Museum volunteers descend on aviation museum for a tour

Photo By Max Lonzanida | Volunteers pose for a group picture in front of an airworthy Catalina PBY-5A. Volunteers from the Hampton Roads Naval Museum descended on the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach for a guided tour of its hangars. The tour was facilitated by Bill Murray, who previously served in the US Navy as a Seabee during the Vietnam War; and now volunteers at both museums. (US Navy Photo by Max Lonzanida/Released).  

VIRGINIA BEACH , VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

10.17.2018

Story by Max Lonzanida  

Naval History and Heritage Command

The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia is home to one of the largest private collections of vintage aircraft. The museum is situated in the Pungo area of the City, which is known for its yearly strawberry festival and sprawling acres of rich agricultural fields. Visitors to the museum are able to get an up-close look at aircraft from the pre-WWI era through WWII; there’s even a themed Dinosaur exhibit in the front of the museum which draws visitors in to get an up-close look at prehistoric creatures. A grass runway adjacent to their main hangar spans nearly 5,000 feet, and thrills visitors who venture from near and far during flying demonstrations in the summer months. During a recent visit, the museum accommodated nearly 25 volunteers and staff members from the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, who were treated to a guided tour through aviation history.

The tour was led by volunteer Bill Murray. Murray, who previously served in the US Navy as a Seabee during the Vietnam War, aptly touts the numerous aircraft on display at the museum; and often boasts that the majority of them are airworthy as evidenced by the drip pans beneath many of the aircraft to catch droplets of oil. Murray also volunteers his time with the Hampton Roads Naval Museum; and is aptly at home interpreting Naval history and aviation history. The tour was coordinated by Darcy Sink, the Volunteer Coordinator with the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. During this particular tour, nearly all of the Naval Museum’s volunteer corps participated for the guided walk through history.

The tour started in the WWI hangar, which was filled with vintage bi-planes. Murray pointed out the advances in wing design and propeller efficiency, and also pointed out the roles of aircraft used for surveillance. Afterwards, Murray led the group to the museum’s Goxhill Tower. He pointed out that the tower was shipped, brick by brick, from the former Royal Air Force Station Goxhill, in Linconshire, England. The architecture of the tower was typical of a WWII era watch office; and droves of them were constructed in airfields across England. According to the Military Aviation Museum:

“The Museum’s Control Tower is not a reproduction. It is in fact the very Watch Office built for RAF Station Goxhill in Linconshire, England. RAF Goxhill opened in June of 1941, and it was the very first British base turned over to the American air forces one year later, becoming USAAF Station F-345 Goxhill. As hundreds of those bases and towers are now being reclaimed by nature, this one is the only authentic tower of its type in the United States.”

Murray pointed out the authentic windows, and furniture and equipment that adorned the tower. The group ventured through a domed hangar, which featured aircraft utilized by the German Luftwaffe during WWII. Many of the aircraft featured period specific markings.

Afterwards, the group ventured through the main hanger of the museum. There, the group toured the Navy hangar. An iconic Catalina PBY-5A Flying Boat commanded the lion’s share of space in the hangar. Murray pointed out that the PBY was previously involved in narcotics transport after WWII, and was seized by authorities. It was eventually purchased by the museum and meticulously restored to flying condition. According to the Military Aviation Museum:

“The Catalina was an American Flying boat of 1930’s design that was one of the most widely used, multi-role designs of the war. It served in military branches as an observation, night attack, maritime patrol, bomber, air-sea rescue, and anti-submarine aircraft. The Catalina’s outstanding range and endurance made her the key element in the destruction of the German battleship Bismarck and the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Midway, where a Catalina also rescued the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron Eight, Ensign George Gay.”

The group stopped in front of another towering aircraft, their AD-4 Skyraider. It just so happens that two of the Naval Museum’s volunteers, Pat Roll and Jim Reid, piloted Skyraiders during their careers as Naval Aviators. Both provided some insights to flying the aircraft and its remarkable capabilities. The aviation museum’s Skyraider is of 1949 vintage, and saw action during the Korean War; where it was aptly called the Blue Plane.

The Blue Plane, as it was known by enemy forces in the Korean War, was ordered by the US Navy in 1944. In 1946, VA-19A was the first US Navy Squadron to take delivery of them. From 1945 through 1957, the Douglas Aircraft Company’s El Segundo Plant in California produced 3,180 Skyraiders in 11 variants. The Skyraider, with its signature Navy Blue paint scheme, was the US Navy and US Marine Corps’ primary carrier based strike aircraft during the Korean War. In-fact, in May of 1951, Skyraiders from the USS Princeton (CV-37) launched a successful torpedo attack on the Hwacheon Dam, which was held by North Korean forces. This was not the end of the Skyraider’s success. In September of 1953, an AD-4 Skyraider piloted by LT CDR Albert Yesensky, USN, scored a successful hit on an aerial target with an XAAM-N-7 Sidewinder heat seeking missile above Naval Air Station China Lake. The missile would later be designated the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, and an example is on display at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. Skyraiders would continue to fly with US Naval Squadrons until 1971, when they were replaced by the A-6 Intruder.

Murray pointed out some other aircraft in the hangar, including the museum’s Grumman FM-2 Wildcat. The Wildcat was widely produced during WWII, with a production run over 8,000. It became the primary carrier based aircraft for US Marine Corps and Naval Aviators. There were two versions of this aircraft, the Mark 3 and Mark 4; and 90 of these aircraft took part in the Battle of Midway engagement by providing combat air patrols and escort duties. Thereafter, the tour concluded with a walk through the museum’s Army hangar, where volunteers had the opportunity to get an up-close look at a B-25 Mitchell. The Mitchell was famous in 1942, when General James Doolittle led a one-way raid, launching from the carrier Hornet to bomb targets in Japan. And before the tour concluded, Murray pointed out the drip pans beneath many of the aircraft in the Army hangar; and closed out tour by proudly reiterating that the majority of the aircraft in all of the hangars are airworthy.

About the Hampton Roads Naval Museum:

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is one of ten Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. It celebrates the long history of the U.S. Navy in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia and is co-located with Nauticus in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Admission to the museum is free, simply by-pass the ticket line downstairs and take the elevator or stairs to the museum on the second deck. The museum offers free educational programs, including an engaging LEGO outreach for area schools, presentations aligned with state standards of learning, and a travelling sea chest program. To inquire, contact Laura Orr, Education Director at [e-mail] or at [phone]. To inquire about volunteering at the museum, contact Darcy Sink, Volunteer Coordinator at [phone]. The Museum, along with the Military Aviation Museum, is part of the non-profit South Hampton Roads Museum Forum. The forum fosters communication among area cultural institutions, increases public awareness and support of area museums and cultural institutions, and develops professional training opportunities for its members.

• Date Taken: 10.17.2018
• Date Posted: 10.17.2018 13:42
• Story ID: 296766
• Location: VIRGINIA BEACH , VIRGINIA, US