WW II Aircraft Visit NH

Today, July 4, is the 245th celebration of Independence Day in the USA, a historic celebration. This post is a bit about history, but of a different sort. 

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Ghost Squadron is the largest operator of historic aircraft in the world with a fleet of over 175 aircraft and over 13,000 members. Several aircraft in this tour recently traveled to Nashua, NH.

Each year, the CAF Ghost Squadron travels to as many as 20 US cities where at each stop, the public can tour the aircraft cockpit (for a fee) and/or purchase a flight experience. 

Last week, the tour's first stop was a 3-day stay in Nashua, NH at Boire Field Airport. From there, the tour was continuing to Niagara Falls, NY; Pontiac, MI; Chicago, Ill; Janesville, WI; Rochester, MN; Sioux Falls, SD; Lincoln, North Platte and Scottsbluff, NE; Denver, CO; Duncan, OK, Denton, Fort Worth, Waco, Dallas, TX; and Blytheville, AK.

It's less than a 3-mile drive from our mill apt to the Nashua airport. We went to see the aircraft, but didn't get up close views. Due to the costly expenses of maintaining and flying these planes, there was a $20/ramp access fee (adults; $10 for ages11-17; free for 10 and under). We opted for views from behind the enclosure (like a number of others) and viewed a featured a B-29 bomber, P-51 Mustang, PT-13 Stearman and other aircraft. Scheduled flights twice daily on 3 of the planes were sold out and ranged from $249 to $1600 for a 20-30 minute flight. More costly than for a short commercial flights, but priceless to many WW II buffs for what's been termed a living history flight. 

Lloyd Nolen
Chief of Staff of the “Ghost Squadron"

Curious about the organization, I learned that it all started with one man and a single plane in 1957. Unable to fly for the military due to a vision problem, Texas-born Lloyd P. Nolen and a small group of ex-service pilots (WW II and Korean War) from the Rio Grande Valley pooled money to purchase a P-51 Mustang. After vandals painted with the words, Confederate Air Force, on it, the group adopted the name, forming an organization to share the expense of maintaining the plane and then added a pair of F8F Bearcats. The non-profit organization became dedicated to preserving historic combat aircraft with a mission to save an examples of WW II aircraft, one no one else was undertaking.

Now known as the Commemorative Air Force, the CAF brings military aviation to life. What started as a hobby evolved into a mission not only to preserve history, but preserve an example of every historic aircraft that flew during WW II. This was an undertaking no one else was pursuing or attempting, including the US Air Force and US Navy.

The Pilot Maker, Boeing PT-13 Stearman

This ↑ plane by any name is regarded as the primary trainer American aviators in WW II. The Boeing PT-13 Stearman, officially Boeing Model 75, is widely known as the Stearman. The Army designated it the PT, the Navy the N2S, and Canadians called it the Kaydet. The U.S. Army Air Corps first ordered the Model 75 in 1935, a year After the Stearman Aircraft Company of Wichita, KS was acquired by Boeing. This two-seater biplane includes wood-framed wings with fabric covering and a fuselage with welded steel framework, also fabric covered. In 1940, with war looming, production rose with 3,520 aircraft delivered that year; production ended in 1945.

By 1960, the group was searching for more WW II aircraft; but it was apparent that few remained in flying condition. By the end of the war, America had produced nearly 300,000 aircraft. Just 15 years later, almost all these planes were gone, decommissioned and stripped of armament and instruments, most were scrapped or abandoned. 

In September 1961, the CAF was chartered as a non-profit Texas corporation to restore and preserve World War II-era combat aircraft. By the end of the year, there were nine aircraft in the CAF fleet.

P-51, Mustang Gunfighter

The P-51 Mustang Gunfighter ↑ was one of the most famous and effective fighter aircraft of WW II and was originally designed to fulfill a British requirement in 1940 with the North American Aircraft Corporation contracted to design and build the new fighter. Early versions were powered by 1,100-hp Allison engines; changed to powerful Packard-built Merlin V-1650 in 1943 what allied bombers in Europe needed. The aircraft became known for its long range and high-altitude escort capability. A variant, the P-51D, featured a 360-degree-view bubble canopy, a modified rear fuselage, and six 12.77-mm machine guns. Along with their fighter role, Mustang planes were used for ground attack and reconnaissance. After 1945, over 50 Air Forces worldwide acquired and used the planes for many years, some as recently as the early 1980s.

