Warbird Information Exchange

Hey all, hope everyone is keeping dry! The damp turf was quite a factor for us today while we worked, luckily we have experienced volunteers who know how to handle it all! Here's what we accomplished today...

Aircraft-

C-47- We ran "Whiskey 7" today and taxied it up to the hangar, as to not get a tug stuck while towing it. She again ran beautifully! Work also continues on the canvas seats.

C-45- Craig and John took the '45 up today and it flew great! Nice to have the Beech up in the air again.

L-Birds- All the liaison a/c are ready to go as well. Aero Commander, L-16, L-21, and YO-55 are just waiting for some dry weather to fly.

Building and Grounds -

T-Hangar- Steve M. was hard at work today installing more lights in the hangar, they are really looking good! Also, work is progressing on the new break room area.

2011 Airshow- The online ticketing system has not panned out for this year, so we are moving ahead. As you have seen, a tentative aircraft list has been posted.

'41 Fighter Fund- I'm planning a raffle for the fly-in breakfast! More details to come...

Pics- Here's what you missed today @ HAG...


New Break Room area is really coming along


C-45 finally outside again!








Our D-Day Vet C-47 awakes

- Austin Hancock

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Hey all! Hope everyone is doing just great and getting excited for some upcoming airshows. We accomplished a ton today at the museum, with many volunteers on hand, the day flew by! Here's what we got done...

Aircraft-

B-17- Still away on it's airshow circuit.

C-47- Today we completed installation of the canvas troop seats! These seats have been generously loaned to us by the Canadian Warplane Heritage We had to manufacture mounting rails from scratch, but after this, is was relatively smooth sailing. Also, Jim G. has made a ton of headway on the static jump lime for the paratroopers! Next weekend the '47 will head off to it's 1st airshow of the season, at Andrews AFB.

C-45- Will be taking a short trip tomorrow, so look for her in the skies.

Buildings and Grounds-

T-Hangar- The hangar has been getting a load of TLC as of late. Today, Steve M. and Super Dave were busy finishing up the lights (they look awesome!) Also, John S. has the new "break" room looking amazing, the progress is really picking up. The interns have begun to set up displays, and Don W. and crew continue to clear out the hangar to make way for them. The transformation is extreme!

2011 Airshow- Yes, sadly, it is true. The CAF B-24 "'Ol 927" will not be attending our show this year. However, we still have quite the line-up in the works! As always, stay tuned for the latest.

Pictures- Here's what you missed today!


The renovations in progress at the T-Hangar


More T-Hangar progress


Rails for the canvas troop seats, pre-seat installation


And they're in! Awesome work gang!


Again, a special thanks to the CWH for their generosity!




Forward-Fuselage Static Line Mount



Rear-Fuselage Static Line Mount, you can almost see the paratroopers jumping out of our plane!

- Austin Hancock

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Thanks for sharing these behind-the-scenes pictures.
I enjoy them as much as the a/c in the air pictures.

No problem! Glad you enjoy them

- Austin H.

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Hey gang! Just wanted to pop in a quick update here. Our latest project has been to re-paint and clean up the C-119 "Flying Boxcar." Here are a few pics of the new paint!


C-119 gets the TLC is deserves with fresh, new, vibrant white paint! It really does make a difference...









Have a good one!

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Hey all, hope everyone is doing great and excited for the big game tomorrow! Today was another warmer-snow free day in Geneseo - and we were sure to take full advantage of that! Here's the "rundown"...

Aircraft-

C-47- The props and domes just returned from being overhauled @ Hope Aero in Ontario, CAN. In the next week or so, we will be re-assembling them and then re-hanging on to the R-1830s. The fuselage windows are being replaced as well, each one is now being cut and individually installed. Jon C. was hard at work on that job today. In the end, passengers will have a muuuuuch better/clear outside view from the Dakota. This should look better from the outside as well. Lastly, the routine inspections are going as expected with no suprises. Overall, very progress winter for the '47 thus far!

C-45- The Twin-Beech is the next bird to get her props sent out and routinely overhauled. Both propellers and domes are off the '45 and awaiting to be packed and delivered. This should happen shortly!

Aero-Commander 100- The "Darter" is doing great and getting a few small jobs here and there in winter maintenance. Nothing major, just little "touch-ups" to get her ready for Spring.

B-17- Gary P. has almost got the wheels ready to go back on! Until then, the "Belle" is still "flying" in the hangar.

L-16- Craig W. ended our work day by giving rides to the whole gang. How many times do you get to fly a light-sport category aircraft in mid-winter in NY?!?! Haha.

