for June
They have one the first Saturday of every month.
Planes of Fame Events Calendar:
PLANES OF FAME - Events Calendar
2014 Schedule of Events:
PLANES OF FAME - 2014 Schedule of Events
June 07, 2014 Flying History Event - Ground Attack
WHAT: Open to the public, Planes of Fame Air Museum (Chino, CA) presents its monthly Living History Event. The topic for the
June 7 event is
'Ground Attack', featuring the
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. A speaker panel of distinguished aviation experts, historians and veterans is featured, followed by a question answer period and flight demonstration when possible.
Five P-47 pilots from WWII will speak at this event:
Sandy Ross, Thomas Glenn, Robert Friend, Joe Preston, and
Martin Engler. Read more about them below. The P-47 will be on display and perform a flight demonstration. At 12:00 noon, the Membership Sponsored raffle flight will occur in the featured aircraft if possible. Become a member to enter the raffle. All members are eligible to enter the raffle, but you must be present to win.
WHO: Lt. Colonel (Ret.)
Sandy Ross was a Cal Aero Academy student graduate. After pilot training during WW2, Sandy transitioned to the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter at Strother Field, Kansas. Assigned to the European theater of operations, Sandy received orders to train for combat at Atcham Field in Shrewsbury, England. In June of 1944, he was assigned to the 390th Fighter Squadron (366th Fighter Group) stationed at airfield A-70 near Laon-Couvron, France, following the invasion of Normandy. As a P-47 fighter pilot, Sandy Ross is credited with downing two German Fw 190 fighters and completed 51 combat missions. One of those downings saved the life of his wingman (the squadron leader). Sandy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for this victory and for other mission accomplishments. After the war, Sandy left active duty and transitioned to the reserves. He became a helicopter pilot, flying the H-23 Raven, with the Army National Guard and later switched to the Army Reserve. Sandy is a past president of the P-47 Pilots Association.
Captain
Tom Glenn, USAAF (Ret.) will also be speaking. Tom was a U.S. Army 9th Tactical Air Force Fighter Pilot in World War II. His book, "P-47 Pilots: The Fighter-Bomber Boys", describes his combat experiences during low altitude, perilous, ground attacks on German targets. Tom relates in his book the rough and rugged job of P-47 combat pilots who loved their powerful "Jugs", as they affectionately called their P-47s. As you read his book, you join the Fighter-Bomber Boys as they terrorize the crack German ground troops and battle-wise panzer divisions. Live with a squadron of these glory hungry air warriors who dive into battle at 500 mph with their bombs, and fight at treetop level with their machine guns. Glenn vividly conveys what it was like to fly the magnificent Thunderbolt into combat, and tells how WWIIs maniacal P-47 pilots lived life in the fast lane, on and off duty.
Robert J. Friend, Lt. Col. USAF Ret., our third speaker, was born in Columbia, South Carolina in 1920. In 1939, he became a student at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where he earned a private pilot certificate in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. In 1942, Mr. Friend joined the Air Force and was sent to Tuskegee Institute for military pilot training.
After receiving his wings as an Air Force Pilot, Mr. Friend was promoted to a Lieutenant and at that time was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group as a pilot under Col. B.O. Davis, Jr. He was then sent to Schlfridge Air Force Base in Michigan for flight tactical aircraft transition before his combat tour. In 1943, Lieutenant Friend reported to the European Theatre of War as a member of Tuskegee Airmen's Distinguished 322nd Group, which was a Fighter Pilot Organization. As a skillful pilot of the P47 and P51 single engine planes, Lieutenant Friend flew as the wing man for the Commander of the group, Col. B.O. Davis. Lt. Col. Friend also served as Combat Operations Officer at the Squadron and Group levels. In this capacity he was responsible for planning and organizing the implementation of strategic and tactical air missions for the organization.
Following the war, Lt. Col. Friend continued a technical career with the Air Force. He worked on major programs including service as Assistant Deputy of Launch Vehicles including Titan, Atlas, Delta, and Space Shuttle. As Foreign Technology Program Director, he monitored and reported upon foreign research and development programs to identify the possible need for systems to offset foreign capabilities posing potential threat to the national security of the U.S. He was also the Director of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Program, which investigated cases of the Unidentified Flying Objects brought to the attention of the Air Force.