In 1965, the first museum building consisting of 26,000 square feet was completed at old Rebel Field, Mercedes, TX. The CAF created a new Rebel Field at Harlingen, TX, moving there in 1968, occupying three large buildings. The CAF fleet continued to grow and include medium and heavy bombers such as the B-29, B-25, B-17 and B-24.

Effective January 2002, the organization was renamed to the Commemorative Air Force by a membership vote. The name change was to better reflect its purpose and goals. More than just a collection of warplanes from the past, the CAF Ghost Squadron, recreates, reminds and reinforces the defining moments in American military aviation history to the general public. The idea is to let them come out and touch the metal, smell the oil, and hear the roar of the engines

After collecting aircraft for almost half a century, the CAF is considered the largest flying museum in the world. Today, it has nearly 13,000 members and a fleet of more than 175 aircraft that represent more than 60 different types — including planes from several foreign countries and military conflicts after WW II. Aircraft are assigned to units across the country. These units, consist of CAF volunteer members, who restore and operate historic aircraft which are viewed by more than 10 million spectators annually.

In the 1970s, the B-29/B-24 Squadron of the CAF was created to support the B-29 Superfortress FIFI, the most advanced bomber of WW II. This iconic bomber, which was designed to fly higher and faster than enemy fighters, was credited with bringing an end to the war.

Nearly full view of the large B-29 Superfortress FIFI from behind the fence

FIFI was acquired by the CAF in the early 1970s after members found her at the U.S. Navy Proving Ground, China Lake, CA, being used as a missile target, Rescued and restored, FIFI introduced the concept of warbird barnstorming. A squadron of volunteers was formed taking the aircraft on tour from city to city to raise enough funding to be self-sustaining. 

Closer view of this large B-29 aircraft

The aircraft flew for over 30 years until 2006 when it was grounded by the chief pilot for a complete power plant re-fit. An extensive four-year restoration included replacing all four engines with new custom built hybrid engines. The plane returned to flying in 2010 and since then has traveled coast to coast attracting crowds at every stop and generating enough revenue to keep the B-29 flying for over 45 years. 

Photo credit: Gary Daniels for Commemorative Air Force

The CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron is based at the Dallas Executive Airport ↑ in the Dallas, Fort Worth TX area. CAF members live in every state and 28 foreign countries. In 26 states and four foreign countries, members have formed units to actively support one or more of the classic military aircraft operated by the CAF.

Maintaining and flying these historic aircraft is very costly. The CAF and B-29/B-24 Squadron donot receive any federal or military funding/support. It's a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization dedicated to honoring American military aviation history through flight, exhibition and remembrance. Visit commemorativeairforce.org for more information.

Enjoy your holiday. It's a wet and chilly day in Nashua, NH.

Friday Funnies

This display and sign were seen in our visit to Deja Vu Furniture, a most very unusual emporium. It was just one of many humorous signs posted throughout the store.

And, this is why I never eat taffy or caramel of any type. I already have enough dental issues without adding more problems. How about you?

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Happy 245th Birthday to the USA

Blogger Friends

Bloggers are a caring community, more so I believe than other social media platforms, which shall remain nameless. I do not and have never shared on any of those, so my comment is purely my own observations of family and friends who share much online.

Of course, blogging itself a form of social media. Again, speaking for myself it seems that bloggers form a different and caring community. One of which I am happy to be a member.

Through over a decade of blogging, we have been fortunate to meet several bloggers. For various reasons, a few meet-ups have been one-time visits. But there have been bloggers, we have remained in contact with in different states. We try to connect in person whenever our travels take us near their locations. Unfortunately, because of you-know-what in 2020, those visits haven't happened in many months — perhaps soon again.

Aside from those bloggers we've met, there are many others that we may never meet who are nevertheless considered our friends. Like us, they have shared about their life, family, travels and more.

From time to time, ALL friends need support and that's the dual purpose of this post — friendship & caring.

Like others, I've read posts requesting thoughts and prayers for those in need of comfort — either for themselves, family, friends or pets.

This week, I learned from their posts that two blogger friends could use some positive energy, caring thoughts and prayers as well — Whatever you would feel most comfortable extending.

Without any comments on their individual situations, I am instead including a link to their respective blogs. Here, you can read their posts and, perhaps, send some positive energy their way. If you can, please take time to visit Rita at SoulComfort's Corner and Mildred at Laurel Wood. A few clicks are it takes to offer kindness.

FYI This post is done with the full knowledge and consent of both Rita and Mildred who were contacted and asked if they would have any objection to listing their blogs. 

They did not. (Comments are off.)

