Warbirds Over the Beach 2019

Warbirds Over the Beach 2019 – Air Show Report

By A. Kevin Grantham

The Military Aviation Museum (MAM) near Virginia Beach, Virginia, is home to one of the largest collections of airworthy warbirds in the world. Each year, Jerry Yagen, the museum’s founder, shares his passion for aviation and its history with the public by holding a flying extravaganza aptly named Warbirds Over the Beach (WOTB). This year’s event took place over the weekend of May 17/18.

P1080021 — Crowd shot from atop the Goxhill Tower. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

Anyone familiar with the museum knows that Jerry Yagen is constantly adding artifacts to the collection. Some of his newest acquisitions included a Fieseler Storch and Bell P-39F Airacobra. Both of these aircraft arrived just days before the show, so they were not ready to fly, which gives your author another excuse to come back for WOTB 2020. But let’s not get ahead of things. The museum’s Storch is actually a Morane-Saulnier MS-502Criquet, a French-built example of the famous Luftwaffe liaison aircraft known for its very low stall speed and ability to take-off and land in short distances. The rare Bell P-39F (41-2175) arrived disassembled in a shipping container after restoration at Pioneer Aero Ltd in Ardmore, New Zealand. This aircraft is a wartime veteran and one of just three flying examples in the world.

Some of the aircraft on the ramp at the Military Aviation Museum during the show included the examples shown below…

WBOTB 44 of 76 — The Military Aviation Museum’s Yak-3M. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 46 of 76 — Wheeling out the Bf 109 before the air show began. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 48 of 76 — The Military Aviation Museum’s magnificent Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 56 of 76 — The menacing Messerschmitt Bf 109 on the ramp at the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 60 of 76 — The Bf 109G on the ramp sitting beside the Museum’s P-40E. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 49 of 76 — Another view of the fighters before the air show began in Pungo, Virginia. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 55 of 76 — A lineup of just some of Jerry Yagen’s WWII fighters at his Military Aviation Museum. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 51 of 76 — P-51D Mustang ‘Double Trouble Too’. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 50 of 76 — Douglas AD-4 Skyraider Bu.123827. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 57 of 76 — A replica North American NA-50/P-64. The original design was derived from North American’s NA-16 two-seat trainer, which also evolved into the T-6/SNJ trainer. The previous owner modified a former Portuguese Air Force SNJ-4 Texan (Bu.10288) to create this replica. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 53 of 76 — This classic WACO YMF (S/N F5024, N40116) offered rides for the public during the weekend. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 54 of 76 — A Canadian-built Hawker Hurricane Mk.XII. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 52 of 76 — The Military Aviation Museum’s FG-1D Corsair and other fighters outside one of the Military Aviation Museum’s hangars. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 58 of 76 — The Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun in the foreground with the museum’s newly acquired Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (actually a French-built variant) to the rear. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 59 of 76 — An airworthy replica of a Boeing P-26 Peashooter interwar fighter. A handful of these obsolete fighters were still in service on the front lines in the opening days of WWII. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 62 of 76 — The Beech AT-11 Kansan sitting on the grass. You can see the original Norden bomb sight in the glazed nose. The blue objects hanging from the engines are collecting oil drips to prevent them spoiling the grass. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 61 of 76 — Another shot of the Kansan. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

P1070969 — Jerry Yagen’s P-39F (41-2175) was delivered to the Fighter Factory hangar during the air show. The rebuild of this rare Airacobra was recently completed by Pioneer Aero Ltd at their facility in Ardmore, New Zealand. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

P1070979 — The museum’s de Havilland DH-98 Mosquito (KA114) did not fly during the show but was still one of the major ground attractions. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

P1070983 — This Morane-Saulnier built MS-502 Storch (S/N 204, N111FS) is a recent addition to the museum’s fleet of flying aircraft. It is dressed up to represent a Fieseler Fi 156, the type from which it derives. Interestingly, many Luftwaffe examples were built by Morane-Saulnier in France during the war. The type was so useful that production of derivative variants continued at this factory until 1965! (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

