Space Coast Regional Warbird Airshow (Tico), Titusville, FL   Seymour-Johnson AFB, Goldsboro, NC   MCAS Beaufort, Beaufort, SC   TBM Reunion, Peru, IL   Gathering of Warbirds, Waukesha, WI   Spirit of St. Louis Airshow, Chesterfield, MO
2019 Airshows

Waukesha Gathering of Warbirds Photo Review
 Waukesha County Airport, Waukesha, WI -  May 25, 2019 - Photos taken Saturday May 25, 2019. 

For the second Saturday in a row, I was treated to an all warbird airshow.  Promoted by the Wisconsin Wing of the Commemoratives Air Force, the Gathering of Warbirds was just that.  No jet trucks, no wing walkers, no civilian aerobatics, no skydivers,no chalets, no VIP tents, or any of the other things that add to the cost of an aerial event but don't enhance the warbird appeal.  There were 23 warbirds on static display and one and a half hours of flying; starting with the small trainers and finishing with the jet aircraft. 

Just before the gates opened at 10:00 am, a thunderstorm came through and drenched the area.  Luckily, that was the only rain for the day.  By the time the flying started at 12:30pm, there was lots of sunshine with some nice puffy clouds to contrast with the blue sky.

The two aircraft from the Canadian Forces was a welcome surprise and added some variety to the collection of warbirds on display.  Shown here is a warbird T-34, Canadian Forces CT-156 Harvard II, Allied Wings C-90B,and Canadian Forces CT-142 Dash 8.  There is still a lot of water on the ramp, a reminder of the rain storm a little earlier.

CT-142-Dash 8 is used for navigation training and was the only aircraft giving tours.

The crowd started filling up the ramp right after the gates opened, and started looking at the warbirds.

B-25 "Miss Mitchell" from the Minnesota Wing of the CAF was at the event to give rides.  It did not fly in the airshow.  Hopefully, in the future the event can find a sponsor to fund an aircraft of this size to fly in the show.

Although the flying did not start until 12:30pm, engine start for the T-6s and SNJ was at noon time.  This SNJ was starting to taxi out at 12:11pm.  A flight of five Texans would open the show with a formation fly-by.

Propeller driven warbirds flying during the show were T-34, CJ-6A, DCH-1, PT-26, T-28, (5)T-6/SNJs, TBM and P-51.  Shown here are just a couple of the many fly-bys and low passes by these aircraft.

There is always something new to see.  Here Brad Deckert does a smoke-out in his TBM.

With the ramp sterilized for the show, the five jet aircraft can be seen without the crowd in the way.  Unfortunately, during start-up the T-37 developed a problem, and was not able to participate in the flying portion of the show.

As noted before, the Gathering of Warbirds allows for intimacy with the aircraft as they taxi past.

This was my mystery warbird of the event.  I hadn't seen it before, and did not know what it was.  It wasn't until I returned home, and ran the N-number that I learned this is a SIAI-Marchetti S-211. 

In an effort to get out ahead of any traffic that would develop at the end of the flying, I did not get that many photos of the jet fly-bys.  In retrospect, I should have stayed as the jets did some very nice low passes that I saw from the road outside the airport.  When I return in 2020, I will stay longer to enjoy these fly-bys.

The Wisconsin Wing has found the formula for an outstanding warbird event.  Keep the event simple.  Have a variety and plenty of warbirds.  Display the aircraft.  Fly the warbirds.  Everything else is fluff and adds cost.  They keep it simple, and fly the warbirds.  They "get it!"

Side Trips

It is possible to drive from my house to Waukesha, WI, see the show, and then return all in one day.  However, it is a real push to do that.  Because there are a multitude places I want to visit in the state of Wisconsin, I decided to go two days early.

My trips are well planned in advance in order to see as many locations as possible.  Sometimes though, I run into the unexpected and get a bonus.  This small machine shop in Clintonville, WI is where in 1908 Otto Zachow and William Besserdich invented four-wheel drive.  I was in Clintonville early in the morning to take a photo of a Sherman tank in the lot next door to this building.  I was totally unaware of the existence of this historical site.  What a cool find!

There were no other signs that would indicate this is a national historic site, which in my opinion it should be.  The information sign is also Clintonville centric, and dated in its information.  In 1915 William Besserdich left FWD Corporation and joined forces with Bernhard Mosling, a store owner in Clintonville, and to form the Duplex Auto Company.  At this time, Mr. Besserdich had an improved patent, only in his name, which he took with him when he left FWD Corporation.  This patent was the basis for the new company.  Unable to get the financing they needed to promote their new idea, Mr. Besserdich and Mr. Mosling contacted the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, which was able to aid the two men in raising capital.  The company was then renamed the Oshkosh Motor Truck Company which has evolved into today's Oshkosh Corporation.  Today the legacy company of the FWD Corporation builds Seagrave fire apparatus in Clintonville.

This is the Sherman tank I was in Clintonville to photograph.  Built in October 1942 as a M4A3(75) VVSS, this is the third oldest known Ford-built Sherman tank still in existence. 

For those interested, below is the original patent of Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.
US Patent 1111728

Below is patent that William Besserdich took with him to start the Duplex Auto Company.
US Patent 1152874


A visit to the Harley-Davidson Museum in downtown Milwaukee provided me with photos of several World War Two Harley-Davidson motorcycles I had not seen yet.  In the foreground is a WLA, which was the most produced of the WWII motorcycles.  60,486 of these were built.  These are very common in museums and with private owners.  In the right corner is one of 40 U Models built for the US Navy for Shore Patrol duty.  This is the only one I have ever seen.

In the left corner is one of three 1942 XS motorcycles built which were powered with opposing cylinder engines.

Also on display in the museum is this 1942-XA, which also had a twin opposing cylinder engine.  There were 1,000 of these built. 

Shown here is the USS Cobia at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, WI.  The USS Cobia is a Gato Class submarine built by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, CT.  The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company built 28 fresh water submarines during World War Two.  The Manitowoc built boats were based on designs provided by the Electric Boat Company which was the only company in the United States producing submarines at the start of World War Two.  US Navy submariners considered the Manitowoc built submarines to be the best built of all submarines during World War Two.  Unfortunately, no Manitowoc submarines are still in existence.

Most persons visit the EAA Museum in Oshkosh to look at all of the excellent aircraft on display, as did I.  But what caught my eye was this World War Two "E" flag on display in the World War Two Eagle Hangar.  The "E' flag was given to companies during the war that consistently met production schedules to provide needed war material.  Only 4,283 companies, which was 5% of the eligible companies received the award.  Unfortunately, the recipient of this flag was not identified at the museum.  The company that won this had two stars added, indicating that it re-qualified for the award six and twelve months after receiving the original honor.  Only 723 companies received two stars.  This is one of only 10 "E" flags that I personally seen.

As a side note, the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company had five stars on its "E" flag, making one of 206 companies that accomplished this.

Two miles south of the EAA Museum is the Military Veterans Museum, which has a large collection of military vehicles.

This is one of 2,711 5/6-ton 4x4 tractors built by Autocar during World War Two, and only the second one I have seen.  During the war, these type tractors pulled trailers, many of them Signal Corps containing radio antennas.  When its restoration is complete, it will be one of the many running vehicles in the museum.

Another running vehicle in the museum is this T-34/85 tank.  It is one of only two drivable T-34s in the United States.  This particular tank was built in March 1945.  It suffered minor damage fighting against the Japanese in Manchuria in August 1945.  It also starred in the motion picture Ant-Man, being in a nine second segment at the end of the movie.  The T-34 and crew were on the movie location for 19 days.