WHAT AN AIRSHOW !!!

The 2024 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow, held Saturday, August 17th and Sunday, August 18th at the Colorado Springs Airport, was sold out and successful, said Airshow President Bill Klaers. It was hot, in the upper 90s, with ambient temperatures on the concrete airshow grounds reaching over 100 degrees under the Saturday mid-day sun. While some 100 visitors were treated for heat-related ailments, there were few complaints from most of the 30,000 who attended -- approximately 15,000 on Saturday and another 15,000 more on Sunday.

"The show was a complete success," Klaers said in an August 20 interview. "It was completely sold out. Vendors were really happy," said Klaers, who also is president and CEO of the National Museum of World War Two Aviation at the airport.

In past years Klaers ran the airshow. He oversaw everything when it was smaller -- the first one was in 2014 -- "but it's gotten bigger and bigger" and now "it takes partners," he said.

So, with this airshow, Colorado Springs Sports Corporation was brought on to host the event, and became an invaluable partner. It also runs such other big local events as the Broadmoor Cycle to the Summit of Pikes Peak, Labor Day Balloon Liftoff, Rocky Mountain State Games, and the July 4th Fireworks.

Sports Corp did "a good job" with the airshow, Klaers said.

Air operations, headlined by the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team, were "flawless," Klaers said. A couple of the planes that were slated to attend -- a General Motors FM-2 Wildcat and North American NA-50 – were unable to make it. The FM-2 scratched because its pilot had to help fight a wildfire, while the NA-50's pilot, who is also an airline pilot, was called away for a flight. Other than that, "we had a full complement of what we wanted," Klaers said. 46 aircraft were involved -- 30 in the air and 20 as static ground displays or demostration backups. Warbirds in the show included 13 from the Museum.

Flying in the military jets portion of the show, besides the Blue Angels in their F/A-18 Super Hornets, were an Air Force F-22 Raptor and a pair of Navy EA-18G Growlers. The F-22 flew with a Lockheed P-38 Lightning in the Air Force Heritage Flight, while the Growlers flew with the world’s only surviving Brewster F3A-1 Corsair in the Navy Legacy Flight. The Lightning and Corsair are among the aircraft on permanent loan to the National Museum of WWII Aviation by James Slattery.

The Corsair was to have been joined in the Legacy Flight by Slattery's Curtiss SB2C-1A Helldiver, which following a lengthy and detailed restoration recently flew for the first time August 10, however a tail-wheel issue encountered during practices kept it from flying in the show. It was, however, on static display on the ramp with other warbirds and was very popular with the crowds as one of just three airworthy Helldivers in the world … and the only airworthy SB2C-1A.

"I think the thing that everybody liked" was seeing "the old and the new flying together," Klaers said. Slattery was happy to see several of his airplanes flying, he said.

Over 1,000 volunteers were involved and helped ensure the show's success. Some helped coordinate aerial performances. Ashby Taylor, a former Air Force pilot who headed a team that worked with the military acts, did "a ripping good job," Klaers said. He agreed that coordination in the air was matched, and made possible, by coordination on the ground.

Work is getting underway on the next airshow, slated for September of 2026. Representatives of the Museum, Colorado Springs Airport, the city of Colorado Springs, and others will meet to discuss the effect of the show on community businesses such as hotels, car rentals, and airlines. The parties will check the numbers and other factors, "and then we will all collectively make a decision" on how to proceed for next time.

Please see additional 2024 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow pictures in the airshow photo gallery at the end of the newsletter!

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

Curtiss SB2C-1A Helldiver Returns To The Skies

The aviation world has welcomed a third Curtiss SB2C Helldiver – and the only -1A model -- to the skies. On August 8, 2024, after 45 years, BuNo 75552 (originally ordered for the USAAF as A-25A Shrike 42-80387) took flight from Colorado Springs Airport, piloted by Charles “Tuna” Hainline. This aircraft, owned by Jim Slattery and meticulously restored by WestPac Aviation Services, is operated by the National Museum of World War II Aviation.