Buildings and Grounds-

T-Hangar- John S. is making a LOT of progress of in the "America at Home" exhibition room(s). There will be display cases to house artifacts and uniforms, and individual rooms to demonstrate the complete house from 1941. It will look amazing!

Airshow 2012- In case you've missed it, the airshow meetings have already begun! Our next meeting is this Wednesday, the 8th, @ 7:00pm. Already a few planes booked, and many more in the works! Trust me, it'll be a great show as always...

P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project- Only another $100.00 is needed to purchase "Lucy Gal's" rudder! Who wants to be the one to donate and get the construction officially started? Also, check out the "Lucy Gal" sub-forum on this message board to see a more in-depth update.

Pictures- Here's what you missed today in Geneseo!


Aero-Commander 100 in mid-maintenance.


Beechcraft Staggerwing wing is almost ready for paint!


C-47 in winter maintenance, looking anxious to get flying again.


C-47 propellers and domes still in crates after delivery from Hope-Aero in CAN.


Access panels opened on the C-47 for inspections, there are on ton of these things!


C-47 rudder is now completely stripped of old fabric and rib-stitches. Ready to begin building her up again.


C-45 with props off.


Aaaand here's the '45s prop!


B-17 wheel almost ready for new tire mounting.


New display cases in the "America @ Home" exhibit.


Progress in one of the rooms in "America @ Home."

Blue Skies and Tailwinds!

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Austin,

Regarding the 2012 Airshow, please keep in touch with Carolyn at Vintage Wings of Canada. We hope to appear with our "Fighters of the Med" at various shows this year -- being the Spit, Hurricane, and P-40, singly or in formation.

Plus the Swordfish.

Cheers,

Dave

Roger that Dave! I will be sure to tell this to Naomi as well, we'd love to have you back!

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Hello friends! Hope you all are doing just great. Mid-February can be real slow and boring in WNY, but NOT at our museum! Today brought yet another good turnout of volunteers, thus resulting in an extraordinary amount of work getting done. Here's the rundown...

Aircraft-

C-47- Our D-Day Vet is progressing smoothly through the winter maintenance regimen. The props/domes have returned from overhaul and will be re-assembled next week. Also, the rudder re-covering is moving along smoothly as well. The crew working on replacing the fuselage side-windows is also making strides! All of the old windows have been taken out, and one-by-one they are being replaced. See the pics below for more!

B-17- MARC mechanic Gary P. has got the wheels back on the 'Belle! She looks great with the new struts as well, nice and clean. More pics below.

C-45- Propellers and hubs are in the process of being bundled up to be sent to Hope Aero for overhaul.

C-119- The interns from SUNY Geneseo have taken a liking to the "Phoenix" and are pitching in their elbow grease to help Dave K. et al. They are all doing great work!

Buildings and Grounds-

T-Hangar- John S. and son Andrew were busy in the T-Hangar today working on the ceiling insulation. Eventually, drywall will be hung here. Eventually, the whole hangar will be dry-walled, taking us one step further to having a world-class display hangar! John is making a ton of head-way in the "America @ Home" exhibit area as well. Soon, we will have an even better place to show off what the home of the 40s looked like.

2012 Airshow- In case you haven't heard, Scott Yoak and the P-51D "Quicksilver" confirmed for our airshow! Also, if you are a facebooker, go confirm your attendance to this year's show at our event page, here...http://www.facebook.com/events/234612336623719/.

P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project- All I can say is, things are getting exciting! I officially have enough $ to purchase the rudder kit from Tri-State Aviation. Also, we met last week and decided to go "full steam ahead" with construction on "Lucy Gal," so there's no stopping us now! The next few steps are 1.) Buy metal to construct rudder jig, 2.) Construct rudder jig, 3.) Order rudder kit, 4.) Construct rudder!

Also, on a more somber note, the 1941 HAG is sad to announce the passing of member Michael Ingrisano. Michael was a radio-operator and member of the 37th troop carrier squadron in World War II. He flew in the same squad as our own C-47, and he wrote a book all about the 316th. Rest in peace Michael, another amazing veteran gone west...

Pictures- Here's what you missed today in Geneseo...


C-45 propeller getting packaged up.


B-17 is on her wheels again!


You can see how clean the new gear is.




Now compare that to the old gear!


C-47 window work.


Super Dave and Lee re-installing the frame with a new window in it!


The view should be MUCH more clear from these new windows compared to what we had before.



Blue Skies and Tailwinds!

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Hello HAG followers! Happy St. Patrick's Day weekend to each and every one of you, we hope you had a great day. A good sized crew showed up yesterday to get work done, and they did just that! This AWESOME weather we've been having has provided much opportunity for flying and is getting us all psyched for the upcoming airshow. Here is the rundown of the latest "HAG happenings"...

