The Membership Newsletter for The Military Aviation Museum January 2019

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Churchill Bowler 2

The Friendly Invasion 2

Adopt-a-Plane 3

Paintings of Henri Farré 4

A Pilot's Thoughts 4

2018 In Review 5

Dinners, Dances & Weddings 6

Big Band Hangar Dance 7

Upcoming Events 8

Military Aviation Museum www.MilitaryAviationMuseum.org

Virginia Beach Airport www.VBairport.com

Fighter Factory www.FighterFactory.com

Warbirds Over the Beachwww.VBairshow.com

Museum Introduces New Education Experience Zone

The museum has had a huge jump in visitor traffic in 2018. With over 70,000 guests coming through our doors, that’s nearly a 40% increase over last year! We’re seeing audiences quickly growing beyond our typical aviation enthusiasts, to the simply curious and those looking for new experiences. More and more families with small children are part of the makeup of this new audience, and we had to ask ourselves: are we doing everything we can to inspire new generations to appreciate aviation history and pursue careers in the field? The museum undoubtedly has a world-class collection to admire, but we’re proud to announce our new focus on providing tangible, hands-on experiences at the museum.

While yet unnamed, this new experience zone will feature a variety of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and historic learning opportunities for kids of all ages. New simulators, featuring our very own aircraft and air field, will allow future pilots to explore Virginia Beach through the skies with aircraft ranging from our WWI fighters to a more modern Cessna 172. Identification games, featuring historic WWII identity cards, will pair up through the prime viewing area of our ramp where historic warbirds still fly. As this experience zone builds out, expect to see flight dynamic activities, building opportunities and touchable material exhibits demonstrating how these aircraft are made. We’re excited for this new feature at the museum, and we’re sure you’re going to love it! q

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Revisit 2018at the museumon pages 5-7

Pictured Above: Autumn & Jason are the first to fly the flight simulators in the new kids zone; Pictured Right Bottom: Chance gets his pilot on in the kids zone

Big Band Hangar Dance is back at the museum! See our ad on page 7 for more information.

PAGE 2 VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1

Some said they were over paid. Many said they were over sexed. And in North Lincolnshire from 1942 onwards, everyone knew they were over here. They arrived in the dead of night, on crowded trains straight from the troop ships in Greenock or Liverpool. They were brash, they were friendly, they were generous, almost to a fault and just about everyone loved 'em. They were the Yanks, the United States Army Air Force, who began arriving in England in some considerable numbers 50 years ago this week. But here in North Lincolnshire, we had a foretaste of what was to come when RAF Goxhill, built as a bomber airfield and then deemed unsuitable, became the first airfield to be occupied by the USAAF. The occupation began with an opening ceremony in May, attended by no lesser figure than General Eisenhower, continued with the arrival in June of the first contingent of the thousands who were to serve at Goxhill and was confirmed in July 1942 when the first of the base's aircraft arrived.

Goxhill was to play an unusual role for the USAAF. For the first 18 months it was the temporary home of incoming fighter groups. They adapted European flying conditions over the relatively safe skies of North Lincolnshire before moving into East Anglia as part of the 8th Air Force's fighter arm. Each group spent between four and eight weeks at Goxhill as part of their training and the planning was such that

as one unit moved out, another would move in. Late in 1943 Goxhill’s role changed when it became the home of the 496th Fighter Training Group, with two training squadrons - the 554 and 555 - on its strength. Goxhill certainly played an important role in the air war over Europe. Most of the American 'aces' spent some time at Goxhill getting used to flying in damp, cloudy conditions. But that is not all Goxhill will be remembered for. The sudden and dramatic injection of large numbers of vibrant young Americans into the isolated communities of North Lincolnshire at a time of national austerity had an impact which is still hard to grasp. These young men and the wealth they brought with them represented a glimpse of the future for people whose horizons had rarely extended beyond a day out in Hull or Lincoln. The impact of the Americans was immediate. An American Red Cross Club was established in Grimsby's Old Market and was later followed by an accommodation annex in Bargate. English pubs - despite their 'warm' beer - were an immediate attraction and takings went up, not only at Goxhill's two hostelries, the Ox, but in Barton, in Hull and, more than anywhere else, in Grimsby and Cleethorpes. The rail line that ran through Goxhill brought the Yanks by the trainload into Grimsby where they headed for the pubs, the cinemas and the dance halls. Despite the affluence they brought with them, the Americans appear to have got on very well u

HANGAR TALK

The Friendly InvasionChurchill Bowler

The Generous Briton in Goxhill, a popular haunt for the Americans

Two of our Volunteers working on the Goxhill exhibit, Sarah Jameson and Lanny White, show

Churchill's bowler and historic certificate.

