MAAM 2007/Groups who attend... Info please

Cadillac_of_the_Sky · **Posted:** Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:09 pm

This might be a little off topic for this site, but maybe some of you have some information. I'm trying to find out about some of the groups who set up there as reenactors and such. I've looked online, but not had much luck with finding much in the Maryland, southern Pa area.

Also, any good inside info on this years MAAM? Are the Spit and Hurricane gonna try to make it this year?

Cheers

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:34 pm

I'm a member of the Airmen's Preservation Society (APS) and American Millitary Medical Impressions (AMMI). Both attend MAAM. The APS has a Washington D.C. Wing and a Pennsylvania Wing. APS was one of the few groups to be in attendence since the start of the WWII Weekend.
Check ou the APS websites at:

APS PA: http://home.earthlink.net/~sgtbrown103/apspage1.html

APS Capital Wing: http://www.capitalwingaps.org/

Jerry

Waltz41 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 21, 2006 9:06 am

Sorry for the late reply. I'm part of the 25th Infantry Division, we do a PTO set up with a 40mm Bofors gun as our main peice. That was my 5th show, but guys in my group have been there for a few more years before that.

brian

V1VRV2 · **Posted:** Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:57 pm

The Spitfire, Hurricane and Bf-109E form the Russell Group are scheduled to attend MAAM 2007. We were prepared to launch this year, but the weather would not cooperate. All WIX'ers are, as always, encouraged to hang with our crews. We look forward the a great show.
Rob Gillman

k5083 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:16 am

That is excellent. All I would wish for MAAM next year is that they have the show that the weather prevented them from having this year. I don't imagine that they will spoon out for the Lanc again

but the Russell aircraft plus the "usual suspects" would be plenty for me.

f4phan · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 1:03 pm

Brian .... This Bofor's ?

AFD94 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 08, 2006 5:03 pm

This will be my first year attending the MAAM show and I cant wait to see the Russell aircraft.

Waltz41 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 08, 2006 7:53 pm

f4phan, yep that's us!!

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 745

I want to see a C-54! (Hint hint) :wink:

I would like to see 3 dry days!
Seriously, though, WWII Weekend is a fantastic event!
If you've never been, you are missing out.

krlang · **Posted:** Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:14 pm

Airlift48 wrote:

I want to see a C-54! (Hint hint) :wink:

I would like to see 3 dry days!
Seriously, though, WWII Weekend is a fantastic event!
If you've never been, you are missing out.

I want to see a C-54 fly in the show!
Not just taxi up to drop a reenactor!

We have our boots ready!

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 745

Well, that would be up to MAAM. Generally, its not any great benefit for us to fly in airshows, beause it detracts from our purpose.

The amount of down time, combined with fuel consumption, and other considerations have prohibited us from doing so. If adequate compensation is available and offered, we would fly, if the promoter so desires.

I t hink I covered this all last year on the WIX when I wrote this:

We're too poor to fly at shows.. Our interior is set up as a Museum and Tribute to the Great Berlin Airlift. At over 200GPH fuel consumption + parts, maintenance and general wear and tear, It has to be an unusually sweet proposition for us to break down our setup, stop tours, (which stops our potential income for quite a long time), crank up wait around for our window wasting precious fuel, do the flypast or two, park, shut down, and re-set up for public touring.

Most of our operating capital is raised through the walk throughs, so for us to interrupt that for such a long long time has to be for a very special occasion.

We exhibit the C-54 primarily for Educational purposes. The Berlin Airlift was so very important to World history, and it gets very little attention in the history books. Keeping that memory alive is our mission. The flying is just a small part of what we do.

If you've toured the interior of the aircraft, you can easily see what we're all about. A 4 engined transport is a very expensive bird to maintain, and we dont get the same draw that a bomber gets, so that limits what we are able to do.

I hope you enjoy seeing the plane around the country, our very small team of volunteers work very very hard to keep it going. And its getting harder and harder to do with the costs of gas, parts and insurance.

If you want to help ease the burden, get involved! We're easy. Visit our website at www.spiritoffreedom.org and help keep the C-54 going! You can also get involved with our Boeing C-97! A long term project, but nearing completion!

Great website, by the way!

Kevin Kearney
Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation
C-54 "Spirit of Freedom"
C-97 "Angel of Deliverance"

www.spiritoffreedom.org

I hope this enlightens you to our "life in the trenches". Transport aircraft simply don't have the glamour of fighters and bombers, so the finances arent quite on the same level. However, fuel comsumption is greater than a B-17 and we have about the same maintenance costs, with 1/10th the income. Is hard enough keeping this old girl airworthy for the purpose of exhibition, let alone adding cycle after cycle on her. If we started "beating her up" that way, we'd go broke.

Although, I'd sure like to be positioned somewhere in front of the lemonade stand. Its hard to attract visitors when you are hidden behind the food vendors.

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:45 am

Tim, Kevin and the whole crew do a fantastic job and the C-54 is an amazing and unique display, not only of aviation history, but of the goodness mankind can put forth to help their fellow man.
Fabulous! Keep up the good work!

I would suggest to anyone who wants to see the C-54 actually fly, to try to get to the show, MAAM or others, on arrival day. Usually it's a Friday, but sometimes it can be on a Thursday. This is usually the best time to see the static display aircraft fly-in and taxi to their spot with little or no public around. Sometimes, when an aircraft is planned for static only, you can see them do a low approach or two before they touch down.
Arrivals and departures of the show planes and statics are my most favorite times during an airshow.
Try it sometime, it's pretty neat!
Blue skies,
Jerry

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 745

Why thank you, Jerry!

I do appreciate the nice comments! We do work very hard to carve out our little niche.

Anyway, as not to hijack this thread, what would I like to see a MAAM WWII Weekend?

P-38, P-39
ME-109
P-47's

TANKS! A whole bunch of them!

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 745

As of today,

The C-54 "Spirit of Freedom" will be there with our special guest, Berlin Airlift Candy Bomber Gail S. Halvorsen. (Gail was also a Ferry Command Pilot during the war)

For those who have expressed their desire to see us fly, we are scheduled to reenact one of Gail's famous Candy Drops each day. So, weather and mechanicals aside, we will be flying at Reading!

I'd also like to invite everyone to come by and tour through the "Spirit" and see what we do with this large 4- engined transport. PLUS, you'll get to meet one of the truly great Americans I've ever encountered and am proud to call a friend, Gail Halvorsen! (Betcha thought I was going to say you, Jase)

See you at RDG!

TAdan · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:36 am

Kevin that is great news I look forward to seeing the "bombing" runs :lol:

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