For decades, the Wings of Freedom tour brought World War II aircraft to thousands of aviation fans at airports across the country, offering rides for a price aboard the Boeing B-17G, B-25, B-24, and P-51D.

The end of the decades-long tour did not come as a surprise to many, who, after watching the high profile deadly accidents of recent years, feared this would happen. However, Rob Collings, the president of the Foundation noted that the Wings of Freedom Tour was originally begun to reach as many World War II veterans as possible and it did—but, as noted by Collings, there are very few World War II veterans left, and the focus of the organization has shifted to “acquire and restore the most historic types of aircraft and artifacts with the best provenance to allow a new generation to connect with the history.”

According to Collings, the American Heritage Museum is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Hudson, Massachusetts, has “a collection of military vehicles spanning the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard and other nations with 50 aircraft and over 90 vehicles in addition to large artifacts such as the rebuilt Hanoi Hilton POW cell and a part of the Berlin Wall.” To allow more school groups, greater education, and more robust preservation of the legacy of the veterans meant a far more immersive, audio-visual based museum, which the American Heritage Museum has delivered. “We have adapted our approach,” he continued, “but we still remain committed to operating many of the vehicles and aircraft for the public at our events and with our outreach program.”

The expansion of the museum will add more than 90,000 square feet of highly immersive museum space to display the most iconic aircraft from World War I and World War II. The ground vehicles, such as the tanks, will still be operated as part of the living history weekends held in the summer.

Many in the warbird community predicted this outcome following the loss of the B-17 Nine-O-Nine that killed seven people and injured seven at Bradley International Airport (KBDL) in Connecticut. The accident happened during the Wings of Freedom Tour. For ten months out of the year, the tour traveled around the U.S. Many FBOs sponsored and hosted the tour, as it was great for business to have these iconic aircraft parked on the ramp.

During the tour, people paid hundreds of dollars for a 20-minute airplane ride. A seat on the B-17 or B-24 ran $425. A seat in the front compartment of the B-25 went for $400, one in the back for $325. The back seat in the P-51D went for $2,200 for 30 minutes. As the organization is a 501(c)(3), the money was considered a donation. During a stop, the B-17 routine flew two rides per hour with ten passengers onboard. In addition, t-shirt sales at stops added up to millions of dollars per year. That all ended on October 2, 2019.

The Accident

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the accident flight was the first of the day. The aircraft with two pilots, a loadmaster, and seven passengers lifted off from Runway 06. The Collings Foundation was operating under an FAA exemption 6540P as part of a Living History Flight Experience (LHFE).

Normal procedures called for all occupants of the aircraft to be seated and seatbelted in during takeoffs and landings. Normally, two passengers were seated on the flight deck behind the pilot and copilot while the rest of the passengers and the loadmaster occupied seats on the floor in the radio compartment. Each seat had a military style seatbelt with a lift and latch attachment. Normal procedures called for the loadmaster to brief the passengers on seatbelt use, exits and safety equipment. The loadmaster was also tasked with letting the passengers know when it was safe to get out of these seats and roam around the aircraft and when they needed to return to their seats.

• READ MORE: B-17 “Nine-O-Nine” Crashes in Connecticut

According to the NTSB report, the loadmaster, the only member of the crew to survive the accident, was standing, unsecured, between the pilots during takeoff. He left the cockpit just after takeoff to tell the passengers they could get out of their seats, but when he returned to the cockpit he realized the aircraft was not climbing.

The aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 600 feet above ground on the right crosswind leg when one of the pilots contacted air traffic control stating that the airplane needed to return to land because of a rough magneto. The controller asked the pilot if he needed any assistance, to which the pilot replied,“negative.”

The loadmaster told the NTSB that the pilot instructed the copilot to extend the landing gear, which he did. The loadmaster then left the cockpit to instruct the passengers to return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. According to local news reports, one of the passengers texted his wife that the aircraft was returning “because of turbulence.”

