The Scuttlebutt Official Publication of Air Group One Commemorative Air Force January/February 2013 1905 N. Marshall Ave. Hangar 6 * El Cajon, CA 92020 * 619.259.5541 * www.ag1caf.org * [email protected] “Betsy” To Return to the Skies! Air Group One’s beautiful L-5 captured at Wings Over Gillespie in May, 2003 (see article page 4) Photo by Tony Zeljeznjak Contents Notes from the Cockpit ............................................ 2 Cadet Pilot Indoctrination Program.........................10 Maintenance Officer Report..................................... 2 Name That Plane ....................................................11 I’ve got the Aircraft ................................................... 3 I Didn’t Know That ..................................................11 Coming Events ........................................................ 3 Secrets of the F4U Corsair Design .........................12 The L-5 Story: I WILL Fly Again! ............................. 4 The Dream Ride .....................................................13 American Aces of WWII .......................................... 6 Flying on Film .........................................................14 San Diego Veteran’s Day Parade ............................7 Normandie Before and After ...................................15 Interesting Early American Aviation History .............8 Laff Trak ..................................................................17 2 The Scuttlebutt January/February 2013 Notes Maintenance from the Officer Cockpit Report Col. Bob Simon, Outgoing Wing Leader Col. Howard Merritt My, my, how time flies! It seems like only yesterday that The many changes that have occurred this month in the I took the helm of the Unit from Al Riker. Changes were hangar, shop, museum and supply room had members made, a move to a larger and more efficient hangar spending lots of work hours. You know who you are was accomplished and now, we are in the process of and what you did. I came back from a week’s trip and obtaining another aircraft. New members are coming had to search for my desk. The place looks great! Plus on board; members with a fresh outlook and great we have new folding chairs. ideas. We are working together for the betterment of the Unit. We can all look forward to a great New Year The old red golf cart is being fixed up thanks to Abe as we implement our education programs and plan Talerman and should be back any day. Torri Mowery for the various air shows we attend and events we has taken on the job of setting up the supply area. I produce. Our own Wings Over Gillespie Air Show is in have three new assistants: Bill Judge, Justin Ellington the mid-stages of planning and is progressing nicely. and Marvin Robbins. Yes!! As the new leadership team takes the helm, I would Sassy had her oil changed and a new tailwheel tire like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for the installed. Today we replaced the bad GPS antenna. help, cooperation and encouragement given to me The L5 wing is coming along swiftly. The spar assembly during the last few years. The strength of Air Group has been test fitted to the fuselage and all looks good. One cannot be attributed to a single wing member but The center ribs are in the process of being installed. to the strong team effort and hard work that all of the wing members have contributed. Keeping a positive Our latest aircraft acquisition, the L3 from Midland, will attitude has been a key ingredient of our progress. So, be on its way soon. More flying fun. keep on smiling and let’s enjoy the ride. Take care and Merry Christmas We wish our best to all who have supported Air Group One of the Commemorative Air Force. Keep the blue side up. Air Group One Staff Members (as of 1/1/13) Wing Leader Jim McGarvie Maintenance Officer Howard Merritt [email protected] 619.890.7340 [email protected] 619.820.5359 Executive Officer TBD Safety Officer Darrel Cook [email protected] 619.572.3379 Finance Officer D’Marie Simon Marketing and Webmaster Rich Kenney [email protected] 858.829.4736 [email protected] 858.837.2068 Adjutant Jan McGarvie Scuttlebutt Editor Jim McGarvie [email protected] 619.561.3877 [email protected] 619.890.7340 Operations Officer John Telles Assistant Scuttlebutt Editor Bob Constantine [email protected] 760.458.4230 [email protected] 619.546.7080 January/February 2013 The Scuttlebutt 3 I’ve Coming got the Events Aircraft Col. Jim McGarvie, Incoming Wing Leader You are encouraged to frequently check the “I’ve got the aircraft.” That is a common, routine state- events calendar on the Air Group One Web site ment made thousands of times each day when one for updates: pilot takes over the controls from another. Sometimes, http://www.ag1caf.org/AG-1_Events.htm though, that phrase is uttered with some urgency (may- be in a voice an octave higher than normal) when the pilot not flying finds it necessary to assume command Happy New Year! in an attempt to extricate the aircraft from an unusual January 3, 7:00am ................................... Rotary Talk attitude or some other critical situation. January 4, 4:00pm ........................... FlyDays at Cafe Fortunately for me, this time those words are of the benign variety. Our outgoing Wing Leader, Bob Simon, January 9, 6:00pm .............................. WOG meeting has handed over Air Group One in stable flight, all January 10, 5:30pm ..............................Santee Mixer trimmed up and, like most aircraft, it will continue to fly just fine so long as I don’t do something to mess it up. January 12 ........................................ Cable Air Show Bob has been the motivating force behind our move to January 13 ........................................ Cable Air Show our newer and better hangar, has overseen a few suc- cessful air shows, and has ushered in an era of new, January 18, 7:00pm ................................Movie Night young and energetic members who have already made January 26, 11:30am ..........................BBQ/meetings considerable improvements in our unit. Luckily we haven’t seen the last of Bob. He will remain February 1, 4:00pm ......................... FlyDays at Cafe closely involved with Air Group One, especially as February 12 ............................. SDSA High Tech Fair Chairman of next year’s Wings Over Gillespie Air Show. February 13 ............................. SDSA High Tech Fair Bob, thank you from all of us for all you have done for Air Group One the last few years. I’m confident with February 14, 5:30pm ............................Santee Mixer your help I won’t mess it up. February 15, 7:00pm ..............................Movie Night I also want to thank Linda King, our past Adjutant, and Warren Thomas, our previous Safety Officer, for their February 23, 11:30am ........................BBQ/meetings years of dedicated service. You both have done so much for Air Group One in so many ways that most March 1, 4:00pm.............................. FlyDays at Cafe members don’t realize the impact you have had. We March 9, 8:30am................................Yuma Air Show hope you continue to remain involved and contribute. March 14, 5:30pm.................................Santee Mixer Please help me welcome the newcomers to the Air Group One staff. As a result of the December elections March 15, 7:00pm...................................Movie Night Jan McGarvie assumes the duties of Adjutant, and Dar- rel Cook those of Safety Officer. I know both of these March 16, 8:30am........................El Centro Air Show new officers very well--the former somewhat better March 16-23 .. SD Festival of Science & Engineering than the latter--and know they will work hard to fill the shoes of their predecessors. And fortunately for the unit, March 23, 11:30am ......................BBQ and meetings and especially for me, D’Marie Simon was reelected Finance Officer. Thank you for agreeing to serve! 4 The Scuttlebutt January/February 2013 The L-5 Story: I WILL Fly Again! A Progress Report December 2012 By Tom Burton From what I can piece together, back in 2000 or 2001 had any knowledge about these planes. His research Tony Wiser, then Air Group One Maintenance Officer, led him to a Mr. Gray in Phoenix. Gray published an L-5 shook the wing of Air Group One’s L-5 “Betsy” after she newsletter and was a valuable source of information. came back from a flight and heard rattling noises inside From this new resource, Howard was able to acquire the wing. The plane was grounded and the wings were paper drawings and procured CDs of schematics and removed. It does not appear that any official internal drawings from the Smithsonian Institute. inspections were done on the wings. Many of the drawings, even the ones from the Smith- The Wing Leader at the time, Al Riker, requested the sonian, are poor quality from being copied and re- wings be replaced and started a search to purchase a copied over the years. Critical measurements have to new set. New wings were too expensive to purchase be reverse-engineered for accuracy and many of the and fabricating new wings in-house never made the drawings do not match the measurements we take off agenda. From 2001 until 2006, the L-5 sat forlorn and the original wings. Verifying our measurements and wingless. Several requests were made to remove the interpreting the drawings is time consuming, but neces- fabric for internal structure inspection, but each request sary to ensure our efforts are not in vain. was adamantly denied. Around 2010, material was purchased to create two sets of wing spars and, with the help of Bob Simon, Howard Merritt and Jon Eads, the L-5 wing project began. Somewhere around 2006 or 2007 Howard Merritt re- moved the fabric and some of the plywood lamination from one of the wings to assess the condition of the internal structure. What he found was not good; this would not be a “patch and fly” repair job. Built or bought, new wings would be required. There was warped and water-damaged plywood and a considerable amount of the glue that holds the structure together had turned to powder.