Some of our readers know that the museum has spent the last several years searching for furnishings and equipment to accurately portray the historic and authentic Goxhill “Watch Office” building. This long-term project has been a product of the museum founder’s passion for authenticity and for the quality of the “guest experience” at the museum.

Part of this search led to a small museum in England dedicated to items memorializing the experience of the English who lived daily under threat of attack from the air and at sea during WWII. Among the many hundreds of artifacts in the museum's collection were several rather amazing items. We thought our readers would be interested to learn about one of them in particular.

Normally, most people would not get terribly excited about unwrapping a rather dusty, well-worn hat and an old, age-spotted single-page letter. As very few things around our favorite museum are ever “normal”, imagine the thrill of holding (in carefully gloved hands of course) a simple black open-crowned “Homburg” hat with the carefully penned name “W. Churchill” and “Chartwell” (Churchill’s home of over four decades) written in the sweatband of the hat.

Those of us predisposed to suspicion took great solace from the accompanying typed donation letter. This 1997 letter was on “House of Commons – London” letterhead from Winston S. Churchill, the “Great Man’s” grandson, in response to the museum’s request for a display item that had been a personal possession of this extraordinary historical figure. Both the hat and the letter show unmistakable signs of wear and age, including the expected “foxing” on the stationery, but they will no doubt display extremely well as unique and historical items related to one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century. Look for the museum to display these items appropriately in the very near future! q

VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3

We’re introducing a great new way for people to support the mission of the Military Aviation Museum. What makes us unique among air museums is our unwavering commitment to flying a complete collection of historic warbirds. As you can imagine, it is immensely expensive to do so. The museum incurs costs of roughly $200,000 annually for fuel and insurance alone, not including the enormous expense of maintaining these aircraft in safe flying condition. With that in mind, in an effort to keep these warbirds flying, we’re introducing the new Adopt-A-

Plane program.

You can now symbolically adopt nearly any aircraft in our collection, and in return you’ll receive a personalized certificate of adoption, a 4" x 6" photo of your aircraft and a mini info card. For those at the $100 level, your name will be featured as an adopter on our newly designed aircraft exhibit signs. For the first time ever, and something that’s been often requested, we’re offering the opportunity to pose for a photograph in the cockpit of your favorite warbird for all gifts of $500 and above. q

Printed with permission from the July 20, 1992 Evening Telegraph Special Publication

t with the British servicemen in the air. They showed a great deal of respect for the bomber crews operating from local airfields and the only real flashpoint came when the crew of a Royal Navy warship were invited to a party at the Red Cross Club. Their generosity knew no bounds. They shared their very ample food supplies with all and sundry and introduced locals to the delights of fruit juice, or doughnuts, Coca-Cola and Hershey bars. One Christmas they collected the staggering amount of £3,000 for a children’s party at Goxhill. On another occasion, everyone on the base went without a meal to provide the food for another party for the local children. The children's parties, at Christmas and Thanksgiving, are still remembered by all those who attended them. And the abiding memoir for all is the huge amounts of food laid out on tables for the children to enjoy. Then, of course, was the impact on the local girls. “They all looked like film stars to us,” recalled one Grimsby woman. It wasn't just their money. There was something different, something exciting about these young men. And after the war it wasn't surprising when several dozen local women caught the stream of boats taking Gl brides across the Atlantic. It didn't work out for some. But today, scattered across the United States, there are dozens of women who were brought up in the East Marsh, in Goxhill, North Cleethorpes or Barton-on-Humber who really found dreams at the end of their rainbow. q

Keep 'Em Flying! Introducing a New Way to Support the Museum

ADOPT-A-PLANE

PAGE 4 VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1

THE MUSEUM collection

A Pilot’s Thoughts on the Paintings of Henri Farré.

Sky Fighters of France: The Paintings of Henri Farré

During the First World War, French artist, Henri Farré produced 175 paintings that did more than any photograph to depict the color and movement of a new invention that forever changed the nature of warfare and the destiny of mankind. He used his canvas to record the daring encounters of men and machines in the skies over the Western Front. The aeroplane had barely been in existence ten years when Farré sketched evocative scenes of air combat from his perch in an open cockpit.

Born in Foix, France, on 13 July, 1871, Farré excelled as a student at the École des Beaux-Arts, holding his first exhibition at the Salon des Artistes at age 26. The influence of the French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements on art at the turn of the 20th Century was reflected in Farré’s predominantly landscape and portrait work.

