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THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE

AVIATION MUSEUM OF KENTUCKY

NOVEMBER 1 ,2022


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BRIEF MENTION FROM THE AVIATION MUSEUM OF KENTUCKY


Hello News,

AMK ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING, SATURDAY DECEMBER 3 -6PM


Join us for our annual membership meeting and dinner. Current AMK members may attend for free; there will be a small charge for non-members and extra guests. 



Besides the yearly election of the Museum's Board of Trustees, we will also have a special speaker. John Estes will be the featured speaker. John works for ASR-Pioneer, whose headquarters is in Nicholasville, and delivers innovative aerospace recovery solutions, parachutes, and associated products with unparalleled quality and reliability. They produced safety products for Flying Cars to space missions to Mars. 

RSVP by November 29 if you'd like to attend. The number of free tickets you request will depend on your membership level.   Tickets available

HERE!

AMK Board of Trustees Members Proposed for Election at December 3 Annual Meeting.

The December general membership meeting is where we traditionally elect new and returning board members. The following board member’s terms will expire on December 31, 2022 and have agreed, if elected, to continue to serve on the board for a three-year term. They are Gary Lowe, Betty Murphy, and Doug Steele.   Brent Haskell and Louis Bosworth, whose terms expire on December 31, have opted not to have their names on the ballot for the general election.


The Nominating Committee has vetted two new board nominations, as follows, and they have been added to the slate.


Demetria N. Blair – Violence Prevention Manager, Creating Safer Neighborhoods Initiative, CHI Saint Joseph Health, Lexington. KY. Ms. Blair was recently awarded a Golden Apple by Fayette County Public Schools for efforts working with the district and specific schools during the 2021-22 academic year. In accepting Ed Murphy’s nomination to the AMK Board she wrote, “It is with great appreciation that I accept the nomination to the Aviation Museum of Kentucky’s Board of Directors. I am honored at the opportunity to serve alongside such distinguished members and help advance the mission work of the organization.”



D. Stewart Ditto – Financial Advisor, The Ditto Group – Baird Private Wealth Management, Lexington, KY. Mr. Ditto is a current Board member of the Kentucky Aviation Association and formerly Executive Director of Kentucky Aerospace Industry Consortium. He also brings incredible experience, leadership, and strategic planning capabilities to AMK as a former US Marine Corps Officer and Naval Aviator. He flew the T-34, TH-57, TC-12 and MV-22 Osprey. He is a single and multiengine rated commercial pilot. Also with instrument, helo and BE-200 type rating. To quote Stewart, “I am a very detailed strategic planner. I can help the board organize its strategic plan to help ensure that AMK’s mission continues for generations to come.” Mr. Ditto is married and father of two, Tripp and Lilly. 


Look forward to seeing you on December 3.

HOLIDAYS AT THE MUSEUM


The spirit of the season is raised each year at the museum with several activities and opportunities. The annual Toys for Tots collection is in progress and continues through December 3. A new unwrapped toy is the requested gift, and this contribution will earn a free admission. That 3 December date also marks our Santa Fly-in, a family event beginning at 1 pm that has happily returned after a COVID hiatus. If a gift purchase is on you list, remember that a museum membership and the gift shop selection are thoughtful items for your aviation enthusiast. There is a used aviation book sale in progress too; a good read or two may be perfect for the upcoming “restricted to hangar” days of winter. The holidays bring some museum closings as well. The museum will not be open November 24, December 24 and 25, and December 31 and January 1. 

A HALL OF FAME CONNECTION TO OPERATION TORCH

BY MARTY SCHADLER


The title Wings for Santa Barbara suggests a work of fiction, perhaps a romantic novel. It is nothing of the sort. It was an insightful report by an honoree in the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame, Class of 2010.  

L-4 On USS Ranger

The author, General William W. Ford, earned recognition as the Father of Army Aviation from his writings and his leadership. Ford’s connection to the Commonwealth is from his duty as an ROTC officer in the 1930s at what is now EKU. His theories went into combat in North Africa eighty years ago on November 9, 1942.  This campaign opened a second front against the Axis forces in OPERATION TORCH. Ford had called for aerial observation posts, the use of light aircraft like the Piper J-3 Cub and its contemporaries to spot targets and to call in artillery fire, especially for over-the-horizon targets. Ford combined his experience in artillery commands with an appreciation for flight to propose and then develop the aerial observation post concept. In June of 1942, Ford led the newly established Department of Air Training for the Army. Based at Fort Sill, the first training class began on August 1. By November 9, newly trained Army pilots were launching from the USS Ranger off the coast of North Africa. Their operation in liaison and artillery direction contributed to the proof of General Ford’s concept and a successful assault on Axis forces. For a close look at aerial observation posts, check out the L-4 on display in Hangar B at the museum.  It took some bold pilots to fly low and slow over the terrain to direct the big guns.

THE OVERLAND LINK AND AIR POWER


Kluane Lake in Yukon Territory was not summer-like at all on November 20, 1942. But the warmth of accomplishment was in good supply. Opening ceremonies for the Alaska Highway were held on that day. A series of airbases called the Northwest Staging Route was now connected by land.  Defense of Canada as well as Alaska and the western United States had prompted the construction of these bases at settlements like Whitehorse and Fort Nelson. 

Alcan Construction

Stretching though Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon, the bases created a chain between the starting point in Edmonton with a terminus at Ladd Field in Fairbanks. The airfields were so critical that their locations guided the route of the Alaska Highway. The bases could handle air freight and supplies for the road construction. A completed highway would support the logistics of operational air bases. Our then-allies the Russians received a benefit too. American pilots ferried aircraft for the wartime Lend/Lease Program to the several bases of the staging route on their way to Fairbanks. Ladd Field was the pick-up point for the Soviets to take delivery and fly across the Bering Sea to the Russian motherland. The 1,400 miles of the road dedicated in November 1942 received improvements almost immediately. Moving from military construction units to private contractors, it was widened to at least 26 feet wide and made “all-weather”. This herculean effort prevails these many years later as you can drive it today. Just find Dawson Creek and head northwest. Ladd is now Ladd Army Airfield and is frequently used for extreme frigid temperature training and testing by our military.

ORIGINS OF THE IAF


It began amid a struggle that seemed insurmountable. On November 10, 1947, the Sherut Avir, or Air Service, was organized in Palestine. This would become the Israeli Air Force when the state of Israel was declared the following year. The early days of the Israeli air arm were known for an informal and international mix of aircraft and personnel with the grit of freedom fighters. The will of the country to survive has been supported more than once by the performance of its air force. As a solid ally of the USA, American-built combat aircraft have served the IAF through its several major conflicts. The vigilance that maintains Israeli freedom today still includes “Made in the USA” wings.

READING THIS AND NOT AN AMK MEMBER


JOIN TODAY!

The Liberty Plane, America's First War Plane; The DH 4


You’re invited to a special screening of the documentary, Legends of the Sky: The Liberty Plane in Bowling Green on Saturday, November 5.

When the United States first entered World War I, its Army Air Service lacked a combat-ready aircraft – a liability that prompted a global search to identify an aircraft suitable for mass production at home and combat operations abroad. The aircraft that won out was the single-engine DH-4, dubbed the “Liberty Plane.” Legends of the Sky: The Liberty Plane, a documentary from Bowling Green filmmakers Dorian and Elaine Walker, tells the story behind the DH-4 as well as the heroic pilots who proved the plane’s worth on the battlefield and, later, back home with the nascent U.S. air mail.


LEARN MORE HERE

"AMERICAN PATROL"

GLENN MILLER


All the best to you, enjoy these Vintage War Birds in flight!


Anne Steele

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