| Welcome
to the first issue of EAA Warbirds Briefing,
a new electronic newsletter dedicated to the Warbird
community and enthusiasts. It is EAA's newest member
benefit. As a EAA Warbirds of America Member, you are
automatically subscribed to this monthly newsletter. If you
do not want to receive future issues, please click the
unsubscribe link at the bottom of this newsletter. |
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| A
Note From the Editor |
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| Earlier
this year, at Oshkosh, I found myself volunteering for duty
as editor of an as-of-yet unnamed e-newsletter for the
warbird community. I figured that this would involve getting
some help from a computer guru and maybe setting up a
subscribe link, or some techie thing like that. I was wrong.
In fact, having never even worked on a high school
newspaper, boy was I really wrong. |
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| In
the intervening months I have learned a little about
computers, and more about motivation, and motivating others,
as well as getting to know a few more of the wonderful
individuals in our community. What has resulted is a fluid
and dynamic publication that I hope you will begin to search
for in your inbox each month.
Here you
will find the latest on government affairs, operational
safety, aircraft under restoration, and hopefully even news
from your own warbirds squadron and region. You will also
find links to audio and video from Oshkosh365.
If you haven't been exploring the EAA social networking
website lately, let me urge you to check it out.
The
advantage of an e-mail-based newsletter is its flexibility
and immediate nature. I would like to ask each and every one
of you to submit a note about your local goings-on. Take
some time to write an article about your project, to ask for
help in finding that historic piece or part, or report what
your local squadron has planned. This publication will be
what we, as a group, make it. I hope to hear from many of
you in the days ahead. Fly safely.
Harold
Cannon
Editor, EAA Warbirds Briefing
h.cannon@eaa.org |
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| Guest
Columnist Rick Siegfried, President, EAA Warbirds of America |
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| Welcome,
warbird enthusiast. This is the first edition of the EAA
Warbirds of America electronic newsletter, EAA Warbirds
Briefing. Anyone interested in warbirds of all types will be
able to subscribe to the newsletter via e-mail. The content
in the newsletter will keep you up to date on issues,
events, and information in the warbird community. |
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| We hope
for those of you who are new to warbirds that it will
encourage you to be an active member of the warbird
community and join EAA Warbirds of America in our task to
"Keep 'em Flying." For those who are already
involved in warbird activities, the e-newsletter will
provide a vehicle to become more aware of activities of
interest to you. Read
more |
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| Safety
News and Issues |
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"Roger
CAPCOM, Cleared for Takeoff"
I
watched in amazement at a recent fly-in as a fellow warbird
pilot treated his departure in his Yak TD with the attention
to detail and procedure that would make NASA proud. His “shuttle
launch” had started earlier with a 25-minute walk around
that looked more like a pre-buy inspection than a standard
preflight. Last spring I was washing my T-34 really close to
a row of Piper Cherokees when an instructor and his student
walked passed me. I guess our illustrious instructor was
just giving a cockpit orientation. I went back to washing,
and a few moments later the morning silence was broken by
the pair starting the Piper. I stood up and walked over to
the front of their plane and gave them the old “shut it
off” signal. After some hand waving from us both he
finally shut it down. He jumped out on the wing and
arrogantly shouted, “Hey buddy, what’s your problem? I
got plenty of room to taxi!” His ego deflated at twice the
speed of sound when I told him, “I know you have enough
room, but I just thought you might want to untie the plane.”
Read
more |
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L-39
Incident Makes News
An
incident from 2008 involving a pilot
flying over the ocean near the Santa Monica Pier made
the national news
this week when the FAA took action against the pilot. Based
on details in the Los Angeles press, it appears that the
incident does not shed a good light on operators of
experimental exhibition jet aircraft. Most operators of
these types of aircraft do an excellent job of maintaining,
operating, and exhibiting these aircraft in a manner in
which the Federal Air Regulations allow. It is unfortunate
that sometimes these aircraft are operated in a fashion that
is not compliant with the regulations. We in the warbird
community all suffer the consequences of those operations. Read
more |
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| Maintenance
and Restoration News
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Lt. Ted
Shealy’s Restoration Shop
The
Heart of the Pacific Aviation Museum's Restoration Hangar
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The
Pacific Aviation Museum’s (PAM) Ford Island location in
the middle of Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor is certainly one of
the most historically significant sites in America. The
hangars that house the museum are the same ones that bore
witness to the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack that
triggered the United States’ entry into World War II.