Aircraft-

C-47- Our D-Day Veteran Dakota is doing great in it's winter maintenance regimen. Yesterday, the gang re-assembled the freshly overhauled propellers. After this, they were re-hung onto the R-1830 engines. Also, the rudder re-covering is producing by "leaps and bounds." See the pictures below for more details! Our C-47 should be getting back into the skies soon!

B-17- It looks as though Gary P. has got the MARC's 'Belle ready to fly for another airshow season! The '17 is looking buttoned up and ready to go.

C-45- The Twin-Beech is awaiting re-installation of her freshly-overhauled propellers. Again, this bird is doing just fine in winter maintenance and shall be flying again real soon.

L-Birds- With the recent stretch of pleasant weather, we've been dipping our toes back into flying! Seeing as how our runway/taxiway is all turf, it takes a little while for everything to firm up. We usually start flying the smaller-lighter "L-Birds" to start the season off. The L-16, L-21, and Citabria have all been up already!

Building and Grounds-

T-Hangar- John Swanson and crew are going right to town on the overhaul of the T-Hangar. The goal is to turn the whole building into an area for displays, more like a museum! The new ceiling is nearly complete, and then work will continue on hanging drywall. Also, the old T-Hangar doors have been removed and their openings will be re-covered by walls with regular entry doors. See pics below, nice work gang!

"America @ Home" Exhibit- Our exhibit to show the typical home-front house during the 1940s/WWII is also coming along nicely, and at a rapid pace! The display case side of the exhibit is complete (minus the displays in the cases.) The individual rooms of the "house" are each nearing completion as well. Naomi W. is taking on painting the rooms and getting things looking awesome! More pics below.

2012 Geneseo Airshow- There is an airshow planning meeting THIS Wednesday (the 21st) @ 7pm sharp! Be sure to attend if you play a role in the airshow operations, or if you'd like to help. As for aircraft attending, the P-51 "Quicksilver" has been confirmed with Scott Yoak, whom will do an AWESOME acro routine. Also, another rare and exciting aircraft has been added to the roster...

P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project- I recently wrote to Mr. Jack Roush (NASCAR team owner and AVID Ford/P-51 Mustang restorer/pilot/owner) about my project, hoping to gain his support. I received a personal letter from Mr. Roush yesterday, within which he offered his full support and also mentioned that he would keep me in mind for some of his "spare" P-51 parts!

Pictures- Here's what you've been missing in Geneseo!...


C-47 with propellers re-installed! A beautiful sight.






She'll be flying soon!


Austin W. took advantage of the nice weather and flew Graham's Citabria for a bit today.


Two WWII heroes in hibernation, but not for long.






Progress on the C-47's Rudder. Re-covering is nearly complete.


More of the '47 rudder re-covering.


Progress on the T-Hangar's complete overhaul.


Where the T-Hangar's hangar-doors used to be!




New ceiling in the T-Hangar is almost done.


"America @ Home" exhibit progress.


"America @ Home" Dining Room coming along nicely...


...as is the living room!

Blue Skies and Tailwinds...

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Hello all! Hope you are each having a fantastic weekend. The weather here in Geneseo has been great the last 3 days or so, and we made sure to take advantage of that today. Here's a rundown of the latest news...

Aircraft-

B-17- Still outside awaiting it's first trip aloft. A few of the volunteers worked on "rolling" the taxiway today so she can get one step closer to the runway!

C-47- We have accomplished a LOT on our "Gooneybird" so far this winter. This progress has continued up to now at a blazing speed. Right now, Jim G. is working on installing the jump lights/bell that the "Liberty Jump Team" will be using at their shows this year. Also, today we worked on routing wires from the cockpit to the rear of the plane for the new intercom system. This will make communications between the pilots and the jumpers more efficient. The rudder is nearing completion from it's recovering! See the pics below for a better visual description on that. Also, "Super" Dave has been busy building new battery trays, and they look awesome. In a couple short weeks, we should be flying again!

C-45- Propellers are still out for overhaul, they shall return soon and be re-installed.

L-16- The "Grasshopper" took a few flights today in this magnificent weather. This is always a fun way to unwind from a long day of cramped C-47 work, lol!

Citabria- Austin W. and Jon C. both took the newly acquired Bellanca for a few flights. This is one fun airplane!

Buildings and Grounds-

T-Hangar- John S. has nearly completed the facelift of the t-hangar. With the old hangar doors removed and covered, and a new split door installed, things are really moving along. This will soon become a hangar solely for displays and restoration, and it will really look world class!

