Hickory Aviation Museum

Today, August 8th, is International Cat Day, so here is our salute to Cats!

Due to Tropical Storm Debby passing by and high winds and rain forecast, the Museum will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, 8/8/24. Be safe everyone!

Did you know that every August 7th is National Purple Heart Day? The Purple Heart is a medal given to anyone killed or wounded in service to our Military and it was originally created by George Washington in 1782.

Did you know that the highest total of 10 each are held by Private First Class Charles Barger, US Army from WWI (and also a Medal of Honor recipient), Curry T. Haynes, Airborne Infantryman, US Army, during the Vietnam War and Major William White US Army (9 from WWII and 1 from Korean War)? Please remember those that have given so much in service to their country.

Today in MilAvHist, 8/7/1951, the first flight of the McDonnell F3H Demon, a subsonic carrier based fighter. There were flown by the USN for only 8 years between 1956-1964. The Demon never saw action in Vietnam as they were replaced by the McDonnell F-4 Phantom.

Top speed was around 715mph, and the aircraft carried bombs, missiles, and had four 20mm cannons. Only three of the 519 that were manufactured remain and are on display onboard USS Intrepid in NYC, one at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL, and one at PIMA in AZ. Most were scrapped, but looking at records, there were a ton that written off in crashes. (USN photos of the prototype and operational model Demon).

It was non-stop from the moment we opened the canopy until we closed it. Kids of all ages enjoyed the cockpit tonight in Marion’s National Night Out.

Today in MilAvHist, 8/6/1944, Greensboro NC native Major George Preddy USAAF, shot down six German Bf109 fighter planes while flying bomber es**rt near Hamburg Germany making him an "Ace in a Day". Major Preddy would tally 26.83 aerial victories ranking him as the Top P-51 Mustang pilot of the war.

Major Preddy earned his wings just 5 days after Pearl Harbor and was sent to Australia flying P-40s. He transitioned to P-47s and then to P-51s in April 1944. In December 1944, his aircraft was hit by friendly fire and unable to bail out, he crashed and was killed. His brother, Bill Preddy was also a P-51 pilot, and he was shot down and eventually died of his wounds in April 1945. They are buried side by side in the Lorraine American Cemetery, Saint-Avold France.

The Preddy Memorial Foundation has entrusted the artifacts of the Preddy Brothers to our museum, and it is on display for all to see and learn.

Today in MilAvHist, 8/5/1953, USMC Col (his final rank) Kenneth Reusser, received his gold star in lieu of second Navy Cross. He is considered the most decorated Marine Aviator in history.

Let's review. Col. Reusser first flew in WWII with VMF-122 in Wildcats, and VMF-314 in Corsairs. His very first combat mission resulted in one splashed Japanese fighter, and his plane was so damaged, he had to ditch at sea and was rescued and nursed back to health by island natives. Later, while in Corsairs, he and his wingman chased an enemy bomber and out of ammo, rammed it in flight destroying their props and bailing out. He was awarded his first Navy Cross.

In Korea, Col. Reusser was flying with VMF-214 in Corsairs, managed to get shot down again, but on an attack mission on this date in 1953, his flight of four attacked a tank/truck repair depot, returned to the carrier to refuel and re-arm, and returned to to destroy an oil depot and tanker ship, which earned him his gold star in lieu of second award, Navy Cross.

In Vietnam, he was shot down again, this time flying a Huey chopper leading a rescue mission. He was badly burned and took medical retirement in 1968.

So, to recap, 253 combat missions, 3 wars, shot down in all three wars, 59 medals including the 2 Navy Crosses, 18 Air Medals, Bronze Star, 2 Legion of Merits, and 5 Purple Hearts in 27 years of service!!!

He had a book written by Ralph Harvey about his life called "The Forgotten Hero". Col Reusser passed away in 2009. Semper Fi.

Happy Birthday to HAM Co-Founder Kyle Kirby.

: Happy Birthday #234 to the US Coast Guard! On August 4, 1790, the Revenue Cutter Service is established by Congress, authorizing the construction of 10 vessels to enforce federal tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling. The service receives its present name, U.S. Coast Guard, in 1915 under an act of Congress that merges the Revenue Cutter Service with the Life-Saving Service, thereby providing the nation with a single maritime service dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing the nation's maritime laws.