When the loadmaster returned again to the cockpit, the pilot stated that “the No. 4 engine was losing power” and then, without discussion or crew coordination, shut down the engine and feathered the propeller.

Video of the bomber taken from the ground shows it struggling to hold altitude. When the airplane was at midfield on downwind, it was at an altitude of about 400 feet agl, although it had about 2.7 miles to go before it reached the threshold for Runway 6. The airplane came in with its right wing down, striking the ground 500 feet short of the runway. The aircraft veered to the right as it continued its landing roll, colliding with ground vehicles and sliding over a deicing fluid tank 940 feet to the right of the runway. An explosion and post-accident fire consumed the aircraft.

The cause of death for the pilot and copilot were smoke inhalation, thermal injury, and blunt trauma.

The cause of death for the five passengers was blunt impact injury and/or thermal injury and smoke inhalation. Two passengers and the loadmaster escaped out the cockpit window. The rest of the survivors got out through the rear of the aircraft. One person on the ground was injured as well.

During the investigation, the NTSB found numerous unresolved maintenance issues and crew training failures. It was noted that the pilot in command on the accident flight was also the director of maintenance. The uncommanded loss of engine power was attributed to deferred maintenance. In addition, there was a lack of oversight by the FAA of the Foundation’s safety management practices system, which, in addition to aircraft maintenance, included flight operations, such as briefing passengers on the proper use of seatbelts, exits, and emergency equipment. It was also noted that the pilots did not use shoulder harnesses and the loadmaster would stand unrestrained between the pilots during takeoff and landing although there was a seat with a seatbelt for him to the left of the ball turret.

The NTSB noted, “The pilots’ failure to use their shoulder harnesses and the loadmaster’s failure to be restrained during takeoff and landing were inconsistent with federal regulations addressing the use of safety belts and shoulder harnesses.”

In March of 2020, the FAA ruled that the Collings Foundation could no longer accept money from people who wanted to fly aboard the organization’s World War II aircraft. The agency also denied the Foundation’s request to renew the LHFE exemption.

The NTSB probable cause of the accident, released on May 17, 2021, cited the pilot’s failure to properly manage the airplane’s configuration and airspeed after he shut down the No. 4 engine following its partial loss of power during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the pilot/maintenance director’s inadequate maintenance while the airplane was on tour, which resulted in the partial loss of power to the No. 3 and No. 4 engines; the Collings Foundation’s ineffective safety management system (SMS), which failed to identify and mitigate safety risks; and the FAA’s inadequate oversight of the Collings Foundation’s SMS.

Last month, the Collings Foundation settled legal claims involving eight of the passengers who were aboard Nine-O-Nine when it crashed. Two other persons involved reached a deal with the Foundation in 2021. Terms of the settlements were not released to the public.

Grounding the Remaining B-17s

The call to ground the remaining B-17s rang out again last November when the Commemorative Air Force B-17 Texas Raiders was destroyed in a midair collision with a Bell P-63 Kingcobra on November 12, 2022, during the Wings Over Dallas Airshow. Six men were killed when the P-63 sliced through the B-17 to the horror of the thousands of people who were at the show and the millions more who saw the online photographs and video of the collision. The NTSB and FAA are still investigating that accident.

• READ MORE: Remembering ‘Texas Raiders’

Prior to this in 2011 the B-17 Liberty Belle was destroyed by fire after an unscheduled off-airport landing. The fire broke out in flight. Thanks to the skill of the crew, no one was killed when the pilots landed it in an agricultural field in Aurora, Illinois. Unfortunately, the rain-soaked ground was too soft for fire trucks to reach the aircraft so the crews watched helplessly from the road as it burned.

According to Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) spokesman Dick Knapinski, their B-17 Aluminum Overcast is still in the shop for spar repairs triggered by an airworthiness directive issued last spring.

