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Sunday, June 10th 2012 "Bikes & Bombers"

9K views 41 replies 6 participants last post by  Dana Franklin Welch 
#1 ·
1St Annual Bikes and Bomber Sunday, June 10rd 2012 10:00 AM to Noon

Exclusive motorcycle parking, complimentary coffee & donuts, People’s Choice Bike Show (winner gets to have their photo taken at the controls of the Museum’s B-17 with a former WWII bomber pilot), discounted admission to the museum at $9.00 per person, docent-lead tours, “meet and greet” WWII pilots Lynn Shubert (P-38 Pilot) and Herb Guiness (B-24 Pilot). Two of Steve McQueen’s motorcycles from a private collection will be on display including a 1921 Harley-Davidson with a side car and his 4-stroke single cylinder 1933 Panther that in 1983 was restored for Steve by Von Dutch. Also scheduled to be on display is a 2012 Triumph Bonneville T100 Steve McQueen Edition by co-sponsor Triumph/Ducati of Newport Beach.

Benefits www.lyonairmuseum.org

714-210-4585
Info@lyonairmuseum.org
 
#3 · (Edited)
I think I'll give that a go. Anyone else from so cal?
 
#7 ·
Two WWII pilots meet again after 70 years

While attending a history flight of a C-47 at the Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, CA. this past December, I met retired Capt. Herbert Guiness, B-24 Bomber Pilot with the 15th Air Force during WWII. He told me he lost two of his four engines to enemy fire following a bombing raid. As he tried to clear the Alps and return to their base in Italy, the third engine overheated and shut down. Both Herb and his co-pilot stood on the right rudder pedals with both feet as they tried to control the Liberator. They finally managed a water-ditch landing in the Adriatic Sea.

Bleeding badly from windshield fragments that pierced Herbert’s face and arms as he was thrown through the windshield, he escaped the bomber along with eight of his ten crewmen. They were able to get one of two five-man life rafts out of the plane and inflated before it sank. Choosing to stay in the water, Herb looked up to see the P-38 Lightning that following them down circling overhead.

After sending a radio request for a rescue, the P-38, running low on fuel, dipped its wings one last time, rolled off and headed back to his base. An RAF amphibian arrived shortly afterward to rescue the B-24 crew.

In hearing this story, I mentioned to Herb that my neighbor Lynn Shubert is a former 1St Lt. and flew P-38 Lightings out of Italy during that same time. Herb lit up and told me “if that’s the same guy, thank him for saving us…I’ve been trying to find out who that pilot since I was hospitalized after the crash”.

While stationed in Italy, Lynn primarily flew night time recon missions over pending targets and radioed weather and other conditions directly to two Generals. He also swept ahead of scores of Bombers on their way out to their targets. In one incident, Lynn had one of his engines shot out over Germany and managed to fly his crippled P-38 400 miles back to his base in Italy where he belly flopped in as the landing gear would not retract. In another, he had 4 M109s on him when his flight leader said “drop your belly tanks”. Two of the M109s were on his six and ready to open fire. Lynn thought it was all over for him but suddenly both of his turbo-charged in-line six Allison engines quit! The immediate loss of over 100 MPH caused both M109s to zip past him. Realizing he had forgotten to switch over to the main tanks, he cranked the switch over…the left engine fired first and since he had the throttles wide open the P-38 began flying “ass over tea kettle” as Lynn tells it. He finally gained control after the other engine caught and was able to outrun the slower M109s. Lynn chuckles when he says “that error saved my life and I wonder what those two German pilots were thinking”.

When I returned home that day, I called Lynn and told him the story. Lynn confirmed that he had followed a B-24 Liberator to a water-ditch in the Adriatic and radioed for a rescue before running low on fuel. He recalls the Bomber having only one engine running before ditching. He also told me of how helpless he felt as he looked down even though he knew help was on the way.

I immediately called Herb and arranged a meeting for the two of them at the Air Museum the following morning so they could meet each other and Herb could thank Lynn in person. After close to 70 years the two former pilots, both decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross medals (among other medals) spent an hour together recalling their adventure. Recently, they were invited to tell their story as guest speakers at a Rotary Club meeting in Mission Viejo, CA. Previously, Lynn was one of 3 Veteran’s invited by the Mayor of Mission Viejo to speak at last year’s Veteran’s Day Ceremonies. Prior to that event, Lynn was invited to speak at the Planes Of Fame Air Museum during their presentation of the P-38 Lightning and the Lockheed “Skunk Works” where they were designed and built. This June 10th 2012, Lynn and Herb will be on hand for a “meet and greet” at the 1st Annual Bikes and Bombers event from 10:00 to Noon at the Lyon Air Museum.

