My late father and his brother were both aviation nuts. Dad was a Naval Aviator in the second installment of the last century’s version of the Hundred Years War, and Uncle Jim had been an aeronautical engineer of some repute before he got into the satellite imagery business for the people at Kodak.

One of their big adventures was to take the Concorde to Paris when Dad turned 60, and their giddy recounting of watching the mach number tremble and then hit “1” in the front of the narrow cabin was a thrill to us at home when they got back. One year- it must have been 1980, since I was home in between duty stints in Japan and Korea- The duo decided to attend the big Experimental Aviation Fly-In at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and do it in style. Dad rented a lumbering Winnebego recreational vehiclefor the expedition, and Jim flew in from Rochester with my young cousin Josh.

We took off from Grand Rapids for the drive to the show, and it will remain as one of the most remarkable things I have ever attended. Josh had eyes as big as saucers for the flight demonstrations, which lean very much to the rugged individuals of General Aviation- the ones who own and fly their own aircraft.

Of course the big companies and the Navy and Air Force have a presence, and some of the old War Birds roared by, including a flying B-29 bomber, which dropped a simulated atomic bomb in front of the huge crowd. The people who own and operate the Superfortress were known as the Confederate Air Force back then. Times have caused them to change their name to the more correct “Commemorative Air Force” these days, and I don’t think they are dropping smoke on the runway anymore.

The EAA Show is uniquely American in tone, spirit and noise as anything I can imagine.

Our Shipmate Jim Mueller is enjoying an active retirement, and recently reported on the impressive air show at Farnborough, in the UK. He was on the road to his place in the pine woods in northern Wisconsin, and decided to take in this year’s show at Oshkosh on the way. Here is his report- you might want to put a future show on the bucket list if you are Up North.

Jim wrote: “…. with over 500,000 visitors – more than 10,000 fly-ins and a strong emphasis on ‘general aviation’ (GA) the annual “Oshkosh” or AirVenture event is a really big and very unique US of A air show….. going and growing here since 1953.

It’s always during the last week of July … and it’s always hot… and is held at the Wittman Regional Airport , Oshkosh, WI…with just two 8,000′ and 6,100′ main runways.

to increase the landing capacity during this very busy week you get a marshal time, a route and a parking area and then are called in to both a runway and a colored “dot” to land on, kind of normal – or a bit long…or use the taxiway… you ‘rock your wings’ to acknowledge and then ‘hit the dots… any questions – see your 32-page NOTAM.

Per the organizers, “EAA AirVenture 2016 is the world’s largest fly-in gathering and one of the world’s largest aviation events, with a total attendance of 500,000. Each year, you can enjoy daily air shows, nearly 1,000 forums and workshops and 800 exhibitors.

This year, some of the scheduled highlights include the Canadian Forces Snowbirds; the Martin Mars, the world’s largest flying boat; a 75th anniversary commemoration of Pearl Harbor; plus the 100th anniversaries of World War I aviation, U.S. Coast Guard aviation, and the Boeing Aircraft Co. ” See more at here.

So … in addition to all the usual GA activity, the warbirds and neat old vintage acft there were a couple events connected to naval aviation…including …”Martin Mars aircraft are truly amazing pieces of World War II history as the largest aircraft ever built,”  – Navy’s JRM-1 “Mars” ( JRM: Utility – Transport – by Glenn Martin )

In a show noted for the thousands of small planes of those attending and on display; the Cessnas and Pipers, Beechcraft and Mooneys etc….. the arrival of the massive – 200′ wingspan – WW-II era JRM “Mars” seaplane was gigantic….. especially at the quiet float plane harbor off Lake Winnebago which is usually kind of an idyllic setting of small yellow Piper Cubs on floats…. where you can beat the heat… a bit.

This was a first visit to Oshkosh of one of the last of two flying “Mars” seaplanes built for the Navy in early 1940s by Glenn Martin. A true “flying boat” – without wheels – it was designed to be a long-range patrol bomber operating forward out of unprepared areas. It arrived late (1945), was soon de-armed and made into a large transport instead. Only seven were made, five entered service, assigned to VR-2 at NAS Alameda and largely used on transport runs often to Hawaii until 1956.

Philippine Mars on San Francisco Bay, 1946….

In the late 50s four of the acft were sold to a fire-fighting service company in British Columbia where they were fitted with tanks (7,200 gals), water scoops and a dump system. Later the current owners, Coulson Flying Tankers acquired them. Due to business factors, the company has been trying to negotiate a transfer of the Hawaii Mars to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola and has re-painted it in Navy colors.