• READ MORE: FAA Grounds B-17s Through Airworthiness Directive

However, the EAA still plans to have their B-25 and Ford TriMotor flying in 2024.

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FLYING Media Group’s Larry Anglisano recently spent some time behind the scenes with museum restoration lead Bob Vozzola for an exclusive look at the restoration and preservation process, and produced this video.

Editor’s Note: Video produced by Larry Anglisano for AVweb and FLYING.

The post How New England Air Museum Restores Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Indeed, the apparent slowdown might be a product of our imagination, as there are still many shows scheduled across the U.S. from midsummer through the fall. Because many spectators judge airshows by how many warbirds show up, we are listing events where people can see these beloved antiques take to the sky. Below is a small sample of opportunities to see wartime fighters, bombers, trainers, and transports in action between now and the beginning of the school year.

Oregon International Air Show

August 19-21, McMinnville Municipal Airport (KMMV), McMinnville, Oregon

The well-known P-51 Mustang “Val-Halla” will perform at this long-running show that also includes the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and F-35A Lightning II demo teams. There will also be a flight of warbirds from the Erickson Aircraft Collection, including a Douglas AD-4W Skyraider, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress “Ye Olde Pub,” and a Grumman F8F Bearcat.

The Show continues to grow! On Saturday & Sunday, a C-17 Globemaster III from @446AW will flyby! THEN, on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, a F-15C from the Oregon Air National Guard will flyby! Don't miss them & more at the McMinnville Airport on August 19-21. https://t.co/DxsGFxwdkO pic.twitter.com/3iF0DInUza

— Oregon Int'l AirShow (@oregonairshow) August 2, 2022

New Garden Festival of Flight

August 30, New Garden Airport (N57), Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania

This evening show is set to begin at twilight and finish off with a lightshow-style demonstration by renowned aerobatic performer Matt Younkin and his Twin Beech 18. Other featured warbirds include a North American SNJ Harvard trainer and Vought F4U Corsair fighter. There is also a Mitsubishi A6M Zero, which is far from an everyday sight.

Wildwood Air Show

September 2-5, Cape May County Airport (KWWD), Wildwood, New Jersey

The show will feature World War II aircraft potentially including a Corsair, a PBY Catalina, and a JU-52. The airport, which served as a training base for dive bomber squadrons during the war, is also home to the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, located in the airport’s historic Hangar 1.

Garmin KC Air Show

September 3-4, New Century AirCenter (KIXD), Olathe, Kansas

A huge event with dozens of performers, the KC Air Show includes a big military contingent, from the Air Force Thunderbirds and A-10 Thunderbolt II demonstration teams to an Air Force Heritage Flight and Navy Legacy Flight. A P-40 Warhawk and P-51 Mustang will also perform, as will the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team in their 1940s-era T-6 Texan military trainers.

You can see an Osprey, Sea Dragon, and an A-10 up close at the Garmin KC Air Show!

Take a look at all of our static displays here: https://t.co/dvftC80Q5R #A10 #osprey #seadragon #garminkcairshow pic.twitter.com/qUlXOxnTIG

— Garmin KC Air Show (@KCAirShow) August 2, 2022

Tri-State Warbird Museum Flying Warbirds Showcase

September 24, Clermont County Airport (I69), Batavia, Ohio

The Tri-State Warbird Museum’s restored aircraft visit numerous air shows around the U.S. but this is its home event, which helps fund the museum’s mission to preserve World War II aircraft and educate visitors about the role of U.S. aviation during the war. Attendees will see the museum’s P-40 Warhawk, TBM Avenger, P-51D Mustang, B-25 Mitchell, and a Flug Werk FW 190.

The post Calling Warbird Fans: Late-Summer Air Shows Featuring World War II Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Among the guests invited to appear is the Douglas C-53D from the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Inland Empire Wing. The C-53D was a variant of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain (a militarized version of Douglas’ DC-3). The C-53D was used to tow gliders into France during the Allied D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. The CAF aircraft, designated D-Day Doll, sports the livery of the forces on D-Day—note the “invasion stripes” on the wings.