April 10, 1917, Lt Elmer Fowler Stone became the Coast Guard's first aviator upon graduating from flight training at Pensacola and was appointed as Coast Guard Aviator No. 1 and Naval Aviator No. 38. Photo is of a Curtiss Model F Flying Boat that Lt Stone flew prior to attending formal flight school in Pensacola in 1917.

Today in MilAvHist, 8/3/1921, US Army Air Service pilot LT John Macready flying a Curtiss JN-6, became the first person to conduct crop dusting.

The area around McCook Field in Dayton OH was infested with caterpillars, and the plan was for McCready to load in a 30-gallon container about 100 pounds of arsenate of lead powder. The container was mounted to the side of the plane on the right side next to the cockpit. There was no fan to blow out the material, a hand-crank propelled the material out of the container and into the slip stream of the aircraft and floated down perfectly onto the crops.


John Macready was a talented aviator, here are some of his highlights:

1. First crop duster.
2. Won the McKay Trophy three years in a row.
3. Wrote the military's first basic flight manual for aviation.
4. 1921-1923, set altitude, distance, and endurance records.
5. Performed the first in-flight mechanical repair.
6. First pilot to have to bail out at night.

Col Macready only served initially for 9 years, 1917-1926, and then was recalled for WWII, 1942-1946. He lived to a ripe old age of 91, a major feat considering the danger of early military aviation.

The latest video from Enflite Aviation dropped yesterday, be sure to watch Samir interview museum volunteer Kevin Phillips and they talk about being a pilot, aviation, and the OV-1D Mohawk! Like and subscribe!!!

Grumman OV-1D Mohawk | Walkaround | ENfLITE Aviation Join us for a detailed walkaround of the Grumman OV-1D Mohawk, guided by retired United States Army Pilot, Kevin Philips. Explore the unique features and hea...

Today in MilAvHist, August 2, 1945, a U. S. Navy PV-1 Ventura patrol plane discovers survivors of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35). This is the first indication that Indianapolis is even missing, 84 hours after she had been sunk by the Japanese submarine I-58 in the Philippine Sea. A large air-sea rescue operation lasts until August 8 but saves only 316 of her crew of 1,199.

A PBY Catalina was the first to arrive on the scene after the report came in and loaded up 56 survivors and waited while surface vessels arrived. It was rendered unflyable and sunk by a destroyer afterwards. August 19, 2017, the wreck of the USS Indianapolis was finally discovered by Paul Allen's research vessel. The photo shows a Catalina on the left and Ventura on the right.

There is just too much of this story from start to finish to record in these daily articles I do, but if you're interested in Naval history, read up on the story of this ship and the brave men that sailed on her. (USN Photos).

We'll be in Marion NC supporting the Marion Police Department and their National Night Out with the F/A-18A Hornet cockpit! It is August 6th, 7-9pm downtown. Come out and meet our Volunteers!

Today in MilAvHist, 8/1/1907, the Aeronautical Division of the United States Army Signal Corps is created. Their goal is, “to study the flying machine and the possibility of adapting it to military purposes.”

Under the command of Captain Charles Chandler, the Aeronautical Division procured the first powered military aircraft in 1909, created schools to train its aviators, and initiated a rating system for pilot qualifications. It organized and deployed the first permanent American aviation unit, the 1st Aero Squadron, in 1913. The Aeronautical Division trained 51 officers and 2 enlisted men as pilots and incurred 13 fatalities in air crashes. During this period, the Aeronautical Division had 29 factory-built aircraft in its inventory, built a 30th from spare parts, and leased a civilian airplane for a short period in 1911.

In 1914, however, the Aeronautical Division was disbanded as the War Department cited the inefficiency and lack of preparedness for the US to enter World War One in terms of aviation. This led to the formation under the Signals Corps of the US Army Air Services. (Photos of Capt. Chandler, Wright Flyer arrival, and one of the first pilots 1LT Frank Lahm with Orville Wright).

No "Today in MilAvHist", although it is the first flight anniversary of the Lockheed Ventura in 1941.

It has been a massively busy and successful month of July for the museum, highlighted by the culmination of two plus years of working to bringing an AV-8B Harrier II to Hickory. The weather cooperated, although it was very hot and humid, but judging by an estimated 3,000 spectators that were on the airport property or surrounding it along the fence line, people enjoyed seeing the two jets land, and the following day, one leave to return to MCAS Cherry Point, NC. Harriers has been a long-time player in the story of North Carolina military aviation history over the past several decades and it is important that one will always be on display in Hickory. VMA-223 brought us a pristine 30-year-old aircraft, and it will be kept in storage and not on display to keep it that way before it goes into the new museum hangar. (Photo by museum volunteer Mario Quivera).