Sea, Sand, Sculptures

Master Sand Sculptures on Hampton Beach, NH

When you think of sand sculpting, perhaps you recall summers at the beach building castles with buckets of water and sand. Perhaps, that’s how the folks who created these amazing master sand sculptors got their start — in childhood?

There’s over 20 sand castle competitions around the world where top notch sand sculptors create works of such size and complexity, it's hard to believe they're made from sand and water. Some of these competitions have been running for decades while others are relatively new.

Lucky for us, the 2021 Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculptures, now the largest Masters competition in the Northeast US, took place in NH last week. We went after both the sculptures and judging had been completed. Seeing these sand sculptures was a first time experience for us, but definitely won't be the last. To say they were awesome would be putting it mildly. 

Sand Sculpture Centerpiece, Hampton Beach, NH

This year’s theme was Sand, Sun and Fun in 2021 and the centerpiece, which was not part of the judged sculptures, featured sand castles, humpback whales, a lifeguard on an ATV, and featured the names of Hampton Beach business. The now annual event features 10 of the best sand sculptors in the world and attracts thousands of spectators to this popular NH beach town.

Closeup view of  ATV Rider Sand Sculptures

The competition is funded by the Hampton Beach Village District and Sponsors, in cooperation with The Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce and the NH Division of Parks. When asked about this year’s theme, its organizer, local sand artist and NH native Greg Grady, declared anything but COVID.

Back in 2000, Grady was commissioned to create a larger than life replica of the NH quarter on the beach using 10 tons of sand. Its popularity led to creation of the Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Competition the next year. Since then, the event has attracted thousands of visitors each summer. In 2020, it was postponed until late August.

Once Bitten

Each year, 200 tons of sand is hauled to the beach from a NH quarry to be used for creating the sculptures. Each competitor gets 10 tons of sand, described as some of the best in the world. For three days, sculptors carve eight hours a day and must finish their pieces within 24 working hours. They use sand, water and creativity to create their masterpieces and compete for cash prizes and awards worth up to $15,000. 

Behind Every Successful Man

After completion, the sand sculptures are sprayed with a solution of glue and water to protect them from the elements and allow them to remain standing after the competition and judging ends. This year they remained through June 27.

Pulled

We left long before the beach was dark enough to see the sculptures illuminated for night viewing. The works only remained a short time even though the glue spray could have left them intact longer. Why didn't they stay longer? Security would be needed to protect against vandalism which has occurred in previous years. And, they occupy prime space on a very popular beach. NH's slice of Atlantic Ocean waterfront is slight – only 18 miles of shoreline. 

Miss You, My Friend

Judging is based on several elements, such as technical skill, degree of difficulty and a factor best termed as WOW. The award winners this year were:

Empty, 1st Place

Abe Waterman of Prince Edward Island, Canada, won first place and $6,000 for Empty, which he said was created based on a breakup with his wife. The double-sided sculpture, shows a face with matching tears with the crouching figure of a man on one side and a woman on the other.

Rebirth of Phoenix, 2nd Place

The 2020 top winner, Mélineige Beauregard of Montreal, Canada, finished second this year and took home $4,000 for Rebirth of Phoenix. She also nabbed the people’s choice award which came with another $1,000.

Poker Face, 3rd Place

Karen Fralich of Toronto, Canada, finished third with Poker Face, which brought a prize of $3,000. She’s an 18-year veteran  of the competition. Her two-sided sculpture showed a man with his poker face and a losing hand of cards, and a less confident visage on the other side.

Multiple Piercings, 4th Place

Thomas Koet of Satellite Beach, FL, came in fourth and won $2,000 for Multiple Piercings.

Continuum, Sculptor's Choice Award

Chris Guinto of Key West, FL, won the Sculptor's Choice Award for his piece titled Continuum.

These two sculptures were not included in the judging. The one shown left was a memorial to a veteran (50-year) part-time Hampton police officer and high school teacher, who died last spring after battling cancer. The other sculpture was a humorous tribute to Boston's Fenway Park baseball stadium.

While the sand sculptures were the reason for our beach day trip, they were not the only sights we saw on our time there. Anyone who has ever spent time at a shore town has seen some of these items along a boardwalk stroll. 

And, no day at the shore would be complete without stopping for lunch. Our choice was a once a year choice of clam strips. Of course, Grenville would have liked this ice cream to be edible.

The weather was perfect for our day trip and temps were in the low 80s and sunny, much better than the forecast for this week.