The first engine runs of Jim Slattery’s Helldiver occurred on July 23 outside the WestPac facility at the Museum’s Colorado Springs Airport campus. Federal Aviation Administration officials, as is standard procedure, were present to witness these initial runs. On the same day, the aircraft underwent successful taxi tests, turret installation, and weight-and-balance checks, paving the way for its first flight certification.

Completion of that first post-restoration flight made it the third Helldiver to soar again, following restorations by the Commemorative Air Force’s and Fagen Fighters’ of their SB2C models.

In 1938, with fascism in Europe growing and the threat of war on the horizon, the U.S. Navy was already looking for a replacement for its new Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber, an aircraft which was still under development, and which wouldn’t first enter service with the U.S. Marines until June of 1940.

The Navy’s initial specifications were formidable for the time, calling for a metal-skinned monoplane dive bomber capable of carrying a 1,000-pound bomb loud internally, have a 1,000-mile range, and achieve a maximum speed of 300 miles per hour. It also had to be small enough so that two could fit on the elevators of the new Essex class fleet carrier. From these requirements emerged the aircraft that would become the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Without performing any types of prototype flight testing, the Navy ordered 370 SB2Cs on November 29, 1940; this lack of testing would later prove to be an unfortunate decision.

A land-based version for the US Army Air Corps, the A-25 Shrike, was ordered. By January 1942, 7,000 aircraft had been ordered. Two additional production lines were to be established -- one at Fairchild, and the other at Canadian Car and Foundry.

When the prototype XSB2C-1 was delivered and flown, it was found to handle poorly, possess unfavorable stall characteristics, and have issues with directional instability. The XSB2C-1 crashed twice during testing. The first incident occurred on approach to landing on February 8, 1941, when its Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engine failed. The aircraft was rebuilt and returned to testing, only to later be destroyed in a crash suspected to have happened when its horizontal stabilizer failed on December 21, 1941. Performance issues resulted in the Navy making nearly 900 changes to its design, which in turn led to production delays.

The initial version of the SB2C-1 was only utilized for training by the Navy stateside, with around 200 being built. The first production SB2C-1 Helldiver flew in June 1942. It didn’t see combat until November 11, 1943, when Helldivers of the U.S.S. Bunker Hill’s VB-17 attacked Rabaul on New Britain.

Military records show Helldivers flew 18,808 missions in the South Pacific, where they sank 301 ships and shot down 41 aircraft. For the allies, 271 Helldivers were shot down by anti-aircraft fire and 18 to enemy aircraft.

Eventually more than 20 Helldiver variant models rolled off production lines. The Helldiver served with the Navy and Marine Corps up until 1950, then with the Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Greece, and France post-war. They flew with the Franch navy until 1958, and last entered combat during the First Indochina War (1951-1954). In total, 7,141 Helldivers of all versions were produced.

BuNo 75552 was brought into service in 1944 as part of the U.S. Navy’s fleet of dive bombers. After being commissioned into service, this particular Helldiver was initially assigned to Naval Air Station (NAS) Alameda in California from June to October 1944. Shortly thereafter, it was transferred to NAS Seattle. However, the aircraft’s operational life was brief. On January 31, 1945, just months after its assignment to NAS Seattle, Bu. 75552 was officially stricken from the Navy’s active roster and subsequently disposed of into Lake Washington, Seattle. The exact date and circumstances of its sinking remain somewhat unclear, but this was not an uncommon fate for aircraft no longer deemed necessary for the war effort.