The transfer is pending.

It made the 2,000 miles from BC in 10 hrs was was the new, big hit of the show show….. I think.

The “China connection!” – meanwhile, last year…. it was reported that…. “Chinese pilots will be training in Canada to fly the new TA-600 amphibious aircraft now being built in China by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

AG600/TA-600 under construction. DFNS photo.

Britton Coulson of The Coulson Group said their company will be training 14 test pilots during two weeks in late July who will be the first to fly the TA-600. The training will include ground, water taxi, flight, and scooping and dropping water. The pilots from China will go through classroom and hands on training using Coulson’s Hawaii Martin Mars aircraft, actually taxiing and flying the huge flying boat.”

… the other large, historic naval aircraft at the show again this year was …

“Tanker 121” a former PB4Y-2 “Privateer” – (Patrol – Bomber – by Consolidated) a modified B-24 “Liberator” bomber used by the Navy in WW-II for long-range patrol duties. Initially, the Navy used an unmodified B-24 and it was labeled the PB4Y-1….. the “navalized” version was lengthened, strengthened and most noticeably – was equipped with a very large single rudder, vice the twin rudders on the B-24.

Maybe the most famous PB4Y pilot was Lt.(jg) Joseph Kennedy, Jr.

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., U.S.Navy (c. 1942) was lost on a special mission (Operation Anvil) Privateer flight in 1944….. which exploded before his planned bailout.

Evidently, even in the early stages of the war, the Army was protective of its’ ‘roles and missions’ areas and had objected to the Navy’s request for large, long-range, land-based patrol/bomber aircraft which they perceived as an Army Air Corps mission. Reportedly, a deal was finally made where the Navy gave up its’ Renton, WA aircraft plant (now part of Boeing) to the Army … which desperately needed new capacity for production of its brand new B-29….. in exchange, Navy got the maritime surveillance mission and the B-24s.

Intel guys may also recall that in 1950 a Soviet fighter shot down a VP-26 PB4Y-2 off Latvia killing the crew of 10.

The restored Tanker 121 started out life as Bu No. 66302. a Coast Guard P4Y-2G. … they didn’t do bombing and like some other large surplus acft, it eventually ended up as airborne firefighter in Arizona last known as Tanker 121. A private group formed the 4Y2 LLC, bought her and spent years and a bit of money restoring the acft.

Reportedly she’s the only flying version left. …… and….also naval aviation-related.

Coast Guard Aviation… at 100 Like the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation here a few years ago, Oshkosh this year celebrated the U.S. Coast Guard aviation centennial.

“Into the Storm for 100 Years”…. which might also describe their budget struggles……
http://centennial-cgaviation.org

USCG aviation history……http://uscgaviationhistory.aoptero.org/history01.html

and this was a good time to get caught up .. as they have a sizable ‘air force’ … of about 200 acft.
mostly helos – 140 – and about 60 fixed-wing….. distributed along the coasts and Great Lakes……

Helos include a 100 MH-65 Dolphins….

a variant of the French-built Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin.

and 40-some Sikorsky-built MH-60 “Jayhawks”…..

Their fixed-wing mainstay are abt. 30 HC-130 H/Js …….. in CG use since 1956…!

Relatively new on the scene are the HC-144A Ocean Sentry acft

which is a Spanish-built CN-235…. by EADS…. 18 of 36 were delivered…. and then the Coast Guard was “given” 14 nearly new or just retired C-27J Spartans that the Air Force said they could no longer afford.

Alenia Aermacchi provided this impression of a C-27J Spartan in U.S. Coast Guard livery. (Photo: Alenia Aermacchi)
I missed them but the Canadian Snowbirds were to come back for the weekend air show…..

They fly Canadair CT-114 Tutor jets … a former primary jet trainer in Canada…..

…. another warm visit to the Wisconsin cornfields … for a fun aviation event….
Mostly, it’s about General Aviation……. but with lots of interesting ‘added attractions’…

… and just getting together.

extras…….
Chinese….. ?

Harrison Ford to fly EAA’s 2 millionth “Young Eagle”……

Spartan 7….
January 28, 1943, was a typical Minnesota mid-winter day when Bush, the youngest aviation cadet in the Navy at age 18, walked out to the yellow biplane trainer on the ramp at Wold-Chamberlain Naval Air Station in Minneapolis. The mercury hovered at 16℉ as the young cadet and future 41st president of the United States climbed into the rear cockpit for his ninth solo flight of the month.

Warbirds…

Copyright 2016 Jim Mueller and Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com