Currently, extreme heat is blanketing many parts of the US and even Canada. The heat wave here will have a brief respite with rain following, but higher temps are forecast to return next week. Hope you're managing to keep cool however possible.

Friday Funnies

After parking my Jeep Liberty at the first parking available at the flea market last weekend, we noticed it was coincidentally in front of an exact duplicate.

Everything was the same on both vehicles from the exterior color and trim to the exterior. It was definitely a case of seeing double. The photo above is of the duplicate vehicle.

My 2007 Jeep Liberty is the one in the foreground. Differences between the two were the spare tire cover on mine and the that the duplicate showed a bit more wear for its age.

While I have seen duplicates or near so, the fact that my SUV is 14 years old makes this a not-so-often happening, especially for an exact match. My Jeep was purchased new from a dealer on the VA eastern shore. No, we didn't confuse the two Jeeps as the other was gone when we returned to ours. Sadly, the duplicate showed its age quite a bit much more than mine. Still, a meet-up with its owner would have been interesting.

Ever happen to you that you parked near/next to an exact duplicate of your vehicle?

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Sunny and warm here; a heat wave forecast next week

Flea Market Finds (or Not)

Admittedly, we are flea market aficionados and while we're never looking for anything specific we enjoy spending time some weekend mornings at two local ones. You never know what you'll find, like the game above (Ideal 1966), which neither Grenville or myself played or bought.

A recent attempt to visit  a weekend flea market was cancelled due to overnight rains the night before. Fortunately, that led to our exploration of a unique furniture emporium, Deja Vu in Londonderry, NH.

Last weekend was sunny and warm so we stopped at two popular outdoor flea markets in Hollis and Londonderry, NH. The Hollis market (7 miles away) is only open on Sundays; Londonderry (9 miles) is open both weekend mornings. The two markets are about a 30-minute drive apart so we visited them on separate days as we really like to linger and look, even if we don't buy. 

The term flea market is generally considered to originate with the French marché aux puces an outdoor bazaar in Paris, France. It translates to "market of the fleas" and likely referred to flea-infested used merchandise. Not to be confused with swap meets which can involve strictly swapping goods with no money involved, flea markets usually deal exclusively in the exchange of cash for transactions.

Flea market selling is distinguished from street vending in that the market itself, and not any other public attraction, brings in the buyers. There's a variety of vendors — some part-time sellers consider their sales a hobby due to a "regular" job; full-time sellers dedicate full time to their stalls and collection of merchandise and rely solely on profits made selling at the market. 

Different English-speaking countries use various names for flea markets. In Australian English, they are called trash and treasure markets. In the UK, they're known as car boot sales.If the event takes place in a field or car park, vendors will sell goods from the boot (trunk) of their car. If held indoors in a school or church hall, it's usually known as a jumble sale, or bring-and-buy sale. In Quebec, like France, they're often called Marché aux puces (flea markets). In Japan, where the words flea and free are transcribed in the same Japanese phonetic letters, the term  free market has gained wide use.

The Londonderry Flea Market is situated on about 30 acres and hosts a variety of sellers selling goods ranging from antiques to toiletries. Many sellers have permanent locations, others are there on an intermittent basis. 

Regular vendors who sell the entire season usually bring in new or different items to add to their inventory. There are also weekend sellers, many of these are yard sellers who only rent space to sell items no longer needed in their own homes and who prefer not to have home yard sales.

Like all outdoor markets, open hours are weather dependent and the Londonderry market is open Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m, from April to October. Parking is $1.50 and free for seniors, like ourselves.

The Hollis Flea Market in operation since 1964 is considered among the oldest running flea markets in NH. Vendors are spread across over 20 acres with up to 400 vendors on any given Sunday morning. Early bird shoppers have been counted at over a thousand. This flea market is a family run affair and is currently in its second generation of owners.

Since it's a weekly market, there's many regular vendors. Like at Londonderry, there are sellers who would rather tout their wares to an established crowd rather than at a private yard sale. This ensures there's usually a wide variety of items from antiques to new or nearly so. 

As at Londonderry, there is parking fee which is slightly higher at $2 with no discounts. There's also a food concession with outdoor seating available. This market is just down the road from a state recreation area, typically a police officer is directing pedestrian crossings as there's two areas to the market. 

While we don't always hardly buy at these markets, the low cost/free admission is worth the time spent looking and sometimes seeing things that bring back a memory or two. Yes, sometimes Grenville or myself will make a purchase as you never know when you'll find that great deal.

How about you — do you enjoy these types of sales?