Demo Day is more than just aviation eye candy. At 10:30 a.m. in the Maloney Hangar, Stephen Rose of the CAF will share the story of the C-53D. Rose will take visitors through the history of the aircraft, its use in combat, and as an added bonus, Rose will talk about the trip the vintage aircraft made to Europe in 2019 to be a part of the commemorative events honoring D-Day’s 75th anniversary.

• READ MORE: Photos: Inside the Restoration of a C-53 Skytrooper

At the conclusion of the talk, there will be a brief outdoor presentation followed by an engine start of both Pratt & Whitney 1,200 hp radial engines. The aircraft will taxi by the crowd and then launch for a short flight over the airport. Upon its return, the aircraft’s pilot and crew will be available for questions.

In the afternoon, flights aboard D-Day Doll will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.  The cost for a 20-minute ride is $125 and is open to guests ages 6 and older. You can book your flight in advance at wingsofvalor.net. 

Aces, Earhart and Automobiles

D-Day Doll isn’t the only attraction at Demo Weekend. Hangar Talk would not be complete without museum historian, writer, and aviation photographer Frank Mormillo, who will share stories about “Fighter Aces” in aviation history, covering both World War I and World War II.

The Museum expects to have historical re-enactors at the event, wandering in period-correct clothing to add an additional layer of authenticity to the event, so don’t be surprised if you see an “Ace” in the crowd.

Did you know it has been 85 years since Amelia Earhart attempted her famous flight around the world? Museum collections manager Mike Smith will present “Last Flight: A Look Back at the Final Flight of Amelia Earhart,” as July 2 marks the anniversary of Earhart’s last flight and her disappearance over the Pacific. Earhart’s disappearance remains one of aviation history’s great unsolved mysteries.

Aside from celebrating aviation history, the event will also recognizeAmerican automobile engineering. The California Association of Sunbeam Tigers are slated to bring their classic, high performance V8-engined sports cars for display. The Tiger was designed in the 1960s by Southern California auto racer Carroll Shelby, who is often remembered for his work with the Ford Company in the design of the Cobra and Mustang.

Doors to the museum open at 9 a.m. Regular admission prices are in effect—remember members always get in free.

For more information: planesoffame.org

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National Aviation Day came to life in 1939, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued a proclamation making it so. The date—August 19—was chosen because it was Orville Wright’s birthday, and it honored the brothers who brought powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight into reality.

We celebrate aviation every day, but for today, we hope that you join us in making a special event of it.

The National Aeronautic Association offers their own list of 10 things to do, in case you need a few ideas:

1. Read a book or memoir about your favorite aviation pioneer. If you’d like to learn about the Wright Brothers, there are plenty to choose from.

2. Visit and explore an aviation museum.

3. Build a model airplane.

4. Go “plane-spotting” at your local airport.

5. Watch an aviation documentary, like maybe 2003′s “Kitty Hawk: The Wright Brothers’ Journey of Invention.”

6. Take a virtual field trip to the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

7. Host a kite-flying contest.

8. Post on social media using #NationalAviationDay.

9. Attend a local air show or fly-in. There are ones this weekend in:

• Edmonton, Alberta
• Chicago, Illinois
• Camarillo, California
• Long Pond, Pennsylvania
• Arlington, Washington
• Greenwood, Nova Scotia
• Sydney, Nova Scotia.

