CAF Airpower Tour II

By Rob Shaw

Here's part two of my coverage of the visit of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Airpower History Tour 2023 to the Space Coast Regional Airport on 10-12 March 2023.  Took me a bit longer to write than I expected…but I will admit that no one has ever accused me of being stingy with words!

     As I mentioned in my last blog post I was present at the Valiant Air Command (VAC) Warbird Air Museum in Titusville, Florida, USA on 11 March 2023 with cameras in hand to document the visit of the CAF to Space Coast Regional as part of their Airpower History Tour 2023.  If you’d like more background on this tour and the VAC please take a look at Part I.  

     Last time we reviewed the trainer contingent along with some interlopers/transients that crashed the party the morning of the 11th.  This time I’ll cover the really cool stuff…fighters, bombers and transports!!  (OK, N4207 is really a trainer, but it’s based on a transport!)  

     Even though FiFi, the CAF’s B-29, was a no-show due to mechanical problems, some PDN (Pretty Darn Neat) warbirds did manage to show and quench the thirst of all of us with WCS (Warbird Compulsive Syndrome), including a very rare B-24A, along with a very nice P-51D and an RC-45J Twin Beech.  All three of these aircraft were taking paying customers for rides all day long, providing those of us with recording equipment some pretty good and repeated opportunities for cool shots.  Plus there was a bonus perk that I’ll describe when we get to the section on Diamond Lil!

     Now for the main event:  here are some of my best photos of those aircraft from that day:

     N4207:  The CAF website notes the following about 4207.  It started life as a Beechcraft SNB-2 (military version of the Model 18 Twin Beech) delivered to the US Navy with BuNo 67124 in 1943.  Between 1943 and 1983 it underwent several model designation changes, ending up as a RC-45J.  It transitioned to the CAF in 1983, achieving operational condition in 1995 after a 12-year restoration/refurbishment, and it’s been flying for them ever since as part of the CAF’s Indiana Wing, who affectionately refers to it as the “Big Oily Beast” or “BOB” for short.  Just like the Stearman, T-6, and T-43 BOB was flying steadily all day on revenue flights on the 11th.  While it didn’t look or sound as sexy as say, a B-25 or a Tigercat, I gotta say those twin P&W radials still sounded pretty good running up to takeoff power and that blue USN paint scheme is very nice!  Here are some of my better shots:

          BOB on the Ramp.  N4207 sits quietly on Space Coast Regional’s fixed base operator (FBO) ramp waiting for the gates to open, the crowds to show up and the fun to start.  I shot this from the back of a bouncing aircraft tug on the way to give a little love to Diamond Lil’s tires.  For the whole story see my description under N24927 later in this post about unwritten perks.

          Revenue Generator.  BOB departs for the first LHFE hop of the day.  Giving people the opportunity for a thrill of a lifetime via a ride in a bonafide warbird is the objective of the CAF’s Living History Flight Experience (LHFE) program and this program is a principal way the CAF ensures the revenues they need to keep these gems flying.  Currently the CAF employs 42 of it’s aircraft in the LHFE program, including a B-17, B-24, five B-25s, a B-29, three TBMs, a Dauntless and three Mustangs.  While many of these experiences are not cheap, they definitely belong on any warbird lover’s bucket list!

     N5428V:  The CAF and Aerial Visuals websites have extensive information about this beauty.  Here are some key detials.  28 Victor is a North American P-51D Mustang, SN 44-73264, delivered to the USAAF in March 1945 and immediately posted to the 55th FG, 8th Air Force at RAF Wormingford, England.  After Hitler’s cowardly exit it returned to the States and spent 11 years in operational service with the USAF and Air National Guard units in Wyoming, New Mexico, Illinois and Kentucky.  In 1957 it was sold on the civilian market and began an illustrious 2nd career with several private owners, finally being aquired by the Confederate Air Force (the previous name of the Commemorative Air Force) in 1977.  Of note, a couple of websites mention this aircraft was supposedly illegally flown to El Salvador in 1973 and used in the Soccer War with Honduras.  Once in their possession, the CAF painted it in the colors of the 343rd Fighter Squadron USAAF, named it Gunfighter and it’s been thrilling crowds, both from the ground and for those with deep pockets the back seat, ever since!

          Solo:  Gunfighter went up a couple of times earlier in the morning with no ride-along passenger and did some circuits of the airfield, including several touch-and-goes.  Not sure if they were having mechanical issues, but regardless later in the morning backseaters were observed.  In this shot the gear doors have just closed as Gunfighter departs for it’s first solo sortie of the day. 

