Photo by Konley Kelley
B-24 Ground School 2013 May 2013
B-29/B-24 Squadron Officer & Staff Listing Position
Name
Telephone
Squadron Leader
Neils Agather
817-946-9950
vnagather@agathertx.com
Executive Officer
Tom Travis
972-241-8102
TomTravis@aol.com
Adjutant & Personnel Officer
Debbie Travis King
469-688-1709
Squadadjutant@gmail.com
Crew Chief
Rick Garvis
972-380-8800
rgarvis@cafhq.org
Finance Officer
Gerald Oliver
312-953-0357
goliver@behringerharvard.com
Maintenance Officer
Don Obreiter
580-471-3048
obreiter@cableone.net
Operations Officer & B-29 Tour Coordinator
David Oliver
630-853-9624
B29ops@gmail.com
Public Information Officer
Kim Pardon
432-413-4100
kmpardon@yahoo.com
Ride Captain
John Oliver
312-925-6184
jake8350@gmail.com
Safety & Training Officer B-29 Scheduling Officer
John Flynn
717-632-4497
jnaflynn@embarqmail.com
B-24 Scheduling Officer
Chuck Burton
972-243-1316
charlesdburton@msn.com
Facility Manager
Jim Neill
972-306-1051
jakat2@verizon.net
Appearance Captain
Henry Bordelon
972-406-0644
pixiee@sbcglobal.net
Docent Emeritus
Jack Bradshaw
214-987-1963
jackbradshaw@sbcglobal.net
Webmaster
Rick Greer
The Flyer Editor
Konley Kelley
rgreer4@gmail.com
214-995-5184
konman@gte.net
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In this Issue: • • • • • • • • • • • •
FIFI and Diamond Lil Summer and Fall Tour Schedule Officer Reports “Keep FIFI Flying” Fundraiser & Website Diamond Lil B-24 Go Team Report B-24 Ground School pictures Special Feature “B-24 in History” Member News Volunteer Spotlight – Duane Moreland Special Feature “Spring Tour in Pictures” Editor’s Corner Coming Attractions Squadron Contact Information
Diamond Lil cookies at B-24 Ground School
Special Feature “Spring Tour in Pictures” Pictures”
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Summer Tour A Birmingham, AL Atlanta, GA Charlotte, NC Manassas, VA Baltimore, MD Reading, PA Pittsburgh, PA Akron, OH Dayton, OH Cincinnati, OH St. Louis, MO
May 16 – 19 May 20 – 22 May 23 – 27 May 29 – June 2 June 3 – 5 June 6 – 9 June 12 – 16 June 17 – 19 June 20 – 23 June 26 – 30 July 2 – 7
Maintenance Break
July 8 – 18
B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 / SBD / PT-26 B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 / SBD / PT-26 B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 / BT-13 B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 Airshow B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / B-24 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 Airshow B-29 / B-24 / B-25 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 / T-28 B-29 / B-24 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 Airshow
Summer Tour B Carbondale, IL Rockford, IL Madison, WI Oshkosh, WI TBD TBD Denver, CO Colorado Springs, CO
July 19 – 21 July 22 – 24 July 25 – 28 July 29 – Aug 4 Aug 6 – 11 Aug 12 – 14 Aug 16 – 18 Aug 19 – 21
B-29 / B-24 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / B-24 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / B-24 / B-17 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / B-24 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 EAA AirVenture B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 Airshow B-29 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6
Kansas City, KS Fayetteville, AR
Sept 12 – 15 Sept 19 – 22
Dallas, TX Midland, TX Houston, TX
Oct 3 – 6 Oct 11 – 13 Oct 25 – 27
B-24 CAF Air Expo B-29 / B-24 / B-25 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 Bikers, Blues, BarBQ and Bombers B-29 / B-24 / B-17 / B-25 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 B-29 / B-24 / CAF fleet of aircraft: CAF AirSho B-29 / B-24 / P-51 / C-45 / T-6 Airshow
Fall Events
Red/Bold indicates both bombers appearing together
Check www.AirPowerTour.org for the latest schedule
Rocky’s new trailer wrap for the AirPower History Tour
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Squadron Report Everyone by now will likely have read the news in On The Fly the General Staff has voted to make the High Sky Wing an Air Base, renovate and enhance the CAF Museum, thereby improving the CAF presence in the Midland Odessa area, and to begin the process to search for a possible new location for the CAF HQ and our National Airsho. I want to urge everyone to focus on the process. The General Staff intends to be as forthright and transparent as possible. This is an important step. As Chief of Staff, I genuinely believe this decision will prove to be a good one for the High Sky Wing and the CAF presence in the Permian Basin. Furthermore, I firmly believe the CAF will garner several good offers from communities who want to be our new location for headquarters. This fresh start will be good for the CAF as a whole. The move requires a 75% approval vote at the October meeting, so it needs everyone’s involvement. There will be more news as the process unfolds. The Squadron lost a long-time valuable member in April. Duncan Welder passed away. Duncan served as Finance Officer for many years. He and his wife, Rickie, served as tour planners and many months on the road as tour leaders. Of late, due to health issues, they have not been with FIFI and Lil, but I know Duncan has been with us in spirit. He loved our Squadron and all its activities. I miss him and his leadership greatly. The Squadron had a very well-attended B-24 Ground School. Rick and his crews have been working hard on Lil’s repairs. She will likely miss a couple of stops, but she will absolutely be on the road this year and I am expecting great things from her. FIFI had quite a bit of work done to her, especially the flaps. Check Rick’s report. However, she left for tour on May 16th as scheduled. Please be sure to sign up for the two summer tours. Slots are filling fast. See you on the road.
