Martin Mars “Philippine Mars” coming to National Naval Air Museum next year for display at the museum. Plan is to fly it in. Details coming as available.

From the Valiant Air Command’s summer edition of the “Unscramble”, their local newsletter is the following about the March 2016 airshow:

Plans are underway for the 2016 Tico Warbird AirShow, 11-13 March. For this event we will be recognizing those who served in Desert Storm and Southern Watch. Friday will be a late afternoon and Twilight/Night show with the gates open to the public around Noon.

Saturday and Sunday will be our usual day program. FIFI, the B-29 will be here along with the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team and Matt Younkin. The Sky Soldiers Demonstration Team from the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation will be here and will offer flights in the UH-1 Huey and the AH-1 Cobra Helicopter.

Camp Blanding is located about an hour north of Gainesville, FL and is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain non-flying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The based also served as a training center and POW camp during the Second World War.

To celebrate its history, located on site is the Camp Blanding Museum and Memorial Park. Open to the public, the facility contains a history museum in one of Camp Blanding’s restored World War II buildings, tracing the history of both Camp Blanding and the Florida National Guard. Outdoor exhibits and displays include equipment and Army, Navy and Air Force aircraft from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and Operation Desert Storm, including captured Soviet-manufactured Iraqi equipment from the latter conflict.

Aircraft on site include a Convair F-106 Delta Dart (59-0105), a Grumman A-6E (BN 155661), a LTV Corsair II, a Bell UH-1 Huey, a Douglas C-47 and a Bell OH-58 Kiowa.

On my sister page, you will find pictures of some of the armor and vehicles that are displayed: https://1meandad.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/camp-blanding-museum-and-memorial-park-armor/

             

A-26 Invader “Rude Invader” 44-35752 at the Flying Tiger Museum back in the 2000’s. Now at the Carolina Aviation Museum.

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/a26registry/a26-4435752.html

From Thom Richards:

Dear Race Fans,

It’s with a heavy heart I am forced to announce the end of Precious Metal’s air racing career. She sustained heavy damage in a ground fire at a fuel stop this afternoon.

The aircraft was running fine and I was taxying out of the chocks after fueling up, a gentleman came running and signaled me to shut down. I had no idea I was on fire until he alerted me as it was under the airplane. By the time I came to a stop the flames were reaching the cockpit on the left side and I abandoned ship. There was no time to attempt fighting the fire as we feared an imminent explosion with 190 gallons of fuel onboard.