          Break:  Eight seconds after the previous shot Gunfighter breaks hard right for it’s first circuit of the airfield.

          Screamin’:  Gunfighter has just completed a T&G and is moving down the runway at an expeditious rate of speed as it passes by my position on the VAC ramp.  Although not visible in this photo, the runway is about 20 feet below Gunfighter’s belly in this shot.

     N24927:  Diamond Lil is one of only two flying B-24s left on the planet.  The other belongs to the Collings Foundation out of Stow, Massachusetts, so the only two operational Liberator’s in existence live in the Western Hemisphere.  According to both the CAF and Aerial Visuals, Diamond Lil, a B-24A, was the 25th (out of 18,482) B-24, and was originally built for France in 1940 with the USAAF administrative S/N 40-2366.  However, it was contractually diverted to Great Britain in May 1941 and served with RAF tail number AM927.  

     Interestingly, AM927 never made it to England during the war.  Instead it was sent to Albuquerque, New Mexico as a trainer for RAF pilots operated by, wait for it, Trans World Airlines!  In June 1941 927 suffered a mishap when its right main gear collapsed, causing the nose gear to fail and significantly damaging the bomb bay. This damage was too severe to return the aircraft to bomber duty, so through an agreement between the War Ministry and Consolidated and after an extensive rebuild (to include a solid nose) it was used by the company for the remainder of WWII as both a logistics and test aircraft in support of the development of B-24 variants.  

     927 was sold to the civilian market in 1948 and served as an executive transport and airliner with various companies until 1968 when it was aquired by the CAF.  In 1972 the CAF painted it in the colors of the 98th Bomb Group (of the Ploesti Raid) and named her Diamond Lil, and in 2007 it was returned to it’s B-24A configuration (including a glass nose).  Lil suffered another mishap in 2012, and has been touring with the CAF since a significant restoration was completed in 2013.  For a much more robust history of this airplane see both the CAF and Aerial Visuals webites.

          The Benefits of Volunteering.  One of the un-documented benefits of working as a volunteer at the VAC is pop-up opportunities to rub wings with other warbird enthusiasts and notables and to support the warbird operations of other organizations.  As I mentioned in my last post, the CAF had asked us to store their Steaman in our hangar on the night of 10 March due to inclement weather.  The next morning they came knocking again, this time asking for ground ops support for Diamond Lil.  Seems two of her tires were low and needed some nitrogen in order to support their flying schedule that day, and the airport FBO was unable/unwilling to help.  They asked if we could provide the needed support and of course we said YES!  

          Even though I was there in Fan-Boy mode (i.e. off duty) with my cameras I quickly volunteered to assist our Facilities Manager and another volunteer in this task.  We grabbed one of our aircraft tugs, hooked up our nitrogen cart, I tossed (ok ok, placed) my camera bag on the back of the tug, and with an escort from airport security we drove the cart across the runway to the FBO ramp.  Once there we proceeded to fill Lil’s nose wheel and left main to the approved operating pressure, then scooted back across the runway (under escort again) for our reward at the VAC monthly fly-in/drive-in breakfast.

          Here’s a shot of Diamond Lil on the empty FBO ramp waiting for an inhale of nitrogen, and one of yours truly filling the left main.  Man this is a cool job (even though the pay sucks…:0)

          Up, Up and Away.  Lil put on a great show of departures for those of us standing along the taxiway at the VAC ramp at the north end of the runway.  Fortunately since the wind was cooperating they were using Runway 36 so that meant by the time the got to us they were airborne and out of the heat haze.  Woo Hoo!!  Here are a few shots of various departures that morning:

          Appreciation.  Again due to fortunate winds, each time Lil came back from a revenue flight they landed to the north and because of her size the crew used the next-to-last taxiway off the runway to return back to the FBO ramp.  Since that taxiway is immediately adjacent to the VAC ramp I was able to get some great closeup shots of Lil taxing and of her crew showing their appreciation to us.

          Parting Shot.  Just as I was knocking off for the day, Gunslinger and Lil were on the ground and taxiing proximate to each other, and I was able to get a shot of them together.  Despite the heat haze I think this is kind of a cool shot, and I think it’s a great way to visually represent the impact of the day and to commemorate the impact the CAF flying program has on perpetuating awareness of warbirds and their history:

     I HOPE you’ve enjoyed reading these posts as much as I did creating them and got at least a passing feel for the excellent “show” the CAF put on for us that Saturday morning this past March.  I’m crossing my fingers they come back next year, and that this time FiFi will be with them — the thought of two really rare flying USAAF WWII-era  4-engine bombers in the same place at the same time and putting on a great demonstration has my mouth watering already!

Cheers

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