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| The
newly refurbished restoration facility was appropriately
named “Lt. Ted Shealy’s Restoration Shop.” Shealy was
an exceptional aircraft maintenance man whose naval career
spanned naval biplane fighters in 1936 all the way to F-4
Phantoms during the Cold War. During World War II he was
stationed on Ford Island, served aboard the USS Enterprise
during the Battle of Midway. Read
more |
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| Updates
on Government Issues and Advocacy |
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| NPRM
May Affect Warbird Jets |
| On
August 31, 2009 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for changes to
14 CFR Parts 61, 91, and 141. These changes would
affect pilot, flight instructor, and pilot school
certification rules. The proposals include requiring
pilot-in-command (PIC) proficiency checks for pilots who act
as PIC of single piloted, turbojet-powered
airplanes. This set of rules would govern warbird jet
aircraft certificated in the experimental exhibition
category as well. Read
more |
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| CAF
Loses Court Fight to Keep P-82 |
| The
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has
ruled in favor of the National Museum of the United States
Air Force (USAFM) in the ownership dispute of the P-82 Twin
Mustang. |
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| While
the ruling by the Court of Appeals supports the original
judgment of the District Court in July of 2009,
Commemorative Air Force (CAF) officials are disappointed by
the outcome. Read
more |
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| November’s
Featured Stories |
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Why I
Volunteered
I think I found EAA Warbirds Squadron 4 (Aurora, Illinois)
the same way many people do. I just looked up. I was
photographing my youngest daughter playing soccer, sitting
back in my folding chair. I was waiting for some action on
the field when I heard a fantastic, non-civilian engine
sound overhead. I looked up and saw a big blue and white TBM
Avenger flying low and slow. I swung the camera up and held
the shutter button down, firing off about 20 shots. That
sound! That big, thumping round motor sound! I forgot all
about soccer. Read
more |
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| EAA’s
Aluminum Overcast Visits EAA Warbirds Squadron 1 in Camden,
Tennessee |
Last
month EAA’s B-17 Flying Fortress, Aluminum Overcast,
darkened the skies over Camden, Tennessee. As someone who
just experienced his first B-17 ride, let me fully endorse
the experience and the program. The aircraft itself is
overwhelming. The sense of history is incredible. You walk
away literally unable to measure the bravery of those who
fought on the “Fort.
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| Hosted
by EAA Warbirds Squadron 1, and in conjunction with Darrell
Berry’s annual warbird fly-in, multiple rides were given
over a two-day visit. It’s hard to describe how much fun
these events were in and of themselves, but together they
were a blast. Read
more |
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| EAA
Chapter 640 Sends WWII Troop Glider Restoration to Michigan
Museum
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A
World War II glider segment that has been sitting in Wausau
resident Syd Cohen's hangar at the Wausau Downtown Airport
for nearly four years is headed back to Iron Mountain,
Michigan this month.
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| Cohen
initially planned to send his segment, the front fuselage,
to the Menominee Range Historical Foundation in Iron
Mountain sometime in 2010. Cohen's piece is the only one in
Wausau; the other segments - the wings, tail and rear
fuselage - were being built or restored in Iron Mountain by
volunteers.
Those
volunteers, however, finished building the wings and tail
segments and restored the rear fuselage before Cohen could
complete his work. Now, the volunteers want to take Cohen's
work off his hands and finish it in Iron Mountain.
"In
some ways I'm glad, and in some ways I'm disappointed I
don't get to complete it," Cohen said. "I
definitely have mixed feelings on it." Read
more
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| 'Lt.
Dan Band' Returning to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2010
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| A
weeklong salute to veterans during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
2010 will be highlighted by the return of actor Gary Sinise
and his "Lt. Dan Band" at AirVenture’s Theater
in the Woods. The concert, sponsored by EAA Warbirds of
America and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), is
scheduled for Friday, July 30. Read
more
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| From
the EAA Warbirds Community
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The Warbird Island message forum at Oshkosh365 is as active
as ever. Have a look at the list below and follow the links
to read the actual questions and discussion topics.
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Issue 1,
November 2009 |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
| Warbirds
at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 |
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View the gallery |
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TIMELESS VOICES |
| Gary
Austin
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| Gary Austin began his aviation career washing airplanes
as a teenager. Over the years he would earn an Airframe and
Powerplant certification and began working as an aircraft
mechanic. In 1996 he joined Ezell Aviation, a warbird
restoration shop in Breckenridge, Texas, where he learned
the ropes of working on round-engined warbirds. In 2001
opened his own restoration/maintenance shop called Retro
Aviation. In 2004 Gary became crew chief on the
Commemorative Air Force’s B-29 "FIFI" and B-24
"Diamond Lil." During his tenure with the CAF,
Gary spearheaded the transformation of "Diamond Lil"
to its original B-24A configuration and new nickname "Ol'
927." Sadly, Gary passed away on Monday, October 26. He
was truly one of the "good guys" in the warbirds
community, and will always be remembered for his easy grin
and willingness to go out of his way to help fellow warbird
enthusiasts. Watch
the video.
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EAA RADIO |
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Operation
Halyard
EAA Radio's Digital Dave talked with Bill David, EAA
Chapter 582 Toledo, Ohio during AirVenture 2009, about
Arthur Jibilian and his participation in Operation Halyard;
a never revealed mission to rescue 513 downed American
airmen during WW II by landing C-47s on top of a mountain in
Serbia. More information about Jibilian can be found at the Tesla
Memorial Society of New York.
Listen
to the interview |
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| DEC
5 - EAA Warbirds Squadron 6 Meeting and Christmas Party.
EAA AirVenture Museum, Fergus Plaza, Oshkosh, WI. Meeting 11
a.m.-12 noon. Lunch 12-1 p.m. Tour of EAA AirVenture Museum
1-4 p.m. Info: Dave Schommer at 920-246-3430 or dschom@aol.com.
FEB
18-21, 2010 - 16th National Warbird Operator Conference,
San Diego, CA. Visit www.warbirdconference.com.
APR
13-18, 2010 - Sun 'n Fun Fly-In, Lakeland, FL. Visit www.sun-n-fun.org.
JUL
26-AUG 1, 2010 - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI.
Visit www.AirVenture.org. |
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In
our aircraft judging/awards program, do you feel a
full-size, reproduction warbird should be judged along with
authentic warbirds?
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