After retiring from the Air Force, Lt. Col. Friend was selected as the Assistant to the President for Fairchild Stratos Companies in Manhattan Beach, California, overseeing the design and production of space products for the space shuttle. In his third career, he is currently the Vice President for the Stanford Mu Corporation in Los Angeles, California, which is a company that produces space components for the International Space Station and other Satellite Systems. Lt. Col. Friend has been a Research and Development Director for over fifty years responsible for formulating, monitoring, evaluating, and controlling programs and projects for scientific and technological application to meet USAF Special Weapons Fire Control Systems and Major Missile Systems strategic and tactical requirements.
Lt. Col. Friend is a master bridge player who is well known and respected nationally, and often competes in national tournaments in his spare time. Lt. Col. Friend resides in Irvine California. He has 8 children and numerous grand, great-grand, great-great grandchildren.
Martin R. Engler, Jr., Lt. USAF (Ret.), enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in March of 1943. Primary and Basic Flight School was had in Ontario, CA, with Advanced Flight School in Phoenix, AZ. In 1944, Martin received his wings and learned to fly P-47s in Wendover, UT. Soon after, he shipped out to Atcham, England, joining the 366th Fighter Group, 391st Fighter Squadron in Lyon, France, quickly moved from there to Belgium. In 1945, he flew P-47s and C-47s while stationed in Munster, Germany.
Martin completed 83 combat missions, being awarded the following: Air Medal with 11 Clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Presidential Unit Citation, and Belgian Fourragere.
After the war, Martin married, had four children, studied to become a Mechanical Engineer, went to work for San Diego Gas Electric, elected as a Fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and left the company as Executive Vice President after 27 years. In 1976, he joined the El Paso LNG Company in Texas, where he manage all the company's natural gas operations, retiring as Executive Vice President in 1986. His post-retirement passion became restoring antique aircraft.
Joseph G. Preston, Lt. USAF (Ret.) enlisted in the Army Air Corp in 1943 after completing 1 1/2 years at Santa Monica Community College. He was first sent to University of Nebraska and then to primary flight training at Thunderbird field in Scotsdale, AZ. then on to Pecos, TX for intermediate training (BT=13). Subsequently, he went back to Luke Field in Phoenix for AT6 P-40 training. Following Phoenix, Joe was ordered to Abilene for P47 training. After completing about a year of that training, he went to Baton Rouge LA, then was sent to England and Cherbrough where he joined the 386 squadron, 365 Fighter Group. After about his 30th mission, Joe's plane was hit by flack and the tail was on fire, but he bellied in and after following a riverbed a couple of miles, he was rescued by some French underground farmers that had observed his plane going down. They led him back to Allied lines. He resumed his missions, but once again was hit by flack and was flying blind because of oil all over him. Once again he bellied in, but this time was captured by the Germans. He was interred in Munich Stalag for about 3 months before being freed by General Patton's Army at the end of the war. There were 30,000 POW's in that one Stalag. Lt. Preston completed 50 ground attack missions in the P-47 Thunderbolt. He will share about his unique European Theatre missions, including his harrowing P.O.W. experience. Joe currently resides in Placentia, CA.
Kevin Thompson (POF Moderator and Aviation Historian) and Edward Maloney (Museum Founder and Curator, and Aviation Historian) moderate and join in the presentation.
WHEN: Saturday, June 07, 2014, 10am–12 noon: Speaker program flight demonstration. Museum doors open at 9:00am.
WHERE: Planes of Fame Air Museum
7000 Merrill Avenue #17
Chino, CA 91710
WHY: It is the Mission of Planes of Fame Air Museum to
preserve aviation history,
inspire interest in aviation,
educate the public, and
honor aviation pioneers and veterans. The Museum sponsors regular events in the form of inspirational experiences, educational presentations, flight demonstrations, and airshows in fulfillment of this mission.
Planes of Fame Air Museum,
'Where Warbirds Fly and Aviation History Lives'
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Hope to see you there on Saturday.
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