Recently, I took Lynn to see the George Lucas film “Redtails” on the big screen. Seeing it in a theater gave me some idea of what Lynn and Herb experienced during WWII.
Dana F. Welch
Historic Aircraft Enthusiast
 

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#8 · (Edited)
Real hero's there, what a story. I live just outside of Palm Springs so I will do my best to be there on the 11th. Just the sound of a B-17 will be worth the trip. I do plan to see "Redtails".
 
#25 · (Edited)
On April 21st, 2012, the Lyon Air Museum provided attendees with a chance to get very close to a key event in the history of WWII. Museum President Mark Foster first introduced George Maynor who was on the flight deck of the USS Hornet when Doolittle’s B-25 was the first of sixteen B-25s that took off in a typhoon for their raid on Tokyo which occurred on April 18th, 1942 about four months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The Museum’s B-25 stood behind George as the perfect backdrop for George to recant his experiences. In addition, a display featuring living history speaker Jack R. Hemmett, founder of www.fc-oc.org and Pearl Harbor survivor was to the left of the podium. Jack was in attendance and at age 92 shared his keen wit with me and my neighbor and friend Lynn Shubert, former P-38 Pilot serving in the European Theater during WWII. We also met Cornell Iliescu; Ploesti-Romania bombing survivor and founder of www.noblecausefoundation.com which is a tribute to fallen heroes.

George told the hanger filled audience the mission was not disclosed to any of the crew and he thought they were simply ferrying the sixteen Bombers to be unloaded at a secret location as they sailed for the dispatch point. When they began prepping the bombers for flight, he kept thinking this can’t be done…those bombers are too large, look at how their wings are hanging over the sides of the flight deck! He also told us one of the B-25s failed to start and the crew worked feverously and finally got it running. There had also been a fire and a crewman running with a fire extinguisher lost an arm to a propeller.

The mission was to sail closer to Japan but the Typhoon had slowed their progress plus they had been spotted by a Japanese fishing boat who radioed the alarm back to Japan. Realizing they would not have enough fuel to make their bombing run over Tokyo, which was the first attack on Japanese soil, they took off hoping to make it to China after the bombing run. Jimmy Doolittle was the first off the deck on this first ever attempt to launch a Bomber from an aircraft carrier. He had to time his departure by aiming into the 30 foot seas when the bow dipped down with the waves crashing over the end of the flight deck so when he got to the end of the flight deck the bow would be coming back up and he could clear the waves. The other pilots followed suit and all sixteen made their famous 30 seconds over Tokyo run as depicted in the 1944 war film by MGM. All the aircraft involved in the bombing were lost and 11 crewmen were either killed or captured—with three of the captured men executed by the Japanese Army in China. One of the B-25s landed in the Soviet Union at Vladivostok where it was confiscated and its crew interned for more than a year. Thirteen entire crews, and all but one crewman of a 14th, returned either to the United States or to American forces.

Mark Foster then presented Jonna Doolittle Hoppes, grand daughter of Jimmy Doolittle. Jonna, began her talk by first setting the record straight: it was the Navy and not her Grand Dad Jimmy Doolittle that came up with the idea of launching the B-25s from the USS Hornet. She then went on to say her mission in writing two books and engaging in a series of personal appearances is two fold; first, to clarify the persona of Jimmy Doolittle and second to encourage veterans of WWII and their families to make permanent records of their experiences. Setting an example, Jonna has published two books; Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle (2005, Santa Monica Press) and Just Doing My Job: Stories of Service from World War II (April 2009, Santa Monica Press) and has a website: www.jonnadoolittlehoppes.com

Jonna began her talk by presenting Jimmy Doolittle as a child of small statue with long blond curls setting him up as a target for other kids to bully him. She presented family photos on a large flat screen as she spoke getting us closer to Jimmy. Jimmy soon developed not only a fierce competency with his fists but a determination to accomplish his goals despite his size. He went on to develop gymnastic abilities which were curtailed when he took a dare to do a handstand on a window ledge that gave way. He dropped two stories, landed on his feet and broke both ankles. By then, he was an accomplished flyer and was due to attempt a record flight. In practicing for his flight the casts on his ankles kept breaking apart so he removed them and had friends rig up corset stays that could be attached to the rudder peddles. Jimmy went on to set the record flight. His ankles never did heal properly and plagued him through out his life.