The Museum has been very busy with visitors from all around the world. There is no charge to visit us other than signing our guestbook, which is a pretty good deal! We're going to set a record for tour groups this year, last count was nearly 90 groups ranging between 10 and 150 people have visited. There is no charge for groups and via the museum webpage, a request can be submitted.

The new museum hangar is currently being built on airport grounds, there is no firm time frame for completion as of yet, but every day there is progress with the steel framework going up!

The Museum is always looking for new volunteers, so if you're interested, come by and see if volunteering is for you. We have the Docent group that give tours and the Restoration group. Preparing all of our aircraft that have been outside for years enduring weather and birds is going to be a daunting task and we need people to help bring them up to standards to go inside the new hangar. No experience is necessary!

Speaking of volunteers, the team at HAM can't be thanked enough for all they give to the museum and the community. We have a wealth of knowledge including Docents who've actually flown the aircraft we have on display. There is a new series of videos on almost all of our aircraft featuring our volunteers on the YouTube page of Enflite Aviation and there will be more released in August.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and thank you for supporting Hickory Aviation Museum.

Meet Walt Hanes, our July Spotlight Member of the Month!

Walt was born in Holy Hill, South Carolina into a farm family. This area is known as the South Carolina low country, and nobody embodies this area more than Walt. His love of water activities to low country boils, and his love of mustard based barbecue sauce, proves this fact. Incidentally, his favorite sauce is the thick yellow mustard sauce the locals call red sauce, not the thin watery mustard version. Now throw in his accent, and you have Walt.

After high school, Walt attended Clemson University graduating in 1969. Then he went off to Fort Jackson and the US Army for two years serving as a basic training officer and weapons training officer. As Walt’s personality takes over any room he enters, his career choices were limited to politics or sales; thus began fifty years on the road selling everything from petroleum products to boat trailers.

His first sales job was with Shell Oil where he performed in the top five percent of all sales reps for five years. He sold boats in Columbia for the next two years. He spent ten years with Michelin Tires followed by eight years at Toyo Tires where he was named employee of the year. He then sold dump truck bodies and finally boat trailers which he continues to sell and deliver in the southeastern United States.

Not one to forget boating, Walt obtained his USCG Captains license enabling him to operate boats up to seventy feet long. This also qualified him to work for a company name Sea Tow on Lake Norman for eight years. During football season, Walt has been known to tailgate at Clemson.

At Hickory Aviation Museum, Walt works as an overflow docent when needed. He also tows our F/A-18 Hornet cockpit to local events, parades and police nights out, and we’re so thankful for the help. If you have questions about our aircraft collection, gasoline, boats, truck bodies and tires, especially tires, just ask Walt!

Today in MilAvHist, 7/29/1950, “You sank a WHAT?????”

US Navy Patrol Squadron Six (VP-6) "Blue Sharks", was the first maritime patrol squadron to deploy in June 1950 to the Korean War theater of operations with their main base of operations at Johnson AFB, Japan, located in the northwest suburbs of Tokyo. It was also the first combat operations for the P2V Neptune.


LCDR R.L. “Stretch” Ettinger and LT Bill “Hot Rock” Pressler were the lead pilots of two P2V-3’s that launched that day to conduct patrol operations off the North Korean coast in the East Sea/Western Sea of Japan near the city of Cheongjin. Flying along observing shipping, Ettinger saw a freight train heading south along the coast on the rail line, its steam engine billowing smoke and steam.

Since the Blue Sharks were tasked to attack any worthwhile enemy target, Ettinger led the flight of two inbound to the train, launched four rockets hit the train in the middle cars blowing them to pieces. He radioed to Pressler to get the engine and he dove in with the .50caliber machine gun blazing and hit the boiler dead on blowing the engine sky high and off the tracks. He followed that with a direct bomb hit on the tracks, leaving twisted steel and a giant crater and a railroad in serious need of repairs!

The mission would eventually change, the crews were forbidden from attacking ground targets except shooting photos with cameras. The Blue Sharks would nearly lose a plane attacking a few small boats tied up in a cove and the following day, that same plane was hit so badly doing the same thing it had to ditch and was lost at sea. Thus ended the shooting war for VP-6 and they were relegated to patrol flights as with its sensors, the Neptune was too valuable of an asset to lose doing attacks.

