Warbird Information Exchange

I'll be attending my dad's WWII squadron reunion in Tulsa Thur-Sat (VB/VPB-109). Any info on must see aviation-related stuff?

There is an aviation museum on the north end of the airport(Tulsa International). I haven't visited since they moved into their current building but there are probably enough exhibits to keep a person busy for a good afternoon. If you have some extra time to kill there is the Woolaroc Museum near Bartlesville where they have the plane that won the Dole Air race. There is also an air museum in Oklahoma City if you have a lot of extra time to kill off.

Thanks, I'll take a look.

Welcome to Tulsa! The air and space museum has an F-14 inside with an open cockpit (that is intact), the only surviving Spartan NP-1 WWII biplane trainer and other aircraft and aviation related exhibits. There is an exhibit on the Tulsamerican, the last B-24 built in Tulsa at the Douglas plant (I wrote most of the exhibit). There are some fun hands-on exhibits for kids as well that explain the basic scientific concepts behind aviation.

If you go east down the road from the air and space museum, there are four pole-mounted aircraft in front of the air national guard base- an F-86D, an F-15, an A-7 and an F-100 (I think). They are in pretty good shape and easy to photograph from the road. If you continue from there to Mingo road and turn south, you will go past what is now International Bus, but what in WWII was the mile-long Douglas Aircraft Company plant that turned out A-24s, A-26s, B-24s and other components.

You are also in luck this weekend, as you are in town just in time for the Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-in (that amusingly enough takes place in Bartlesville, 45 miles north of Tulsa). Below is the link for the event:

http://www.tulsaflyin.com/

It is the 54th annual fly-in, and will have about 350 aircraft and only about 1500 or so visitors. It is at the Bartlesville Airport, which is historic in its own right as it is the airport from which Wiley Post took off for several of his high-altitute test flights, where he tested the predecessor to the pressure suit and the space suit. The hangar he used is still standing there and in use. The aircraft present will include warbirds, vintage aircraft and homebuilts. The airport environment is really fan-friendly, as the aircraft are just parked in a field and the flightline is fully accessible to the public. You should definitely go if you have time. As previously mentioned, if you are in Bartlesville you will only be about 10 miles from Woolaroc, which was Frank Phillips' ranch. The museum has the Travel Air 5000 "Woolaroc" that as previously mentioned Art Goebels flew to win the Dole Race to Hawaii.

Since it is scheduled to be a nice weekend, the warbird guys out at Jones-Riverside Airport in Tulsa will also be out flying. They usually fly in the morning, and gather on the east side of the airport at their hangars. The airport is pretty accessible, so you can get over to the hangar side of the airport to go say hi if you are wanting to meed some of the local EAA Warbird Chapter 10 guys. Several of them, I would guess, will be flying to Bartlesville for the day so even if you are not going to the flyin I would wander out there in the morning to catch them on takeoff.

For grins, if you are out at Jones-Riverside, a pole-mounted T-33 is there in front of the Tulsa Technology Center campus on the southeast corner of the building.

Is that helpful? If you need any help with any of that, PM me and I will give you my cell number. I can also hook you up with where to eat here in town. There are some neat non-aviation things to do as well.

Hope that is helpful. Have a great weekend, and welcome to Tulsa!!!

kevin

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FOUND the elusive DT-built B-24! Woo-hoo!!!

If you like GA types (and who doesn't?) I think Tulsa was a big center for general aviation (or so it seemed from a distance looking at ads) with rebuild shops and many dealers.

That still the case? Is there anything to see at the local GA fields?

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

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Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

JBoyle-

Yes, Tulsa is huge for general aviation. Jones-Riverside airport is one of the busiest GA airports in the region, if not the country. There is an abundance of smaller airports in the immediate area. Harvey Young airport is a grass strip airport right in the middle of the east side of town. There are several small aircraft that fly from that airport on a daily basis, including a couple of vintage ones. North of town, towards Owasso and Collinsville, is Airman Acres and a couple of other small airports that cater to homebuilders and other small GA types. There are RV-8s in abundance, a couple of T-6s, a gorgeous WACO etc. The airport in Bristow has an almost-completed C-47 restoration that is going to really turn some heads, as it is outfitted pretty much as delivered, down to the equipment in the fuselage. Worth driving out to see if you have the time. There are tons of aviation related companies here in town, including Spirit, NORDAM etc.

kevin

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FOUND the elusive DT-built B-24! Woo-hoo!!!

I'm back. Went to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum pics with some of the veterans of VB/VPB-109. Hope to post some pics.