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2016-05-17

CFM May 2016 Quarterly Newsletter

Forwarded message - From: Cavanaugh Flight Museum <museumstore@cavflight.org>





From the Director
Warbirds over Addison is just around the corner (May 21-22) and will be a great event. We have several Mustangs scheduled to appear and fly. There is no sound like a formation of P-51's overhead. We will be flying many of our aircraft that weekend, including Barbie III, the B25H that arrived at the museum last month. The maintenance team is hard at work putting the finishing touches on our P-51 The Brat III getting her ready for the event. The AD-5 Skyraider is back in the air after an inspection and maintenance. Speaking of Skyraiders, we have an AD-6 Skyraider planning to attend our event. And, other aircraft are planning to attend as well.

Last month we performed at Ft. Worth Joint Reserve Base (Carswell AFB) for their airshow. We put on a Vietnam reenactment, featuring the CV2 Caribou, AD-5 Skyraider and O2 Skymaster. It was a great show and we hope to perform this act at other airshows across the US.




Our Volunteer program is growing. We have many new volunteers to welcome and get involved. Many projects, old and new, for the volunteers to work with. If you want to volunteer, call the gift shop and speak to Laura and she can get you started.


Warbirds over Addison is one of our best events. See you there! Blue skies, Doug
 



Warbirds Over Addison 2016 | P-51 Mustang Round Up!
Join us in celebrating the famed P-51 Mustang during our annual Warbirds Over Addison Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22, 2016, 10am to 5pm. This special Mustang Round Up will feature up to six visiting P-51s from other aircraft collections around the state, including actual combat veterans like the
Cavanaugh Flight Museum's P-51D Brat III.

Sleek and elegant, the North American P-51D Mustang was truly a 'fighter pilot's dream.' It is perhaps the best-known fighter aircraft of all time. Designed in record time at the request of the British in 1940, the Mustang possessed a deadly combination of speed, endurance, maneuverability and firepower. By the end of the Mustang's production run, more than 15,000 P-51s had been built and the aircraft had seen service around the world as an escort fighter, fighter-bomber, dive-bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, and finally, a race plane. The Mustang first drew blood in the spring of 1942 and the last Mustangs were withdrawn from active service more than four decades later - a service record which
no other fighter aircraft has been able to match.

Manufacture of the Mustang began in early 1941 at North American's Inglewood, California plant.
As orders for the new fighter quickly increased, North American opened a new plant near Dallas,
in Grand Prairie, Texas to assist in the production of the P-51.

Originally fitted with an Allison V-1710 engine, the Mustang proved to be a superb fighter at low-to-medium altitudes, but its performance dropped off above 12,000 feet. At the urging of a Rolls Royce test pilot, RAF P-51s were tested with a Rolls Royce Merlin engine and the Mustang found new legs.

The P-51D rolled out of the factory with a Packard V-1650. The Packard V-1650 is a US built Rolls Royce Merlin produced under license by the Packard Motor Car Company. With the powerful, supercharged Merlin, the Mustang's high altitude performance drastically increased, as did the plane's range. This immediate boost in range allowed the plane (with drop tanks) to escort American bombers into the heart of Germany and Japan and back. Once the bombers had full mission fighter protection, the air
war for Europe and the Pacific was as good as won.

Warbirds Over Addison will be an exciting weekend that will include formation flying demonstrations, aerial displays, warbird rides, Sherman tank demo, and military vehicle rides. Snacks, drinks and
lunch available. Don't miss this very special event.


Click here to buy tickets online!
Tickets available at the museum starting May 20. For more information go to www.cavflight.org

 



In The Collection
| B-25H Mitchell
Named after General Billy Mitchell, the Army Air Corps' most famous figure of the 1920s and 1930s, the North American B-25 proved to be one of the best American weapons of World War II. First flown on August 19, 1940, the B-25 was a rugged, adaptable and accurate medium bomber. Famed for its role in the Doolittle Raid on Japan, the B-25 served around the world and flew with several air forces. North American produced the Mitchell in many different models, nearly 10,000 B-25s in all.

