Warbirds on Parade, 2014

Every Year around Labor Day, Lancaster Airport, the Commemorative Air Force and the Cold War Air Museum open house for the public to learn about aviation history and see historic aircraft both on display and flying.

At the North end of the field, the Commemorative Air Force, long established in Texas, brings in many of the finest examples of WWII aircraft remaining in flying condition.

Like other historic organizations, the CAF and CWAM now constantly compete with the internet for the hearts and minds of the public. But smart phones and flat screens simply don't compare with the reality of touching and seeing these aircraft in person and talking to the veterans and volunteers that flew them and keep them flying today. 

The event started early with aircraft flying in from around the state and volunteers arriving to help, and soon the public began arriving in hopes of beating the heat of the late afternoon Texas sun.

The B-24 Liberator was a mainstay in the European Theater.

The B-25 saw service in both theaters and achieved fame early in WWII when General Doolittle flew a daring raid with them from an aircraft carrier.

The Douglas A-26 Invader also saw war over the Pacific and in the Cold War following. It has also served extensively in the Forestry service as a fire-bomber.

The Cold War Air Museum is also located on the airport at Lancaster. CWAM has many flying and static aircraft from the post-WWII era. The two Museums compliment and coordinate with each other in support of this annual event.

The Mig-21, a Russian developed fighter, was extensively deployed during the Cold War era by many countries around the world and is still in use by some today.

The museum is thankful to have many fine volunteers working and supporting our events. Many thanks to Tommy and Debbie for their fantastic support!

The Mi-24 Hind, another Cold War aircraft, was also extensively deployed by many countries around the world and is still in use today. Preparation and relocation of aircraft began well before the event and took until well after the posted hours and we thank the many volunteers and supporters for their efforts and old fashioned dedication.

Although fewer people seem to come in person since the advent of the internet, the sights, sounds and smells of in-person reality continue to thrill and excite both young and old. Hopefully this young man is dreaming of a future flying or designing the generations of aircraft to come.

For those who couldn't make it this year, we're glad you could join the thousands that share with us by internet, we hope you can visit us in person next year, and please support your local museums!

MI-24 Attending "Thunder Over Cedar Creek"

The Thunder Over Cedar Creek Airshow benefits the Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation, a 501(c)(3) group founded to provide support for the physical and emotional recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and disabled military personnel and veterans with a focus on those individuals residing in and organizations serving the Northeast Texas region.

CWAM associates have contributed their time and support to this event for a number of years and look forward to this event annually.  
 

As with every event, a lot of Planning, Preparation and Plain old hard work goes into getting there.

The size of the MI-24 requires attention to clearance. The full pivoting nose wheel allows the tail to be swung clear of (or into) nearby structures, vehicles and equipment. Plane guards help keep the tug driver aware of obstacles he can't see.

Additional ramp space under construction can be seen at the left.  Projected to be ready by the upcoming August 30th Warbirds on Parade event, the new space allows the MI-24 to go directly to a nearby staging area.

After towing the MI-24 to an area clear of the small planes that frequent this growing DFW regional airport (KLNC), the bird can be fueled for the short flight to Cedar Creek.

As with every July 4th, the Commemorative Air Force DFW Wing, also located at Lancaster was also evolving aircraft in support of North Texas events. 

After a final walk around, this year's flight crew, Rene, Pete, Susan and Stan are ready to go. Other CWAM volunteers are driving to the event.

Susan and Pete are among the many volunteers from CWAM and other fine organizations looking forward to seeing you at this worthwhile and fun event supporting our veterans and the North Texas community.

June 25th, Airport Day

The Airport where the Cold War Air Museum is located hosted another community event last Saturday. More activities and events attract more visitors and we are happy to see them.

Our volunteers rolled out a number of aircraft for viewing.

And other aircraft from the CAF were put on display as well.

Quite a few aircraft flew in. This demonstration team of RV's showed their skill in formation exercises.

The Mi-24 is passing well behind the parked RV's, making it look much smaller than it does up close.

And the MiG-23 was on display as well.

Jon said it was a good day to make MiG noise.

(Jon likes to make MiG noise)

And the MiG is very good at making noise.

Add fuel - Make noise.

Make lots of noise, is good, is normal.

Mi-24 visits Bryan, Texas

A call to the Cold War Air Museum recently led to a quick trip to Bryan Texas. When the R4D from the sister museum on the field developed maintenance issues, the Mi-24 gallantly filled the vacant spot at the Coulter field airshow.

Bryan is the sister city to College Station, home of Texas A&M University.

Even with more aircraft flying in, and flying over, the Mi-24 was a big hit. And, the crew even remembered to take the fund-raiser T-shirts with them to the show.

The group takes a moment to pose with some of the CAP members that attended and helped with the show.