For decades, BuNo 75552 lay undisturbed in the depths of Lake Washington. It wasn’t until the 1980s that Recovery Services Ltd, based in Bellevue, Washington, undertook the challenging task of retrieving the aircraft. After its recovery, BuNo 75552 changed hands a few times. Mike Rawson of Minneapolis, Minnesota, acquired the aircraft in the 1990s, where it became the subject of a static restoration project in Anoka County, Minnesota. For over a decade, efforts were made to preserve the aircraft, though it remained grounded. In 2010, Helldiver LLC took ownership of BuNo 75552 with a renewed vision—not just to restore the aircraft to a static condition, but to return it to the skies. This ambitious goal led to the involvement of Vultures Row Aviation in Cameron Park, California. The plane was then sold to Jim Slattery, and over the past several years it has been restored to airworthy condition for Jim at WestPac on our Museum campus in Colorado Springs.

SB2C General Characteristics (varies by model)

·       Crew: 2

·       Length: 36 ft 8 in

·       Wingspan: 49 ft 9 in

·       Height: 13 ft 8 in

·       Wing area: 422 sq ft

·       Empty weight: 10,500 lb

·       Max weight: 16,750 lb

·       Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,900 hp (1,418 kW)

Performance

·       Maximum speed: 293 mph at 16,700 ft

·       Cruise speed: 158 mph

·       Combat range: 1,200 mi with 1,000 lb bombload

·       Service ceiling: 26,700 ft

·       Rate of climb: 1,800 ft/min

Armament

·       Guns: 

·       2 × 20 mm (0.787 in) AN/M2 cannon in the wings

·       2 × 0.30 in (7.6 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns in the rear cockpit

·       Rockets: 8 × 5 in (127 mm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets

·       Bombs: 

·       2 x 500 lb in internal bay

·       2 x 250 lb underwing

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle and George White

Photo Credit: Dave Devore

B-17 Propeller Finds a Home in Steamboat Springs

A propeller from a B-17 Flying Fortress, refurbished by WestPac Propeller Services Inc., will grace the wall of a home being built in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The three-bladed prop measures 11 feet 7 inches across; each blade weighs about 75 pounds.

The Hamilton Standard propeller came from a B-17 that was on display at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The plane was refurbished but the prop was discarded and wound up for sale at a shop in Charleston, South Carolina.

Enter Tyler Packard, a Colorado businessman.

"I collect all kinds of World War II memorabilia," he said in an interview July 25 at the WestPac Propeller operation at Colorado Springs Airport. He said that when he was visiting a historical shop near the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, he saw a recruiting poster featuring a B-17. He wanted it but didn't have a chance to buy it, so he searched for it online.

As he searched, he suddenly came upon an item about a B-17 propeller for sale in Charleston. "So I called the guy" and bought it, Packard said. "And [the family] decided this is what we wanted to put" on a wall of the family room in the new home.

It "wasn't in the best shape" because it had been outside. But after visiting the National Museum of WWII Aviation at the Colorado Springs Airport, he reached out to Museum President and CEO Bill Klaers and Rudy Serafin of WestPac Propeller, a unit of WestPac Aviation Services. The propeller was sent from Charleston to WestPac Propeller in May, and refurbishment is now complete.

"This is my first time seeing it," Packard said July 25. He was taking measurements and planned to return to Westpac Propeller in the coming days to have it sent to Steamboat Springs. He planned to store the prop until construction of the new home is finished. He'll then determine precisely how to mount it on a big wall that has been specifically designed to take the load.

Packard said his grandfather was a B-17 pilot in World War II. At the age of 22, the grandfather became an instructor in New Mexico and Oklahoma, teaching others to fly the type. "The B-17 was his favorite," Packard said. "He loved it." And the plane became "near and dear to our hearts. We have a family of aviation enthusiasts, have always been."

He also said it's important to recognize the heritage of World War II aviation and to educate young people about it, to spark their interest, and to connect them to a part of the past they may not know about.

"We live in a great place because there were great people who made great sacrifices," Packard said. "If we don't honor that in everything that we do, we're missing the boat."

The propeller, he said, "is beyond special to me."