P1070990 — A view inside the cockpit of the MS 502. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

Ground activities at WOTB included four hangers filled with airplanes, cars, and historical weapons. At the end of the ramp sits a WWII vintage Royal Air Force control tower accompanied by an authentic British Nissen hut. The tower came from the former RAF Station Goxhill, the first British airfield formally transferred to the United States Army Air Forces in August, 1942. The original structure was scheduled for demolition. However, Yagen spared no expense in saving the historic structure, having it dissembled in England and then reassembled on the museum’s grounds in Virginia. Today, the Goxhill tower, both inside and out, looks very much as it did in 1942. The show is also blessed with hundreds of re-enactors who set up camp and volunteer, acting as historical representatives of the wartime period. These re-enactors, often dressed in period uniform, play an important role, enhancing the overall WOTB experience with displays of historical hardware from a bygone era.

P1070952 — The Military Aviation Museum’s Focke-Wulf Fw-190A-8 is a static restoration, and incorporates many original parts based upon the wreck of wk.nr. 732183 shot down over Norway by an RAF Beaufighter in February, 1945. Note that there are several full-scale models hanging from the ceiling which represent futuristic WWII German aircraft designs which never made it into production. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

P1080002 — .The airfield control tower from RAF Goxhill. Jerry Yagen actually had this structure dismantled in England and reassembled on the museum’s property in Virginia. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

P1070909 — The interior of the RAF Goxhill Control Tower is appointed with authentic, period accoutrements and looks much like it did during World War II. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

P1080015 — Re-enactors, dressed in authentic gear, enhance the Warbirds Over The Beach experience. Here several historical interpreters are assembled near the Goxhill Control Tower to simulate a briefing on Operation Market Garden. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

P1080004 — An authentic Nissen hut has been assembled next to the Goxhill Control Tower. The Nissen hut was the brainchild of Major Peter Nissen who invented it in 1916 while serving in the British Army. Over 100,000 examples of these semi-cylindrical buildings were built during World War I. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

The flying part for the event began around noon with the National Anthem formation flyover of four North American T-6/SNJ trainers. It was followed shortly after that by the whirring screech of an air raid siren warning the public of an imminent, loud boom. Two shots from a German 88mm flak cannon echoed heavily in the sky as additional trainer and liaison aircraft joined the aerial parade. In years past, pilots flew a diagonal pattern bisecting the far western section of the runway. This year, however, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a new plan that allowed the performers to fly parallel to the runway, 500 feet out and above the crowd line, giving the spectators a better vantage point to compare aircraft characteristics and engine sounds. Another change came in the form of new steel planks spanning the soft ground between the hangar apron and the hardened crown of the runway. Now aircraft can safely taxi to the runway without sinking into the ground on a wet day, as has happened in the past.

WBOTB 5 of 76 — The event opened with a formation flypast from four North American T-6/SNJ Texan trainers. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 4 of 76 — . (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 6 of 76 — A crew of re-enactors in WWII Wermacht unitofrms ‘fired’ a fully – well almost fully – functional German 88mm anti-aircraft gun at the Allied aeroplanes as they flew along the spectator line. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

Next up on the show schedule came the heavy iron and the fast-moving airplanes in Jerry Yagen’s collection. A Consolidated PBY Catalina, a Goodyear FG-1D Corsair, along with an Eastern Aircraft FM-2 Wildcat and TBM Avenger, all representing the Pacific Theater of Operations part of the air show. The PBY, in particular, is a rare flying example of the long-range patrol bomber similar to the type that detected the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Midway. Besides its rarity, the FM-2 is also special to the collection because it actually served in the Virginia Beach area during World War II. Later, a Douglas AD-4 Skyraider joined the mix, expanding the salute to include Korean and Vietnam War veterans, as well.