When war broke out in August of 1914 he was pursuing a career as a portraitist in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Determined to defend his native country against a German invasion, Farré returned to France and attempted to enlist for active duty. However, his age (43) was sufficient to have excluded him from selection for service. Undeterred, placed on the “shelved” list by the recruiters, he badgered his friends with military connections until they relented and ultimately paved the way for Farré’s investiture.

No sooner had he reported for duty when Farré was asked to paint as well as to fight for France. The French Minister for War had directed Farré’s division commander, who also served as director of the Hôtel des Invalides and the Musée de L’Armée, “to create a group of artist-painters, whose duty it will be to paint certain phases of action, so as to immortalize on canvas true pictures of fighting in the field.” Intrigued by the unique vantage afforded him by the coincidence of his assignment to a flying squadron, Farré obligingly accepted the dual role of military orderly and aviation painter.

From this unlikely beginning, Farré maneuvered his way into a post as an observateur-bombardier with a Voisin bomber squadron. It took five months of flying before he learned to, “see vertically,” to accurately record the reconnaissance missions, bombing raids, and air attacks that he witnessed.

Before long, however, he was making accurate observations of the colors of the sky as seen at high altitude, of the formation of clouds and of the earth below, as seen from a point of view no artist before him had been privileged to enjoy. However, his attention was not always on his art. On one occasion, with only a pocketknife ready to hand, Farré had to lean over the side of his aeroplane to cut away an obstinate bomb that had failed to release. His actions helped to save the ship, the pilot, and himself from almost certain destruction upon landing. One should keep in mind that crews of the day flew without the benefit of parachutes.

Flying as an observer, Farré almost certainly would have been called upon to defend himself and his fellow fliers in action. Observers, in general, were tasked with the operation of at least one machine gun. Depending on the configuration of the plane, they might be compelled to stand up to operate the guns mounted to their aircraft, placing themselves at even greater risk and sometimes obscuring the forward view of the pilot. Even if afforded the limited advantage of multiple gun mounts, the observer would have to transfer manually the plane’s armament from one mount to another in order to traverse the gun.

Since few, if any, photographs were taken of actual aerial combat during the First World War, Farré’s oil paintings represent a visually and historically significant record of French air operations. His first-hand impressions of the exciting and dangerous air exploits by men in canvas-covered crates were, for many, the only representations of their kind known to the European and American public during the First World War.

And this is ironic. The introduction of the aeroplane into military service had been concerned largely with one thing: aerial observation and later aerial photo reconnaissance. In fact, in 1914, reconnaissance was widely perceived as the only practical use of the aeroplane. Ultimately, very little attention would be paid to the documentation of air operations, with nearly all camera lenses focused on the persistent carnage unleashed night and day upon the beleaguered trenches of the opposing armies. u

Pilots like looking at pictures of airplanes; especially airplanes in flight. Photographs are good but the bulky cameras of the day were seldom used to take air-to-air pictures during World War One. Therefore, artists had to create those images. The problem was drawing airplanes was difficult. Wings look crooked, propellers become ridiculous and a myriad of other details are wrong. Not so with Henri Farré. Not only was he an accomplished artist, but a fully qualified French military aviation observer who flew combat missions.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending an exhibit of Farré paintings at the Chrysler Museum of Art. I was amazed. Farré’s talent got it right. The Voisons, Farmans and Bleriots were readily identifiable. Better still, his use of light and color, of angle and perspective, presented what it’s like to fly. That use of bright color and light came from his training in the school of Impressionism. While capturing the mood, Farré manages details that only someone who had actually been flying would understand. Especially noteworthy is his realistic rendering of night scenes. Even the best photographs cannot compare.

The Chrysler Museum of Art displays the paintings in a special, well-lighted exhibit room, in a path chronological from training to combat. The guide notes for each painting are very informative. I have been looking at the paintings in our museum for several years and I was struck by how vivid they appeared. In preparing them for exhibition, the restorers at the Chrysler cleaned them with remarkable results.

The Military Aviation Museum provided a flyable Nieuport aircraft in the atrium area for the reception. The comparison of the paintings with a real aircraft made an impression on all the guests. Volunteers from our museum were there to help the non-aviation crowd, primarily interested in art, by answering their questions and explaining what flying in World War One would have been like.