Story and Photo Credit: Rich Tuttle

Scenes from Independence Day

More than 1,100 visitors came to the Museum for its annual Independence Day celebration, making it the most attended event at the Museum in our history to date!

Opportunities for visitors included rides in historical WWII vehicles, food vendors, open airplane cockpits, classic cars by the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Vintage Motor Car Club of America, and a demonstration flight by one of the Museum’s two TBM Avengers.

The Museum’s education team was also on hand for our young guests to learn about aerodynamics and flight by building and flying their own airplanes -- out of paper, of course!

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

Volunteer of the Second Quarter - Ashby Taylor

Longtime Museum volunteer Ashby Taylor has been named Volunteer of the Quarter for the Second Quarter. Ashby joined the Docent Team in 2014, just two years after the Museum opened its doors to the public.

He came to the museum with a wealth of knowledge from his extensive military and civil aviation career and was one of the leading contributors in the early development of content for both the WestPac and Docent-guided tours. Ashby’s easy-going approach with visitors and well-honed presentation skills have established a standard of excellence that has guided the development of the Docent Program since his arrival.

Ashby’s steady and consistent performance and common-sense approach to problem solving makes him a natural leader. So, when the Lead Docent section was established in 2021, Ashby was one of the first to be recruited for the new position. Since taking on this responsibility, Ashby has made significant contributions to the creation and development of operational standards and training programs that have greatly improved the overall performance and consistency of the Docent Program.

Congratulations Ashby!

COMING SOON: Museum’s Interactive Norden Bombsight

When Lt. Richard Albert Scott and his fellow bombardier trainees dropped bombs during practice in Texas during World War II, they dropped from 10,000 or 11,000 feet. In the unheated Beech AT-11 trainers, it was cold. They particularly felt it in the thumbs and fingers of their bare hands as they manipulated knobs on the top-secret Norden bombsight, Scott said in an oral history. In combat, he said, they knew they would be in unheated B-17s or B-24s flying much higher, where it also would be much colder.

"So we questioned the instructor," Scott said in a 2015 interview for the West Point oral history program. "How in the world are we going to do this at 20-some-thousand feet when we know it's going to be" 90 degrees or so below zero? He said the instructor replied, "Don't worry. It'll take care of itself."

And shortly thereafter, in combat with the 98th Bomb Group flying from Italy in B-24s against targets in Germany and such other places as Austria, Hungary and Romania, Scott found this to be true. "I'd come off the bomb run, I'd be sweating like a pig. And my hands would be warm as could be, even at that temperature. But it cooled right off quick, too. I had to get gloves on."

The Norden bombsight was the second most highly classified American program at the start of World War II, just after the atomic bomb. It was the U.S. Army Air Force's primary high-altitude visual bombsight and has been considered the most advanced mechanical analog computer of its era. It was designed to account for the aircraft's groundspeed, heading, altitude, and wind conditions to hit targets from above 30,000 feet. It constantly calculated a bomb's impact point based on up-to-the-minute flight conditions, and an autopilot reacted to changes in wind direction, speed, and other factors, such as the characteristics of the falling bomb itself.

Those chosen for bombardier training had to take a special oath to protect the Norden, with their lives if necessary. Richard Scott was one of some 45,000 bombardiers who were trained during the war; he survived 16 bombing missions as part of the 15th Air Force, including one perilous mission during which his B-24 Liberator was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire over the Austrian Alps. His awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, a Presidential Unit Citation, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, a WWII Victory Medal, the Air Force Longevity Service Award, and the Armed Forces Reserves Medal. Scott later retired from the Air Force as a major and worked as an international finance advisor. He celebrated his 100th birthday in January, 2024.

In his 2015 West Point oral history, he noted the destruction of bridges, including those at the Brenner Pass between Italy and Austria. The proper way to hit bridges, and the way he and others were trained, was to "go at right angles to the target." In pattern bombing, a hit was likely. But one target his plane attacked, a railroad bridge, couldn't be approached at right angles so the attack was made along its axis, "a pretty narrow target...a pencil line." And there was a crosswind. "That was a tough one. Got lucky, anyway. We walked [the bombs] right down the bridge that day."

