are the winner. The Air Force felt that Cess- of any other company. Although Cessna now at least 83 years old. With the aver- na’s aircraft would allow more effective was not well-known for producing mili- age U.S. male lifespan of 74.5 years, the student-instructor interaction than would tary aircraft, it did earn a good reputation veterans who are still with us have beaten the single-engine, tandem-seat designs with the U.S. Army during World War II the odds by 9 years. “The Greatest Gen- that the other seven contractors proposed. with its line of excellent utility, light eration,” as Tom Brokaw eloquently de- In early 1954, the Air Force awarded transport and observation aircraft, and scribed it, is dying off at the rate of about Cessna a contract for three prototype later with the highly regarded and capa- 1,100 per day. At this rate, World War II XT-37s (serial numbers 54-716, -717 and ble post-War L-19/O-1 Bird Dog series. will soon truly be “ancient history,” with -718) and, under a separate contract, one The XT-37 had a straight low wing, no one alive who actually experienced it. static-test airframe. with twin 920-pound-thrust Continental- This will be a profound loss. The Cessna Aircraft Company had Teledyne J-69-T-9 turbojets (actually li- We at War Eagles Air Museum sal- been in business for 25 years. In 1924, cense-built French Turbomeca Marboré ute these veterans and extend our sincere Clyde Vernon Cessna partnered with fel- engines) buried in the wing roots. The thanks to the many men and women who low aviation pioneers Lloyd C. Stearman ear-piercing shriek of these engines gave have, over the years, offered their time, and Walter H. Beech to found the Travel rise to the sobriquet Tweety Bird (or sim- energy, knowledge and dedication as vol- Air Manufacturing Company in Wichita, ply Tweet), after the Academy-Award- unteers, mentors and friends. Kansas. Cessna soon disagreed with Tra- winning Warner Brothers cartoon charac- vel Air’s concentration on building bi- Skip Trammell planes, so, in 1927, he left and formed Featured Aircraft (Continued on page 3) his namesake company. Here he created what Contributing Author Robert Haynes’ he regarded as the ideal “Historical Perspectives” column will aircraft—a cantilever- return in the next issue of Plane Talk. wing monoplane called the Phantom. From this humble beginning, the Cessna Aircraft Comp- Plane Talk any soon came to dom- Published four times per year by: inate the market for simple, relatively inex- War Eagles Air Museum pensive, easy-to-fly 8012 Airport Road Santa Teresa, New Mexico 88008 air- (505) 589-2000 craft—a position that it holds to this day. The Author/Editor: Terry Sunday Cessna 172 is the most Contributing Author: Robert Haynes Chief Nitpicker: Frank Harrison widely produced light Final Proofreader: Kathy Sunday aircraft in history, and Cessna’s advertising S War Eagles Air Museum volunteer Ed Murray removes screws [email protected] from the wing-root fairing to gain access to the wing-attach bolts has boasted that its air- on the T-37B at Luftwaffe Headquarters, Fort Bliss, Texas.

