Lincolnton Fly-In

EVENT POSTER

Airport Open House and Fly-In with Young Eagles Rally

* Food * Homebuilts * Sport Pilot/LSA * Young Eagles Rally - something for everyone with a Passion for Aviation!  Bring the Family!

Drive or Fly - Saturday, November 9, 2013, 10 AM - 3 PM - RAIN or SHINE!

The smell of hamburgers and hot dogs, a clear blue sky dotted with planes in the air and rows of aircraft spanning from the early days of aviation to the engineering marvels of today. Kids wide-eyed with anticipation of taking flight and builders bursting with pride on their just finished "creations." This is an EAA Fly-In. This is grassroots aviation and your chance to experience it!

Join the pilots of Charlotte EAA Chapter 309 for our Annual Lincolnton Fall Fly-in held at the Lincoln County Regional Airport (KIPJ), Lincolnton, NC. There is no admission fee so bring the family and plan on having lunch with us from 11:30 to 1:30 for a nominal fee.  The Airport will also have an Open House for the public to see their new Terminal Building.  The Young Eagles Rally will start at 9:00AM.  The airport is offering a $0.25 FUEL DISCOUNT for our pilots and visitors.

The public is invited and all aircraft are welcome to join us for food, flying, and fellowship. EAA Chapter 309's Fall Fly-in usually attracts over 60 aircraft, both homebuilt and certified, and an estimated 250 people.

In keeping with the chapter's support of Homebuilt aircraft the majority of the airplanes on display are meticulously built by dedicated builders from surrounding chapters . View this example of a homebuilt Van's RV-7 and don't miss previewing one of the new Sport Pilot/LSA planes that will be on display.  Also ask about the Chapter's aircraft construction project as our members will be available to answer questions.

The airport is located off of Rt 73 at 714 Jack Dellinger Drive (formerly Airport Road), Iron Station, NC 28080 - MAP LINK.  Phone:  704-735-0602

Event Coordinator:  Bob Thayer 704-578-9559   rdtdive@roadrunner.com

PICTURE ALBUM

B-17 Tour Stop October 22-24, 2010

EVENT PRINTABLE POSTER

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) with local Charlotte EAA Chapter 309 is bringing their B-17 Flying Fortress "Aluminum Overcast" to the Concord Regional Airport as part of their 2010 “Salute to Veterans” tour and in celebration of the 75 Year Anniversary of this special aircraft. The media flight is Thursday, October 21 at 1 pm and the plane will arrive at 12 Noon. Visit the EAA B-17 site at http://www.b17.org for more information.

This aircraft is an example of the American heavy bomber that helped turn the tide of battle in World War II. The Tour Stop will be at the Concord Regional Airport October 22 - 24, 2010. The Concord Regional Airport will also host an OPEN HOUSE AND FLY-IN for the community over the weekend October 23rd - 24th featuring the EAA B-17 Tour Stop, static displays of general aviation, military, Antique, Classic Warbird aircraft as well as NASCAR / Nationwide/ Legends cars, food, community information, vendors, raffles, a Sunday afternoon helicopter golf ball drop, and lots more. All proceeds to benefit Rotary Polio Plus Program.

The Northwest Cabarrus Rotary is sponsoring the golf ball drop. Tickets are available at the Open House or in advance at the Airport FBO Customer Service Counter at $10.00 each or 3 for $25.00 with $1.000.00 going to the winner.

Concord Regional Airport (JQF) is offering offering a FLY-IN FUEL DISCOUNT SPECIAL of $0.25 per gallon!

Visit www.concordairportnc.com for the airport Open House event flyer and hours or directions.



Fly a mission back in time and feel the might of this magnificent aircraft, just as those brave young men did more than 65 years ago. CLICK to visit the B-17 Multimedia Center.