The Norden bombsight was so accurate, as the saying went at the time, that you could "drop a bomb in a pickle barrel from 18,000 feet."

The reality was different. The British used area bombing tactics against German military and industrial cities at night; high accuracy bombing was not required. The Americans, however, chose to employ high altitude precision daylight bombing tactics against specific targets; thus, accuracy was very important. Combat conditions during the day had a significant impact on bombing accuracy, and there were other issues. Crosswinds and cloud cover, for instance, were predicted before takeoff but could be vastly different at the time on target. B-29s bombing in Japan sometimes had to contend with the high-speed Jet Stream that often was present over Japan. Europe got its share of Jet Stream in the winter too.

You'll soon be able to see some of this for yourself with an interactive replica Norden bombsight being readied for public use at the Museum. It will allow a visitor to perform a simple bomb-drop -- no crosswinds, cloud cover or enemy fire -- and see where the bomb hits.

It's one of several projects underway by the Museum's Interactive Exhibits Branch for visitors to enjoy, says Vern Patterson, a volunteer who heads the unit. The branch provides a team of University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) engineering students the opportunity to gain hands-on project experience by helping to develop interactive displays. The projects provide experiences like those that would be gained in intern positions in private industry. Most students are in their senior year, but the program currently includes some juniors and one freshman.

The interactive branch modifies World War II systems with new technology to give senior engineering students and visitors a greater appreciation for the technology of decades ago, a better understanding of how it has led to current high tech, and a sharpened curiosity about where it may lead tomorrow.

In the last eight years, the Museum has provided project experience to over 120 UCCS senior engineering students. Most senior projects are complex, involving facets of multiple engineering fields. The students learn about systems analysis, creative engineering solutions, and how to define requirements. Some of the funding for this work has been provided by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and The Aerospace Corp. The program currently includes electrical/computer engineering and mechanical /aeronautical engineering students. Currently, computer science students aren’t included in the senior projects.

The most noteworthy UCCS Engineering Program project is the installation of a five-screen flight simulation system in the static U.S. Navy N3N “Yellow Peril” biplane primary trainer which once flew to introduce novice World War II pilots to the experience of flight. Visitors take off, land, and do everything in between without ever leaving the ground. They, and on-lookers, watch the effects of their control inputs on big screens forward of the cockpit, in addition to seeing the actual mechanical surfaces, such as ailerons and rudder, move on the aircraft. It’s a big hit, especially with kids.

The Museum received a grant this year from the Kane Foundation to create an Intern Program to involve students in a more in-depth, hands-on, problem-solving experience. The goal of the program is to help students to better bridge the gap between college and industry. The Kane Foundation is a merit-based scholarship program for Southern Colorado students through seven Southern Colorado schools, one of which is UCCS. UCCS student interns are completing two interactive projects started in the Museum’s senior engineering project program.

These are:

*The Norden bombsight simulation, which will feature a big screen showing bystanders what the “bombardier” is seeing in the eye piece. A second screen will show a B-17 dropping the bomb, and where it hits. The Norden replica is only the top portion of the complex bombsight. Patterson hopes to be able to replicate the lower part but says there are no current plans to replicate its functionality. Three upper portions are on hand at the Museum, and one has been partially disassembled for display. A full Norden, to include the lower autopilot, is on display in another part of the Museum.

The interactive Norden at some point could be part of a mockup of the bombardier’s position in a B-17 or B-24 bomber.