Neils Agather Squadron Leader
FIFI leaving Addison, May 16, 2013
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Executive Officer Report This weekend at B-24 Ground School offered a chance to not only learn about the Diamond Lil but to catch up with old friends and make a few new ones. Al Benzing has done a tremendous job of updating the B-24 operating manual. Thanks, Al, for all your hard work. While talking to one of our members who was on the Spring Tour with the B-29, I heard an interesting story. He said a father and daughter entered the cockpit of FIFI. The daughter asked about the aircraft and was told this was the type aircraft that carried the war to Japan. In wide-eyed amazement she asked, “We were in a war with Japan?” The tour guide assured her it was true. The young lady who, was nearly of voting age, asked, “Who won?” Our mission in the CAF is education. We obviously have a lot of work to do. Tom Travis Executive Officer
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Maintenance Report B-29 / B-24 Maintenance Photo Collage by Rick Garvis, Crew Chief We performed a 50 hr inspection on FIFI when she returned from the Spring tour. We had a few oil leaks to take care of and some generator issues as well. During the inspection, we also addressed some wear that was found in FIFI's flap system. We had to remove the right flap to make sure the were no additional issues with the system. Unfortunately, this pushed us down to the wire on finishing up the inspection on FIFI. Needless to say, we were able to perform the maintenance flight and also put FIFI out on tour on time, once again. Thanks to everyone who helped out to get her back in the air!
Removing FIFI's right flap for inspection
Bring it down with forklifts
Ready for inspection
Asst. Crew Chief Don performing 50 hr inspection Maintenance flight went very well!
We accomplish a work on FIFI in a short period of time once again.
Tom Bailey in APU position on the Maint flight Tom's part of our Addison Maint team of volunteers.
Op's check good on FIFI's flaps!
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Maintenance Report cont.
Forward ribs that where made at American Airlines Tulsa facility
Touring AA maintenance bay We where able to use BoB to make a parts run to Tulsa for LiL. The flight crew was David Oliver, Al Benzing, Steve Swift, Joel Kimmel and me.
Some of the AA Tulsa team that machined parts for Lil's landing gear Long time Squadron member Jim Gentry who is a Maintenance Supervisor and is also rebuilding Lil's nose gear doors gave us a great tour of AA facility
And of course our dedicated crew chiefs are working hard on Lil as well!