Flight Information:
     Book your flight in advance for a special discount.
     Phone: 1-800-359-6217
     Email: b17reservations@eaa.org
     http://www.b17.org/
     Local contact: 704-231-4867 or chuck@edmspecialists.com
     Local website:  http://www.eaa309.org/b17

Ground Tours are offered from 2:00 – 5:00 pm daily. Cost is $5.00 per Person or $15.00 per Family (adults/children up to 17-immediate family members). Children under eight are free when accompanied by paying adult. All Active Military personnel and Veterans receive a free ground tour.


Hangar Bar-B-Que Dinner "Salute to Veterans Program" will be Saturday, October 23rd, 5PM to 7PM, at the airport in Hangar E, on featuring WWll Pilots and Veterans, WWll Swing Dancers, and B-17 Crew Members. Open to the public cost is $12.00 per person.  Advance tickets available at the airport.  Also call 704-231-4867 or 704-332-8301 or email randy@djdist.com.  Tickets will be available at the B-17 Merchandise Trailer during the event.  Bring your family and say Thank You to our Veterans!

LAST EVENT PICTURE ALBUM

B-17 FACEBOOK           Fate of the B-17 "Satan's Lady"

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the B-17.

Here’s a very touching story that I'm sure most of you will enjoy. WW2 Widow, Peggy Harris, did not give up the search for her husband, 1st. Lt. Billy Harris, a fighter pilot missing in action since 1944.  A secondary message demonstrates how useless many of our politicians have become.

Please take the time and watch this video. You will be glad you did! This is quite a story about ''another generation'' which will be missed and remembered for all time. The term ''till death do us part'' is not always applicable. What a gentle soul.

Air Traffic Control

I was recently part of a group of Charlotte EAA Chapter 309 pilots that were given a two hour tour of the the Charlotte/Douglas Airport Control Tower and the TRACON facilities. We first received a complete briefing on how the ATC systems works. We were then escorted in smaller groups and were able to learn the details of what is involved at the Charlotte facility. We all were very impressed and want to thank the supervisors and individual controllers that made our visit something that we will never forget. A special treat for me was to see my friend Scott in the tower, the former owner of my airplane. He has over 20 years experience in ATC and was on duty in the LaGuardia Airport Tower on the day of 911 - let us never forget!

This video will give you a good idea of what we saw.

Oshkosh: The Spirit of Aviation

Oshkosh: The Spirit of Aviation was recently updated. As before it is narrated by actor Harrison Ford, an EAA member, pilot, and former Chairman of the EAA Young Eagles program. The 17-minute video presents an insider's look at people who share the passion for aviation as they participate in "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration."

Thunderbolt - Operation Strangle

The above movie is a 5 part series entitled "Thunderbolt" (1947) (Part 1 of 5) featuring "Operation Strangle"
Director: William Wyler, John Sturges 
Production Company: Carl Krueger Production
Introduced by the famous actor James Stewart

Filmed in 1944 and early 1945 but edited only in 1947, this 45 minutes well preserved and almost forgotten documentary (by the great William Wyler) is about the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter bomber and its use in missions over Italy. In the prologue outstanding shots showing various placements of 1944 late model automatic color movie-cameras on board of the planes.

Operation Strangle was a series of air operations during the Italian Campaign of World War II by the United States Fifteenth and Twelfth Air Forces to interdict German supply routes in Italy north of Rome from March 24, 1943, until the fall of Rome in spring 1944. Its aim was to prevent essential supplies from reaching German forces in central Italy and compel a German withdrawal. The strategic goal of the air assault was to eliminate or greatly reduce the need for a ground assault on the region. Although the initial goal of forcing the enemy to withdraw was not achieved, the air interdiction of Operation Strangle played a major role in the success of the subsequent ground assault Operation Diadem.

Two principal interdiction lines were maintained across the narrow boot of Italy. This meant that no through trains were able to run from the Po Valley to the front line, and that south of Florence substantially all supplies had to be moved by truck. The operation employed medium bombers and fighter bombers over a 150-square-mile area from Rome to Pisa and from Pescara to Rimini.

