1 FLIGHTPLAN! A VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER FOR VOLUNTEERS 5/30/2014 Your Newsletter Staff- Co-Editors: Ann Trombley, [email protected] Katha Lilley, [email protected] Feature writers: Bob Peterman, Spencer Vail, Bob Osborn, Bruce Anderson, Earl Scott , John Jennings, Bud Varty Contributors: Don Trombley, Jim Lilley Guest Contributors: Stewart Bailey The Sunday crew has welcomed Lonnie Prather as their Day Captain. Receiv- ing his captain’s bars in a re- cent ceremony, he now leads the group he has been a part of for the past few cruiting to meet the needs years. of the Sunday crew. “The JUNE JUNE 2014 Volume 8 Issue 6 Lonnie is a crew is running very Viet Nam vet- smoothly,” he says, “but at eran, having times we are short of peo- “A Volunteer Newsletter by Volunteers” by Newsletter Volunteer “A flown Huey helicopters as a ple in the Goose, B-17, and part of the 101st Airborne Divi- membership. By cross training sion. During his Viet Nam tour the docents, we will be able to he logged over 4200 combat do more with the people that hours and received 42 air we have, both in the Aviation medals. and Space Museums.” Prior to being elected Day Lonnie looks forward to Captain, Lonnie had been lead many years of providing an in- 1st lieutenant in the Space formative, rewarding, educa- Museum. Day Captain Riley tional experience Sanders suggested that for the Museum Lonnie apply for his position. “I guests. was honored that he would ask me to apply, but I told him that he would be hard to re- place,” Lonnie told us. Lonnie has set his sights on an ambitious program of cross Submitted by Bud Varty FLIGHTPLAN ! FLIGHTPLAN EVERGREEN AVIATION & SPACE MUSEUMtraining and new docent re- 2 FLIGHTPLAN! A VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER FOR VOLUNTEERS 5/30/2014 If your Birthday is missing from the list, please send an email to Katha Lilley, [email protected] thanks.. Our Mission- JUNE BIRTHDAYS To inspire 3-Gordon Gilbert and educate 4- Stanley Klimczak To promote and 5- Floyd Forster preserve aviation 5- Boyd Yaden 6- Jerry Angle and space history 6- Robert Carlos To honor the 7- Kent Stuart patriotic service of 8- Gladys Pyne our veterans 10- Mick Dehart 10-Tom Maloney 11- Melba Smith 12- Dale Cochran 12- Kurt Peters 12- Walter Shippy 13- Don Edwards 14- Don Bowie 14- Chris Bell 14- Sheldon Scarrott 15- Aaron Peterson 15- Dwaine Smith 16- Richard Stannard 17- Donna Moon 17- Frederick Schwoch 20- Richard Anderson 20-Julian (Jef) Finch 21- Bob Dean 22- Ed Morehead 23- Don Van Etten 25-Jean Herkamp 27- Mary Brillas 28- Lester Herring 30- Bob Anderson 30- Ryan Harter 3 FLIGHTPLAN! A VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER FOR VOLUNTEERS 5/30/2014 BOB’S of the ways on the subject of the “Anything he puts his name on, BANTER Hellcat versus the Corsair. The I’ll fly!” and so, the Hellcat was F4U pilot will thumb his nose at born with confidence and respect the barreled-shaped “Six—and -- even before it was flown. No the Hellcat pilot in return will spit one doubted its ability---but that and declare the “U” is only “a for- Corsair---- HELLCAT vs. CORSAIR mation of flying parts.” How did Part two, July issue Flightplan. this feud start? Perhaps it was born when the U.S. Marines This piece is from the May 1946 adopted the Corsair, and tried to Submitted by: Bob Osborn issue of Our Navy magazine. chase the Navy out of the sky— Questions and or comments: os- or perhaps it commenced some [email protected] During my ten years as a do- time ago, when the Navy, looking cent at the Evergreen Air Mu- for a fighter-bomber, selected the Corsair for carrier work. However seum, I’ve heard a lot of conjec- ture about which of these great the contest started, it fanned it- aircraft is best. This fine piece self into a blistering intensity that takes us closer to an answer. the end of the war left unsettled, Remember -- this was written and a quarrel which seems des- very close to the end of WWII tined to remain so. and was close to pilots’ memo- It is only fair to state that the ries. F4U entered the race at a de- It starts out …. “A Contro- cided disadvantage. The Corsair versy That Has Ended Many a commenced its naval career Beautiful Friendship” many years ago. Because of its phaeton and gull-winged appear- Almost as bitter in the Navy as ance and 2,000-hp engine, it the famous feud between the soon came to be regarded as a carrier and battleship is the com- “hot” airplane