ISSUE 877 - July 9, 2024 • Over 7,000 Total Ads Listed • 1,000+ NEW Ads Per Week This eFlyer Has Been Sent To Over 155,000 Subscribers
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Flying High and Low |
Ben Keirn, Contributing Writer & Photographer |
The first weekend of summer was upon us, so of course there were plenty of events. Included in the plethora of summertime fun was the Wings and Wheels at Willow Run Airport. Hosted by the recently renamed Michigan Flight Museum and Air Adventures, the event had plenty to offer. The museum's B-17 Yankee Lady was front and center in the main hangar. The Michigan Avian Experience joined the fun. And in addition to several attendee displays, multiple vehicles were out on display from the Pontiac Transportation Museum. Whether your interest is aviation, automotive, avian, or some combination of the three, there was plenty to see and do, regardless of whether you flew high or flew low to the ground to get there.
With the event held at the main hangar for the flying aircraft of the Michigan Flight Museum, parking was in the nearby field. That, of course, meant that the imposing B-52 curated by the museum was looming over both the parked cars and the event entrance. Further into the event, there was a rather interesting greeter. With the focus on all things flying, it perhaps should not have come as a surprise that the greeter would also be a winged thing. In this case, it was a bald eagle brought out by the Michigan Avian Experience.
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The B-52 was certainly imposing on the outside, while inside the door was the equally imposing flying greeter. |
Once on the flight line side of the hangar, the museum helped keep attendees cool. Just past the winged greeter, the B-17 was on display, along with several historic and vintage race cars. But the rhythmic thump of the incoming chopper had all heads turned toward the hangar door. It wasn't long before their Huey "Greyhound" came into view just above tree top level. Coming in for a landing, it brought with it a cool, albeit slightly less than gentle, breeze.
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Just a short fling, the "fling-wing" was taking people up for short rides throughout the day of the event, and bridging the gap between flying high and low. |
Being officially "Wings and Wheels," there were plenty of each on hand and on display. Several people brought their own aircraft in for display. Several more brought in their cars, with the happy result that there seemed to be a plane and a car paired from each era.
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Not all nose art involves a pinup girl, some point out the struggles of operating old warbirds... like this one, "Oily Boid." |
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Some of the cars and planes just seem to be a matched set, like this 1940 Packard sitting near the WWII era trainer. |
Speaking of the Packard, it was intriguing how many of the early automotive manufacturers referenced the freedom of flight in their automotive designs and emblems. Perhaps you've never considered that automobiles and airplanes were concurrently advancing in leaps and bounds. By the time most of the cars on display at the Wings and Wheels event were in production, WWI had ended and heavier than air flight had etched itself into the thoughts and dreams of people the world over. So it's no wonder that so many of the auto manufacturers used symbols of flight to sell their cars and depict the freedom afforded by the relatively new mode of transportation.
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Speed, elegance, and the freedom of flying low are all part of this hood ornament on that 1940 Packard (Left). Both the radiator cap ornament and the front badge are winged on this La Salle automobile (Right). |
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Pontiac was in the game as well, with the elegant bird on their 1929 Oakland Six powered sedan, while some models had an eagle radiator ornament (Left). Of course, Ford's Thunderbird is all about power, speed, and freedom (Right). |
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The wings on the radiator cap of this 1931 Ford show that Ford has been enamored with flight for nearly 100 years now (Left). The front of this streamlined vehicle had a winged scarab, which makes sense. After all, this is a Stout Scarab, designed by the same William Stout who designed the Ford Tri-Motor (Right). |
Enough of the automotive nod to the realm of aviation. We are, of course, all more interested in the real deal on this newsletter. Due to some unfortunate maintenance needs of both the B-17 and the B-25 flown by the Michigan Flight Museum, there was a visitor offering rides. How fitting that the Ford Tri-Motor from the Liberty Aviation Museum would be up giving rides in the sky. With a Stout design on the ground, and one in the air, this was yet another matched set at the Michigan Flight Museum Wings and Wheels event.