WBOTB 8 of 76 — The Military Aviation Museum’s Consolidated PBY-5A is one of the last airworthy Catalinas in the world. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 71 of 76 — The Catalina on her takeoff roll. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 1 of 76 — The Commemorative Air Force’s TBM-3E Avenger, Doris Mae, participated in the Pacific Theater of Operations segment of the show. This particular aircraft is operated by the CAF’s National Capital Wing from Culpeper, Virginia. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 73 of 76 — .The Military Aviation Museum’s Eastern Aircraft FM-2 Wildcat Bu.47030. Early variants of the Grumman-designed fighter helped turn the tide of war in 1942 at the Battle of Midway and Guadalcanal. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 11 of 76 — The Wildcat lifts into the sky. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 12 of 76 — Goodyear FG-1D Corsair Bu.92508, N46RL just after take off. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 13 of 76 — Attack aircraft like this Douglas AD-4 Skyraider (Bu.123827) saw service in Korea and Vietnam. The aircraft, powered by a Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engine, could carry a heavier bomb load than a WWII-era four-engined Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress! (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 15 of 76 — The Catalina about to touch down for landing. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 16 of 76 — The Pacific Theater of Operations formation flyby including the FM-2 Wildcat (front), TBM Avenger (left), FG-1D Corsair (right) and AD-4 Skyraider (rear). Although Skyraiders never saw combat in WWII, the prototypes were flying before war’s end. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 17 of 76 — The Corsair’s pilot is demonstrating a carrier wave-off here, with throttle forward and gear retracting. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 18 of 76 — An unusual view of the Corsair following the wave off, with the flaps fully down, but gear now retracted. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

The museum’s North American B-25J Mitchell sped over the airfield with her bomb bay doors open in tribute to the Doolittle Raid on Japan of April 18, 1942. Special recognition was of course given to Col. Dick Cole, the last surviving Raider, who passed away at the age of 103 this April. Yagen’s bare metal North American P-51D Mustang escorted the Mitchell and later participated in formation flybys with a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and North American P-64 replica.

WBOTB 66 of 76 — Wild Cargo on the MAM’s grass runway. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 64 of 76 — B-25J Mitchell, Wild Cargo, runs up her engines. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 24 of 76 — Wild Cargo on her take off roll. Jerry Yagen acquired B-25J Mitchell 44-30129 Wild Cargo in 1997. She served in the Air Force from 1944 until 1958 before entering civil registry as N7947C. It was during this period that she got the name “Wild Cargo” as her owners used her to move exotic animals by air. The late, great Walter Soplata was responsible for saving the aircraft from scrapping. It resided on his farm from 1964 until 1990, and was one of the first of the airframes that he sold on. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 19 of 76 — MAM’s North American P-51D Mustang is decorated in the colors of the 353rd Fighter Group. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 70 of 76 — Double Trouble Too takes to the skies. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 20 of 76 — A fabulous view of the Mustang about to take flight. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 21 of 76 — The Military Aviation Museum’s Curtiss P-40E Warhawk 41-35927 taxxing out for takeoff. This aircraft saw combat in the Soviet Union during World War II. Her restoration to flying condition concluded successfully in April, 2003. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 22 of 76 — The P-40 gathers pace on its takeoff roll. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 23 of 76 — The pilot guides the P-40 aloft. This aircraft originally was slated to join the RAF as a Kittyhawk ET573, but instead the U.S. government diverted the production run to the Soviets some time after her initial arrival in the UK. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 3 of 76 — A group of re-enactors ‘posing in front of their B-25 after a long mission’. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

The Military Aviation Museum is the single place on the planet where one can see flying examples of a Junkers Ju 52 transport, Messerschmitt Bf 109G, and Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The Ju 52 was the Luftwaffe’s main transport aircraft from the early 1930s until 1945. As the museum’s example flew around the field, one could see how the Ju 52’s high lift wing and slow flying speed gave it a tactical advantage for landing on short, unprepared strips in support of front-line troops. However, this benefit also made the Ju 52 far more vulnerable to enemy fighters, such as the MAM’s fast-moving Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire.