with a personality F6F Grumman Hellcat petition between two fighter as fickle as fate—an undeserved planes, the F6F Grumman Hell- reputation, since the Corsair was cat and the F4U Vought Corsair. as easy to fly as any other The author leans heavily toward fighter. However, the first model the former, and will presently did have a tendency to spin present his arguments—but in rather abruptly, and the low tail fairness will attempt to give both wheel made beginners’ landings sides of the quarrel. Such a pub- sometimes hair-raising. Some- lic and good-natured airing of how the Corsair got the reputa- this controversy is offered for two tion of being “tricky”: as a conse- reasons: first to show that both quence, a pilot climbing into her aircraft rank among the finest cockpit for his first ride was apt planes of the late war; and the to be jittery. second to enumerate those basic F4U Vought Corsair. qualities that our American fight- The Grumman Hellcat, how- ers all have, which have given ever, started its career with a our nation superiority in the air. solid gold background. Perhaps no plane manufacturer has en- It is not uncommon to see joyed finer relations with the gov- two naval aviators, otherwise ernment than Grumman—as I good friends, come to a parting have heard many pilots say: 4 FLIGHTPLAN! A VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER FOR VOLUNTEERS 5/30/2014 600 hours and got six brand your plane had a bad magneto, SIX TURNIN’, new engines. or a frozen flap jack, swap it for FOUR BURNIN’ One particular problem on one on 069. By the time a new 047 was that the old engines crew chief was located and Part Two of Six would frequently blow a push ground crew assigned 069 was rod packing and the resulting oil a shadow of her former Prologue: Work on the Con- leak would terminate a mis- self. She aborted most mis- vair B-36 comprised nearly all sion. Red, our crew chief, sions for the first six months. of my six-year Air Force experi- maintained that the source of Other crews delighted in calling ence. The B-36 was initially the problem was P&W not pro- us the Leper Colony, as in the powered by six P&W R-4360 viding a large enough crank- movie “Twelve O’ Clock engines, each driving a thirteen case breather. The P&W repre- High.” But the really good news -foot, three-bladed pusher pro- sentative maintained that Red’s was that 069 was chosen to be peller, hence the term “Six young crew just did not know the first B-36 to have an air- Turnin’.” The B-36A and B-36B how to properly pack push rods. borne engine analyzer. models were powered by just One day the P&W rep hailed During those first months the six R-4360s, but from the B- Red with, “I’ve been checking we built a brand new 069… one 36D model, and on, four jets the records and I see you’ve part at a time. Then during a were added. finally got your crew packing maximum-effort exercise, 069 After completing the USAF those rods correctly.” “Come was the first to take off, leading Aircraft and Engine School, two here, you SOB Private, un-cowl the remaining fleet of B-36Bs, buddies and I signed up for B- that engine.” Forcing the rep’s made all mission goals (timing, 36 Specialist School. This put face into the engine nacelle, altitude & distance), and re- us into the program about the Red continued, “Look there you turned with all “six time the six-engine B-36A mod- donkey’s ass, see all those turnin’.” Even some of the els were all being returned to holes we drilled in this crank- newer B-36Ds could not say Convair for conversion into ten- case to relieve the pressure, that. In this particular exercise engine RB-36Es. My first as- that’s why our oil consumption all B-36s had to be airborne signment was to join the ground has gone down.” The next again within 24 hours and 069 crew of 047, followed by 069, month mod kits for the crank- made that goal also. Some air- both B-36B models, then on to case breathers were made craft were unable to fix all their 054 a recent B-36B-to-B-36D available to all B-36s, Bees and problems and made five-engine conversion. Dees alike. takeoffs, having removed the Aircraft 047 had “old” en- Oh! And when 047 final hit sixth propeller. gines when I arrived. Engine 600 flight hours, our sad old en- life between overhauls was set gines were declared service- Aircraft 054 next time. at 600 flight hours. The six on test engines to see how many 047 had over 500 flight more hours were possi- Earl Scott hours.