VP-6 was operational from 1943-1993, and they flew the Ventura, Harpoon, Neptune and Orion and served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. (Photo of LCDR Ettinger, he was a big guy, 6’5”, looking up at the engine).

Two new videos have dropped on the YouTube page of Enflite Aviation featuring the AH-1W Super Cobra and the P-3C Orion! Like and subscribe after you watch them!

ENfLITE Aviation Bringing You In-flight Entertainment. At ENfLITE Aviation, we are dedicated to bringing aviation to new horizons. Our mission is to educate and inspire individuals, cultivating a passion for flight and fostering the next generation of aviators. Through engaging content, we aim to demystify aviation....

Today in MilAvHist, 7/28/1926, on the Thames River at New London, CT, USS S-1 submarine successfully completed a full cycle of surfacing the sub, pulling an aircraft out of its storage pod, assembling it, launching it, retrieving it, and then re-stowing it!

After WWI, the US Navy wanted to trial submarines carrying small scout planes onboard. S-1 was fitted with a container pod on the deck and inside it would house a small airplane. They first used a wood and fabric Martin MS-1, which is shown in the photos on deck, and then for this trial, they used a Cox-Klemin steel XS-1, shown in front of a hangar.

The USN did a few more trials in 1926, however, did not adopt this idea. Cox-Klemin built twelve of these planes, but they were subsequently scrapped. Martin built six MS-1 aircraft and they too, we all scrapped at the end of the trials. (USN Photos).

All are welcome to attend our Monthly Meeting with guest speaker, noted historian Michael C. Hardy ! Meeting begins at 1pm in the community room at the former Hickory Regional Airport terminal building where the museum is located. If you'd like to socialize and purchase lunch at Wingz Grill, then we'll see you at noon.

Today in MilAvHist, 7/27/1996, the USAF officially retired the F-111 "Aardvark", however the electronic version EF-111 would fly for another 2 years. Also, "Aardvark" became the official name of the plane!

There were 563 manufactured in several variants by General Dynamics for the USAF and Royal Australian Air Force and there were 7 prototypes built for the US Navy. The F-111 first prototype flew in 1964. The USN decided they wanted more of a fighter, so they decided upon the F-14 instead.

The F-111 was a swept wing supersonic bomber capable of missions for nuclear weapons delivery, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. The aircraft was capable of achieving Mach 2.5! Photos are of a RAAF F-111 at the Australian International Air Show in 1992 that I took doing the dump and burn and taxiing, and they flew their aircraft until 2010.

Today in MilAvHist, 7/26/1944, USS Coral Sea (CVE-57) stopped by Kwajalein Atoll on the way back to the US for much needed engine repairs and overhaul. Coral Sea and es**rts had just finished an intense month of operations supporting USMC ground forces on Saipan and Guam enduring numerous Japanese air attacks and the engineering casualties were mounting hence the need to return for overhaul.

Coral Sea offloaded all aircraft, ammunition, and supplies before continuing to Pearl Harbor. One of those aircraft that was offloaded, was FM-2 Wildcat BuNo 16278 which now resides at our museum!

Coral Sea arrived back in San Diego a few weeks later, and after entering dry dock, the USN announced the name change of the ship to USS Anzio as the new USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) construction had begun.

After the war, while being used for training, the aircraft crashed into Lake Michigan and sunk to the bottom. It was raised and restored in the 1990s. In the photo, that is our aircraft being launched with Chicago skyline in the background.

To learn more about our aircraft and FM-2 Wilcats, enjoy this 10 minute video that was done by Dan Farnham and he's also done a lot of research on WWII aircraft especially around Kwaj.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epDwsN52iZE&t=29s

Today in MilAvHist, we remember a Salisbury North Carolina resident, LCDR Donald Davis, USN, who was shot down on 7/25/1967. While on an attack mission flying an A-4E "Skyhawk" (BuNo. 149961 AH 304) with VA-163 off USS Oriskany, LCDR Davis' aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire in the Ha Tinh Province in North Vietnam.

LCDR Davis was remembered as a very aggressive pilot and the mission he was on at night was to drop flares illuminating the ground and then fly under the descending flare and attack the target, in this case a truck convoy in Phu Ly, Nam Ha Province. I have found conflicting stories, one stated he ejected and died in captivity, and one stated he did not eject and killed on ground impact, which is what I tend to believe. His remains were later found and returned to the US in 1997 and were officially identified in 1998 as those of LCDR Davis. May he RIP.