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mize the chances of foreign object damage (FOD). On October 12, 1954, Cessna test pilot Bob Hagan flew the XT-37 for the first time from Wichita Munici- pal Airport. “I think it’s going to be a real sweet airplane,” he en- S T-37B’s side-by-side cockpit provides ex- thused after the hour- cellent visibility and good communications and-five-minute flight. between the student and flight instructor. The second prototype, 54-717, took to the air Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 2) on January 6, 1955, and the third, 54-718, ter, by which the T-37 was forever fondly flew on May 3. All known. The cockpit was similar to that of three soon took part in then-operational Air Force aircraft, with a rigorous test program full dual controls for student and instruc- of more than 1,000 tor, ejection seats and a big, high-visi- flights by both Cessna bility clamshell-type jettisonable canopy. and Air Force pilots. Its 14-foot-wide main landing gear track Unfortunately, the made the diminutive aircraft easy to land program suffered a set- and easy to handle on the ground, and its back with the crash of ramp-hugging stance made it exception- 54-716 during a ally easy to work on without ladders and test on its 205th flight. servicing stands. Designed from the out- Correction of the unde- set for good maintainability, it had over sirable spin behavior 100 access panels. An experienced required several aero- ground crew could change an engine in dynamic and structural 30 minutes. Since they were so close to modifications—a long- the ground, the engine air intakes had re- er fuselage, a bigger tractable screens that covered them when vertical tail and rudder, an enlarged dor- considerable concern that a high accident the landing gear was extended to mini- sal fin atop the fuselage and a new ven- rate would result if students went straight tral fin under the tail. Most prominently, into a jet for their first flying experience. Cessna added “spin strakes” to the nose. In April 1961, the Air Force chose to ac- Cessna T-37B Tweety Bird These and other changes established the cept the perceived higher risk of all-jet General Characteristics design baseline of the initial production training. The accident rate did not soar. version, the T-37A. What did soar was the cost to graduate Two (2) Continental The first of Cessna’s initial contract J69-T-25 axial-flow tur- each student, due to the higher mainten- Powerplants bojet engines, 1,025 for 11 pre-production T-37As came off ance and operating expenses of the rela- pounds thrust each the assembly line on September 3, 1955. tively primitive jets of the time. So, in Cruise Speed 360 miles per hour It first flew on September 27, and was of- September 1964, the Air Force began us- ficially delivered to the Air Force in June ing Cessna T-41A Mescalero light air- Maximum Speed 426 miles per hour 1956. Under later contracts, Cessna even- craft to “screen” pilot candidates. After Service Ceiling 35,000 feet tually built 444 of them. about 14 hours in the T-41A (the military The Air Force used the first T-37As version of the popular Cessna 172), stu- Length 29 feet 3 inches in squadron service as basic, not primary, dent pilots who did not “wash out” then Wingspan 33 feet 9¼ inches trainers. A student pilot flew the Tweet transitioned to the T-37A. only after he completed his primary flight Instructors and students found the Range 460 miles training in a piston-engined Beech T-34 T-37A extremely pleasant to fly. It would Weight (empty) 6,211 pounds Mentor. This was not the Air Force’s original intent for the T-37, but there was Weight (maximum) ~14,000 pounds Featured Aircraft (Continued on page 4)

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Jordan, , Thailand and . Cessna also built several other versions. In 1961, Cessna took a standard T-37B and strengthened the wings, added two underwing external stores pylons to carry 250-pound bombs, added twin 65- wingtip fuel tanks and added provisions for installation of a centerline General Electric multi-purpose armament pod. The modified aircraft was the prototype T-37C, which Cessna intended for use as S The relocation crew prepares one of the a weapons trainer. However, the air for- S Luftwaffe Hauptfeldwebel (Master Ser- T-37B’s wings for transport. ces of many nations, including Brazil, geant) Reinfried Fürgut helps transfer the Burma, , Greece, Portugal and Tweety Bird fuselage from a flatbed trailer Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 3) Peru, adopted it for light attack missions. into the War Eagles Air Museum shop. Then there was the further improved, never be considered “overpowered,” but higher-performance A-37 Dragonfly var- Our T-37B, serial number 66-7966, it was agile and responsive, handled well iants that were deployed to Viet Nam and rolled off of Cessna’s assembly line in and could pull all of the aerobatic maneu- flew thousands of missions in counter-in- Wichita and was officially accepted by vers that students had to learn. However, surgency, close air support, helicopter es- the U.S. Air Force on November 23, the Air Force wanted more power, and in cort, forward air control and night inter- 1966. Its first assignment was with the early 1959 awarded Cessna a contract for diction roles. The full story of the Drag- 3630th Flight Training Wing at Sheppard a T-37B variant with two 1,025-pound- onfly’s distinguished combat career over Air Force Base (AFB), near Wichita thrust J-69-T-25 turbojets that were more the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia Falls, Texas. On October 4, 1972, the Air reliable, cheaper to operate and less de- would take up much more space than we Force transferred the aircraft to the Luft- manding of maintenance than the original have available. A-37s today still fly in waffe unit at Webb AFB, Big Spring, engines. The -B also had improved com- the air forces of many South American Texas, for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot munications and navigation equipment nations, a testament to Cessna’s original Training Program, where it served for the and a revised instrument panel. Cessna brilliant, adaptable design that evolved next 16 years. In 1988, it went back to delivered the first of 552 T-37Bs on Nov- and grew over nearly 50 years into roles the 80th Flight Training Wing at Shep- ember 6, 1959, and produced them until that its designers had never envisioned. pard AFB until December 17, 2003, 1973. The company eventually modified New turboprop-powered Raytheon when the Deutsches Luftwaffenkomman- all T-37As to the -B configuration. Beech T-6A Texan IIs have now replaced do (German Air Force Command) at Fort T-37Bs served with the air forces of all T-37Bs in the primary trainer role for Bliss, in nearby El Paso, Texas, received several nations, including , Greece, U.S. Air Force and Navy student pilots. it to place on outdoor display at its Head- With the Texan II, stu- quarters building. At that time, it had ac- dent and instructor sit cumulated 17,129.2 hours of flight time. in tandem, as they did It was removed from Air Force inventory “back in the good old on January 14, 2005. days,” with less inter- War Eagles Air Museum got this action than they had in T-37B thanks to the generosity and initia- the Tweet’s side-by- tive of Lieutenant Colonel Bernhard Pro- side design. To comp- haska, Senior Logistics Officer with the ensate for this apparent Deutsches Luftwaffenkommando. With backward step, today’s major growth forecast for Fort Bliss in students have to log the next several years due to the Base Re- more hours of flight alignment and Closure (BRAC) process, simulator time before real estate will soon be at a premium on they earn their wings. the base, and LTC Prohaska became con- Since a T-6A has bet- cerned about the fate of the Tweety Bird ter avionics, costs less on display. He thought War Eagles Air to maintain and burns Museum would be a perfect new home less fuel than a T-37B, for the diminutive jet, and thanks to him, S The reassembled T-37B awaits the finishing touches in the War it seems to be a smart his staff and the Museum staff and volun- Eagles Air Museum shop before going on display. “Lightning,” the tradeoff economically. teers, it is now in place and on display. furry Quality Control Inspector, wanders off after a job well done.