Jonna went on to talk about Jimmy eloping with Joe (sic) and how her family was disappointed in her marriage to someone who seemed to have little resources and prospects. After all Joe was educated, extremely intelligent and came from a family of means. As Jonna reminded us, behind every successful man is a woman and Joe certainly filled the bill. Jimmy went on to fame and fortune earning the following Military Honors; the Medal Of Honor Citation, the Army Distinguished Service Medal Citation and the Distinguished Flying Cross Citation and the Silver Star Citation in addition to other honors as detailed in Jonna’s books and other historical sources.

Following Jonna’s superb and engaging presentation, she lent herself to a book signing and it was time to roll out the B-25J Mitchell built by North American Aviation and named after the controversial champion of U.S. Airpower, General “Billy” Mitchell. I stood behind the massive Bomber as the tow vehicle pulled it out of the hangar. Suddenly, I felt like I was transported to that flight deck of the USS Hornet 70 years ago. Once in place about 100 feet from the hanger, the ground crew prepared the Bomber for take off as the pilot and co-pilot climbed up into the belly just behind the cockpit, took their seats and ran through their pre-flight check lists.

The hanger was filled with attendees yet silent as all ears strained to hear those two massive 1,700 horsepower, Wright Cyclone R-2600 14-cylinder radial piston engines. First, the right engine cranked over and you could hear the starter gears as the prop began to turn. It caught with a cough, a pop and a few bangs. The plumes of blue smoke were washed aft by the prop as they fired the left engine which was on the hanger side on the plane. When the left engine caught the smoke had made it way to the hanger, not only did we experience the sight and sound of the B-25 but the smell!

As the pilot did the warm up followed by the pre-flight run up of the engines what struck me was how much louder the B-25 was with only two engines compared to the Museum’s B-17 with its four engines. During the warm up and even as the B-25 taxied away, commercial passenger jets were taking off and landing from the adjacent John Wayne Airport and it was remarkable to see the span of 70 years of aviation.

The B-25 treated us with three flyovers in front of the hanger. The pilot laid into the throttles as he flew low to the ground then veered off to the right and gained altitude giving viewers a sense of what is must have been like during WWII. I was transfixed as the B-25 taxied back to the hanger and cut the engines. As I write this, the words of the speakers, the sites, smells and sounds of the day stay with me as I look forward to upcoming events at the Lyon Air Museum and the many other historic facilities and air shows we’re are so fortunate to have here in Southern California.

Dana F. Welch
Historic Aircraft Enthusiast
 

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#27 · (Edited)
Thanks for the kind words. Here's your next opportunity and perhaps we should put a ride together;

meet at Cook's Corner on Sat. May 12th @ 11:00 AM, ride up the Santiago and across Jamboree to the Museum?

Collings Foundation visits Lyon Air Museum – Friday, May 11th – Sunday,May 13th
Dates: 05/11/2012 - 05/13/2012
Time: 12:00pm
Fly aboard B-17, B-24 and/or P-51
www.collingsfoundation.org
 
#32 ·
The photography is HD, the planes are gorgeous, and, most notably, it is shot as the B17 takes off from Falcon Field in Mesa and then flies over the Superstition Mountains. to the east of Apache Junction and then on to Roosevelt & Canyon lakes on the east edge of the Phoenix valley. The backdrops are stunning. Music is from the miniseries John Adams.

http://vimeo.com/18135369
 
#38 ·
Limited Edition Steve McQueen Bonneville T-100

I saw this bike today and it will be at the 1st Annual Bikes and Bombers event tomorrow, June 10th. This bike is very cool...Steve would have approved. The paint is the denim flat in sort of an Army green, single seat with a very cool luggage rack set up behind it. The side covers have Steve's signature. The wheels have spokes and the rims are black as are the handlebars. Tires seem like they're one size up from the stock T-100 although that might just be an illusion. Each has a build number right on the top triple tree. I recall Mark or Mike saying the entire run is sold out...perhaps that is just CA emission models, not sure.


This may be your only chance to check out this bike in the flesh due to the very limited production and demand among collectors.

Dana


714-210-4585
Info@lyonairmuseum.org[/QUOTE]
 
#40 ·
Great seeing you there and meeting you for the first time. Hope you enjoyed the event. Here is an article in today's OC Register:

http://www.ocregister.com/news/motorcycles-358269-museum-history.html

Also, it was fun showing Chip Foose and his son Brock around the museum to climb into the cockpit of the B-17 to shoot photos of the bike show winner with the pilots that flew during WWII:
 

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