This post is a tribute to 1st Lt William (Bill) Grubb Smith, P-47 pilot  (October 10, 1923 - August 19, 2011), actually filmed in this movie “Thunderbolt.“  He is mentioned in the second movie at time frame 8:06 as he lifted off the runway with his wingman.  Bill was a neighbor and personal friend living in the Charlotte, NC, area. He had long been considered a walking encyclopedia of WWll Aviation. Bill is also pictured in our EAA 309 B-17 Album.  In 2015 The EAA Historical Museum honored Bill by editing and publishing a video that my friend Ellie and I made into their Timeless Voices found at http://eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=4427654373001

Over the years I knew Bill he told us many interesting stories.  My close friend Ellie was very good at accurately recorded these - a few follow:

One favorite was about Jimmy Doolittle - "One day we watched a B-26 bomber coming in to our temporary fighter base on Tunisia.  A few of us pilots were on the flight line in case we got called for a mission. I watched a plane flying in and said to the guy standing next to me; “I’ll bet you five dollars to a roll of doughnuts that’s Jimmy Doolittle flying that plane.” The plane landed and out stepped a little short guy in a regular pilots’ uniform, with no rank to identify him. He was told by the landing officer, "Hey sir, you can't park that plane here, this area is restricted!" "You don't know who I am, do you soldier? “No Sir.” “I'm Col. Doolittle and I'm in a hurry."  When the officer scrambled to salute him, he said, "Ah, don't bother with that military crap, I just need a jeep to take me to headquarters. Get me a jeep and get someone to move this plane!" “Yes sir,” with another shaky salute. The nervous sergeant came over to Bill and the others and said, "You jerks, why didn’t you tell me that was Jimmy Doolittle in that plane?” “Well”, I said, “if you’d been watching you would have known it was Doolittle by the way he flew that bomber in." "How?" "Well, I watched him coming in and I knew it had to be Doolittle; ‘cause he was bringing that heavy bomber in just like a fighter. It’s not an easy plane to fly and nobody but Doolittle could manhandle a B-26 like that and get away with it"  "He was a short little guy, gritty, with an aura of command about him, and he sure knew how to fly that plane."


His fighter group, the 57th, was providing air support for ground troops in the PO valley of Italy in 1944. There were many peach orchards in the area. They received a request for help from the ground commander:  

"We are pinned down by Germans and can't move, can you boys help us?" We'll try, where's the fire coming from?" "Mostly from that church steeple over there." "We could see the church and my wingman and I started strafing it with our 50 caliber machine guns." (The P-47 has four guns in each wing.) "After several passes we sawed that steeple off. After that, the ground fire got so heavy we needed to leave the area.  "I said to my wingman, we've got to get out of here, it’s getting too hot!" and he replied, "My engine's down on power and not running right. I got the pedal to the metal and it just won't go." 

Bill followed his wingman back to base, landed safely and the ailing fighter was given a thorough inspection by the Crew Chief.  The engine checked out okay and finally the air intake for the turbocharger was removed. 

"About a wheelbarrow load of green limbs and peaches came rolling out of that inlet and that was the reason for the power loss." 

The pilot had flown into peach trees and sucked them up and in the process bent all four tips of his large propeller.  Bill added, “In the heat of combat a pilot’s adrenalin is so high he sometimes doesn’t really know how low he’s flying. A major cause of fighter fatalities happen when pilots forget to pull up in time and fly into the ground.”

Bill was also shot down by enemy ground fire and ditched his fighter in the ocean near the Yugoslavian coast.  He said, 

"That ocean was as smooth as glass. I loosened everything but my seatbelt so I could get out fast, then brought my plane down and flared the nose up just before I hit. I got bruised up a little bit but my May West inflated okay and I was picked up pretty soon by a British PT boat. They took me to a larger ship and treated my injuries.

