A group of five Airdales and my two grandsons were warmly (that's an understatement both literally and figuratively as it was almost 68 degrees out!) welcomed to the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundations hangar at the old Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, NY.
Tim Chopp welcomed us all and introduced everyone in the group to us.
What a great group of guys! if you every get the chance to visit you absolutely should! I've never met a more dedicated group of guys with such "eyes-on-the-prize" attitudes!
WIXer Kevin Kearney, gave us a great look into the inner workings of the restoration and care of these two giant warbirds. They will have the C-54 out on the road on March 18th and she won't be back to Brooklyn until December. Once back, they start-up winter care for the bird all over again.
The amazing part is there's no heat in the winter! The hanger only keeps the rain, snow and wind out! These guys have what it takes and we should all support them on and off the road!
Tim gave us the royal up close look at the C-97. It's a real beast! Amazingly more complex that the C-54. They've got a few more years before shes ready for the road show, but boy, will it be a head turner!
Here's a few pics from our visit:
The "Monsters" nose to nose!
"Spirit of Freedom" undergoing Annual:
"Angel of Deliverance" waiting in the wings!
Two aircraft with a story to tell and a mission to tell it with!
Tim Chopp, his crew and a few Airdales mixed in!
We had a great time and wished we could've spent more time and gotten our hands dirty a bit! If anyone has the ability to add them to your airshow, you won't regret it! Great display and greater guys with a real passion for history!
We also looked around the other aircraft owned by the Park Service. Nice collection and apparently growing all the time. Floyd Bennett field is very historic and what so nice is that most of the infrastructure is still in place. Old hangars and the terminal building. Some have new uses , but the field is a real piece of history and well worth stopping when in the area!
I don't know the background on a lot of these aircraft, none are fliers, but here's a few pics of the aircraft that the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation shares the hangar with:
I think this is one of Tallichet's old birds, but not 100% sure:
This may also have been a Tallichet airframe. Anybody confirm?
This Goose flew in from Alaska a few years ago and stayed! They run it up every now and then, but they don't fly it.
Stearman under restoration.
Coast Guard legacy represented by this Sikorsky HH-3 Pelican.
This Neptune was once a part of the New England Air Museum's collection, but was damaged and transfered back to the Navy:
Nice PT-26. Don't know if it flew in or not.
C-45 undergoing re-paint.
I think this was one of the A-4's that was on the Intrepid. Not 100% sure though.
We had a great day and that was only part of it. Went to the Cradle of Aviation Museum afterwards....but that's another thread!
Again, thanks to Tim, Kevin and the whole crew!
They are the epitome of dedication!
Blue skies,
Jerry
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