America at Home- The WWII home exhibit is shaping up nicely. Naomi was busy doing some painting today in preparation for bringing in artifacts and relics.

2012 Geneseo Airshow- Lots to be excited about! We've got 3 P-51s, the FW-190, and a lot more on the way! Stay tuned...

P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project- Here's the latest news on our MIA Tuskegee Airman project, http://fighterfund.blogspot.com/2012/04/marchearly-april-news-and-notes.html

Pictures- Here's what you missed today in Geneseo!


T-Hangar Progress.


A-26 sittin' pretty.


B-23 may see some action soon!


Aero-Commander 100 Flagship with new nose-art.


More panels re-installed on our '47!


A little perspective.


Newly installed jump bell/lights for the C-47 and "Liberty Jump Team."


C-47 Rudder progressing nicely.




One of two newly fabricated battery trays for the '47.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds...

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

really neat to see the -20 and -26 next to each other. dogulas attack hua!

_________________
-recovering Viper crew chief
-AWACS driver/soon-to-be A-26 driver
-displaced Philadelphian

Hello all! Hope you are each doing great. Today was our annual C-47 Ground-School session, were we discussed safety, flight procedures, and the 2012 airshow season schedule. The day went very well, and we also got a lot of work done! Here's the rundown...

Aircraft-

C-47- If you heard two R-1830 engines humming over WNY yesterday, then you heard our C-47! She flew over and over again yesterday in her 1st flights of the year. We are very excited to have our D-Day Vet back up for, what looks to be, another exciting airshow season. The flights yesterday went great as well!

C-45- Today, John W., Taro P., Loren H., Hugh, Super Dave, and I all worked on getting the Expeditor back in the air. The props have returned from overhaul, so we busied ourselves by re-installing the cowlings today and safty-wiring everything up tight. Dave was busy making a part to help torque the props down once they are re-installed. See pics below for details, the '45 shouldn't be on the ground much longer.

C-119- The '119 static restoration crew has been making great progress! Be sure to check for their updates on our message board.

Buildings and Grounds-

T-Hangar- Sheet after sheet of drywall have been hung in an effort to convert our original hangar into an interactive museum display facility. The progress that has been made most recently is staggering! See pics below to get a visual of the epic improvements being made.

America at Home Exhibit- Our WWII-era home exhibit is shaping up! Naomi has completed the floor painting, and has now begun to install the artifacts and displays. The new "America @ Home" should be even better than the last, see pics below for more.

2012 Geneseo Airshow- It is entirely possible that there will be more additions to our airshow aircraft roster very soon! Stay tuned here for the latest (http://1941hag.org/Geneseo-Airshow/airshow_aircraft_2012.html). The "Greatest Show on Turf" 2012 is shaping up to be a great one!

P-51B "Lucy Gal" Project- Thanks to Naomi and John S., I now have a display case for the project in the "America @ Home" exhibit! I am planning to set it all up soon. Also, the May WWII Can/Bottle collection drive was a success today with a pretty fair turnout of contributions. Stay tuned to find out how much was made at the drive, as well as for more details about the "Red Jugs for the Red Tail" fundraiser @ Geneseo 2012! (http://fighterfund.blogspot.com/2012/04/red-jugs-for-red-tail.html)

Raublyn Hopkins- As you all heard, our dear "Raubie" passed last week. She was the wife of our late chief mechanic Ed Hopkins. Her memorial service was this past Tuesday in her hometown of Dansville, and it was very well attended. Family, friends, and museum members/volunteers all paid there last respects and remembered the life of this great woman. RIP Raubie, we love and miss you.



Pictures- Here's what you missed today in Geneseo!


Our D-Day Vet C-47 "ready for battle!"




The C-45 with cowls re-installed, props are next to go on.


Here are the C-45's propellers.


Ever wonder what makes that prop feather? Here's the innards.


The face of the T-Hangar, now sans hangar doors!


Renovations inside the T-Hangar.


What a transformation!


New paint in the "America @ Home" exhibit.


Living room area in "America @ Home."


"America @ Home" kitchen coming together.


"Lucy Gal" display case! Soon to be quite filled...


Results from the May WWII Can/Bottle Collection Drive. Can't wait to see how much we brought in this month!


Two of our members beautiful aircraft, flown in today for C-47 ground school. On the left, a Cessna 195, and on the right, an Aeronca 7AC "Champ."

Blue Skies and Tailwinds...

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com

Austin, thanks for all those most informative updates. Please keep them coming.

_________________
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

You're very welcome! Anytime...

_________________
Austin Hancock
Pennington P-51 Memorial
www.lp-51.com