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first to fly combat missions in the Thea- made bellows to force fresh air into the tre. In November 1942, the 301st and 97th tunnels. With scrounged wiring, they set were reassigned to the 12th Air Force in up electric lights. To get rid of the tons of North Africa, which was commanded by dirt that they dug out, they sewed draw- Major General James H. “Jimmy” Doo- string bags into their trouser legs and little. Emmet’s unit supported Operation then walked around the camp and let out Torch, the Allied invasion of North Afri- the dirt a little at a time. ca, and flew missions in support of Gen- Emmet once tailed a German guard eral George S. Patton in his desert battles for several days while covertly measur- against Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps. ing the guard’s rifle. One of the camp’s Emmet was shot down on April 22, British POWs sewed up a fake German 1943, on his 32nd bombing mission, over uniform and carved a “rifle” out of some Palermo, Sicily, when a German antiair- scrap lumber. One day, while other pris- craft shell exploded between the left in- oners distracted the guards, the British board engine and the fuselage of his Boe- officer, dressed in his “German” uniform ing B-17 Flying Fortress, setting the fuel and carrying his wooden “rifle,” marched tank on fire. Ordered to “bail out,” Em- some POWs out the front gate to tempor- met pulled the emergency release cable ary freedom—they all were soon caught. that was supposed to pull the pins out of In January 1944, the Germans trans- the lower hatch hinges, but the cable was ferred Emmet and other American POWs jammed. He released the regular latch to a new part of the Stalag Luft 3 com- and stood on the hatch, trying to use his pound. On March 24, 1944, 76 POWs— Emmet E. Cook weight to push it open against the slip- none of them Americans—crawled out March 5, 1918−July 15, 2007 stream. He got the hatch partly open, but through tunnels from the original com- not far enough for him to get out. At that pound in “the Great Escape.” An Allied moment, the left wing burned off and the air raid on on that night cut off the mmet E. Cook, a respected pilot, mortally wounded bomber went into a vi- electricity that supplied the lights in the World War II combat veteran, El olent spin, pinning Emmet helplessly to tunnels, which prevented more POWs E Paso Aviation Hall of Fame in- the deck. Seconds later, the B-17 explod- from escaping. All but three of the escap- ductee, avid golfer, War Eagles Air Mu- ed. Emmet was blown free and was sur- ees were soon recaptured, and the infuri- seum volunteer and close friend, passed prised to find himself falling through the ated Gestapo later murdered 50 of them. away at the age of 89 in El Paso, Texas, air unharmed. He was lucky. Five of his Freed in April 1945, after two years, on July 15, 2007. crewmates didn’t make it out. one month and 7 days as a POW, Emmet Emmet was born in Fort Worth, Tex- After landing safely beneath his par- separated from the Service and returned as, on March 5, 1918. He studied Mech- achute, Emmet was picked up by Italian to Fort Worth, where he went to work for anical Engineering at Texas A&M Uni- farmers and turned over to the Germans. the Globe Aircraft Company as a produc- versity from 1936 to 1939, then joined He soon ended up in Sagan, Silesia (now tion test pilot. He flight-tested nearly the U. S. Army Air Corps in 1940 and at- Poland), at the infamous Prisoner of War every Swift that Globe built in 1946 and tended the Allen Hancock School of Aer- (POW) camp named Stalag Luft 3. Ev- 1947. His is the first signature in the log- onautics in Santa Maria, , for eryone who has ever heard of “the Great book of the Museum’s GC-1B Swift. pilot training. He returned to Texas in Escape” should recognize that name. After Globe folded in 1947, Emmet 1941 and earned his commercial pilot’s All POWs had a duty to try to escape spent a few years delivering airplanes for license. With the U.S. not yet in the War, from enemy hands. With his engineering Temco-Vought. Then, in 1950, he left the he accepted an invitation to fly with the knowledge, Emmet helped map the camp flying business for a sales job in El Paso Royal Canadian Air Force. He was on a in preparation for an escape attempt. Us- with the Hobbs Trailer Company. He al- northbound train on December 7, 1941, ing a homemade sight and a transit made so volunteered for many years at the War when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. from a protractor, he made good maps Eagles Air Museum, where he special- The Air Corps recalled him to duty and that the POWs could use to dig escape ized in crafting unique, exquisite book- he reported to Ellington Field in Houston tunnels. Thanks to Emmet’s accurate and ends from P-51 Mustang engine pistons. for bombardier training on December 10. detailed surveys, the escapees knew that Emmet Cook never failed to impress In 1942, Second Lieutenant Cook set their tunnels would have to be at least everyone who met him with his bound- off for as a bombardier with the 280 feet long to reach the tree line of the less enthusiasm, broad knowledge, end- 301st Bomb Group, a B-17 unit that was surrounding forest. less curiosity and selfless dedication. All one of the first to arrive in Europe and, The men were amazingly ingenious. of us who were fortunate enough to know along with the 97th Bomb Group, was the They used empty milk tins and a home- him will miss him very much.

