June 25th, Airport Day

The Airport where the Cold War Air Museum is located hosted another community event last Saturday. More activities and events attract more visitors and we are happy to see them.

Our volunteers rolled out a number of aircraft for viewing.

And other aircraft from the CAF were put on display as well.

Quite a few aircraft flew in. This demonstration team of RV's showed their skill in formation exercises.

The Mi-24 is passing well behind the parked RV's, making it look much smaller than it does up close.

And the MiG-23 was on display as well.

Jon said it was a good day to make MiG noise.

(Jon likes to make MiG noise)

And the MiG is very good at making noise.

Add fuel - Make noise.

Make lots of noise, is good, is normal.

Lancaster Airport, 1st Annual Air Race - 30 April 2011

Special event days start early for the Cold War Air Museum located at the Lancaster Airport. More activities and events attract more visitors and we are happy to see them.

Brad gets a turn as "PIC" on this run to the ramp with the MiG-21. Contrary to appearances, the pitot tube is not really going through his head, although it might have tried if he had come to a sudden stop.

The Commemorative Air Force and Cold War Air Museum both brought aircraft out to the ramp for visitors to see.

Once the static displays were was set up, the wait for visitors began. The goal today was to bring pilots and planes to the airport. Gusty winds and an overcast delayed the start of events and kept some away, but everyone had fun and a larger crowd is expected next year.

Arriving aircraft parked across from the static displays.

The "Race" did not put aircraft in close proximity to each other. A timed event, each plane flew against the clock with different categories based on speed. This year, there were no jet or helicopter entries (maybe next year).

These events are a popular way to promote flight activity and interest in general aviation. With well prepared documentation and a good pre flight brief, no one was in any doubt about where they were going or that safety (as always) was paramount.

The briefing material included aerial views and GPS coordinates of the overfly points along the route.

At the finish line, a crew stood ready to record the exact time an aircraft passed over the checkered flag. Jon turned on some smoke as he approached to be sure he would be seen.

The bright red and white CJ likes to be flown and is popular at events.

After each flight the airport crew would compare notes (at least that's what we think they're talking about).

Although this event was targeted at planes and pilots, a small crowd drove to the airport as well. Everyone visited the displays and most walked over to the Museums to look inside. This was good practice for the upcoming June 25th event, when a crowd of several thousand is expected.

The restaurant was filled and a live band provided music.

The band, appropriately named Vinny and the Jets, took a break to pose with the MiG. Playing mostly oldies, 60's and 70's hits, the music fit right in with the cold war aircraft.

After an event, everything gets put up again. This time it's Johnny's turn to drive the MiG. He managed to stay ahead of the aircraft all the way back. Good job Johnny!

And with a great big Texas thanks to everyone that came out today for their help, we'll be doing this again in June, but with more aircraft and people!

Cold War Air Museum, cold weather day

Updates have been slow this week as we have had an unusual snowfall with up to 12 inches accumulation, bringing things to a standstill in the area. Our "thin skinned" volunteers at the Cold War Air Museum are not used to working in such cold. This morning's exercise was clearing the snow from the hangar doors so some of our intrepid aviators could take the Mi-2 out for a flight.

On arrival this morning, a brisk wind still made the windsock stand out. The farm buildings just visible behind the windsock are also visible in the picture below, from "Soviet Big Iron Saturday", just three weeks ago.

 

Because the Soviets (and the Chinese) are serious about cold weather warfare, the aircraft are well equipped for the rigors of winter. More so usually, than our local pilots. This picture and several others are available on the museum website for use as computer desktops or backgrounds.

A common problem for little planes that live outside, the accumulation of snow slid off the wings and the weight of the snow remaining on the tail caused this aircraft to tilt backwards. When the snow melts, the aircraft will "plop" back down onto its' nose wheel.

We are happy that our aircraft live inside now, but when they were in military service, they saw much harsher conditions and much deeper snowfall than this.

After three days of snow and overcast skies, the sun finally came out this afternoon. Within three hours, the ramp (that had 6 inches of snow this morning) is almost clear. This group of visitors, who were fascinated by the museum's aircraft, are now fascinated with the idea of a snowball fight before the rare sight of snow completly disappears.

Commemorative Air Force - DFW Wing

Our sister museum on the airport is the DFW wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).

The CAF has historically focused on aircraft of the WWII era. With a hangar full of aircraft on display, the DFW wing is a local attraction and our museums compliment each other in many ways.

Monthly meetings help keep the membership up to date and involved. The DFW unit has been successful at attracting new members and maintaining multiple flying aircraft, even in the present difficult economic times. A number of "CWAM" officers and directors are also active in the CAF and attended their meeting today.

The fun the group has together and the respect they have for each other was evident in the recognition, certificates and awards given out for the 2009 operating year. This handcrafted award is unique. Shirley, the recipient, is one of the many hard working examples of why this group is a success. By the way, we also like to attend their functions because they have food!

Among their many fund raising demands was this new propeller for their recently acquired Stearman. As announced at the meeting, "come see it", most aviation enthusiasts have never seen a NEW propeller for such a vintage aircraft.

