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From the Director
There's always something new to see at the museum. We are constantly adding rare and unique aircraft to our fleet. This spring will see another addition. A B25H model 'Barbie III'. This is the only 'H' model flying. The H had a special role during WWII, and we are excited to have her. Barbie III is undergoing maintenance in Florida and will soon be flying. If all goes as planned, it's a warbird you know, we will have her at Sun-n-Fun in April and bring her home after.
Here is a some information about the B-25H*: In anti-shipping operations, the USAAF had an urgent need for a hard-hitting aircraft, and North American responded with the B-25G (see comparison below). In this series, the transparent nose and bombardier/navigator position was changed for a shorter, hatched nose with two fixed .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns and a 75mm (2.95 in) M4 cannon, one of the largest weapons fitted to an aircraft similar to the experimental British 57 mm gun-armed Mosquito Mk. XVIII and the German Ju 88P heavy cannon (up to a 75mm long-barrel Bordkanone BK 7.5). The shorter nose placed the cannon breech behind the pilot where it could be manually loaded and serviced by the navigator; his crew station was moved to just behind the pilot. The navigator signaled the pilot when the gun was ready, and the pilot fired the weapon using a button on his control wheel.
The B-25H series continued the development of the gunship concept. The H had even more firepower. Most replaced the M4 gun with the lighter T13E1, designed specifically for the aircraft, but 20-odd H-1 block aircraft completed by the Republic Aviation modification center at Evansville had the M4 and two machine gun nose armament. The 75mm gun fired at a muzzle velocity of 2,362 ft/s (720 m/s). Due to its low rate of fire (about four rounds could be fired in a single strafing run), relative ineffectiveness against ground targets, and the substantial recoil, the 75mm gun was sometimes removed from both G and H models and replaced with two additional .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns as a field modification and re-designated the G1 and H1 series respectively.
Our restored B-25H Barbie III has four .50 Browning belt-fed machine
guns and one 75mm gun mounted in the nose.
The H series normally came from the factory with four fixed, forward-firing .50 machine guns in the nose; four more .50's in two side-mounted forward-firing gun packages, two .50's in the manned dorsal turret behind the cockpit, one .50 in each waist position, and a pair in the tail gunner's position. Company promotional material bragged that the B-25H could "bring to bear 10 machine guns coming and four going, in addition to the 75mm cannon, eight rockets and 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) of bombs."
The H had a modified cockpit with single flight controls. The co-pilot's station and controls were deleted, and instead had a smaller seat used by the navigator/cannoneer. The radio operator position was aft of the bomb bay with access to the waist guns. Elimination of the co-pilot saved weight. Moving the dorsal turret forward counter-balanced the waist guns and the manned rear turret. A total of 405 B-25G's and 1,000 B-25H's were built with 248 of the latter being
used by the Navy as PBJ-1H. *Source: Wikipedia
Click here to watch a video of B25H models in the Pacific during WWII.
• Drone Wars III is Saturday, February 20. This will be an action-packed event. So come out and watch the drones race the new course. The action starts at 12 noon!
• Volunteers are making great headway on the Stearman and the C47 control surfaces recovering.
We always look forward to seeing you. Come out and get involved! Blue skies, Doug
Drone Wars III-February 20! Head to head drone racing!
For 2016, we are adding what has become the fastest growing segment in Drones – FPV or 'First Person View.' What is FPV? It's a camera system on the front of the drone that broadcasts a signal to goggles the pilot wears so that it appears to the pilot that they are actually aboard the drone! In fact, it's the most realistic '3-D video game' out there where your skill in flying the drone around the course is not regulated by a computer but is limited only by the ability of the pilot. The format is similar to car racing where there can be up to five drones racing at one time. The drones will have five laps to complete the course that goes around pylons and through hoops with the drone crossing the finish line first being the winner of the race. The museum's new large screen projector will be broadcasting the views from the FPV pilots while they are racing so the audience will have a first hand view of what
the pilots are seeing.
In addition to FPV racing, we will have LOS, or 'Line of Sight,' racing on an obstacle course where two drones compete head to head, similar to our past two events, but on a new and faster course. The spectator area is all around the drone course protected by nets, and there will be drone vendors and pilots to answer questions and demonstrate drone flying. Also, the museum will have drones available for the public to try out in between races.
