Located approximately 25 miles southeast of Columbus, the small
community of Lancaster, Ohio, is home to a very ambitious group of
vintage aircraft restorers and enthusiasts who call themselves the
Historical Aircraft Squadron. Every year they hold the "Wings of
Victory" airshow at the Fairfield County Airport, this year's being
the sixth installment of that event. I had heard good things about this
show, but it always seemed to clash with my schedule for some reason or
another. After meeting several enthusiastic members at a display booth
they had set up at the Goshen Indiana Skyfest last year, and hearing
what they had to offer, I decided it was finally time to attend one of
their shows.
 Though
they have only been in existence since 1994, the group has collected
some rather interesting aircraft in this short period of time. Two
Douglas A-26 Invaders are held, one of which being restored to fly,
while the other will probably be used as a static exhibit. A Vultee
BT-13 Valiant is undergoing a complete rebuild to flight status, and
parts of it were to be seen in their new 80 x 100ft maintenance and
restoration hangar, which was just completed this June. This was phase
one of the planned construction of three buildings which will house the
group's aircraft and memorabilia, with the lat building scheduled for
completion sometime in 2004. Phase three, the last of these buildings,
will be a display hangar large enough to house a B-17 Flying Fortress.
An airworthy Grumman US-2A Tracker was recently donated to the group by
one of its members, and it is hoped this will be available for airshow
appearances in the near future. Some
minor, mostly cosmetic, work will need to be carried out on it before
this happens. The addition of the new hangar means the group now has the
facilities to carry out such work, providing a huge boost to the
organization. The last aircraft currently hel d by the group is a cute
little ex-Indian Air Force Hindustan HF-24 Adjeet jet fighter, their
indigenous single-seat variant of Britain's Folland Gnat trainer. In the
future, the group hopes to
acquire a Beech C-45 Expeditor that may become available to them through
a loan agreement. So, as can be seen, this small group has come a long
way in a relatively short amount of time. I for one look forward to what
they can accomplish in the future.
This year's airshow was held on the weekend of 8-9 July and was blesses
with great weather on both days of the event. While it may be a somewhat
"small" show by some standards, for me it was still very much
worth the trip, as there were several aircraft present that don't
normally make
it to the shows I attend "up North".
One of these, and to me the star of the show was Walt Newton's very
slick Douglas D-1 Skyraider. Registered NX2AD, Walt bases his early-1
SPAD at Lenoir, North Carolina. This is a very early production
Skyraider, and really differs from most of those normally seen  on the
airshow circuit and in museums. There is no external armor around the
cockpit area, and there are no gear doors to cover the main wheels. The
canopy is also different to later variants, and these are just a few of
the details that I noticed are particular to these early series
Skyraiders while inspecting Mr. Newton's aircraft. Affectionately named Sincerely
Sandy, this Skyraider is a real beauty, and this fine aircraft is a
true testament to the restorer's art.
Fighters present included Jim Tobul in the Korean War Hero F4U-4 Corsair
N713JT, Jim Read's Mustang Excalibur NL151W, and Mustang Hurry Home
Honey, NL375 1D, flown by Brad Hood. Other heavy iron included the CAF
Dixie Wing Douglas SBD Dauntless NL826A from Atlanta, Georgia, and Steve
Hay's Goshen, Indiana-based Eastern TBM Avenger N41 71A. David Tallichet
brought his B-17G Flying Fortress that has been restored to resemble the
famous Memphis Belle. Much work was carried out to make it resemble the
earlier "F" model Fortress, and bomber is often accompanied,
as was the case on this occasion, by the pilot of the original Belle,
Col. Robert K. Morgan. Other notable honorees attending this year's show
included several of the Tuskegee Airman, as well as Lt. Col. Fred J.
Olivi who co-piloted the B-29 Bockscar during the Nagasaki atom bomb
mission, and local Ohio aviation pioneer Ralph Charles of nearby
Columbus. Mr. Charles's distinguished aviation career began in 1922 when
he and his wife Leona operated a barnstorming business where they would
give people the opportunity to experience the thrills of open cockpit
flying at $2 a hop. Later Ralph worked as a pilot for the newly formed
Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA) and was the first person to
fly from Columbus to New York at night. He met many notable persons
while working for TWA including Charles Lindbergh and Eleanor Roosevelt.
After his stint with TWA, Ralph flew Ford Tri-Motors on charter work in
and around Puerto Rico, and during one trip reported the spotting of a
German U-boat to the US Navy, who later bombed it. Later he flew as a
test pilot for Curtiss-Wright , flying SB2C Helldivers. He is still a
licensed pilot and , in fact he is the oldest active pilot in the US,
and probably the world.
These living history lessons are a valuable asset to the modern airshow,
as they present a very tangible link to aviation's past that goes beyond
the spectacle of simply watching the aircraft they flew all those years
ago perform. Talking to these individuals gives you a perspective you
can't find reading a book or watching a documentary and they are always
happy to share their experiences with an interested audience, especially
the children who are often spell bound by their stories.
Enemy aircraft were represented by a CAF Tora! Kate replica and Ken
Laird's Toral Cal replica, both of which were blasted from the sky each
day by Jim Tobul in the Corsair, much to the delight of spectators. WWII
trainers were amply represented by several examples of various marks of
T-6/SNJ Texans. Stearman Kaydets and Vultee BT-13/15s, PT-26
Cornells,
as well as a singular Ryan PT-22 Recruit. Cargo aircraft included three
spotless examples of the ubiquitous Beech 18 transport, while liaison
types included multiple examples of the Stinson L-5 Sentinel, Aeronca
L-16 Champ and a solitary Cessna L-19 Bird Dog. Three very nice Nanchang
C-J-6s were in attendance, including two which are operated by a flight
demonstration team known as "The Red Dragons." Team members
Mike McCoy and Mike Flucci perform a spirited show of aerobatics and
dogfighting which combine for a very impressed display. The CJ-6 is a
capable aerobatic mount, and I was impressed by their daily performances
which included hammerhead stalls, loops, rolls, and even Blue
Angels-style opposition head on passes that seemed to bring the aircraft
very close to one another indeed! A very exciting and enjoyable
performance that really kept people on the edge of their seats! The only
jet Warbird on hand was Aerovodochody L-39C Albatros NC139AF which is
owned by Ricart Aviation Sales of Lancaster. Again proving just how
popular the L-39 has become, it seems at least one shows up at just
about every airshow.
I was surprised to see a number of vintage non-Warbird types present as
well, comprising of pristine examples of the Stinson V-77, Stinson
SR-9C, Beechcraft C-17, Ryan STA, Waco YKC-S, and an absolutely stunning
(and very rare) New Standard D-25. Some of these also flew during the
show and rides were offered in the  New Standard for which there was no
shortage of eager customers.
A large display that I found to be very interesting was presented by the
World War II Airmen's Preservation Society which included reinactors in
period uniforms, restored military vehicles, and tents and equipment
displays set up throughout the airshow grounds. Their motto is "To
honor, preserve and remember" through living history, including
hands-on exhibits.
A very nice "small" airshow with lots to offer - that makes me
regret I waited so long to finally check out in person. Definitely worth
the trip and I will certainly make plans to attend next year's show as
well.
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