"Gray Eagles" P-51 Mustang Movie by Chris Woods

“Gray Eagles” shows the reunion between a humble WWII P-51 Mustang ace and the historic plane, that after 60 years, he never thought he'd see again. Inspired by the flood of memories triggered by this unimaginable encounter with a long lost friend, the 88-year old pilot Jim Brooks finally breaks his silence, sharing his stories and experiences of war with the grandchildren who never thought they'd hear them. Jim's wife was the famous Martha Tilton.

http://www.grayeagles.org/

http://www.marthatilton.com/

Tom at the AOPA Summit

AOPA - "General Aviation Serves America"

NATA-AOPA Charlotte Town Hall Meeting from Warren Morningstar on Vimeo.

CLICK PICTURES FOR FULL SCREEN VIEW

Click for EAA SportAviation Charlotte GA Serves America article

General Aviation is facing the greatest challenges of its 100-year history! Now the two largest pilot organizations in the world have joined together to protect GA Interests, promote GAA Safety, and Grow the GA Community!

EAA-AOPA sign cooperation agreement from Warren Morningstar on Vimeo.

General Aviation Serves America came to Wilson Air Center, Charlotte, N.C., on July 20, 2009.

The Presidents of AOPA and NATA recently started traveling around the country, meeting with pilots, aircraft owners and operators, FBO personnel, airport managers, and others to share the General Aviation Serves America message and seek support for their ongoing outreach efforts. The event was organized by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), the association that represents FBOs and other GA businesses. NATA is also a critical partner in our General Aviation Serves America outreach efforts.

The Charlotte event was hosted by Bob Wilson, President and Founder of Wilson Air Center at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Bob is an active member of AOPA and EAA and has been a pilot for over 30 years. Bob and his wife, Susan, recently donated and dedicated the Timeless Voices of Aviation exhibit at the EAA AirVenture Museum. Mr. Wilson sits on the NBAA Security Sub-Committee aviation boards, and meets regularly with Congressional delegations.

Some 250 people attended and Bob, well-known for his hospitality and customer service, put on a very impressive event, the largest to date. More than a dozen members of the local EAA Chapter 309 volunteered their time to help shepherd guests and provide information, and contributed a beautiful RV-7 to the aircraft display. Naturally, AOPA brought the Let’s Go Flying Sweepstakes Cirrus to be displayed alongside such diverse offerings as business jets, trainers, and turboprops of varying sizes and makes.

It was great to see so many different segments of the aviation community coming together in one place for one purpose—to help protect and promote our freedom to fly. The diversity of the audience and the aircraft, and the active involvement of members of NATA and EAA along with AOPA was a great show of strength and unity.

And at this event, many in the audience were already familiar with the campaign and its goals—great evidence that this message is being heard. They listened attentively as NATA President Jim Coyne and AOPA President and CEO Craig Fuller talked about the issues of greatest concern and the importance of spreading the General Aviation Serves America message. “We’re building momentum behind our message, now it’s up to all of us in aviation to keep it growing!” See the AOPA Charlotte Event Site and be sure to watch the video.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE EVENT PICTURES .

AirVenture 09 - AOPA summary and EAA's Web Post announcing our joining the "GA Serves America" campaign - all Videos by Warren Morningstar on Vimeo.

EAA 309 Navigation Contest - August 15th

NAVIGATION CONTEST POSTER

NAVIGATION CONTEST DETAILS

PLEASE NOTE - THE EVENT WAS POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER - Date will be posted soon!

The objective of the EAA 309 Dead Reckoning Competition is to conduct a safe, fair and fun event which promotes the sport of general aviation while improving pilots' skills through flying and navigation. A number of waypoints will be assigned and the winner will be determined on (1) accuracy of the predicted time around the course and (2) accuracy of predicted fuel consumption.

The event is not a race. The event rules have been developed to assure maximum safety for all participants. They are in addition to, but do not supersede, the Federal Aviation Regulations. Every effort has been made to plan the event so that each team has a successful completion of the route. The event relies on each pilot exercising good judgment at all times. The EAA 309 Navigation Contest is open to all EAA Members.