Why is a historical museum, full of airworthy vintage aircraft, interested in drones? Simple, our mission is to promote aviation studies for the young and old. Drones are a big part of aviation and will play a larger role in the future. More drones were registered by the FAA in the last three months than there are airplanes flying today! Career opportunities for designing, building, flying and maintaining drones are already popping up and demand will only continue to grow!
So whether your are coming to fly, learn about drones, or just want to watch the action,
Drone Wars III should be our best event yet!
When:
Practice & qualifying: Friday, February 19: 3pm to 8pm Saturday, February 20: 9am to 11:30am
Racing - Saturday, February 20: 12:30pm to finish, trophy presentation to follow.
Racecourse:
11,000 square feet, enclosed hangar at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum.
Netting on all 4 sides of the rectangle course for spectator safety.
Who can race?
Open to the public. Drones must all be electric, one pilot, no more than 4 rotors,
less than 12-inch rotor span, and less than 3 lbs.
Classes:
Line of sight (LOS) and first person view (FPV)
Trophies:
First through third, beginner and advanced LOS and FPV classes.
Pricing:
Pricing: $25 for competitor, $10 for spectators.
Racing Rules
LINE OF SIGHT RACE RULES (LOS)
All racing will be head to head. The winner of a race is the drone that crosses the finish line first after completing the course properly. The racer that wins two out of the next three races held back-to-back will move to the next heat. A racer must complete the course by going the correct direction and in the order of obstacles marked on the course to have completed the course as a finish. If a racer misses an obstacle or goes the wrong direction, the racer can go back and repeat the course from that point and still finish the race. If a racer passes through the finish gate without completing the course properly, the racer will be scored the loser of the race. Two judges will be on hand to point out course infractions. However, it's the racers responsibility to complete the course properly. Course deviations include: pylons not rounded below the top of the pylon, not flying the proper course direction, and a pilot stepping out of the Pilot Zone (space the pilot stands while flying the course).
If a pilot steps out of the Pilot Zone for any reason, including retrieving their drone on their side of the racecourse, they can stay in the race if they start the course from the beginning. Each race will start with a whistle and the drone can be running but not moving on the starting pad. Drones moving early will forfeit that race. Each race has a two-minute time limit. The drone that is furthest along on the course when the two-minute time limit is reached is the winner of that race.
FIRST PERSON VIEW RACE RULES (FPV)
Two classes: Silver and Gold
There will be six heats per class; lowest total point score wins the event. Up to six drones can race at one time. Each heat will be six laps on the course. The score for a heat is determined by your finishing order after completing the course. A racer must complete the course by going the correct direction and in the order of obstacles marked on the course to have completed the course as a finish. If a racer passes the finish line without completing the course properly, the racer will be scored six points for that race. Each race will start with a whistle and the drone can be running but not moving on the starting pad. Drones moving early will forfeit that race. Each race has a three-minute time limit. The drone that is furthest along on the course when the two-minute time limit is reached will be scored in that
position at the time limit.
Click here to register for Drone Wars III
Click here to watch a video about Drone Wars III
In The Collection: MiG-17F Fresco C
The deadly Soviet fighter MiG-17 earned the respect of U.S. pilots in the war-torn skies over Vietnam. It has excellent maneuverability, heavy cannon armament, and has seen combat throughout the world in the service of more than 40 countries.
The design team, at Mikoyan Gurevich, began the prototype MiG-17 as a conversion of the older MiG-15 airframe. The prototype had a thinner wing that incorporated a mid-span bend in the leading edge as well as a longer fuselage and a larger vertical fin. In August 1951, after successful completion of a test program, the aircraft was ordered into mass production and officially
designated the MiG-17 (called 'Fresco' by NATO).
The MiG-17F (Fresco C) first rolled off the production lines in the spring of 1953 and was the most widely produced variant of the MiG-17. The main difference between the MiG-17 and the later MiG-17F was the power plant. The MiG-17F used the more powerful VK-1 F after-burning turbojet which provided a substantial increase in power for takeoff and combat maneuvering.
The 'F' in MiG-17F designates 'with afterburner.'
The MiG-17F's most visible role came during the Vietnam War. The MiG-17 proved the continued worth of automatic cannons in an era of advanced air-to-air missiles. American flight crews repeatedly stated they feared North Vietnam's elderly MiG-17's far more than the newer, faster and missile-armed MiG-21.