The Mitchell proved to be highly flexible and was fitted with a wide variety of armaments. Some versions of the B-25 were armed with no less than fourteen forward firing .50 cal. machine guns; while the B-25H boasted a 75mm cannon mounted in the nose. Besides being used as a horizontal bomber, the B-25 was used as a low-level attack and anti-shipping aircraft. Since the end of World War II, B-25s have been used as private transports and are common participants at air shows.

The museum's B-25H, s/n 43-4106, was manufactured in the North American Aviation factory in Englewood, California in 1943, and is the #2 prototype of the 'H' model. During WWII, this B-25H served stateside until 1947, when it was declared surplus and sold it to the Bendix Corporation who used it as a test aircraft, in the development of new jet fighter landing gear systems.

 

Although 43-4106 did not serve in combat, the restoration group decided to paint the aircraft in the colors of a combat veteran B-25H. Their choice was the B-25H Barbie III as flown by Lt. Col. Robert T. 'R.T.' Smith in 1944. Lt. Col. Smith was one of the original members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) also known as the Flying Tigers, protecting China as part of the Nationalist Chinese Air Force before the United States entered WWII. After the AVG disbanded in 1942 he returned stateside for a time as the Commanding Officer of the 337th Fighter Squadron, 329th Fighter Group in California. Smith volunteered to return to the China-Burma-India theater (CBI) of the war with the 1st Air Commando Group of the 10th Air Force as commander of the group's B-25 Mitchell squadron in low-level attack and bombing missions. His aircraft, Barbie III, was named in honor of his wife, Barbara Bradford, who he married shortly before he departed for the CBI. Lt. Col R.T. Smith flew a total of 55 combat missions in the aircraft over Burma and was awarded the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Silver Star.
 


What's New in the Museum Store?

The CFM Museum Store has some exciting new items and clearance items
that speak to all aviation enthusiasts!
• Coming soon, we will have our very own Barbie III shirts.
• Also in stock, we have new women's apparel. Shirt prices range from $15.99 to $21.99.
Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project
DVD & Blu-ray are available for a limited time only.
• During our Warbirds Over Addison event, we'll have several P-51 Mustang items such as our Brat III t-shirts and P-51 models available for purchase to suit our theme Mustang Round Up.

The CFM Museum Store has marked down many of our items in order to make room for new merchandise this summer. Many of these items are great for aviation enthusiast interested in specific World War II events such as The Doolittle Raiders or Ghost Calendars with amazing pictures of
WWI and WWII warbirds.
• 2015 World War I Ghosts calendar: $5.00
• 2016 World War II Ghosts calendar: $8.00   
• The Doolittle Raid book: $10.00

Looking for a unique and cool place to have a child's birthday party?
Party with the planes! For more information, or to book a party, please contact Laura Sanchez
at 972-380-8800 ext. 100 or
lsanchez@cavflight.org.


Visit www.cavflight.org, or call the museum gift shop at 972.380.8800x100
to ask about our Warbird Ride Program and memberships.
Membership benefits include:
• Free admission   
• 10% discount on all warbird rides
• 10% discount off Museum Store merchandise
• Free admission to museum special events and fly days
• Discounted rates on museum facility rentals

 



 
Plane Ride Load Volunteers Make a Difference

Ever since CFM's inception in 1993, volunteers have been vitally important to our growth. Volunteers of all ages and from all walks of life have helped make us a recognized leader in the aviation community. Many volunteers have joined us to be a part of our tradition of excellence, while helping us continue to provide high quality programs and services to our members and visitors.

In keeping with the CFM tradition of recognizing excellence, in this issue we are paying tribute to our Plane Ride Load Volunteers. This team of dedicated aviation enthusiasts includes Jack Schulz,
John Townsend, Don Patty, Mike Tillman and Mike Schneider.