10. Sign up to volunteer for an aviation organization.

And from all of us at Flying, here are nine more:

11. Listen to an episode of the ILAFFT podcast.

12. Sing “Happy Birthday” to Orville Wright, then enjoy an aviation-themed cupcake. (Sorry, Wilbur!)

13. Find out more about learning to fly.

14. Draw in an aviation coloring book with your favorite friends.

15. Construct an aviation collage out of old sectional and en route charts.

16. Take someone flying who’s never been up before.

17. Donate aviation books to a library or flight school near you.

18. Follow Flying on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

19. Make a commitment to bring flying into your day every day—not just on August 19th!

The post Check Out 19 Ways You Can Celebrate Aviation appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (PHAM) on Ford Island in Honolulu, Hawaii, is offering a very rare socially-distanced public opportunity on February 10 to 12, 2021 to watch the reassembly of their collection’s newly-acquired Blue Angels F/A-18C Hornet in PHAM’s Hangar 79. The airplane was demilitarized in San Diego, California, and shipped to Honolulu Harbor via Pasha Hawaii’s M/V Jean Anne, before being offloaded last week.

The museum’s Hornet has supported the Blue Angels team in a variety of slot positions throughout the years before ending its service as Blue Angel Number 4. The US Navy retired and demilitarized the F/A-18C Hornet at the end of 2020 and began using the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, which is 25 percent larger, for its famous precision flight demonstrations in 2021.

The purchase of general admission tickets allows close quarter, in-person viewing of the Blue Angel Number 4 as it is reassembled in historic Hangar 79. While the general public is allowed to drive onto PHAM grounds and watch the reassembly of the newly arrived Blue Angel Number 4 from a short distance away at no cost, a general admission wristband is required to enter Hangar 79. Adult tickets are $25, with children’s tickets for ages 4 to 12 priced at $12 and children three years of age and under free. Members of PHAM will also be admitted free to the reassembly viewing. Also, the viewing will not be live-streamed, but PAHM officials said they would be posting frequent photos to their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

“The Blue Angels are larger than life and have left audiences thunderstruck for 75 years,” said Elissa Lines, executive director of PHAM. “We are honored to display this Blue Angel F/A-18C, a symbol of strength, discipline, and innovation, within the context of our historic site. It will be a source of inspiration, especially for youth who dream of flight.”

Lines added the blue and gold livery of a Blue Angel F-18 triggers excitement in people of all ages. “Positioned alongside aircraft that supported World War II victory in the Pacific and beyond, the F-18 takes a position of prominence in our museum display, presenting the continuum of aviation and technology advancement that followed WWII, and sharing history through the stories of the men and women who flew and serviced the aircraft,” she said.

The shipping company that brought Blue Angels Number 4 to Honolulu considered the airplane to be special cargo. “Transporting Blue Angel Number 4 on its final voyage to Honolulu was a privilege,” said George Pasha, IV, president and CEO of Pasha Hawaii. “The Blue Angels are one of our nation’s most revered symbols of our military’s greatness and commitment to service. Pasha Hawaii is proud to support the PHAM’s mission to share such an important icon with the general public.”

Located on Historic Ford Island, PHAM is steeped in WWII history centered around the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on the base. The museum presents a very long list of aircraft in their collection, with a few highlights including: North American Aviation F-86L Sabre, Boeing B-52E Stratofortress (cockpit), Douglas C-47 Skytrain/DC-3A, General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon, Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress, Douglas A3D/NTA-3B Skywarrior, Boeing-Vertol CH-46E Sea Knight, Sikorsky CH-53 D Sea Stallion (Heavy Lift), Bell AH-1 Cobra, Lockheed T-33 T-Bird/Shooting Star, Lockheed F-104A Starfighter, Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, General Dynamics F-111C Aardvark, McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle, Grumman F-14D Tomcat, Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat, and a North American B-25B Mitchell bomber.

PHAM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends on membership, volunteers, and donations for support. To join, volunteer or support, visit PearlHarborAviationMuseum.org. The museum is open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Visitors to the museum must stay in the pod or bubble of people they are traveling with. Masks are required at all times. The Raytheon Pavilion, currently housing PAHM’s Above & Beyond exhibit, is closed, however, the Fighter Ace 360 Flight Simulators are open and meticulously sanitized between riders. Among new COVID-19 precautions in place are increased sanitation of high-touch spaces and office spaces, and both staff and volunteers are temperature-checked each day.