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If at first you DO succeed, tri, tri again. The success of the Ford Tri-motor has led to several three-engined designs, even up to the modern jet age. Behind the Liberty Aviation Museum's Ford sits two USAJet 727s. |
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Sitting in the hangar, this "Lady" is getting some beauty rest. Someday soon, they'll wrap up the much-needed TLC on Yankee Lady and the four radials will all be back in place and sharing history in flight. |
Out on the ramp, there were plenty of visiting aircraft on display. Everything from civilian to military and a few that blurred the line were flown in for the big day. The first weekend of summer was a bit warm, but the cloud cover kept us shaded and helped to keep the cockpits cool. Still, most of the aircraft on display had their doors or canopies open. In part to vent the "greenhouse," and in part to invite onlookers to see (but not touch) the inner workings of the various high-flyers.
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The lines were blurred a little by this Skymaster that was armed and dangerous. More accurately an O-2, the guns and rocket pods make me wonder if it wouldn't have done a little more than just "O"bserve. |
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Looking the part, this homebuilt has all the right markings, but is very definitely a civilian model. |
Reaching back into history, there were several more vintage aircraft on display. Perhaps fitting to keep up the matched sets from different eras, there were a few biplanes on display.
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Taxi with care, the early biplanes don't have any forward visibility over their massive radial engines. |
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Like cars of the era, the mechanicals of the early planes were a little loose, causing many to "mark their territory." Which, of course, makes it apropos that an aircraft like this Waco cabin cruiser would be owned or sponsored by an oil company. |
Among the aircraft on display were many trainers. Everything to get you from zero to hero was out on the ramp, including civilian primary trainers of the fixed and spinning wing varieties.
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A good old fashioned standard trainer came in for the fun. Just how many people have logged time in a Cessna 172 before getting their license would be an interesting survey. |
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A training blender was on hand too. With several hours in this Schweizer 300 you could be the next pilot giving rides in the museum's Huey! |
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For the military ilk, there was the classic military trainer. You might call the Stearman the 172 of military trainers. Everyone from actors to former presidents have trained for duty in these biplanes. |
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Another blurred line was the business trainer. The T-34 Mentor is more or less a Bonanza for two that traded tweed suits for Nomex. But like its bi-winged neighbor on the ramp, this trainer has helped prep many a military pilot for active duty. Unlike the Stearman, however, Mentors are still in use today training military pilots around the world... over 70 years since they were first produced. |
With the sun peeking out from behind the clouds, the day started to heat up. In spite of the heat, spirits were still flying high as people mingled and shared stories about the cars, planes, and their experiences with one or both. The staff and volunteers were having a good time as well. And that, of course, is the measure of how successful an event will be. With the day moving on and a long return trip ahead, it was time to head out. Not before taking a parting shot, however, of the Ford Tri-motor taking up a load of passengers to fly high in vintage style.
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Staff and visitors share "war stories" by the T-28 Trojan on the tarmac. |
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After a bit of a wait for an incoming jet, the Ford Tri-motor got to take to the runway and lift off for an aerial adventure. Flying high might be a subjective term, since the jet just came down from FL340. But I'm sure each of the passengers on this ride were certainly flying high, even down at 2,000 MSL. |
What a fun day to see the sights and hear the sounds of all things aerial. With several aviation themed cars and a good mix of personal, military, and museum aircraft on display, it was truly a good Wings and Wheels event. Add to that the chance to meet our nation's own symbol of freedom and flight up close and personal, and you've got the makings of a great first Saturday of summer. If you want to continue the fun, be sure to look for similar events coming up at the Michigan Flight Museum, at the Liberty Aviation Museum, and on the events listings on Barnstormers.com. And take a look at the aircraft listings on Barnstormers.com, where you can find an aircraft of your own to go chase down one of those museum aircraft and hitch a ride for a historic flight.
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By Ben Keirn, Contributing Writer & Photographer
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