Tag Archives: warbirds

WWII 75th (Plus 1) lineup at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021

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Aviation history of World War II highlighted at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021

End of war’s 75th anniversary year (plus 1) to be highlighted July 30-31

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (May 13, 2021) — The aviation story of World War II will be told through special flying activities during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, as the event commemorates 75 years (plus 1) since the end of the conflict. The 68th edition of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s fly-in convention will be held July 26-August 1 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The afternoon air shows on Friday and Saturday, July 30-31, will feature programs that chronologically recollect aviation history during that time, from U.S. involvement in the Eagle Squadron and American Volunteer Group “Flying Tigers” prior to Pearl Harbor and the Doolittle Raid, to the major battles in the European and Pacific Theaters, including D-Day, and the eventual celebrations of V-E and V-J Days.

Airplanes involved will span the aircraft used by the Army Air Forces and U.S. Navy during that time, as well as a variety of international aircraft from that period. All will be involved in each of the 90-minute shows presented each day.

“EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is already the world’s largest annual gathering of warbird aircraft, so it’s natural that this big commemoration would take place here,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programming, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “The EAA Warbirds of America and other select owners of these magnificent aircraft will showcase the evolution of air power during that period and salute the people who built, flew, and maintained these aircraft 75 years ago.”

Among the aircraft featured will be the P-40 Tomahawk, Supermarine Spitfire, P-38 Lightning, F6F Hellcat, C-47 Skytrain, Hawker Hurricane, P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, B-25 Mitchell, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-29 Superfortress, and others.

When not in the air, these aircraft will be on display in the Warbirds area on the north end of the flightline. Select aircraft will also be featured on the showcase Boeing Plaza.

F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team

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F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team

For Immediate Release
February 26th, 2021

Lakeland, Florida: The 2021 SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo is excited to welcome home U.S. Air Force Major Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson as he joins an exclusive airshow lineup as the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team pilot and commander.

F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team

Graduating from Bloomingdale High School in Valrico in 2004, Gunderson received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy at age 17 and graduated in 2008. He dreamed of being in the seat of a fighter jet after seeing them perform at SUN ‘n FUN and other airshows he attended near his Central Florida hometown.

Gunderson is looking forward to the homecoming and said, “I am extremely excited about returning to my home state of Florida and flying at SUN ‘n FUN. I attended many SUN ‘n FUN events as a kid and loved seeing the military jets, so it’s an honor to pay that forward to future aviators.”

F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team
The F22 Raptor provides the USAF with a lethal combination of stealth, maneuverability, weaponry, and surveillance capabilities that make it unmatched by any other fighter, current or projected.

“We are very pleased to welcome Cabo and his team to Lakeland,” said Greg Gibson, Airshow Director and CMO for SUN ‘n FUN. “The Raptor is one of my personal favorites. The incredible maneuverability and its ability to demonstrate such agility and power while literally disappearing from the enemy in combat is truly amazing. I hope everyone will come join us to see what I mean when they see it perform in person!”

The F22 Raptor Demonstration Team is based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, VA, and consists of 19 elite members that includes the pilot, safety officer, superintendent, team chief, multiple crew chiefs, avionics specialists, public affairs and aircrew flight equipment technicians. Together, the team visits local schools, hospitals, and participates
in various community events in addition to performing aerial demonstrations. The team is responsible for representing Air Combat Command, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, and the United States of America at more than 20 air shows annually.

Fans can see “Cabo” put the Raptor though its incredible demonstration profile April 16, 17, and 18 at SUN ‘n FUN, and he will perform in two presentations with the aircraft daily. First, he will give an incredible high-performance display of jaw-dropping speed, precision and maneuverability, followed by the patriotic Heritage Flight, where the Raptor will be joined by a vintage P-51 Mustang in a moving formation tribute flight to honor our nation’s aviation heroes from all eras. SUN n’ FUN is honored to welcome Maj. Gunderson home to celebrate the past, present, and future of aviation.

The SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo is April 13th-18th. Come join the excitement and watch in awe as Maj. Gunderson joins the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and dozens of other performers in daily airshows, as well as hundreds of aircraft displays and outdoor exhibits in this historic return of one of the Bay Area’s mainstays in family entertainment.

Missing Logbooks?

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Missing Logbooks.

Should you even consider buying an aircraft that is missing logbooks?

Every now and then you run into a situation where the aircraft logbooks are missing, or have been lost and reconstructed.  Should that stop you from buying the aircraft?

Well, maybe.  Just because the logs are gone doesn’t mean it is a bad deal.  Try to substantiate the aircraft and engine hours (along with compliance with Airworthiness Directives (AD’s) and service bulletins) through the use of past maintenance records (invoices, shop tickets, etc.)  If it doesn’t have any records, all the hours, overhaul estimates and repairs, are a guess.  With past work orders and shop tickets you can attempt to rebuild the records.  This would at least provide a reasonable base of hours to start from.  It also depends on the use of the aircraft.  Some commercial operations require that the hours and the TBO requirements be validated in the logs or maintenance records or the part cannot be used.  If you don’t have a record of those, the use may require the overhaul of that component.  For most general aviation owners, the logbooks for the engine will probably be more valuable than the airframe.  The airframe, like the engine, can have critical AD’s that need to be monitored.  Most pilots worry more about the engine condition than the airframe.  Additionally, it would be worthwhile to do a search of the FAA records for any Major Repair or Alteration reports (Form 337).

This also brings up another question, should you pay less for an aircraft without logbooks?

As a personal buyer for a non-commercial use, the logbooks still have a value, although not as much as a commercial operator, but the price should still reflect the incomplete or missing logs.  How much money are the logs worth?  The guideline for most single engines aircraft logs is somewhere around $5,000.  Light twins are worth $5,000 to $10,000.  Establishing a price hinges on what information is available.  If the work orders and records are there, and hours can be substantiated, the logs are less critical.  If the missing logs are from years ago, but the aircraft has been maintained, overhauled and recorded since the time of loss, it would be less of a concern.  Logbooks have also been known to show up after the purchase of an aircraft.  The holders of the logbooks might have a reason for keeping the logs from the seller.  In those cases of “re-appearing logs”, the holder usually wants to be paid for the logs.  In some cases it might be worth the cost.

missing logbooks