CAF Airpower Tour

By Rob Shaw

Each year the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), headquartered in Dallas, Texas but with 85 subordinate units spread across the continental U.S., Alaska, Europe and New Zealand, puts on its Airpower History Tour of the U.S. to celebrate warbirds and the men and women that flew and supported them.  This tour includes several of the 174 warbirds (all of them operational or being restored to operational condition) currently in its possession to help accomplish it’s objectives of 1) raising awareness of these critical pieces of history and ensuring they are remembered and cherished by the general public and 2) ensuring that the history they are a part of and represent is honored and perpetuated from generation to generation.  While not an airshow in the strictest sense, the chance to see these treasure in the air is an opportunity not to be missed.

     Mid-February to late March of 2023 was the Florida leg of the 2023 tour, and the CAF brought a squadron of six aircraft to nine different locations throughout the state in that five-week timeframe, providing flying demonstrations and ride-along opportunities for the general public at each stop.  The aircraft involved in the tour this year included one of only two operating B-29 Superforts, one of only two operating B-24 Liberators (three if you count Goss Hawk Unlimited’s PB4Y-2 Privateer), the P-51D “Gunfighter”, a T-34A, a T-6G, a RC-45J and a PT-13.  Unfortunately FiFi, the B-29, experienced mechanical problems and had to return to Dallas early for maintenance so it missed most of the Florida leg.

     Since I live in Orlando this was a perfect opportunity to get some shots of these cool warbirds, and in the event of the B-24A “Diamond Lil” a very rare one.  The CAF was stopping at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida 10-12 March, only a 90-minute drive from the house.  Not gonna miss that! As it happens, I volunteer at the Valiant Air Command (VAC) Warbird Air Museum (http://www.warbirdairmuseum.com) located at Space Coast Regional just across from where the CAF would be parking their airplanes and we were going to be having our monthly Saturday fly-in/drive-in breakfast on the 11th.  We usually get some cool vintage aircraft and sometimes even a stray warbird or two (in February we got a T-28).  We never know what we’re going to get, so…bonus!  I worked my shifts during the week helping to prep the museum for the breakfast by moving aircraft out of one of our hangars and helping to reconfigure that space with tables and chairs for guests, so that on Saturday I could fan-boy out and bring my cameras for some hoped-for warbird action.  I was not disappointed!  I even got to see the CAF aircraft arrive on Thursday the ninth to set up for the 10th, but I was deeply involved in prep so no pics that day (OK, I admit I got a couple of cell-phone videos of Diamond Lil, the B-24, on her approach and landing)!

     The flying on the 11th was scheduled to start as early as 0900.  As it happens the VAC is situated perfectly for morning photography along runway 36/18 as it is located on the east side of the airport along the taxiway so you would be facing west with the sun to your back if they used that runway instead of 27/9 – which they did!  Score!  What follows are a selection of the shots I got that day from the “no-cross” line along the taxiway.  On the technical side note that these were all shot hand held with either my Sony A9 & 200-600 f5.6-6.3G or my Sony A7R4 with the Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8, all in manual with auto-ISO enabled, and with the shutter glued to 1/125 and aperture as wide-open as I could get away with (I can’t pan with anything lower than 1/125 and get much of anything worth keeping.)  I always carry both on a Black Rapid Double Strap so they are ready at a moments notice with no need to fumble around changing lenses.

(Note that I’m breaking up this blog into two parts to keeps it’s length at lease somewhat reasonable. Trainers today and bombers/fighters to follow tomorrow!)

Here are the shots of the aircraft in today’s selection:

N104DC:  This is a North American T-6G.  This was NOT one of the CAF airplanes but WAS one of the attendees at the VAC Breakfast.  According to the Aerial Visuals website this aircraft, serial number 49-3392, was inducted into the US Air Force in 1949 and is a local resident, currently registered in Osceola, Florida.

N428TB:  This is a Socata TB-30 Epsilon, which according to Aerial Visuals was built in 1984.  According to Wikipedial the TB-30 was a two-seat trainer designed to replace the French Fouga Magister.  428TB was just a transient being part of neither the CAF tour nor our VAC breakfast, but it was cool to see.  Ironically the VAC has a Fouga in its collection and it is currently undergoing restoration as a display piece.

NN4813V:  This is a Boeing/Stearman PT-13D, serial number 42-17163, which according to Aerial Visuals was taken on strength by the US Army Air Force in 1943 and has been part of the CAF since 2014.  CAF asked us to park it in our hangar overnight on the 10th as there was a potential for rain that night. I guess Boeing products are sensitive to water… :0

N6253C:   This is a North American T-6G.  According to Aerial Visuals it was taken on strength by the USAAF in 1942 with serial number 42-4125.  This Texan has been part of the CAF since 2017 and was flying pretty much non-stop all day taking up paying passengers. Interestingly, according to Aerial Visuals this aircraft resided in Washington State for ten years prior to moving to the CAF and was housed at the Olympic Flight Museum in Olympia, Washington.  I lived in Washington from 2012 to 2021 about a 45-min drive from the OFM and went to several of their airshows in that timeframe, but don’t remember ever seeing this airplane.  I’ll have to check my archives!

N6849C:   This silver beauty is a Beechcraft T-34A.  According to Aerial Visuals it was delivered to the USAF in 1953 with serial number 53-3357.  Also part of the CAF Tour, like the T-6 this airplane was taking up paying customers all day and like the Stearman has been with the CAF since 2014.

N29678:  Finally, this is a North American SNJ-5, the US Navy version of the T-6.  According to Aerial Visuals this Texan was delivered to the Navy with BuNo 51999, date unknown.  Like the TB-30 it was a transient that was neither part of the CAF nor an attendee at the VAC Breakfast.  Took a picture of it anyway despite that slight 🙂

Part 2 with the good stuff (B-24A, P-51D and RC-45J) to follow soon!

Cheers

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