A prior post featured a story about one of the Faculty Members of the Bush School of Government and Public Service. The Bush Library and Bush School at Texas A&M house unique lessons and programs from the cold war era.

Cold War Air Museum Mi-24D "Hind" gets U.S. Airworthiness Certificate

The second Mi-24D associated with the Cold War Air Museum received its U.S. Airworthiness Certificate today!

Licensed in the Experimental Exhibition category, bord 120, will soon join her sister ship, bord 118, flying to airshows and events.

Museum President, Bruce Stringfellow smiles as he shows off this all important part of our flying machine. Standing beside him is Museum Director Jon Boede and two smiling officials from the F.A.A.

This project truly was a team effort and we want to thank everyone who contributed their time, talent and labor. We also want to thank the F.A.A. for their help and guidance with the project. Look for more blog posts about the story of bord 120 soon.

Congratulations All!

Aircraft Registration Marks

Part of the process of getting an aircraft at the Cold War Air Museum ready for certification is complying with the external marking requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

FAR 45.22 provides a few things that are unique to Experimental Exhibition aircraft:

1) "N numbers" can be as little as 2 inches tall and;

2) Instead of the word "EXPERIMENTAL" on the outside of the aircraft, an X can be placed in the second digit of the "N number" to identify the aircraft in the experimental category.

These concessions allow an aircraft to be displayed close to its original military markings, without as many visual distractions. After going through this ordeal with his own plane, one of the museum benefactors bought a stencil machine to help us with this process and Jon has provided some pictures and a description from one of the current projects, below.

First, the stencil must be designed using the vinyl cutting program. Stencil material can be up to 15 inches wide and the image can either be "positive" (blocking paint from the surface), or "negative" (the stencil is painted over and then removed, leaving a painted image behind).

Here, a "negative" is applied to the aircraft.

Then masking is added to limit over-spray on the rest of the aircraft and the floor.

And paint is applied.

Finally, the stencil is removed. Some experience is helpful at this step, as the paint must be dry enough to leave clean edges but not so dry that it pulls up with the stencil.

The result is a very nice "N number" of precisely the desired size and style.

Watch for more updates on this aircraft in the near future!

Mi24 Road Trip

The Cold War Air Museum, Mi-24 frequently flies in the North Texas area and is a popular attraction wherever it goes.

Although the Dallas Metroplex is home to millions of people, the Texas countryside is only a few flight miles away. Small farms and ranches abound in the flat to slightly rolling countryside.

Texas, especially to the West, is very dry. Before GPS, spotting lakes and rivers made navigation easier, because they were relatively few and far between. This riverbed, filled from a recent rain may soon be dry again.

A helicopter and wide open spaces just naturally go together.

With a handshake across the windscreen, Johnny almost looks like he is symbolizing the joining of the East and West. The Mi-24 at the Cold War Air Museum is a joining of the best of both.

Kids love to see the big green beast and we love for them to see a part of cold war history.

The Museum is open every Saturday 10-4 at the Lancaster Airport (and generally we are also open on Sundays as well, when volunteers are working on aircraft), but not today, Easter Sunday, April 24th, 2011. Come see us next weekend or stop by and say hi if you see us at any local event in the area.

And with thanks to Andy Nixon for sharing these fun photos with us.

Hot Barbecue - for the Cold War Air Museum

Fun and food are also an occasional part of Cold War Air Museum fare.

This morning's preflight was for a very special event.

The Mi-24 and MD500 were off to a North Texas Ranch for some good home style Texas Barbecue.

A good mechanic is a man of many talents. In addition to being an A&P/IA and Commercial rated Helicopter Pilot, Johnny, like all adult Texas males, is also able to make a situation assessment and preflight of barbecue cookers when necessary. Of course, it took several helpings of brisket before the final analysis was in - good cookin!

Good barbecue is a Texas tradition, combining it with the arrival of a giant helicopter hopefully made it a memorable day for this young man. Any helicopter attracts attention, but the Hind attracts "Texas" size attention wherever it goes.

After some heavy lifting, this director had to take some time out to digest the situation. If we could sling a couple of these in the back of the Mi-24, it would definitely make the ride home smoother and quicker (for a few of the crew, anyway).

The return flight was briefed by the boys in the barn.

Ready to go, the two crews had some more promises to keep on the way back to town.

The landscape in Texas is dotted with former Air Force Bases. Now a regional airport at Dennison, Texas, the Former Perrin Air Force Base is recognizable, like so many old military fields by it's checkerboard water tower.

The crew had spoken with the tower on their way North and promised to come back by as they flew home. With a great big Texas Howdy!, we salute the tower crew for their courtesy and assistance. We are proud to be in a state that is so often recognized for it's friendly folk. Come visit the friendly folks at the Cold War Air Museum or contact us to be part of your event in our area.