1 Welcome to the Fall 2006 issue of museum for your inspection. The museum give young and old alike the thrill and skill has also acquired through donation a collec- needed to fly Fairchild airplanes. the New Pegasus magazine. It seems only a tion of WWII era airplane gauges, radios and short time since our Premier issue was sent navigation equipment and they are also being The most exciting event to date in pre- out, but summer has come and gone and fall added to the overall display. serving Hagerstown’s aviation heritage hap- is upon us. The spring and summer were pened in the desert of Wyoming at the end of filled with many accomplishments for the A grant from the Washington County August. Donors throughout the community museum, perhaps the greatest of which was Gaming Commission has been received that of Hagerstown and across the country came the completion of several key documents for provides funding for the acquisition of five together to help purchase and thus secure the guiding our future. The board, with the help last of the flying Fairchild C-82 “Flying of several gracious advisors in our commu- Boxcars”. In this issue you will be able to nity, worked diligently on the museum’s ride along with John Seburn and myself in Strategic Plan and Organizational Guide. the article, “Airplane Auction Anxiety-Bid Both of these documents are of vital impor- for the Boxcar”. You can experience the tance to our organization’s overall health and emotional roller coaster ride of the trip as growth and I am pleased to say that the docu- well as those few nail-biting seconds before ments are now completed and are serving as the auction hammer fell and Hagerstown had the guiding outline for our steps forward. her prize. Planning has also been started for our As you can tell, the Hagerstown Aviation eventual building near the airport and, al- Museum’s activities are expanding at a very though the particulars are not yet ready to Hagerstown Aviation Museum officers: Left to fast rate. As we acquire more artifacts, and present to the public, steps are being taken right, John Seburn, Trea, Jack Seburn, Sec, especially aircraft, the need for more mem- on a daily basis to secure a suitable facility to Kurtis Meyers, Pres, Tracey Potter, VP. bers, volunteers and donors grows enor- preserve all of the museum’s artifacts from mously. We invite you to become involved Hagerstown’s aviation past. in the museum’s effort to preserve Hagers- televisions and DVD players. These will be town’s rich aviation heritage. The museum’s display at Discovery Sta- strategically placed throughout the museum tion is, as we speak, undergoing a face-lift display. Each will be playing actual film Kurtis Meyers, President with several new exhibits under construction. footage from the era they are representing Hagerstown Aviation Museum, Inc. One of the exhibits relates directly to an arti- and adding visual motion to the static exhib- cle in this issue on the dismantling of the its. Also, a portion of the money from the Check out the new museum website at: Kreider-Reisner Little Green Shed and the Gaming Commission will go toward an inter- exciting artifacts found in its attic. A collec- active Flight Simulator machine that will www.HagerstownAviationMuseum.org tion of these artifacts is now on display in the The Old & New PEGASUS Richard A. Henson 1911-2002 The Hagerstown Avia- tion Museum has titled its The New Pegasus public information publica- magazine is in memory tion The New Pegasus. of Richard A. Henson. While Bellanca, the Reis- For many years it was ners, Kreider, Custer and our privilege to work side others all made significant by side with Dick in cre- contributions to Hagers- ating the Hagerstown town’s aviation heritage, it Aviation Museum. Even was the city’s long associa- though he is no longer tion with Sherman Fair- with us, his dedication to child and his Fairchild Air- the cause continues to craft Corporation that put inspire us. Hagerstown on the aviation map. Dick Henson with the KR-31 Since the Fairchild Cor- Challanger he and Charlie poration’s public informa- Shue donated to the museum. July 1945 tion publication was the “Pegasus”, the museum felt it appropriate to continue this tra- Cover Photo: dition in the The New Pegasus . The museum dedicates The New Pegasus to the many members of our aviation commu- C-82 at sunset in Greybull, WY nity who played an active role in developing the aviation heri- August 24, 2006 tage we now honor. The New Pegasus is made possible Photo by: Steve Christiano through the generous support of its advertising sponsors. See story on page 4 2 The New Pegasus Fall 2006 - Volume 1 Number 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome to The New PEGASUS ….….………………. Page 2 The Hagerstown Aviation Museum, Inc. is a non- Hagerstown’s Aviation Past……….....