Terry and his team working on Lil
New belly skins being fitted up
Skins ready to be riveted on
Forward wheel well
Aft wheel well
Left half side of wheel well
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Flight Operations Report The Summer Tour is underway! FIFI left Addison last Thursday on time as expected. Her first stop was Birmingham, AL and, even with rain in the forecast, the crowds came out. I'm happy to report FIFI crews are trained and more proficient than ever before. The backend crews continue to be trained on the road and between stops. All front end crews are current and qualified. Steve Swift, one of our newest captains was at the controls when FIFI arrived with Birmingham native, our very own Paul Maupin. FIFI now has six active left seat captains who are helping our aggressive tour schedule stay on track. Its great to see FIFI in such a staffed position for pilots, flight engineers, and scanners. Despite our staffing situation, let’s continue to keep the training pipeline filled. If you are interested in becoming a crew member be sure to contact me or John Flynn to determine an appropriate training schedule. Next year's B-29 Ground School will happen in January but many crew positions are trained on the road and in-between tour stops. Squadron Website A new Squadron website is under construction. The old website served us well for the last few years but has become dated. Right now the URL cafb29b24.org is currently redirected to the tour website, but will soon take you to the new site. Please watch for more updates and e-mail blasts in the weeks ahead. We apologize for the inconvenience as the new website is developed. The new website will be easy to use and contain all manuals for both aircraft. If you have questions or would like to download the manuals in the interim, please email me at b29ops@gmail.com to get the latest information. B-24 Ground School Recap I'm pleased to announce we had over 60 people in this year’s B-24 ground school. It was a big success and included many pilots, flight engineers, and loadmasters. Although it was disappointing Lil was not accessible for hands-on training, everyone was glad to see the progress of her repairs. Please watch for announcements as we get closer to flying her once again. Training and tour schedule details will come as we know more.
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Flight Ops Report cont.
B-24 Flight Manual A new revision of the B-24 flight manual was announced last month. This month, I want to remind everyone to make sure they have the latest. The revision date is May 1, 2013 and can be downloaded through the Dropbox link below. Allen Benzing led the team for this revision. Make sure to thank Al when you see him for all his hard work. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bfwxvjgwsysva2d/72MTdYjyVN How do I sign up for Tour? I'm asked many times how a Squadron member can sign-up for the tour schedule. The best way to get on the tour is to contact the tour scheduler directly. John Flynn is heading up these responsibilities for the B-29 and Chuck Burton for the B-24. There information is listed below. John Flynn (h)717-632-4497 (c)717-965-1363 jnaflynn@embarqmail.com
Chuck Burton 972-243-1316 charlesdburton@msn.com
David Oliver Flight Operations Officer
Photo by Scott Slocum
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Training & Safety Report We just completed a successful B-24 Ground School on May 11th, with 34 flight engineers/loadmasters and 21 pilots in attendance. Thanks to all those who planned, organized and conducted the training: especially Carl and Debbie King who hosted everyone with a barbeque at their lovely home. As you read this, we are heading east with FIFI, Bucket of Bolts and the other aircraft on the Airpower History Tour. As we proceed on Summer Tour A and the subsequent Summer Tour B, all of our volunteers must continue to work smart to protect our visitors, ourselves, and of course our valuable aircraft. Here are just a few things to keep in mind: •
•
• •
Keep alert for visitors who don’t realize the hazards around our aircraft. This is especially important during cockpit tours and during the numerous aircraft movements on the flight line. Everyone needs to be extra cautious around the aircraft, especially when working and helping to wipe oil from the aircraft and engine nacelles. Keep a alert for sharp edges and “head knockers” Protect yourself from the sun’s dangerous rays with some good sunscreen. Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Don’t rely on your body’s thirst signal to tell you how much to drink. Instead, drink frequently, perhaps every 30 minutes.
REMEMBER: IF THE JOB IS DONE RIGHT, IT IS SAFE! John Flynn Safety Officer
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PIO Report We’ve been working hard getting things in place for the two summer tours and it looks like we’re going to have some great media coverage and a lot of support from our partners at many of the stops. We have good partners in the Dixie Wing who will have their P-51 and SBD5 Dauntless with us in Birmingham and Atlanta. The National Capitol Squadron will be with us at Manassas, Virginia and we have other units joining us along the way as well. I am particularly excited we will have Sarah Wilson and the Jimmie Allen Stearman Speedmail with us. Sarah has recreated the excitement and adventure of aviation in the 1930s and will share that with young people everywhere we go. An excerpt from our press release: “This 1929 airplane is the oldest surviving Stearman Model 4 Speedmail and is a real life celebrity vehicle. Originally delivered to the Richfield Oil Company on October 28, 1929, the airplane was the flagship for the Jimmie Allen Flying Club based on the popular radio program The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen. Pilots named Lindbergh, Doolittle, and Earhart were real life heroes but there were other aviation heroes who came right into America’s living rooms each night over the radio. If these pilots were the rock stars of their day, then Jimmie Allen was the biggest teen idol! This plane made public appearances across the country with the actor Jimmie Allen in the front seat to meet members of the Jimmie Allen Flying Club. The Jimmie Allen radio series and Flying Club were important tools and greatly influenced the generation that would fly in WWII.” You can learn more about Sarah and her airplane at www.SarahWilsonPilot.com.