The motto of this group could be "We Help Keep 'em Flying." They don't just help people taking plane rides into aircraft and buckle them in for the flight of their life time in a warbird or a vintage biplane. Their role is a vital and multi-faceted one to say the least. They are part safety-first expert, part flight prepper, part hot ramp services provider and part museum tour guide all wrapped into one role. Their overriding goal is to help all plane riders have the most enjoyable and safe flight experience possible. And, in most cases, they also play host to any family, friends or business associates who have come along to watch the take off.

The Adventure Lives On
Like all of our volunteers, our Plane Ride Load Volunteers share the love we all have for old aircraft. They help promote and encourage the preservation and safe operation of vintage aircraft of all types. The amazing aircraft in the growing CFM collection are an important part of our human history. Seeing vintage aircraft in a museum or seeing flyable ones in an air show is very powerful by itself. But nothing can substitute for the exhilarating experience of flying in one! In the case of warbird riders, the experience reminds them of the many sacrifices made by veterans who flew these aircraft in actual combat. They truly are a history lesson brought to life.

Based on condition or lack of parts, some rare aircraft belong on permanent static display in museums. At CFM, if possible, we'd rather see them flying. Depending on specific aircraft, pilot availability, and weather conditions our plane ride volunteers are called on, many times on short notice, to help load passengers seven days a week. We offer rides in a variety of vintage aircraft including our P-51D Mustang, Corsair, Skyraider, AT-6 Texan, Stearman, Bell Helicopter OH-13 Sioux, T-28B Trojan, Travel Air 4000 and Cessna O-2A Skymaster. Our ride loaders are thoroughly trained in passenger safety procedures for all of our flyable aircraft to ensure flight readiness.

Safety First
The continued safety of aviation is the responsibility of CFM and the entire aviation community. By following best practices and holding our personnel, pilots, volunteer teams and aircraft to a high standard, we ensure the safety of our plane rides every time we fly. This same core value applies throughout our organization. So whether we are restoring or flight testing an aircraft, or just flying around, we think safety first and take this responsibility very seriously. Enough can't be said about the plane ride loader team's ongoing commitment to safety and providing an excellent rider experience. They are some of the most passionate stewards of the history of aviation, and dedicated to preserving, promoting and sharing that history with like-minded people from around the world.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the plane ride load volunteers please contact Jack Schulz through the CFM front desk. We'd be glad to have you join us!

 



Have Your Special Event at the Museum
The Museum has seen so many unique events this year and the calendar is filling up quickly. Corporate events, non-profit fundraisers, private parties, and even weddings have chosen the museum for its unique venue. Nathan and Nicole Rankin tied the knot, in March, in front of the P-40 Warhawk and celebrated the reception with the P-51D Mustang as a backdrop!

The Museum will soon be hosting The Girl Scouts of America and integrate a program similar to the Boy Scouts Aviation Merit Badge. The Girls Scouts will have the opportunity to earn the badge for their sashes and vests and receive a Cavanaugh Flight Museum patch so that they can spread
the word about their fun experience.

If you are interested in hosting your next event at the Museum, please call Rachael at 972-380-8800 ext. 103 or email
rmarsellus@cavflight.org. She will be happy to help you make your special event 'fly high' at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum!

2016 Event Calendar
May 21: Photo Squadron – P-51s photographed at sunrise
May 21- 22: Warbirds Over Addison Mustang Round Up
June 17: Photo Squadron – Bombshell model photographed with B-25 at sunset
July 3: Kaboom Town Fireworks
August 19: Photo Squadron – Fokker DVII morning photograph
September 23: Photo Squadron – Two Stearmans photographed at sunset
September 24-25: Fall Fly Days and Car Show
October 15: Photo Squadron – Shoot aircraft departing to Alliance, morning
November 18: Photo Squadron – P-40 evening photoshoot
December 16: Photo Squadron – TBM Avenger photograph in hangar, evening

Cavanaugh Flight Museum
4572 Claire Chennault | Addison, TX 75001
972.380.8800 | www.cavflight.org