The Membership Newsletter for The Military Aviation Museum Winter 2016 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Dance the Night Away: Valentine’s Hangar Dance Preview Landing Signal Officers 2 Goxhill Tower Update 2 Messerschmitt Bf 109G-4 3 Hangar Talk: Best-Seller 3 Cadence Fest at MAM 4 Planes, Trains & Santa 4 Warbirds Over the Beach 5 SHRMF Open House 5 Old Friends Reunited 6 Civil Air Patrol Medal 7 Creeds Elementary 7 Saturday, 13 February, 2016 This coming Valentine’s Day weekend you’re welcome to jump, jive, and swing the night away at the Military Aviation Museum, from 6:00pm to 10:00pm! You’re invited to our eighth annual 1940s Valentine’s Han- Military Aviation Museum gar Dance, on Saturday, 13 February, 2016. Come dressed in your finest www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org ‘40s-vintage fashions, alongside your sweetheart, as our Navy Hangar is Virginia Beach Airport transformed for an exciting dinner and dance. Seating is limited. Make www.VBairport.com sure to buy your tickets early before we sell out! Seats are $50.00 per person. Singles are welcome! Telephone (757) 721-7767 or go online to Fighter Factory www.militaryaviationmuseum.org to reserve your seats! Thank you to www.FighterFactory.com Atlantic Shores Retirement Community for sponsoring the Hangar Warbirds Over the Beach Dance and their support throughout the year. So don’t forget to mark this www.VBairshow.com Valentine’s Day weekend in a swingin’ fashion February 13th, at the Military Aviation Museum. It will be a date to remember! q A Toast to the Past: Aerodrome Wine Classic - Saturday, 16 April, 2016 For more information and to purchase your tickets for this event, visit www.VBWineClassic.com. the third annual “Aerodrome Wine Classic”. To be On 16 April, 2016 from noon til 5pm, the Mili- eration, and the inseparable link between motoring enjoyed by all in attendance: the finest vintages of tary Aviation Museum will celebrate an occasion and aviation. You are invited to savour the varietal Virginia’s wineries, grown in the ancient soil of the we hope embodies the spirit of a bygone age, pay- bouquets of regional wines, the romance of aero- New World. A vestige of this tradition lives on in the ing homage to aeronauts, the joie de vivre of a gen- planes, and the elegance of artisanal automobiles at form of this annual springtime event. q PAGE 2 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1 Hangar HappeningS Landing Signal RAF Goxhill Control Tower Update Officers Visit The Museum By Mike Potter RAF Station Goxhill, near Hull, England, was the first English airbase turned over to the arriving Americans in 1942. The base became known as “Station 345” in American service. One of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the museum is the ongoing rebuilding of the original “Watch Office” that was relocated from Goxhill, England to our museum. The unmistakable vision of this iconic sym- bol of the air war in Europe is nearing its external completion, and it is easy to see in one’s “mind’s eye” the base commander standing on the balcony, awaiting the return of the P-38’s of the First Pursuit Group’s training missions. The brickwork is almost complete, and when the temperature allows, the concrete for the roof Landing Signal Officers, also known as LSOs, will be poured. It is easy to see in the photograph where the beams will support the wooden balcony, are an integral part of carrier aviation in not only and soon the door and window frames (built by modern Navy carriers, but since day one in car- the same manufacturer that did the originals in rier operations by every country that operated 1942) will be added. aircraft carriers. LSOs are the onboard eyes of the As this building nears completion, other activi- pilots as they try to land their warbirds aboard ties seem to be heating up as well. A certain eBay carriers. The Navy selects and trains experienced troll has evidently been working overtime, lurking pilots to become LSOs in today’s fleet. Part of that in the ether in the wee hours of the morning. A cu- training is to learn the history of LSOs. To that rious item appeared this month on the Director’s end, several of the Museum’s volunteers, all re- desk. As seen in the photograph, a curious blue box tired Naval Aviators and fellow LSOs, donate their (Royal Air Force blue to be exact), has white stencil lettering that says “Do Not Remove-Officers Mess” time and host the current LSO class from nearby as “RAF Goxhill” and “Station 345” as well. NAS Oceana here at the museum