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and-white on location Science Fiction Film at a Shell oil refinery, Quatermass 2 was enti- Stars Visit Museum tled Enemy From Space for its U.S. release. It or fans of classic science fiction stars Brian Donlevy as movies, Memorial Day weekend Professor Bernard Qua- F is a special time in El Paso. Again termass, the only man this year, as before, thousands of people standing in the way of chose to forego their traditional holiday the hostile aliens’ ne- picnics, barbecues and sporting events to farious invasion plans. attend the fourth annual “IT! Came From Three well-known the ‘50s” science fiction film festival at guests from Hollywood the Chamizal National Memorial. Sci-fi made this year’s festi- cinema fans of all shapes, sizes and ages val even more memora- filled the 477-seat Chamizal theatre all ble. Renowned movie weekend to see “on the big screen” some director Joe Dante (61), of the finest films in the genre. and distinguished act- S Long-time War Eagles Air Museum volunteer Guy Dority (l.) Each year, War Eagles Air Museum ors William Schallert talks with distinguished actors Kevin McCarthy (on rear of golf cart) and William Schallert (r.) during their visit to the Museum. supports this festival by donating funds (84) and Kevin McCar- to sponsor the presentation of a movie. thy (93), were on hand for the weekend Mr. McCarthy likewise has hundreds This year, the Museum sponsored the cri- to tell stories of their experiences in the of movies, stage productions and televi- tically acclaimed 1957 British film Qua- movie business, to share anecdotes about sion series episodes to his credit, but he termass 2. This taut, cerebral thriller cen- the films shown, and to answer the ques- is perhaps best known for his starring ters on a huge, mysterious factory in rural tions of their many dedicated local fans. role as the energetic Dr. Miles J. Bennell England, and a conspiracy to conceal the It was the first visit to El Paso for all of in the 1956 Cold War paranoia classic In- fact that its real purpose is to serve as an them, and by all accounts they enjoyed vasion of the Body Snatchers. Younger advance base for an imminent alien inva- the experience immensely. moviegoers may be more familiar with sion of the Earth. Filmed in stark black- Mr. Dante directed such well-known the 1978 remake, which starred Donald movies as Piranha (1978), The Howling Sutherland and featured Mr. McCarthy in (1981), Gremlins (1984), The ’Burbs (1989) and Small Soldiers (1998) and one Movie Stars (Continued on page 8) segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). He also direct- ed many other movies and television series. Although he was born too late to make movies in the 1950s, Mr. Dante said that he was greatly influenced by films of that era, and specifical- ly by several of those shown at the festival. Mr. Schallert has appeared in over 650 movies and television series episodes, includ- ing feature roles in four S In what is surely one of the most iconic of the nine films shown images of the paranoia that dominated the at the festival−The In- Cold War, Dana Wynter, as Becky Driscoll, credible Shrinking S William Schallert (l.) plays an ambulance driver, here seen re- and Kevin McCarthy, as Dr. Miles Bennell, Man, The Man From acting to the blood-chilling sounds of atomic-mutated giant ants, try in vain to escape from the pursuing “pod with Sandy Descher as the little girl and James Whitmore as the people” in the classic 1956 film Invasion of Planet X, The Monolith New Mexico State Police officer, in 1954’s classic THEM!, which the Body Snatchers. Monsters and THEM! spawned an entire genre of atomic mutation monster films.