The CAF R4D, a military version of the venerable DC3, is very popular at airshows. But keeping these aircraft flying is a constant job and requires constant fund raising. If you are a member of the DFW wing, bear in mind that these fine aircraft and this fine unit deserves your support.

If you are not a member, please consider visiting the CAF and the Cold War Air Museum at the Lancaster Airport. HAVE A FUN DAY with the kids (young or old) and help us continue to display and fly our aircraft, so our children (our future) can see, touch and experience a part of history.

Cold War Air Museum, Visitors Welcome

The Cold War Air Museum is located at Lancaster Airport (KLNC), south of Downtown Dallas, Texas. The Cold War Air Museum is open every Saturday from 10 until 4 and admission is free (tours and special events may be arranged at other times and visitor donations are gladly accepted).

The airport is also home to the Commemorative Air Force Museum and there are a number of businesses and places of interest nearby. The City, Airport and Museums host a number of events at the airport every year. Check our Current Events page from time to time for special event postings, especially during flying season. Driving directions can be obtained from the local area map page.

The following links may also be of interest to our local and long distance visitors.

The Cold War Air Museum is a member of the North Texas Association of Aviation Museums (NOTAAM). For a list of area museums and links to their web sites, visit the NOTAAM web site.

For information about places of interest and events in the City of Lancaster (a suburb of Dallas), visit the Lancaster Visitor's Information Center.

For information about things to do and see in Dallas, visit the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A partial list of places to stay near the airport includes:

Holiday Inn Express Hotel
Super 8 Motel
MCM Grande Hotel
Spanish Trails Inn
Red Roof Inn

Thanks for visiting our web site. We hope to see you in person soon!

Event Pictures - more planes (and some cars)

Continuing our coverage of the Commerative Air Force (CAF), DFW wing and Cold War Air Museum 9/05 event.

The Skyraider flew in from the Cavanaugh Museum.

This T28 lives here at the airport.

The B24 can be seen flying over this beautiful T6.

This pair of T6's flew throughout the day.

An An-2,


and an O-2 were among the visitors.

This aerial view shows the B24 about to take-off, its wingspan is wider than the runway.

Another crowd pleaser was the display of military and antique vehicles.

Thanks and picture credits go to Kevin, www.sectorkmedia.com. To aggregate the posts and pictures from this event, click on the 090509 label below.

Another Career Day at LNC

The Goldenheart Foundation works with the Dallas Schools, especially with the Jr. ROTC programs, to expose them to role models and career opportunities. The Commemorative Air Force, DFW wing and The Cold War Air Museum have helped the organization bring several of these South Dallas events to the Lancaster Airport over the last few years.

As is appropriate, the events always begin with a flag ceremony. This event was estimated at over 700 people, slightly exceeding the career day in May. These events are generally scehduled around the start and end of each school year.

The F4U is a poignant background for the Navy information table. Services, academies and colleges display and recruit at these events.

The Mi-24 in the CAF hangar serves as a backdrop for the Air Force Academy table. While the kids may not know the history of the Mi-24, they understand about air power from all that they have seen on TV and at the movies.

Pete helps answer questions and lets the youngsters take a peek in the cockpit of our L29, a former Soviet jet trainer. While it doesn't seem as if the kids are as interested as "our" generation (of fifty years ago), prior generations did not have the stimulus rich environment of TV, games, movies and the internet that causes them to take so many of our modern marvels for granted.

A few of the kids asked questions and showed interest as we did when we were young. That is why we are here, today.

The Antonov came to the event and while few of the kids took the opportunity to learn of the use and history of this unusual bird throughout the U.S.S.R and China, those of us parked in the sun appreciated the sight of an airplane/exhibit that brings its own shade.

Event Pictures Continued - CAF and B24

Continuing our coverage of the 9/05 event.

The Commerative Air Force (CAF), DFW wing has co-ordinated this annual event for a number of years. The Cold War Air Museum is pleased to work with the CAF to help host this fine event.

The CAF hangar served as the focal point for visitors and displays.

This year's attendance exceeded that of prior years. This aerial shot in the morning shows some of the activity that went on and expanded throughout the day.The Cold War Air Museum relocated their Mi24 Hind helicopter, Mi2 Hoplite helicopter, Mig21 Mongol fighter as well as our L29 and L39 Delfin and Albatross trainers to the CAF ramp for the event. This helped with crowd control and created a dense and interesting series of aircraft displays when combined with the CAF aircraft.

A highlight of the event was the arrival of the B24. With only two currently flying in the U.S., this was a standout event for this show.

There was always a crowd around the B24 and every time it flew, more people arrived.

The B24 flew frequently during the event and the sight and sound was awesome.

Hats off to Charlie who made it all happen. As wing commander of the CAF group and a generally all-around great guy, we appreciate having the opportunity to work with him.

Thanks and picture credits go to Kevin, www.sectorkmedia.com

There will be more posts and pictures coming out on this event with some other posts in-between. To aggregate the posts and pictures from this event, click on the 090509 label below.