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In 1928, Charles Lindbergh personally selected Port Columbus Airport in Columbus, Ohio, as the eastern terminus of Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), one of America’s first commercial airlines and the first to offer coast-to-coast service. In July 1929, a beautiful art deco and modern (for the era) terminal was opened to the public at what is today known as John Glenn Columbus International Airport (KCMH) to service TAT passengers.

With Ohio widely recognized as the birthplace of aviation, the core mission of the recently-established 501(c)(3) nonprofit Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Museum (OAS) is to preserve and publicly honor the remarkable legacies of the state’s outstanding air and space pioneers. This roster of honorees will include legendary names like the Wright Brothers, Eddie Rickenbacker, Neil Armstrong, and John Glenn, but also under-heralded but no less significant trailblazers like Jerrie Mock, the first woman to fly solo around the world. OAS plans to leverage such inspirational examples as educational tools, using them as the foundation for fostering future innovation and workforce development through its STEAM education programs.

The old terminal building at KCMH has seen efforts to restore it over the years but has been vacant for nearly fifteen years despite being on the National Register of Historic Places. That is all about to change thanks to OAS, who announced last week that it has signed a long-term lease with the Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) for the original 1929 Port Columbus air terminal and tower.

The State of Ohio has appropriated a $550,000 grant toward OAS’s estimated $2 million cost of renovating the 12,000 square-foot-plus air terminal, with OAS having an initial goal of raising another $550,000 to double the matching funds required by the state to release the grant.

Once the building’s three stories and control tower are renovated, the air terminal and surrounding 1.7 acres will be a “civic showpiece” according to Ron Kaplan, OAS executive director. With its interior configured as the home of the OAS when it opens in late 2021, OAS will offer free-to-the-public exhibits honoring Ohio’s air and space pioneers, house research archives, and their STEAM education center, and offer rentable meeting and event spaces.

“As a native of Columbus,” Kaplan said, “I had a fair amount of personal history with the original Port Columbus air terminal and certainly was aware of its significance. I recall my dad–a pilot–taking us to see the Ford Tri-Motor on hand for the 40th Anniversary of Port Columbus in 1969 when I was just 11. Later, as a more devoted student of aviation history, I better understood Port Columbus’s significance in the history of passenger travel.”

The roster of the potential Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame honorees represents a golden opportunity in the planned STEAM program, Kaplan explained. “Using these inspirational heroes and their accomplishments as a foundation, we can introduce engineering and problem solving through the amazing story of Jim Lovell, Gene Kranz, and the Apollo 13 mission. Math such as what Jerrie Mock employed without the aid of a computer to successfully navigate her Cessna 180 around the globe will be another teachable moment, as will the technological achievements like the propulsion developed and perfected by the designer of the first operational jet engine, another adopted Ohioan, German physicist Hans von Ohain.”

Kaplan emphasized the terminal building’s rich history by explaining how important it was to the development of coast-to-coast “Golden Age” air service. “Port Columbus Airport and the old terminal is rich in TAT history. Passengers would ride a train overnight from New York City to CMH, arrive in the morning, eat a quick breakfast in the terminal dining room, and board a Ford Tri-Motor to start the westward journey to Glendale, California, with another overnight train ride out west. Once nighttime flying became safe about 16 months later, TAT’s train/plane travel model became obsolete, and through mergers, the DNA of TAT ultimately became part of Trans World Airlines (TWA).”

According to Kaplan, the historic air terminal at KCMH was saved and re-purposed the first time in the 1980s when former US Navy and North American Aviation test pilot, Ed Gillespie, leased and renovated it into office space. Unoccupied again in the late 1990s, the terminal fell into disrepair. In 2014, a group of concerned citizens and heritage organizations formed Preserve Original Columbus Air Terminal (POCAT) to save the terminal again with the aid of Columbus philanthropist Sally Crane Cox and a Columbus Foundation challenge grant of $50,000. POCAT raised $53,000 to remediate interior mold issues and install a new roof in 2016. Thus, the stage was set for OAS to be the new, long-term tenant and site manager.