WBOTB 28 of 76 — Hawker Hurricane Mk. XII (S/N 5708, N2549) is a Canadian-built example of the type and saw service with the RCAF during WWII. After her military career a farmer in Saskatchewan bought her surplus and stored the fighter on his property from 1948 until 1965. She was restored to flying condition in 1994. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 29 of 76 — The museum’s Spitfire and Hurricane gather at the end of the runway in preparation for their take off. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 30 of 76 — Supermarine Spitfire HF Mk. IXe MJ730 (N730MJ) is also a combat veteran with a long history of service in the RAF, RCAF as well as post-WWII with the Italian and Israeli Air Forces. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 32 of 76 — The magnificent Spitfire gets airborne. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 33 of 76 — The Hurricane heading skywards. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 76 of 76 — Messerschmitt Bf 109G-4 wk.nr. 19257 (N109GY). While restored as a genuine Bf 109 using crashed remains recovered from Russia, powered by an original Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine, this airframe also contains significant components from a Spanish-built variant of the type, the Hispano Buchón. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 34 of 76 — The CASA 352, with her engines idling sits in the foreground while the two representative Luftwaffe fighters prepare for takeoff in the background. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 36 of 76 — The Bf 109 kicking up dust on her takeoff roll. Sometimes the atmospheric conditions are in right proportions to create visible prop swirls, as depicted in this photo. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 37 of 76 — The ‘109 lifting off from the grass runway. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 65 of 76 — A Flug Werk FW 190A-8N replicates the look, power and feel of a Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw-190A-8. This example is decorated in the 12./JG 5 markings to represent an example flown by Ltn Rudi Linz, a German ace with 70 victories.. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 68 of 76 — The FW-190 on her takeoff run. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 67 of 76 — The sprightly FW-190 leaps into the air. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 39 of 76 — This YAK-3M (N42YK) fighter is light weight and powerful, making it a real hot rod in the sky. The original manufacturer, Yakovlev, built this aircraft in Russia as part of a new production batch in 1991. The only major difference between the modern and wartime examples is that she is powered by an Allison V-1710 instead of the original Klimov. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 40 of 76 — An authentic Messerschmitt Bf 109G flying in formation with a Flug Werk-built replica Focke-Wulf Fw 190. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 25 of 76 — The MAM’s CASA 352 (a Spanish-built variant of the venerable Junkers Ju 52 transport) hoves into view behind the museum’s water tower. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 26 of 76 — A beautiful view of the CASA 352 on a photo-pass at the airfield. The type’s predecessor, the Junkers Ju 52/3m (N352JU) was the Luftwaffe’s main cargo carrier. This particular aircraft was built under license in Spain in 1950 as a CASA 352L and served with the Spanish Air Force. It is the only flying example in the United Sates. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

WBOTB 43 of 76 — Rain has dampened the 2017-19 WOTB air shows, so it was a little strange to see the Bf 109 kick up a dust storm after landing. (phoro by A.Kevin Grantham)

The show closed with Spitfire, Hurricane, Bf 109, Fw 190, and Yak-3 flybys. Unlike previous years, the weather was nearly perfect for the show, and it was clear that both the crowd and the pilots were having a lot of fun. Eventually, the Spitfire, Hurricane, and Yak-3 landed, leaving the Fw 190 and Bf 109 pilots to enjoy the uncrowded sky. As the waiver for controlled airspace began to wind down, Air Boss, Greg Witmer radioed, ”I guess you all will let me know when you are ready to land?” Mike Spaulding, MAM’s chief pilot, responded cheekily with, “Never!”

2019’s edition of Warbirds OverThe Beach appeared to entertain everyone whom attended by vividly illustrating the sights and sounds of aviation history. One can only image what Jerry Yagen might come up with next for his museum’s premier event, but the best way to find out will be to make plans, now, to attend Warbirds Over the Beach 2020!

The author would like to thank Jerry Yagen for the opportunity to cover the event and to Chris Vtipil and Mike Potter for their vital assistance. I would like to also reach out the Air Boss Greg Witmer and Ted Schwartz for their support as well.

Many, many thanks to A.Kevin Grantham for this report, as well as his magnificent photographs which illustrate it.