The exhibit continues until January 27, 2019 and is well worth the visit. q

By Jonathan R. Lichtenstein

By Robert “Boom” Powell, Volunteer & Pilot

2018 in Review

VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1 PAGE 5

t Vertical cameras were used from the outset of the war, but they were too heavy and bulky for the light aircraft of the day. Most early reconnaissance flights were recorded through visual observations or written reports. Handheld cameras were sometimes employed but with mixed results. To achieve a satisfactory image required both a skilled pilot, to maintain level flight, and a capable operator who could handle the bulky camera and the heavy glass plate negatives.

All belligerent nations soon learned the importance of aerial photography. By 1916, air reconnaissance was practiced regularly along the Western Front. This in turn necessitated fighter escorts, and thereby drove much of the rapid progress in aeronautical engineering for the duration of the war. It is estimated that about one third of all sorties flown were devoted to reconnaissance. By the end of the war both sides maintained detailed

maps of the frontlines derived from mosaics made up of thousands of aerial photographs. Germany alone reportedly generated 4,000 images a day in 1918. The British are known to have developed some 80,000 images in the course of a single battle.

It is likely Farré’s own hand-written notes and preliminary sketches often served as an authoritative account of sorties flown. It is known that on more than one occasion, he returned to the scenes of earlier battles to sketch details of the topography he claimed to have missed or misinterpreted. Apart from a determination for accuracy in his own paintings, it may very well be that Farré was ordered to revisit the sites of these past engagements in order to clarify or revise his earlier observations for senior Allied commanders. Presumably, there were unforeseen consequences to the production of, “true pictures of fighting in the field.”

The New York Times recalled that Farré, flying with his sketch pad tied to his knee, “circled over the scene of action and, oblivious to the shells, noted the details…. He never got a scratch.” He witnessed the first night bombardment attempt, which ended in disaster for the French aircrews involved. He also participated in other more successful raids; he observed the sky fighters of France in action in their SPADs, Voisins, and Nieuports, captured scenes at aviation schools and of activities at airfields, and even flew aboard the early seaplanes on long-range maritime patrols. As Farré said, the observateur-bombardier’s work was, “not only painted but lived by me on the different fronts of France.”

The Times went on to say Farré’s works opened a “completely new field of vision to the general public and stirred both the emotions and the imagination.” As a means of raising Allied support

Ten years ago, this museum first opened to the public. Founded by Jerry and Elaine Yagen, the museum started with little more than a skeleton crew, a handful of new volunteers, and a collection of vintage aircraft. With little public recognition and far from the bustle of the popular ocean front, no one really knew what the future held for the fledgling Military Aviation Museum. For all these years, the museum has steadily grown, and with rising attendance came an increase in events, programs and new exhibits.

2018 was a banner year for the museum, with big gains in visitor traffic, fundraiser efficiency and new exhibits. Over 75,000 guests visited our museum this year, an increase of 44% over 2017. These guests were treated to two significant new exhibits. Snoopy & The Red Baron, a traveling exhibit from the Charles Schulz Museum and Research Center, was on display in the mezzanine from July to October of this year. Our first inaugural Summer of Flight, a weekly warbird flying demonstration, was also a big hit. We’re happy to announce we are bringing back Summer of Flight for 2019, with a new line-up, new histories and more flying! Flying Proms received a classy VIP upgrade, with gourmet dinner from the award winning culinary team at Atlantic Shores that brought in a record number of guests. Biplanes and Brews, a makeover for our classic WWI air show, also proved a hit with delicious brews and a record audience.

With each passing year, the Military Aviation Museum just keeps getting better. The dedicated staff and volunteer corps are here to bring you the very best experience, and we hope to make 2019 even more exciting. Cheers to a new year! q

Museum Director Jarod Hoogland takes a selfie with Aaron Tippin, country music star and warbird pilot, at the 2018 International

Council of Air Shows convention

Continued on page 7.

Sky Fighters of France: The Paintings of Henri Farré, continued

PAGE 6 VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1

2018: Dinners, Dances & Weddings Galore

2018 was a very successful year for the museum as it offered a unique destination backdrop for a wide variety of events throughout the year. Hosting a centennial celebration for the RAF, numerous wedding, parties, formal dances, 5Ks, small business meetings, dinners and numerous holiday celebrations kept the calendar full. Guests constantly state that this is the first time they have been to the museum… and they will be back! And many have… either as visitors, airshow guests, or even as brides and grooms at their own celebrations!

Two special museum events wrapped up the year: Planes, Trains & Santa (PT&S) and our 2nd annual Holiday Hangar Concert. PT&S was a great success with nearly a record breaking crowd attending the three day event. Even the rain arriving on the heels of Santa on Saturday failed to dampen the spirits of the kids waiting to visit with him. Wait times for Santa

felt excruciating for the kids of all ages, but there was plenty to see and do with the model trains running in the Navy Hangar, the Pungo Independent Fire Company fire trucks on the ramp, the USMCR Toys For Tots Marines receiving donations for their boxes and motorcycle sidecar rides running all over the airfield. Santa even had communications courtesy of the Tidewater Amateur Radio Operators Club linked to the North Pole and Mrs. Claus.