MaxAir2Air Pictures

Since I have a hobby of aviation photography I am glad that I found Max Haynes and his splendid website MaxAir2Air Pictures, by far the best online magazine of air photo essays of aviation - with over a million visitors!

I was raised in Dayton, Ohio, The Birthplace of Aviation.  My uncle had a WWII T-6 based at Wright Field (later the Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the birthplace of the US Air Force) and as a young boy I was able to go out on the ramp with him and my Dad, watch close up the preflight and start-up, and experience  the thrill of seeing and feeling the T-6 roar into the air.  This was my first inspiration to fly!  This week  features a lovely essay/movie FLYING DREAM by Max Haynes - a title that brings back many memories.

AOPA BLOG - "Reporting Points"

I will occasionally add a new link to my sidebar and today I wanted to feature a blog post to the AOPA Reporting Points. The particular post is titled Members Everywhere and is a very special read about EAA's Young Eagles Program and AOPA's LetsGoFlying program involving a Southwest Airline pilot interested in taking more kids for rides.

I was with a United Airlines Captain yesterday who flies out of Dulles International mostly European destinations and we were talking about how I wish I could have been at our Young Eagles event rather than photographing the wedding. He was very interested in hearing of these programs and shared with me his first inspiration to be a pilot. Our EAA 309 Young Eagles program Chairman Hal Schwab reported today that our chapter pilots flew 56 Young Eagles!!

CLICK to Subscribe to Reporting Points

ONE SIX RIGHT - The Romance of Flying

"One Six Right" - The Romance of Flying   Within a short period of time, this film achieved a passionate following and presence among pilots and aviation enthusiasts worldwide who see the film as being able to communicate their passion for aviation. Concurrently, the film has garnered both local and national political attention in the United States as an accurate depiction of general aviation and its important contributions to all aviation industries worldwide.

ONE SIX RIGHT Creator's Dream

DIRECT LINK for best Quality

In Brian's own words, "I am just an ordinary guy with a passion for aviation." This link to Apple Computers and the Airport Journal's article of the June 25, 2005, premier will give you a little background on how he pursued his dream to make "One-Six Right". Little did I know that his success was first recognized on my birthday!

SPORT PILOT - Now You Can!

… Affordable, achievable and fun. Sport Pilot is for you!

Whether you're completely new to aviation, always dreamed of flying, or have flown aircraft before, Sport Pilot is the new way to fly that is easier, more affordable, safe, and loads of FUN! Sport Pilot enables enthusiasts to learn to fly and gain access to aircraft in half the time and for half the cost of previous alternatives. So, climb aboard, take the controls, and launch new adventures in recreational aviation today!

Visit the EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine site and gain access to great articles such as “A Real Cross-Country in a Light-Sport Aircraft”and treat yourself to self-directed three dimensional travel and get the best of all worlds by flying a light-sport aircraft.” If you are interested in learning to fly and obtaining this new rating be sure to visit Earning My Wings: a video blog about learning to fly.

Are you wondering what kind of Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) are available out there? Our EAA Chapter in McKinney, Texas, has a great analysis of what is involved to become a Sport Pilot.

New Sport Pilot Kit named Onex from Sonex Aircraft -  announcement at AirVenture 2010:


I toured the Sonex Factory in Jan 2010 - see my Photo Album.

Monroe Air Show Brings Back Memories

Guest Speaker - Astronaut Joe Edwards







Veterans and a Tuskegee Airman

CLICK PICTURES TO ENLARGE

The Monroe Veteran’s Day Celebration and Air Show presented by WARRIORS and WARBIRDS was a hugh success with more than 50,000 in attendance. The annual event at the Monroe Airport delivered as hoped!

