Show Features Widest Range Of Period War Birds Ever Seen In
Area
As a major part of the
events slated for Daniel Webster College's 2005 Aviation Heritage
Festival, fourteen WWII vintage aircraft will be flying into
Nashua's Boire airport and will be on September 24th and 25th.
The Aviation Heritage Festival, sponsored by Daniel Webster
College of Nashua, is scheduled for Saturday, September 24 and
Sunday, September 25. The display of WWII vintage war birds honors
the veterans of World War II, which ended 60 years ago.
The 14 aircraft represent the complete range of planes the
pilots, crews and support personnel would encounter from the first
entry of the U.S. into the war through the Berlin blockade by the
Soviet Union during the post-war occupation of Germany. They
include the three major trainers as well as fighters, bombers and
transport aircraft.
Many of the rare aircraft are flying in from the country's major
"living history" aircraft museums, with nine from the Collings
Foundation, in Stow, Massachusetts. Five of the war birds will be
offering flights for a donation to those participating in the
festival.
Creating the most anticipation and excitement is the first New
England appearance of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft,
one of only five that are still in flight condition. It is part of
the collection of The Air Museum Planes of Fame in Chino,
California, one of the largest and oldest aircraft museums in the
country.
The P-38J Lightning saw action in most major combat areas during
Word Ward II. It was deployed extensively in the North African
campaign where the Luftwaffe named it "Der Gabelschwanz Teufel" --
The Forked-Tail Devil. Because of its versatility, the P-38 also
was used for dive-bombing, level bombing, ground strafing and photo
reconnaissance.
Steve Hinton, president of the museum, will pilot the P-38.
Hinton is famous in aviation circles for his vintage aircraft
racing records, as well as his work in movies and television,
flying vintage aircraft in productions like "Baa Baa Black Sheep,"
"Pearl Harbor" and "The Rocketeer." He also is co-founder of
Fighter Rebuilders, a leading vintage aircraft restoration company
that gave rebirth to forty WWII aircraft.
Also highly anticipated is the Spirit of Freedom, a C-54
transport aircraft, owned and operated by the Berlin Airlift
Historical Foundation of Farmingdale, New Jersey. It is painted to
represent the 48th Troop Carrier Squadron, one of the many units
that participated in the momentous mission, the greatest
humanitarian event in aviation history.
Timothy Chopp, president and founder of the foundation, is
piloting the Spirit of Freedom. William Morrissey of Danville,
Indiana, a veteran of the Berlin Airlift where he served as an air
traffic controller, will be crewing the aircraft. Both will conduct
the tours of the comprehensive museum of the Berlin Airlift on
board the aircraft, complete with artifacts, displays, photos and
information about the complete history of the airlift and all the
changes in politics and aircraft control procedures that resulted
from it.
The museum will be open and free of charge to anyone attending
the DWC 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival and on Friday, September 23
special talks and tours of the museum are planned for students
through the local schools.
The DWC Aviation Heritage Festival also feature a most unique
aircraft, the Consolidated B-24J Liberator strategic bomber, the
only one of its type still flying in the world although it was the
most mass-produced bomber during the war. Operated by the Collings
Foundation, it is painted as "Witchcraft," a B-24 assigned to the
467BG, 790BS that completed an amazing 130 combat missions, to
honor the 8th Air Force and all who served in England. Flights on
the aircraft will be available for a donation.
Other bombers on display at the 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival
include:
The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Nine O Nine" strategic bomber,
painted to represent an aircraft that flew with the 91st Bomb Group
in England in 1944.
The North American B25J Mitchell "Tondelayo" medium bomber is
painted to represent an aircraft that flew with the 500th Bomb
Squadron in the Pacific during 1943.
Other fighter aircraft on display at the DWC Aviation Heritage
Festival include:
- The Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, called "The Unbreakable" by its
pilots, is considered the most rugged and dependable aircraft in
all military aviation. It is part of the collection of The American
Airpower Museum, which, appropriately, is housed in the former
production facilities of Republic Aviation in Farmingdale on Long
Island in New York. Jim Vocell of the museum will pilot the
aircraft.
- The foremost fighter in service when WWII began, the Curtiss
P-40 Warhawk served in numerous combat areas from Europe to the
Aleutian Islands, the Middle East and Far East, the Southwest
Pacific and even Russia. They engaged Japanese aircraft at Pearl
Harbor, were flown in China by the famous Flying Tigers, and in
North Africa by the first AAF all-black unit, the 99th Fighter
Squadron. Also part of The American Airpower Museum collection, the
P-40 will be piloted by Dan Dameo of the museum.
- The Vought F4U-5NL Corsair is one of the most famous fighters
built during WWII. Its distinctive gull-wing design allows the
propeller to rotate without hitting the ground, and was the
airplane featured in stories of such groups as the "Black Sheep
Squadron." The aircraft if operated by the Colllings Foundation.
- The North American P-51 Mustang is an aircraft that was ordered
by the British as a faster, more nimble fighter that could fly
higher and farther and carry more ammunition than the P-40. The
P-51D called "Glamorous Gal," owned and piloted by Bob Baranaskas
of Northport, New York, was from the 335th squadron of the 4th
Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force station in England from 1942
until 1945.
Trainers played an important role in preparing the many pilots
needed on the combat lines during World War II. Daniel Webster
College's 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival will showcase the three
major trainers of the era.
- The Boeing PT-17 Stearman Kaydet primary trainer was the first
aircraft used to train pilots on the basics before going on to
learn how to fly a fighter or bomber. Collings Foundation operates
the aircraft; flights are available for a donation.
- The North American AT-6 Texan advanced trainer was used to
perfect formation flying and attack flying skills before
progressing into fighter aircraft. The festival will feature a Navy
version of the AT-6 and is owned by Bob Baranaskas, with his son
Chris as the pilot, as well as an AT6 operated by the Collings
Foundation with flights available for a donation.
- Rounding out the trainer lineup is the Cessna UC-78 Bobcat
multi-engine trainer, the type used to teach pilots before
transitioning to the heavy bombers. The trainer is operated by the
Collings Foundation.
Also included in the WWII aircraft display is the C-47 Skytrain
transport aircraft, the workhorse of WWII. It was used throughout
the war to carry cargo, troops and as a medical airlift aircraft,
as well as in the beginning of the Berlin Airlift before being
replace by the C-54 with its larger cargo capacity. The aircraft is
part of the collection of the American Airpower Museum.
One German aircraft will be at the festival as well - the
Fieseler Fi-156 Storch, an observation aircraft able to take off
and land in very short distances, made famous in the daring raid to
rescue and recapture Benito Mussolini near the end of WWII. The
aircraft is operated by the Collings Foundation.
The Daniel Webster College 2005 Aviation Heritage Festival runs
from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, September 24
and 25 at Boire Field, the Nashua Municipal Airport. Tickets are
$15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $5 for youth 3 to 12, and children
two and under are free. A discounted family pass is available for
$35.