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TBM Reunion/Salute to
Veterans TBM Engine
Start-up at the National Museum of World War II Aviation
Crossroads Airshow Practice Show
Independence Day Warbird Events
Photo Review July 3, 2023, Anderson, IN Airshow Warbird Arrivals The Anderson, IN Municipal Airport is two miles from where I live. This year, on the evening of July 3rd, the airport did a free evening airshow that concluded with fireworks presented by the town of Chesterfield, that is east of the airport. The official airshow gate opening was was 5pm with the flying beginning at 7pm and ending at 9pm. One of the display aircraft for the event was the B-25 "Champaign Gal" operated by the Champaign Aviation Museum in Urbana, OH. At about 1:30pm on July 3rd, I heard the B-25 overhead as it arrived. I then proceeded over to the airport to see it and any other warbirds that were arriving for the event.
My wife and I started for the
airshow at 6pm and immediately got caught in a mile long traffic jam of
vehicles trying to get to the event. My daughter and her family
were stuck in traffic on the other side of the airport. I found a
field about a quarter mile north of the airport where others were
setting up to watch the event. We all found a place in the field
to not only watch the show but also the traffic jam, which finally
cleared out about 7:45. It was not the best location for watching
an airshow, but I have seen many before, so it was no big deal. My
wife and I left early, as neither of us are big into watching fireworks,
and I needed to be up early on the Fourth of July. At 5:01am on the Fourth of July, I was on the road; and at 7:01am, I entered the grounds to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Although the aircraft were not scheduled to arrive until 8am, I wanted to make sure I was on location ahead of time. The Museum hired a new director several years ago and he has been making many welcome changes to the museum. Since his arrival, he has also arranged for several warbird displays and events at the museum. In the spring of 2021, the C-47 "That's all Brother" was on display. In April of last year, there was a World War Two parachute drop from two C-47s which then went on display. I made it to both of those events. In June of this year ,there was a T-34 fly-in which I could not attend. Less than a month later the B-29 and B-24 arrived for free display for those who came out to see them.
The above photo is of the crew tunnel that connects the front and rear crew sections.
Extra Credit - World War Two Industrial History: During World War Two, there was an extensive supply chain of companies that made components for the B-29. The number of companies probably numbered over a thousand. One of the prime contractors for these aircraft was the A.O. Smith Company of Milwaukee, WI, which supplied landing gear assemblies for the B-29. The company also provided landing gear for B-17s, B-24s, and C-47s during the war. A.O. Smith also produced aircraft propeller blades and bombs. By the end of the conflict, A.O. Smith helped win World War Two by producing 16,750 sets of landing gear, 46,700 propeller blades, and 4.5 million bombs. During World War Two, the A.O. Smith Company was awarded $364,101,000 in major contracts which were greater than $50,000 each. To put this in prospective, the $364,101,000 is the equivalent of an eye watering $6.152 billion in current value. All of this was from a company that today is known for the manufacture of water heaters and water conditioning systems.
An interesting sidelight is that a company by the name of Shakespeare that is on the list provided the control stands for the pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, and flight engineer. This is the same company from Kalamazoo, MI that for many years made fishing rods and reels. When World War Two came, American companies built what was needed to win the war, which in many cases were completely different from their peacetime products. They did what they had to do.
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