"It's great," World War II veteran Floyd Harkey said. Standing back from a group of spectators lining the runway, Harkey recounted some of his experiences in Korea. Having served in the Air Force, he said he was familiar with many of the aircraft that were at the show, especially the P-51 and P-38 planes which he said were his favorite. Before the re-enactment of the bombing at Pearl Harbor, Harkey reflected on what the real bombing was like. He said he did not understand it at the time because he was only 15, but that he had to grow up fast after that and take on a lot of responsibility and maturity before going into the service. "I was proud to be able to do it," he said, adding that each of his three brothers also fought for their country. "I'd do it again in a minute if I could," he said. Now 82, Harkey proudly wore a hat marked "WW II Veteran" and still had a firm handshake. He didn't yell or point at the airplanes the way some youngsters did, but stood and just watched them as they flew past. "A lot of memories," he said. Another Veteran said that the Berlin Airlift Candy Bomber was the highlight of his day!

Other spectators had a different take on the show. Grant Sellers, 6, covered his ears as the planes roared overhead and said that getting to look inside the machines was his favorite part of the day. His 4-year-old brother, Logan Sellers, said he liked "the smoke coming out of the airplanes," the best and his head appeared to be on a swivel as he took it all in. Ten-year-old Caleigh Lovitt couldn't point to one event as her favorite, but said she really enjoyed watching the parachutists coming down from the sky, even adding that she was nervous for their safety.

Monroe spokesman Pete Hovanec said the event was "incredible." He added that there were 40 more planes on display than there were last year and that the "Tora-Tora-Tora" re-enactment alone would have made the event a success. "It's great out here," he said. "This is really going well."

Enquirer-Journal by Jason deBruyn. Jason can be reached at (704) 261-2243 or http://jdebruyn@theej.com/.

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Monroe Airshow 2009

Warriors & Warbirds Airshow from Steve Sherron on Vimeo.

Tuskegee Airman WWII Heros

Tuskegee Airman Spann Watson


The Monroe Veteran's Day Air Show was honored to have Tuskegee Airman Spann Watson as one of the speakers. Their outstanding success during World War II – not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions – is a record unmatched by any other fighter group.

This video is about Tuskegee Airman John Leahr and his good friend WWII B-17 Commander Herb Heilbrun who grew up in the same neighborhood and were in the same third grade class together. They were classmates—not friends—because Herb was white and John was black. John and Herb were twenty-one when the United States entered WWII. Herb became an Army Air Forces B-17 bomber pilot. John flew P-51 fighter escort missions for the B-17. Both were thrown into the brutal high-altitude daylight bomber war against Nazi Germany, though they never met because the army was rigidly segregated—only in the air were black and white American fliers allowed to mix. Both came safely home but it took Herb and John another fifty years to meet again and discover that their lives had run almost side by side through war and peace. Herb and John launched a mission to tell young people why race once made all the difference and why it shouldn't anymore.  Their book "Black and White Airmen - Their True Story" by John Fleischman is great!

I was happy to find a website with a very touching story writen by the daughter of Tuskegee Airman Major Joeseph Gomer who received assistance by a local EAA chapter to attend President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration.

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Tora! Tora! Tora! - A Living History Museum

Returning in 2010! (click)

Click to Enlarge

The Monroe Veteran's Day Air Show was honored to have the CAF as the highlight of their Air Show! Many people have the opportunity to travel to visit a museum but rarely does the museum come to visit you. Attending an airshow where Tora, Tora, Tora is performing is like having a 3-D Museum come to visit you. This show far exceeded anyone's expectations! My son Chuck was on duty with the Monroe Fire Department and assisted the Tora Pyrotechnics Team and was very impressed with their professionalism. The first day he worked on the terminal side of the runway and could not believe the difference working the next day next to the pyro team on the opposite side of the field - what a big BANG it was! Check back as this may be a part of the 2009 show!

“Tora, Tora, Tora” is the Commemorative Air Force’s recreation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that signaled the beginning of the American involvement in World War II. Designed as a living history lesson, “Tora, Tora, Tora” is intended as a memorial to all the soldiers on both sides who gave their lives for their countries.

