Overview of “Warbirds over the Beach” 2024 at the Military Aviation Museum

After missing the 2023 airshow season, Warbirds over the Beach returned in October this year, a change from the traditional May date and this proved to be a good plan with great weather for the event. The big news for the event was that Jerry and Elaine Yagen have donated the location, buildings, and aircraft all to the non-profit museum, located in Virginia Bech, and additionally donated US$30 million to provide a fund to be used to maintain and operate the aircraft for years to come. Great news and a very generous donation. 

A couple of years ago some of the aircraft were suffering from maintenance issues, and a change of direction was started with all aircraft going through a thorough maintenance review/check before being released to fly again. This found a number of issues, and hence only a portion of the collection are currently airworthy and flying while the process continues, thus it was a much smaller number flying than on my previous visit back in 2013. Hopefully more will be able to be brought back to flying status in the coming months as work continues, my understanding is that the Mosquito, Dragon Rapide, FW190, Mustang, and P40 are all close to flying, but weren’t ready for the show. What was a pity is that on my last visit many of the interesting aircraft such as the Polikarpovs and others were brought outside and put on the flightline for the show even if they weren’t being flown, however this time many were sitting in the back of their hangars, looking like they had not moved in many months with flat tires.

There was a nice selection of warbirds flying, and the location is great for watching the take-offs and landings with the runway fairly close to the crowd and the treeline behind adding to the effect and helping for photographs even though we were looking into the sun. The rest of the display is quite high and distant, presumably because of the houses the other side of the treeline. Visiting display aircraft were The Liberty Foundation’s Douglas C-47 Chalk 40 N99FS which also carried Hurricane relief supplies to North Carolina on its way to and from the show, and Tim Savage bought his Curtiss P40N N740PN Skeeter and his Grumman TBM-3E N4147A was flown in by his son Job who also flew it in the airshow in the US Navy part of the show. All the rest of the show aircraft were those operated by the Military Aviation Museum.

The show started each day with some four ship T-6 formation flypasts and then WWII trainers with an Aeronca L-16, Stearman and SNJ-2, also joined on Sunday by a Taylorcraft L-2. Saturday the US Navy aircraft were next, including a missing man formation flypast with the two TBM Avengers, Grumman FM-2 Widcat, Vought F4U Corsair, and Douglas Skyraider, a great sight to see. Sunday these formed the finale but sadly the Corsair became unserviceable after taxiing out and didn’t fly. The European theatre of operations was showcased with the Spitfire IX MJ730 N730MJ, Messerschmitt Bf 109G N109GY, and Yakolev Yak-3M N42YK White 7 each doing individual flypasts and tail chases, then finishing with a three ship formation flypast. It was especially great to see the BD605 powered Bf 109 flying and being well demonstrated by Mike Spalding, being such a rarity on the airshow circuit worldwide. 

The Spitfire remained airborne and then joined up with the C-47 for several flypasts commemorating D-day operations 80 years ago this year. It was quite fitting that the C-47 had participated in supply missions on its way to and from the show, but carrying hurricane relief supplies rather than armed forces. One of the most recent addition to the Military Aviation Museum collection, the Bell P-39F Aerocobra N39FF 220341 should have flown as part of the final display, but aborted take-off due to a brake issue. Luckily we had seen it flying on Friday when it went up for an air to air photo session. With the P-51D Mustang already ruled out the final 4 ship formation was down to just the P-40 and P-64 replica. Tim Savage’s P-40N was great to see flying in its new scheme of John Landers Skeeter which he flew in the defence of Darwin in 1942. N22518 started life as an SNJ-4, but was converted into a P-64 replica in the 90s. The P-64 was a single seat fighter version of the North American NA-16 which eventually was developed into the T-6 Texan/SNJ/Harvard. The P-64 was an export version for Thailand of which 6 were built, but never delivered instead taken over by the USAAC and used for training. In and around the hangars there are also a large number of interesting aircraft, many of which will hopefully be flying again in years to come.

A new addition outside is the Curtiss C-46 Commando N74178 The Tinker Belle which flew into the museum in July 2023, but is currently awaiting an engine, it was the only flying Curtiss C-46 in a museum collection, the few other flying Curtiss C-46s being operated by Everts in Alaska and Buffalo Airways in northern Canada. The Flug Werk FW190A powered by a Shvetsov Ash-82 engine (Russian development of licence built Wright R-1820) looks great, but is currently grounded with landing gear issues. The de Havilland Mosquito FB.26 KA114 was the first Avspecs restoration and really the project that made all the other Mosquito restorations possible, even though Glynn Powell was already underway with NZ2308. After an 8 year rebuild KA114 flew in 2012, coming to Virginia Beach in 2013. It flew regularly until 2022 and has recently been undergoing a deep inspection and engine overhaul, almost ready to fly again for the airshow, but not quite.

N1934D/G-ADDD DH89A Dragon Rapide was restored by Ron Souch/Aero Antiques for Brian Woodford in the mid 80s as G-ACZE, painted in the Prince of Wales colours, it remained in England until 2013 when it was purchased by Traning Services Inc/Military Aviation Museum and came to Virigina Beach, not to be confused with the Dragon Rapide that was previously here in the same colours and markings N89DH, which was restored by Avspecs in 2009/10 and delivered to Virginia Beach including a trip to Oshkosh 2010 but was then sold to Rod Lewis in mid 2013. N1934D has been overhauled here in recent years and apparently is missing one vital part before it can fly again. N415ML “28” Lavochkin La-9 is probably the aircraft that many aviation enthusiasts would like to see fly again. This aircraft was obtained by the Old Flying Machine Company at Duxford (Ray and Mark Hanna) from a Chinese museum in exchange for an ex-RAF Harrier GR1. It was restored to fly by Pioneer Aero in New Zealand, flying again in early 2003. It then thrilled the crowds at UK airshows in 2003 before returning to New Zeland for the next 7 years and flying at Warbirds over Wanaka and other shows before being sold to the Military Aviation Museum in 2010. Its not flown since it arrived in the US.

N943HH V6793 Hawker Hurricane XII was found almost complete by Neil Rose in 1965 on a Canadian farm, it was restored over the next 30 years, flying again in the late 90s and soon became part of the Military Aviation Museum. Having much of the original structure is fairly unique and unfortunately there has now been corrosion found which will require extensive restoration. There is also an excellent large collection of WWI aircraft in one hangar, mostly replicas, but the Thomas Morse Scout 38663 is a restoration of an original airframe, it has flown once or twice down in Kingsbury, Texas, where it was restored, but not flown since it moved here a couple of years ago. There was also a very nice Fleet 2 NC636M that was restored in Texas and came to the museum in 2021. 

The Military Aviation Museum is a great place to visit on any day with a superb collection of warbirds, it was great to see a good selection of them flying in the airshow and great to have an airshow with just warbirds, no modern aerobatic or novelty acts. The best news of course being the donation from the Yagens which should assure the museum’s future and that the aircraft continue to fly. Hopefully this will see many more of the collections’ aircraft return to flying status over the coming years as well as those currently on restoration including the Zero, Hawk 75, and Dauntless.

Emma Quedzuweit

Emma Quedzuweit is a historial researcher and graduate school student originally from California, but travels extensively for work and study. She is the former Assitant Editor at AOPA Pilot magazine and currently freelance writes along with personal projects invovled in the search for missing in action aviators from World War I and II. She is a Private Pilot with Single Engine Land and Sea ratings and tailwheel endorsement and is part-owner of a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub. Her favorite aviation experience was earning a checkout in a Fairchild PT-19.

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