It is not widely known that Port Columbus Airport was both the departure and arrival airport for Mock’s historic 1964 first solo flight around the world by a woman as outlined in her book, Three-Eight Charlie. Long out of print, word-for-word reproductions of this incredible, courageous, and nail-biting aviation tale around the globe in a basically stock (except for massive long-range fuel tanks) Cessna 180 can be found here.

The post Historic KCMH Terminal To Be Restored For Learning Center appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Board of Directors of the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association’s New England Air Museum has elected Robert (Bob) Stangarone as the organization’s new Chairman of the Board and President. His tenure in the new position became effective immediately.

The New England Air Museum, located adjacent to Bradley International Airport (KBDL) in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, is the largest aviation museum in New England with three large hangars, outdoor exhibits and more than 100 aircraft ranging from early airships and flying machines to supersonic jets and helicopters. The New England Air Museum noted in a press release that it, “is committed to presenting the story of aviation, the human genius that made it possible and the profound effects that it has had on the way in which we live.” The New England Air Museum is open daily from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday for the remainder of the year.

Bob Stangarone told Flying, “I can’t imagine being part of any industry other than aviation. Everything about it—the technology, the contribution to society, the passion, the feeling of accomplishment in flying, and mostly the people—are extraordinary. What is most satisfying about being part of the New England Air Museum is the preservation of our aviation heritage and, just as importantly, inspiring young people to get involved. The industry has provided me with a great career and lifestyle. Now I want to pay it back in any way I can, and the museum is a perfect way to do that.”

Prior to joining the museum in 2018 and serving as a restoration volunteer, Stangarone held senior management positions at United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky units, Rolls-Royce, Litton, Fairchild Dornier, Textron’s Cessna Aircraft and Embraer. While at Cessna he served as chairman of Cessna’s Environmental Strategy Council and also served as chairman of the Wichita Aero Club.

Bob Stangarone, a former journalist, holds a commercial pilot certificate with instrument and multi-engine ratings and is type-rated in a number of Citation business jets. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Aeronautic Association and its Collier Trophy Selection Committee. Stangarone also served on the Board of Directors of the Aviation Space Writers Association.

The post Stangarone Named Chairman and President of the New England Air Museum appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The EAA Aviation Museum will reopen on a limited basis August 3, the first time the facility has opened its doors since late March when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The museum will, however, limit the size of groups and the total number of visitors allowed in the facility at any time. In addition, high-touchpoint areas and exhibits will remain closed and higher levels of cleaning and disinfecting are part of the reopening process throughout the facility.

Ron Connolly, EAA Aviation Museum director, said in a news release, “As we reopen, we are very aware of the need to keep the health and safety of our visitors and staff as the top priority, so we will move toward full operations gradually based on the best information available.”

EAA says that while theaters inside the museum will be modified to ensure proper distancing, the KidVenture, Sikorsky/Johnson Wax exhibit, and the Willan Space Gallery areas will remain closed. Touch screens and video players at exhibits will also not operate. While the hangars at Pioneer Airport will be open daily through Labor Day, weather permitting, there are no flight operations or tram service at the facility. Additionally, all visitors and staff will be temperature checked as they enter the EAA grounds, and are required to wear masks while in the facility and to maintain physical distancing. While cash is still accepted for admissions and purchases, use of credit and debit cards is encouraged.

Since the museum closed in late March, the collection has added a Huey helicopter that is a veteran of three tours in the Vietnam War. That helicopter is part of a new exhibit that will be open in the Eagle Hangar. A formal dedication of that exhibit is planned for later this year.

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