Stearman Model 4 Speedmail
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PIO Report cont.
We are also pleased to have a new video to help us with our promotional efforts. Scott Slocum used video he shot on the West Coast Tour to create this exciting marketing tool. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwJkk2shWu0&feature=player_embedded
Screen grabs from AirPower History Tour video by Scott Slocum
Scott also took some amazing photos while we were on the West Coast. We are lucky to have one of the best photographers in the business helping us. Thank you Scott for your help and for always saying yes when I need something. And, once again, I have to thank Kon Kelley who just put together some great posters for all of our stops at a moments notice. He always has great ideas and input AND he continues to do an amazing job with The Flyer. I’ll be headed out to Birmingham on the 16th and reporting from the road throughout our travels in the east. Kim Pardon Public Information Officer
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www.keepfififlying.org
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B-24 Go Team Report The B-24 Ground School has just concluded and I wish to thank those who worked so hard to make it a success. Jim Neill worked to ready the hangar, Kathy Oliver pitched in to help with lunch and Debbie Travis King and her family were gracious in hosting an outstanding BBQ at their lovely home. There were many more who devoted long hours to bring all this all together. The turn-out for G/S included over 60 Pilots, Flight Engineers and Loadmasters. Many were veterans with our B-24, but there were also new faces, including several from our new collaboration with Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. It is nice to see the interest in Diamond Lil and having crews ready to support her on tour. The restoration of the nose compartment continues, with a significant number of hours being dedicated to the task. In spite of these efforts, it appears that it will be difficult to make the initial stops on our June calendar. With that reality in mind, we are turning our focus to the Dayton Airshow, June 20-23, as our likely first tour event. The Keep Diamond Lil Flying program is progressing and may become important to keep interest in Lil, with the delayed June schedule. We will review a rough-cut of the video soon. We've also had some interesting discussions this week with Squadron Signal, to collaborate on some unique marketing opportunities. More to come on this soon! Al Benzing B-24 Go Team
Photo by Scott Slocum
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B-24 Ground School
May 11, 2013 Study Time
Social Time
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Special Feature “B-24 and History� Below are two messages Gerald Oliver forwarded the Editor related to the B-24 Liberator. He suggested they be included in the May issue of THE FLYER, particularly due to the timing of B-24 Ground School. Story by Jim Gentry and video found by Don Obrietner.
Attached are pictures of a WWII pilot taken here in Tulsa several years ago with some B-24 crew. Charles Isted is his name. He and his daughters came out to see a Diamond Lil. They mentioned their dad flew a B-24 and wanted to see one. We learned he was in England at the beginning of the war. It was surreal when we discovered he flew early Liberators. I pleaded with them to come back with his logbook because he probably flew the Liberators that, unlike Lil, made it to England. They came back with the logbook and we were flabbergasted with what we had found. Reviewing his logbook, he did, in fact fly many of Lil's sisters and actually flew AM917 as shown in the B-24 footage from Don Obreiter. He was credited with sinking a U-boat and was given an award by the King of England. He has since passed but it was quite an event for us all.
This is pretty cool footage of AM917 and some of Lil's sister ships. Too bad they don't show the other tail numbers, but who knows, she could be one of them in the film... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY8mk3yUHsY
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Member News May, 2013 Dambuster Raid The CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron welcomed these new members in April, 2013 Joseph Kalberer, Grapevine, Texas Quinn Eisenbraun, Dallas, Texas Truitt Harper, Hiram, Georgia Jim Houghton, Los Ranchos, NM Curt Lewis, Loves Park, IL Jeff Williams, McKinney, Texas Glenn Thompson, Lewisville, Texas Robert Koch, Trophy Club, Texas Patrick Huey, Plano, Texas Peter McDaniel, Urbana, IL Lee Templin, Tempe, AZ
In May, we salute our RAF allies on the 70th anniversary of Operation Chastise, otherwise known as the “Dambusters Raid.” On the night of May 16, 1943, 19 British Lancasters, carrying a uniquely-engineered “bouncing bomb,” attacked and breached two dams deep within enemy territory. The daring mission cost eight aircraft and the lives of 53 air crew.