and present a lighthearted look at the history of LSO through As many already know, RAF Station Goxhill slides, real historic equipment and then by walk- near Hull, England was the first English airbase turned over to the arriving Americans in 1942. ing these airmen around our Navy Warbirds. The The base became known as “Station 345” in Amer- highlight is an up close look at our FG-1 Corsair ican service. Might this piece of recreational equip- cockpit as explained by our veteran Corsair pilot ment find its way into the Watch Officer’s quarters Obie O’Brian. q in the control tower? q VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3 and the method of assembling the wood and metal parts The Mossie Goes To Oshkosh together. Fortunately for me, Warren Denholm and his crew from AvSpecs in Ardmore, New Zeland was there to handle the particulars of the restoration project. And they should know, as they took on the 8 year project to re- store this Mosquito for the owner Jerry Yagen. Jerry and his wife Elaine were also there to see his greatest project in the glory it has awaited for three years. Tuesday, the aircraft was towed into center stage in Warbirds in Review. This is where the Mosquito was pre- sented, along with an announcer, Jerry Yagen, Warren Denholm, Dave Phillips (the original test pilot that flew it in New Zeland) and I, and answered questions from the announcer and a group of several hundred specta- By Chief Pilot Mike Spalding tors. This was also broadcast on the big screen there and throughout the week at Airventure. Thursday was an- It is Monday morning, July 20, 2015. I am preflight- progress. Our entry was to be in the middle of the show other day to fly in the airshow, where we flew with our ing the only totally restored DH-98 De Havilland Mos- for everyone’s first look at a De Havilland Mosquito. We Canadian friends at the Canadian Warbird Heritage quito in the world for a flight. Not just any flight, but a were told that we had to hold south of the airport until Museum who were there with their Lancaster Bomber. flight that has been awaited for three years by many. This the new Airbus A350 finished its demonstration. At 5 Before flying however, the judges came to look over the is not just a flight around the pattern; this is not a flight to miles out, I watched this enormous aircraft put on quite aircraft and grade it on many levels such as appearance, just another airshow; this is not another photo flight with a show of amazing maneuverability for its size. Just af- quality of workmanship, level of difficulty of the restora- a camera ship to get more stunning photos of its beauty ter the A350 landed, we were called in to do a couple of tion, its originality and attention to detail, etc… in flight…this is a trip to Oshkosh! Airventure 2015 was passes for the crowd. It was just as exciting for me as it was On to Saturday night–the awards banquet! It was the destination of the day, with the plan to arrive at 3:19 for the crowd, as it was their first time to see a Mosquito a quick and quite simple affair that cut to the chase. pm Central Standard time in the middle of the show. fly, and it was my first opportunity to fly in the Oshkosh There was some stiff competition with 2 P-51’s and airshow after many years of attending as a spectator. There was weather to clear early in the first third a post WWII Corsair, but when they announced of the flight before it rose to more towering obstacles, After landing, we were directed to the Warbird “and the winner of the Grand Champion WWII… so my crew chief and Fighter Factory mechanic John ramp, where to my surprise was another Mosquito. It N114KA, De Havilland Mosquito,” there was cheer Brawner and I departed in the morning. Our first stop was Kermit Weeks’ Mosquito that had landed there in from all, but I don’t think there was surprise. This was Findlay, OH where we took on fuel and became the late 1990s and had not flown since, and is doubtful award was 8 years in the making and another three guests of the airport manager, Matt McVicker, and the that it will fly out of there. It was a nice contrast though years in waiting. All that had kept it from winning was small awaiting crowd. After answering many ques- with our freshly restored aircraft sitting next to a bomber being present. And now it has its deserved trophy that tions from the enthusiastic greeters, Matt treated us version that appeared to have just dropped in from the is now displayed in the museum. to lunch and we then relaxed until it was time to de- war and left unattended.