'Aluminum Overcast' Begins 2021 National Tour This Month

EAA's B-17 bomber, Aluminum Overcast, will return to a full national tour in 2021 after being sidelined for nearly all of 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The first portion of EAA's 2021 tour schedule includes stops in Florida and Georgia before the aircraft heads northward to additional locations through the spring and early summer. The year-long tour will continue into the summer, with the airplane back "home" for the full week of EAA's annual AirVenture fly-in on July 26-August 1 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

It Is Estimated That Fewer Than 40 BT-13s Remain

One of the most widely used trainers during WWII, the BT-13 was much more complex than the other primary trainers. It possessed a more powerful engine, was faster and heavier, had landing flaps and a two-position variable pitch propeller, and flying the BT-13 required two-way communicate with ground personnel. Today it is estimated that fewer than 40 BT-13s remain in flying condition. Donated to the museum by Mike Abajian, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel, the BT-13 was built for the Navy in San Diego near the end of World War II. Navy variants of the BT-13 were given the designation SNV (a scout trainer built by Vultee). The aircraft spent its entire service career at the Great Lakes Naval Stati

ESC Represents A $612 Million, 10-Year Renewal Of A Prior ESC

Gulfstream has been awarded $696 million in contracts from the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center for engineering services support and contractor logistics for C-20 and C-37 aircraft. The Engineering Service Contract (ESC) represents a $612 million, 10-year renewal of a prior ESC. The contractor logistics support (CLS) award for $84 million exercises Option Year Four of an existing CLS contract, bringing its cumulative face value to $594 million.