“Dambuster” Lancaster model in CAF B-29/B-24 Briefing Room
Squadron Monthly Meeting June 15, 2013 3 p.m. @ the Addison Hangar
B-29 / B-24 Squadron PX http://www.b24b29px.org/ Find us on
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Volunteer Spotlight Duane Moreland by Angie Whitney Duane Moreland started out the interview as so many of our Squadron members do..."I was looking for something to do post retirement, I heard they were putting new engines on the B-29. I went down to the hanger and started working that day." That was in the early part of 2010 and Duane's never looked back! With the amount of time Duane spends in the hangar or touring on FIFI, the Squadron is very fortunate to have him. Last year he spent seven weeks in Florida and three weeks in Texas. This year, he has already toured six weeks with the B-29 in New Mexico, California and Nevada. He had the chance to meet Chuck Yeager in San Diego at Brown Field. One of his favorite stories comes from a tour in New England. As he was walking up to the B-29, he noticed a lady with her hand on the plane. He started a conversation with her and she explained her father died in a B-29. She had never been in a B-29 so Duane invited her aboard. He noticed as she sat in the navigator's seat she appeared to go into a trance and seemed to be communicating with her father. "As I sat with her, I too could feel his presence." He has so many great stories. "As each tour goes by, we all realize there are fewer and fewer first-hand stories" Duane had another great story from the same stop. "Two veterans climbed into the cockpit at the same time. They introduced themselves to each other only to discover they were crew on the same B-29. These two veterans had not seen each other since the war and here they were reuniting in the cockpit of the only flying B-29 in the world." This is what Duane gets from his many tours and stops. He will be back on tour again this summer for another four weeks. 19
Special Feature Best Pictures from
2013
Jimmy Yunt, Camarillo, CA
Mark Meadows, North Hollywood, CA
Craig Miller, Burbank, CA
Mark Meadows, North Hollywood, CA
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Gerald Oliver Scott Slocum
Konley Kelley
Scott Slocum
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Konley Kelley
Jonathan Oliver Konley Kelley Mark Meadows, North Hollywood, CA
Mark Meadows, North Hollywood, CA
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Scott Slocum
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Editor’s Corner “Warbirds Reunite” video Starring FIFI Julie Sims with Julie In The Sky Online Aviation Magazine worked with the CAF SoCal Wing and CAF B-29/B-24 Wing to create this incredible video. They attached RePlay XD cameras to the aircraft for this historic formation flight of WWII warbirds. Featured in this video: B-29 Superfortress “FIFI” Supermarine Mark XIV “Spitfire” Mitsubishi AM63 “Zero” Grumman F6F “Hellcat” P-51 Mustang “Man O’ War” Grumman F8F “Bearcat” Video produced by http://www.replayxd.com http://www.julieinthesky.com http://www.flightlinejulie.com
You can see the video at www.julieinthesky.com Or YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=692xYiyhWs8
Bill Bowermaster is back with a BIGGER FIFI Earlier this year musician and artist, Bill Bowermaster painted a picture of FIFI that hangs in our briefing room. Working with Gerald Oliver, Bill has now painted a 24” x 36” painting of FIFI and presented it at our April Squadron meeting in Addison.
THE FLYER WANTS YOU! You are welcome to contribute a story, photographs and artwork for this decades-old newsletter. If you are a veteran, please tell us your story. Squadron members continually meet veterans at the hangar, on tour and everyday life – let us know their stories. We’re also looking for contributors for “This Month in History” and news spotlighting our aircraft and members. Thank you and “Keep ‘em Flying!” Konley Kelley THE FLYER editor konman@gte.net
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Coming Attractions June Issue of THE FLYER
Dan Owens’ Travel Journal Join CAF B-29/B-29 member, Dan Owens, as he island-hops in the South Pacific to historic WWII sites and a memorable visit to a Japanese community forever tied to the B-29 story. Dan and his Grandson, Xane
Mar 11-12 Oklahoma City to Guam Mar 13 Guam Mar 14 Saipan Mar 15 Saipan Mar 16 Tinian Mar 17 Tinian Mar 18 Guam Mar 19 Tokyo Ota Mar 20 Ota Mar 21 Tokyo Mar 22 Tokyo Mar 23 Oklahoma City
Dan Owens on runway Able, Tinian
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B-29 / B-24 Squadron Addison Airport 4730 George Haddaway Drive Addison, Texas 75001 www.cafb29b24.org 972-380-8800 26