………………..Page 3 profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the preser- Museum Contact Information………..……………….Page 3 vation and promotion of the region’s more than 90 Bid For The Boxcar……………...…………………….Page 4 years of extraordinary aviation history. Engineering The Packet……………………………….Page 8 Highlights of Hagerstown’s Aviation Past Fairchild UC-61C Comes Home……….………….....Page 23 1916-1920 Giuseppi Bellanca builds the “CD” and “CE” biplanes for What’s in The Museum’s Future?…..………………Page 24 the Maryland Pressed Steel Company in the Pope Building located in south Hagerstown. “Little Green Shed” is Saved!……...………………...Page 25 1921-1925 Lew & Henry Reisner operate an aircraft repair business and Help Bring Home the C-82………...…...……………Page 30 eventually partner with local shoe manufacturer Ammon Kreider to sell Waco Biplanes. Museum Membership/Donations……..……………..Page 31 1926 The newly formed Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company designs and builds the KRA Midget to participate in the 1926 National Air Race in Philadelphia. 1927-1929 Kreider-Reisner develops and produces the C-2, C-4 & C-6 Challenger Biplanes that gain them much acclaim. 1929 Sherman Fairchild of Fairchild Aircraft Company, Long Island, NY purchases a majority stock interest in Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company of Hagerstown. 1930s Fairchild Aircraft Company produces the F22, F24, F45, F46 and F92 Amphibian. 1931 Richard (Dick) Henson purchases the Hagerstown Airport and founds Henson Flying Service. 1933 Richard (Dick) Henson becomes Test Pilot for Fairchild Aircraft. 1939-1943 Fairchild develops and produces over 5000 PT19 Primary trainers for the US Army and Navy as well as the AT-21 Gunnery Trainer and UC-61 Utility Cargo Aircraft. Contact Information: 1942-1948 Fairchild develops and produces over 200 of the first all metal cargo aircraft specifically designed for the task, the C82 Packet. Museum Display at Discovery Station: 1949-1955 Fairchild develops and produces the C-119 Flying Boxcar of which over 1100 were produced. Hagerstown Aviation Museum 101 West Washington St 1954-1958 Fairchild produces over 300 of the C123 Provider cargo Hagerstown MD 21740 aircraft. Discovery Station phone: 301-790-0076 1954-1966 Fairchild helps to develop the Fokker designed F-27 Friend- Mailing address: ship turbo-prop transport and produces over 200. Hagerstown Aviation Museum, Inc. 1962-1983 Richard (Dick) Henson begins the “Hagerstown Commuter” 14235 Oak Springs Rd which eventually becomes the Allegheny Commuter and Piedmont Re- Hagerstown MD 21742 gional Airline. Phone: 301-733-8717 1965 Fairchild purchases Republic Aviation of Farmingdale, L.I., NY. please leave message if no answer Or call: 717-377-3030 1973-1983 Fairchild/Republic awarded A-10 Attack Aircraft contract Website: and produces 713 for the United States Air Force. www. HagerstownAviationMuseum .org 1984 Aircraft production ends in Hagerstown. 3 Airplane Auction Anxiety $130,000, a truly remarkable achievement Suddenly we found ourselves sporting for the volunteers and donors. Still, how- about in a nearly new gray Chrysler 300. Bid for the Boxcar ever, we were unsure whether this would A massive looking car, it hardly fit the By: Kurtis Meyers be enough to capture the high bid of what impression of limited-budget museum we so desperately desired - the last of people, but it was admittedly quite com- The hotel accommodation that first four, and the only flyable Fairchild C-82 fortable and John, the designated driver, evening of our journey to Greybull, Wyo- Flying Boxcar. was a quick “learn” behind its space-age ming was small and in direct contrast to The trip to Denver on the Boeing 777 control panel. the three men of slightly over-average was uneventful and actually quite pleas- As John turned the ignition, the en- girth that set about to occupy it for the ant. Upon our arrival we met up with gine revved as if running on nitro and we night. On any other evening the narrow Steve, grabbed some quick mini vittles were off. As we left the airport and the aisle of this Virginia hotel room that al- and got to our gate a few minutes before home of Buffalo Bill behind us, our final lowed little more than a person with spar- boarding. The de Havilland Dash 7 that destination was now within reach. Sixty row legs to pass by the massive laminated was to be our transportation to Cody miles was all that stood between us and particle board entertainment center on the quickly emptied my mind of any pleasant Greybull, Wyoming, the Mecca of radial left and the foot board of the overly puffy, thoughts of the former flight. Seat 13A engine airplanes. With our “hot rod” engorged bed to the right would have was little more than a five person bench Chrysler 300 we could cover the distance drawn a sarcastic comment, but that eve- seat.