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Membership Application War Eagles Air Museum

The War Eagles Air Museum collects, restores and displays historic aircraft, mainly from the World War II and Korean War time periods, to encourage awareness and appreciation of military aviation history through exhibits, educational programs and special events. The Museum is a nonprofit organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Code. Operated by staff and volunteers, the Museum is supported by funds obtained from admissions, memberships and contributions. All dues and contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

War Eagles Air Museum memberships are available in six categories. All memberships include the following privileges:

Free admission to the Museum and all exhibits. Free admission to all special events. 10% general admission discounts for all guests of a current Member. 10% discount on all Member purchases in the Gift Shop.

In addition, a Family Membership includes free admission for spouses and all children under 18 living at home.

To become a Member of the War Eagles Air Museum, please fill in the information requested below and note the category of mem- bership you desire. Mail this form, along with a check payable to “War Eagles Air Museum” for the annual fee shown, to:

War Eagles Air Museum 8012 Airport Road Santa Teresa, NM 88008 Membership Categories

Individual $15

NAME (Please print)______ Family $25

Participating $50 STREET ______ Supporting $100 CITY ______STATE _____ ZIP ______—______ Benefactor $1,000 TELEPHONE (Optional) _____—_____—______ Life $5,000 E-MAIL ADDRESS (Optional) ______Will be kept private and used only for War Eagles Air Museum mailings.

ar Eagles Air Muse- War Eagles Air Museum Corporate Youth Sponsors um sincerely thanks W the following indivi- Bronze Silver Gold Platinum Diamond duals and organizations for their ($50−$249) ($250−$499) ($500−$999) ($1,000−$2,499) ($2,500 or more) donations to the 2007 Corporate Alamo Industries, El Paso Electric El Paso Community El Paso Aero, Inc. Jonathan Rogers Youth Sponsors Program. This Inc. Company Foundation program educates local student Frank and Susan William H. Jon T. Hansen groups about the contributions Borman Gardner, III of military aviation to Ameri- Coronado ca’s history. For many students, Cleaners visits to the Museum funded by C. F. Jordan, L.P. these generous donors kindle an interest in aviation and related SWIFCO, Inc. technical career fields.

7 www.war-eagles-air-museum.com War Eagles Air Museum Doña Ana County Airport at Santa Teresa (5T6) 8012 Airport Road Santa Teresa, New Mexico 88008

Movie Stars (Continued from Page 6) way (“You’re next! You’re next!”). Both Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Schallert are still a memorable cameo role as the hysteri- working in the movie industry. cal, disheveled running man on the free- With some spare time off from the festival, Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Schallert visited War Eagles Air Museum. The vis- it was uniquely interesting for Mr. Schal- lert, who trained as an Army aviator dur- ing World War II, although he was too late to see combat. As did most aviation cadets at the time, he had learned to fly in a Boeing/Stearman PT-17 primary train- er, a Vultee BT-13 Valiant basic trainer and a North American AT-6 Texan ad- vanced trainer. He had 10 hours of transi- tion training in the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk at Luke Field, Arizona, when the War ended. The Museum has flyable exam- ples of all four of the aircraft that Mr. Schallert flew in the service. Long-time S William Schallert, stage and screen actor Museum volunteer Guy Dority, a decor- since 1947 with more than 650 movies and ated World War II aircrewman, talked television shows to his credit. with the distinguished guests about his experiences as the radio operator/gunner S Kevin McCarthy, stage and screen actor aboard Jarrin’ Jenny, the first American- For more Museum information, visit: since 1944 and star of the classic 1956 film manned Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress to www.war-eagles-air-museum.com Invasion of the Body Snatchers. land in England in 1942.

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