*A replica of a .50 caliber machine gun in a replica B-17 waist gunner's position is also being developed; the "gun" would "shoot" at the image of an "attacking" German Me-109 fighter. Previous UCCS teams constructed the "gun" and determined the track of its "shells," as well as key components of the simulated Me-109. This year, the intern team installed a recoil mechanism, designed an aiming system and computed the track of the tracer shells; they also are constructing the waist gunner's position, and are developing a visual simulation system that shows the gunner shooting at the Me-109 and calculates the reaction of the Me-109 when ‘hit`. The final system will allow a visitor to "shoot" at the Me-109 and see the results on a screen.

Patterson said both projects use real physics, not gaming software, to give visitors an educational experience as well as a fun chance of success.

Another significant interactive exhibit -- completed by Museum volunteers – is the 1943 Link Trainer, one of two in the country that is operated daily.

Another Link, this one with three 50-inch screens mounted forward of the cockpit, is operating in a test mode, with limited visitor use.  Its restoration to nearly full capability also was accomplished by Museum volunteers.

Link Trainers helped familiarize 500,000 World War II pilots with the intricacies of “blind flying,” or flying by instruments alone.

Story Credit: Rich Tuttle

Special Presentation:

Operation Flight Gridiron - A Daring PBY Rescue

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Museum opens at 8:00 a.m.

Presentation at 9:00 a.m.

PBY Catalina Flight Demonstration Following Presentation (Weather Permitting)

One of the longest rescue missions of WWII, 3,232 miles one way, was conducted from Perth, Western Australia, by U.S. Navy Patrol Wing 10 using PBY Catalina flying boats; the mission was codenamed Operation FLIGHT GRIDIRON.

In late April 1942, two PBYs flew from Perth to Corregidor in the Philippines and rescued 50 key personnel as the fall of U.S. forces was imminent; the PBYs also delivered medicine and key supplies.  The PBYs took off on April 27, 1942, and returned May 2nd and 3rd. The trip to Corregidor required four refuelings enroute, two of them on a lake on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao surrounded by the Japanese.

During the night of April 29, 1942, the PBYs landed on the water at Corregidor, where boats rapidly unloaded supplies and brought out evacuees. One PBY was damaged during a lake takeoff that required temporary makeshift repairs before the long journey back to Perth. The planes flew a total of about 7,000 miles, with 3,900 of those miles in Japanese-controlled airspace. The undamaged plane took 5 ½ days to complete the mission and the damaged plane 6 ½ days. Corregidor finally fell on May 6, 1942.

On Saturday, September 14, at 9:00 a.m., retired Navy officer and current museum volunteer Rob Gale will present the incredible story of Operation FLIGHT GRIDRON and the courageous naval aviators and crewmen who participated in it. Weather permitting, the presentation is planned to be followed by a flying demonstration of the museum’s own PBY Catalina.Standard admission prices are in effect. The purchase of advance on-line tickets is encouraged.

Advance ticket prices are:

Adult - $17

Child (4-12) - $13

Senior and Military - $15

WWII Veterans – Always FREE!

Children 3 and Under – Always FREE!

Museum Members - Included in membership; please call 719-637-7559 or stop by the front desk to make your reservations.

And of course, parking is always FREE!

Story Credit: Colonel Gene Pfeffer (USAF-retired), Museum curator and historian

2024 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow Photo Gallery

Editor's Note: What do you do when the Museum powers-that-be grant you all-access to the airshow with instructions to go out and photograph the entire event? If you're fellow museum photographer Dave Devore and I, you let out a little squeal of glee, grab all your photo gear, and then head immediately to the airport before someone changes their mind!

If you were able to attend the 2024 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow, we hope these photos capture some of the incredible moments for you. If you were unable to attend, we hope you enjoy experiencing some of it through our eyes and lenses!

Dave's Photos First ....

.... and then George's photos.

Do you really love an article? Did a photograph really wow you? Have a question about a story? Want to see more of a certain topic? Did something spark a memory that you'd like to share with us?

We'd love to hear your what you have to say about the newsletter; let us know by dropping the editor a message at newsletter@worldwariiaviation.org!

Dave Devore

Photographer