Tora, Tora, Tora began in 1972, when six replica Japanese aircraft used in the movie of the same name were donated to the CAF. The Gulf Coast Wing requested assignment of the aircraft and began developing an act for presentation at air shows. The act debuted at the Galveston Air Show on June 25, 1972. By 1977, Tora had gained national exposure. By 1978, Tora began to make international appearances in Canada and Mexico. In 1991 Tora participated extensively in the 50th anniversary year commemorations of Pearl Harbor and in 1992, Tora tackled the challenge of sending two replica Zeros to Alaska to participate in the 50th anniversary commemoration of the raid on Dutch Harbor. Throughout the 90s, Tora has been in demand at air shows throughout the country and as recently as the Spring of 2000, Tora aircraft and pilots participated in the filming of a new movie on the Pearl Harbor attack being filmed for release by Disney. As of the 2005 air show season, the men and women of Tora have been performing as a professional air show act for 33 years.

The motto of the Commemorative Air Force and the “Tora” act is “Lest We Forget.” “Tora, Tora, Tora”, as other Commemorative Air Force flying history recreations, is not intended to promote nationalism or glorify war. The intent of the Tora group is to help generations of individuals throughout the world born after World War II understand that war does not discriminate in the pain it causes and that courageous individuals on both sides lose their lives. In furtherance of this mission, the Tora group has participated in the making of numerous documentaries produced by Japanese filmmakers and Japanese historians.

The pilots and crew of “Tora, Tora, Tora” are proud of the reputation they have developed with veterans of the Japanese military as an accurate lesson on the history of the time and as a tribute to themselves and their comrades. Over the years, “Tora, Tora, Tora” has brought both American and Japanese veterans together to celebrate the spirit of cooperation our two nations have enjoyed for more than 50 years. At air shows throughout the country, Japanese veterans living, working, and visiting in this country have had an opportunity to meet with the Tora gang and join with American veterans in a sprit of brotherhood and friendship that only former servicemen can experience.

During the average year, Tora participates in 12 to 16 air shows with 8 to10 Tora aircraft participating in each show. In addition, each performance includes approximately 61 pyrotechnic effects. The average Tora show requires the coordinated effort of a minimum of 20 to 26 individuals with the support of local fire departments both in the air and on the ground. As one air show industry publication noted, “Flying and working with a keen sense of spirit and camaraderie, the men and women of Tora set themselves apart from other air show acts by exhibiting a professionalism that over the years has earned them the distinction as one of the best acts in the industry”. This excellence was recognized formally in December 2001 when Tora was presented with the Art Scholl Award for Showmanship. This award is one of the two highest distinctions awarded by ICAS, the premiere air show industry trade association. This level of achievement is truly extraordinary when one considers that Tora is comprised entirely of volunteers. Every single person associated with Tora has volunteered his/her time, skills and financial resources to accomplish one simple feat…the telling of a true story, a piece of history. In this respect, Tora is more than just another air show act. Tora is a team of volunteers dedicated to an air show act that can best be described as a living history museum. For 33 years, 12 to 16 shows each year, the men and women of Tora have been performing essentially the same act for crowds throughout the western hemisphere. The story never changes, yet every show is as fresh and exciting as the first. Every performance is presented with the same spirited presentation, sense of emotion, and commitment to safety as those first performances in 1972.

As the pilots taxi for takeoff, Tora ground crew and Tora Bomb Squad members can frequently be seen saluting the pilots in the traditional Japanese fashion of a bow. From that moment in the air show until the final notes of Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” are heard as the smoke and fires from Tora finally fade away, the men and women of Tora are dedicated to one simple, yet powerful task…the telling of the story…”lest we forget”. Dedication…Selflessness…Commitment…these terms are synonymous with the men and women of Tora, Tora, Tora. As one airshow promoter so aptly phrased it…”An airshow without TORA or the TORA Bomb Squad is just another fly in. Treat yourself to a day at the museum…the multi-sensory, 3-D, living history museum known as TORA, TORA, TORA.

by Elliott “Doc” Pood, Former TORA Public Information Officer

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