D-Day Veteran Aircraft to be Restored

During the D-Day Invasion, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain delivered troops of paratroopers to the beaches of Normandy. It also dropped American soldiers behind Germany lines so they can cut off communication lines and prevent the enemy from sending reinforcements. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower even called the aircraft as one of the most important military equipment during World War II.

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain is such a vital history artifact that the Indiana Air Search and Rescue made it its mission to restore a unit of this aircraft.

“We’re losing all of our World War II veterans. This is one veteran we’re not going to let drop,” said Charles Walker, founder and president of Indiana Air Search and Rescue.

A unit of this vintage aircraft if now sitting in an old airport hangar at the Greenwood Municipal Airport. The aircraft was found at an airport in Nashville, Tenesee where it was attached to a closed museum. Walker, with the help of Indiana Air Search and Rescue Crew Chief Tom Foreman, brought the airplane to Greenwood for the restoration project.

The Indiana Air Search and Rescue will restore the body, electrical systems and engine of the aircraft. The mission is projected to cost around $200,000, but the community is chipping in and generously offers equipment and services to make the restoration possible. They aim to finish the project in two to three years.

A lot is at stake in this project because the Indiana Air Search and Rescue is planning to use the aircraft during times of crisis. The restoration of the C-47 will not only preserve a piece of history, but will also provide a lot of help to the people of Indiana. Indiana Air Search and Rescue recently restores a UH-1H Huey helicopter which it now use for its search and rescue operations.

Source: http://www.indystar.com

Aviation Legend Bob Hoover Help Lands Vintage P-51 Airplane

A vintage P-51 airplane is flying above Mobile, Alabama, as part of its museum tour, when it damaged its landing gear. The pilot, Chuck Gardner, is faced with a dilemma of landing P-51 with just one tire. Gardner had tried all the emergency procedures, but it did not result any good results.

Gardner and his passenger on board relied on a fellow pilot to relay a distress messages to and from Doug Jeanes, the director of Canavaugh Flight Museum and owner of the P-51. The vintage aircraft has been with the museum for 20 years. The museum had spent eight years restoring the P-51. Doug Jeanes was in Dallas at the time.

During its flight, one of tires of the landing gear become more horizontal than vertical. It occurred to Jeanes to call up Bob Hoover, who is a veteran pilot and has a solid experience in flying the P-51. Hoover is a veteran military pilot. When he retired he continued his love of flying as an airshow and test pilot. For decades, he acts as the official started of Reno Air Races. He guides the pilots into a line while flying his P-51 before signaling the start of the race, then circling up to let the race go under way.

“Somebody would have a problem almost every other race, and over the years I must have talked down 30 or 40 airplanes that were in real trouble,” Hoover said in a telephone interview. “As a test pilot, I had more experience, probably, than most people.”

Hoover had experience similar problems with the P-51 landing gear. First during the World War II, then at the Transpo ’72 airshow at Washington Dulles International Airport, where he had to land the P-51 with one tire. He had succesfully land the World War II aircraft, he had stayed unscathed, but the aircraft had to undergo extensive repairs.

Regarding Gardner’s dilemma with the P-15, Hoover said the main wheel was not locked to the fuselage so he advised Gardner to keep performing a couple of maneuvers: an abrupt pull-up that can dislodge the gear with G forces, and a hard yaw to bring the force of the slipstream to bear on the stuck gear assembly.

It took an hour of maneuvering when the the landing gear finally dropped and locked into position, leading to a smooth landing.

Source: http://www.aopa.org

Classic Airplanes and Modern Jets Share the Spotlight

Airplanes enthusiasts in New Zealand are in for a treat! The Royal New Zealand Air Force will celebrate its 75^th anniversary with an airshow at Ohakea on the 31^st of March. Airplane models from the “Classics in the Sky” Tauraga air show will mix with the world’s top military aircraft where “modern world will meet history” in an exciting extravaganza.

A number of vintage aircraft from Tauraga City are expected to be displayed at the event. Classic Flyers director Andrew shared that preparations for the classic airplanes to attend the event are under way, but everything is still very dependent on the weather. However, he is looking forward that Boeing Stearman, Hawk Hunter, CT4 and Dragonfly will be at the airshow.

The Royal New Zealan Air Force will display their past, present and future aircraft. They will show their vintage airplane models like the Spitfire and Mustang. The Air Force will also showcase their newest acquisition like the A109 and NH90 helicopters plus the upgraded C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orions among other military aircraft. The Red Checkers, the aerobatic/precision flying team of the RNZAF will also demonstrate their expertise.

RNZAF Air Commodore Steve Moore says, “It’s the perfect way to celebrate the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s birthday.”

Air Forces from different nations will also participate in the event. The Royal Australian Air Force will send their F-18 fighter jet, which are very rare in New Zealand, and their C-130J Hercules and a Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft.

US Air Force will bring a C-17 Globemaster while the US Marines Corps will display the KC-130 Hercules air-to-air refuelling aircraft. The French Armed Forces of New Caledonia will have the CASA 235 twin-engine transport aircraft at the event while the Singapore Air Force will display one of their C-130.

Seeing the astounding display of modern and classic airplane models will be an incredible experience for every airplane afficionado.

source: http://www.sunlive.co.nz