Two weeks later, the Symphonic Artistry Wind Ensemble played a wonderful holiday concert on Saturday evening. With a brisk chill in the air and the holiday sound drifting throughout the museum, the spirit of the season was in full swing.

With so much to offer our guests, the Events Staff would love to help create a unique and memorable event here at the museum. The photo collection is a small sample of this year’s activities. q

Big Band Hangar Dance

RAF Centennial

Weddings

5K Run

Aviation Summer Camp

Summer of Flight

Kids and Trains

Armistice Day Ceremony

Fireworks

The

We’re back at t he Saturday, February 9th

Big Band

Hangar Dance

Big Band

Hangar Dance

MUSEUM MUSEUM

For more information 757-721-7767 | www.MILITARYAVIATIONMUSEUM.ORG/EVENTS/

Doors Open : 5: 0pmDinner: 6: 0pm

Dance : 7: 0-11: 0pm

FeaturingLive Entertainment

Costume Contest Silent AuctionPhoto Booth Dancing Opportunities

VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1 PAGE 7

and money for the orphaned children of French aviators killed in action, the French government authorized the artist to take his paintings to America in 1918. In New York’s Anderson Galleries, as well as in Chicago, his efforts garnered great acclaim from all walks of American society. Gustave Kobbe, then art critic for the New York Herald, wrote of the exhibition: “Wherever these pictures are shown they will make a sensation.” The sensation they made, “extended even to the children of America… a boy of eight came one day bringing a bouquet of flowers to place beneath the portrait of Captain [Georges] Guynemer.”

When Lieutenant Henri Farré died in Chicago on 6 October, 1934, at the age of sixty-three, the world was again on the verge of war. This time, however, there would be little room for the officially sanctioned combat artist ducking bullets while sketching out impressions of aerial engagements on his knee. That being said, Farré’s paintings today serve as a compelling record of the rapid advancement of military aviation during the Great War, documenting far more than the thousands of reconnaissance photos that had cost the lives of so many men.

It is remarkable to find such a variety of Farré’s works on permanent display at the Military Aviation

Museum (MAM). They will be exhibited at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, through 27 January, 2019. Therefore, even after this exhibition closes, the paintings will be returned to the galleries of the MAM in Virginia Beach.

If not for these historic works by Farré, we hope to see you at the MAM on some future occasion, where you will find many of the same ancient aeroplanes depicted by Farré – still in their natural element – taking to the air occasionally, and serving as a memorial to those aircrews who served a century ago in the first battles for mastery of the skies. q

Sky Fighters of France: The Paintings of Henri Farré, continued

Holiday Hangar Concert

NJROTC Ball

Santa Arrives by Stearman

Coming in 2019!

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Membership Newsletter for the Military Aviation Museum

1341 Princess Anne RoadVirginia Beach, VA 23457

(757) 721-PROP

Open Daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

PAGE 8 VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1

1941 Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk

Big Band Hangar DanceA Big Band-themed Dinner and Dancing event with live

music, swing dance, fine food, and romance, as our annual Big Band Hangar Dance lands on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019. Cut a dash and dance the night away at our museum.

Come join the fun. Tickets are on sale now!

FEBRUARY 9

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saving Kids Dreams – Youth UnpluggedThe Saving Kids’ Dreams Foundation is excited to announce the 5th

annual Unplugged Youth Event, June 11th at the Military Aviation Museum! This is a great opportunity to get your kids outdoors for a fun-filled day! This year’s activities include: Archery, Roping, BB Gun shoot, Pony Rides,

Bounce House, Face Painting and much, much more!

April 13

CoVa Battle of the Burgers Join Coastal Virginia Magazine as they invite local restaurants to

battle it out to become CoVa’s Best Burger. Attendees will be invited to vote for their favorite burger after sampling the delicious sliders,

drinking Virginia craft beers and enjoying live entertainment!

April 27

Warbirds over the Beach Air ShowThe air armada of the Military Aviation Museum will be on display on land and in the air for three days in May. Among the stars of the weekend will be one of only three airworthy de Havilland DH.98 Mosquitos in the world. With over 300 re-enactors on site, representing all theatres of WWII-era

operations, you will feel as if you have stepped back in time!

May 17-19