Note: The 1967-68 Westpac Cruise was very costly not only for the airwing embarked on USS Oriskany, but for VA-163. The Saints lost 5 pilots either KIA or POW and 12 aircraft. (US Navy photo of sister aircraft AH 306).

Today in MilAvHist, 7/24/1968, LCDR Scott Greiling, VA-82 "Marauders", flying from the USS America, was leading a night attack mission on a truck convoy in Cape Mui Rom, North Vietnam. He was flying A-7A Corsair II BuNo 153253 callsign "Streetcar 302". He led the strike down for attack and his wingman observed an explosion and fire in the attack area and radio contact was lost with LCDR Greiling. It is presumed that a missile took down his aircraft.


Combat Search and Rescue was established by aircraft in the area of the crash, however, no comms or rescue beeper was heard, and he was presumed to be lost in the crash. He was placed in an MIA status. An "eyewitness" claimed that he had seen LCDR Greiling being held captive in 1969 and his status was changed to POW, however, there was never any indication based on records by the NVN, nor when the POWs were repatriated at the end of the war did anyone have any recollection of him being held. In 1973, he was declared by the Government to have "Died in Captivity".

Consensus among the airwing at the time was that he did not survive the shoot down/crash. He will be forever remembered on our A-7A Corsair II that flew multiple combat missions with VA-82 during the war and we grieve with his family and friends.

I was able to take a panoramic shot from the front of the new hangar building yesterday and it really is an impressive structure! Every day there is progress, be sure to honk and wave at the crews working hard in this North Carolina summer heat when you pass by!

Today in MilAvHist, 7/23/1962, Patrol Squadron Eight (VP-8) "Tigers" became the first operational P3V-1 squadron, 7/23/1962. At the time, the Tigers were flying P-2V Neptunes and were home based at NAS Patuxent River, MD, so it must have been an interesting transition maintaining and flying two completely different aircraft. The P3v-1 would shortly change to P-3A for the aircraft designation.

VP-8 was established in 1942 as VP-201. After a few designation changes, they became VP-8 in 1948 and they are still operational today based at NAS Jacksonville. They have flown PH-1, PM-1, PBY, P2V, P-3 and now P-8 aircraft. Their tail code since 1958 is "LC".

The aircraft in the photo flew from 1962-1984, was finally parked in The Boneyard and then over the years, used for parts until finally scrapped. It was the fifth Bureau Number in the Orion series. The only survivor of the first 5 Orion's is parked in nice grassy area with a large shade tree nearby at NAS Patuxent River. (USN Photo).

Enflite Aviation dropped the next video on the EA-6B Prowler on their YouTube page, like and subscribe!

Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler | Walkaround | ENfLITE Aviation Explore an insightful walkaround of the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler with retired Naval Flight Officer Bill Baker. Discover the unique features and hear fi...

Today in MilAvHist, 7/22/1953, USAF 1LT Sam P. Young, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 25th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, was credited with the final MiG kill of the Korean War. It was his only aerial victory of the war. The last enemy aircraft shot down in the war, a transport, would happen the following week just prior to the cease-fire.

Today in MilAvHist, 7/21/1946, the first U.S. test of the adaptability of jet aircraft to shipboard operation. LCDR James J. Davidson made successful landings and takeoffs (non-catapulted deck launches) in an XFD-1 Phantom prototype jet on board Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42). The very first jet landings and takeoffs were done by the Royal Navy in December 1945.

LCDR Davidson flew Douglas SBD Dauntless and Curtiss SB2C Helldivers during WWII. He also flew combat missions in F9F Panthers during the Korean War. Between the conflicts and afterwards, he flew many years in test pilot roles in both the US and UK in his 32 years of service. (US Navy Photos).

The first video from Enflite Aviation has dropped on their YouTube channel, and leading off is Dale Turner and the A-6 Intruder!!! Check it out, like and subscribe to their channel! They will be releasing more in this series with HAM volunteers and aircraft.

Grumman A-6E Intruder | Walkaround | ENfLITE Aviation Join us for a special walkaround of the Grumman A-6E Intruder, guided by Dale Turner, a Naval Aviator who flew this legendary attack aircraft. Hear firsthand...