The Cavanaugh Flight Museum's MiG-17F Serial No. 1228 was manufactured by the Polish Aviation Factory (Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze) in Mielec, Poland and given the Polish designation of Lim-5. It was delivered to the Polish Air Force on July 30, 1958 and was initially operated by the 2nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (2 Pulk Lotnictwa Mysliwskiego) at Goleniow Airport in Szczecin, Poland.
After many years of service in Poland, the aircraft was released for private sale and shipped to the United States in 1993. It was acquired by the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in 1994 and placed on static display. The aircraft features a complete cockpit, including its original ejection seat, gun sight, radios and instrumentation.
What's New in the Museum Store?
• To start the new year, we have stocked a variety of aircraft shirts from $22.99 or less.
We also have a large selection of books, toys, hats, and other aviation related items.
• Build your favorite E-Z Build 1:72 scale model airplane kit which also includes
a collector's card – all for the low cost of $10.99.
• Premium collector's edition of diecast metal helicopters on sale for $19.99. These serial numbered, highly detailed, 1:60 scale models have doors which open and have authentic markings.
• 2016 Ghosts, A Time to Remember aviation calendar – each month contains
a breathtaking photograph of a vintage World War II aircraft.
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
Crew Chief / Plane Captain Update
The Cavanaugh Flight Museum volunteers started 2016 with several new opportunities. In order to enhance the volunteer's experience at our museum, they have the opportunity to become a Crew Chief /Plane Captain for a particular aircraft. Volunteers will work with Cavanaugh employees to maintain appearance as well as learning historical significance of not only our particular airplanes, but other models of the same plane and their contributions to our history, both war and peacetime.
The Crew Chief/Plane Captain terms come from Air Force and Navy usage. Crew Chiefs are responsible for Air Force aircraft readiness and Plane Captains for the Navy aircraft. Since the museum includes many non-US aircraft, we will use Plane Captain for US Navy aircraft and
Crew Chief for all others.
Crew Chief/Plane Captains responsibilities include bi-weekly (or regular) dusting/cleaning, checking that the tires are adequately inflated, ensuring historic signage is in place, representing the plane at any special events and educating other volunteers. Training and materials will be provided for cleaning processes, so please ensure you have instruction prior to beginning on the aircraft. Responsibilities excluded are aircraft flying operations and aircraft operational maintenance. For any issue, related to functional or operational discrepancies, notify the museum maintenance staff for corrective action.
We are also asking the Crew Chiefs and Plane Captains to learn the history of the particular aircraft so that they become the go-to person for facts about the aircraft in the collection. We are off to a good start with 18 aircraft spoken for so far. Cleaning up flying aircraft is more work than keeping non-flying planes cleaned/dusted. A person may sign up for more than one aircraft if desired. The sign-up sheet is in the volunteer meeting room. If you have questions, please contact Don Patty.
Thank you to all that have signed up so far:
Sopwith Camel: Dave Serpas Fokker Dr.1: Chuck Roche
North American B-25J Mitchell: Ken Langley Douglas C-47 Skytrain: Bill Hurt
Messerschmitt Me-109: Dick Helms Eastern/Grumman FM-2 Wildcat: Ted May
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VIII: Bernie Mayoux
Goodyear/Chance-Vought FG-1D Corsair: Chuck McClain
Curtiss P-40N: Warhawk Daren Lee North American P-51 Mustang: Don Patty
Grumman S2F-1 Tracker: Paul Edwards Bell Helicopter OH-13 Sioux: Mike Hance/Jack Schulz
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter: Dennis Hogan Grumman F9F-2B Panther: Dick Helms
Cessna O-2A Skymaster: Ted May McDonell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II: Matt Noland
Grumman OV-1D Mohawk: Michael Schneider
de Havilland CV-2B Caribou: "Caribou" Bob Schroeder
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2016 Event Calendar
February 20: Drone Wars III
May 21-22: Warbirds Over Addison 'Mustang Round-Up'
July 3: CFM Kaboom Town Celebration and Airshow
September 24-25: Fall Fly Days & Car Show
December 10: Drone Wars IV
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Cavanaugh Flight Museum
4572 Claire Chennault | Addison, TX 75001
972.380.8800 | www.cavflight.org
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