COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

The

C MPASS
M ISSOURI W ING APRIL 2012

P.O. Box 637 St.Charles, MO 63302 St. Charles County Smartt Airport 636-250-4515 Fax 636-250-4515 www.cafmo.org

MISSOURI WING

T-33 RECON

E XECUTIVE S TAFF
WING LEADER Col. Patrick Kesler 28 Confederate Way St. Charles, MO 63303 636-928-5687 636-250-4515 Wing wingleader@cafmo.org ADJUTANT / PIO OFFICER Col. Rick Rea 6854 Ardale Drive St. Louis,MO 63123 314-960-4927 col.rickrea@charter.net EXECUTIVE OFFICER Col. Bob Lawrence 111 W. Essex Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122 314-494-7529 cell 314-894-3200 x103 work FINANCE Col. Steve Gossett 4 Limerick Lane O'Fallon, MO 63366 636-474-9763 314-306-5021 OPERATIONS OFFICER Col.Craig O'Mara 1085 Graywolf Court Fairview Heights, IL 62208 618-632-6113 home 618-558-7211 cell craigo777@juno.com MAINTENANCE OFFICER Col. Pat Fenwick 6 Heather Drive St. Peters, MO 63376 636-441-2856 SAFETY OFFICER Col. Chris Herrmann 309 Clearwater Drive Belleville, IL 62220 618-233-4782

Col. Pat Kesler taking the annual picture of the T33 for the Air Force Museum.

Come out early Saturday and watch the B25 fly! UPCOMING EVENTS
3
April 14 Busch Stadium Fly By - B-25 (Plane leaves around 11 am) April 14 General Meeting - CANCELLED Due to Busch Sadium Fly By April 16-21 Doolittle Reunion - Dayton, Ohio B-25, LHFE Rides April 27-28 Hot Springs, AR TBM, B-25 LHFE Rides May 12 General Meeting - 1:30 pm 4 May 19 Classic Cars & Warbirds, 10 am - 3 pm May 25-28 Salute to Veterans, Columbia, Mo., B-25, TBM June 9 General Meeting - 1:30 pm June 23 Kansas City, MO B-25 LHFE Rides June 29-30 Cape Girardeau, Mo B-25, TBM July 13-15 Heart of America Wing Air Expo, Olathe, KS B-25 LHFE Rides July 14 General Meeting - 1:30 pm August 11 General Meeting - 1:30 pm August 17-19 Halls, TN B-25, TBM, PX Aug. 24 - 26 Defender of Freedom, Offutt AFB B-25 5August 31 - Sept. 2 Quad Cities Airshow, Moline, IL B-25, TBM, PX Sept. 7-9 Little Rock AFB, AR TBM Sept. 8 General Meeting - 1:30 pm Sept. 15 Hangar Dance Sept. 15-16 Scott AFB, IL B-25, TBM Sept. 22 Camdenton, MO L-3. B-25 LHFE Rides Oct. 5-7 Terre Haute, IN LHFE Rides Oct. 12-13 Clarksdalde, Mississippi - B-25, LHFE Rides, PX Oct. 19-20 Mt. Vernon, IL B-25, TBM, PX, LHFE Rides Check out the Compass at cafmo.org to see the pictures in color.

B-25's new telescopic tow bar to carry in the aircraft. A masterpiece!

Saturday - April 14 - General Meeting - Cancelled

WING LEADER'S REPORT

Though April showers may come your way, they bring the flowers that bloom in May an old song that might have been more applicable to us in March. I believe we had already experienced a couple months of Spring by time April 1st came. We cant really complain about a harsh Winter, so remember when we get rained upon, its a good sign that Spring is still here and were not into Summer yet. We have a lot of things to accomplish and I hope the hot Summer holds off until July and August. The members have been like busy little bees getting the aircraft ready for the upcoming, fun-packed airshow season. This year is filling up with many great events and a myriad of super shows are on the calendar. Take a look at the front page and on our website to view what all is being forecast. Not a whole lot has changed over the past four weeks, so this will hopefully be a brief WLs Report (I promise). With the help of Col. Bob Moores purchasing expertise, Col. Tim McCluskey volunteered to lay all of the new square carpet tiles in the briefing room. Thanks to these two volunteers, we now have a better looking, comfortable meeting floor and now that this is done, we have plans to update the walls and atmosphere in that room too. Heres some great news! Thanks to the initiative and professional connections of Col. Cecilia Holechek, our B-25 Mitchell will be flying over Busch Stadium in support of the National Anthem on Saturday, April 14th around Noon. It is the second game of the Cardinals Opening Day Weekend with the dreaded Chicago Cubs, is sold out and expecting 46,000, and will be televised on FOX (you might want to set your DVRs). Col. Craig OMara and I will be the pilots and will hopefully be able to coordinate the runin and be on-time. For more information on how we plan to do this, check out the Busch Stadium article in this issue. Come on out to the Wing. The weathers improving and the aircraft are looking very good. I experience something different every time I park my car there and theres always something other than paperwork to do once I arrive, i.e., watching the mechanics do their stuff, listening to the war stories, eating free desserts, and meeting interesting visitors who wander by. Thats why I dont get frustrated anymore about not getting any fruitful paperwork accomplished. Guess thats why they invented the thumb drive. But, you know even though I do most of my paperwork at home, I wouldnt give one minute of my adventure with the Missouri Wing back Remember - with your help We can Keep Em Flying and have a great, rewarding time in your life while doing so. Its always great to make new memories especially when they are associated with the memories of that Great Generation. Told you this would be short! Respectfully submitted, Col. Pat Kesler, Wing Leader

XO REPORT

Since this article is being written pretty much past the deadline I thought I would share a note on a visitor we had today, March 31st, at the wing. A local Boy Scout on his final push to be an Eagle Scout has chosen the Missouri Wing to be his project. His plans will be to build new outside benches to replace current, older benches as well as to landscape around our flag poles and monument. New bushes, gravel and mulching are on his list. (More details to follow) This led me to think what else needs to be down around our Wing to spruce it up. The plans for the office area are pushing along nicely; the meeting room has the new carpet going in and the talk of the new storage building in sounding good as well. But what else are we missing? What do you the members think could give us a fresh, inviting look? Thoughts, ideas, realistic requests and not so realistic requests shoot me a note or give me call! Col. Bob Lawrence

There are times with technology where it seems that you just cant get over a hump. That is where I am with the Gallery and the Member area. However!!! I finally got help and you should start seeing progress on both of these areas. My apologizes for the delay In other news I once again ask for assistance in getting news and pictures from members to post on the site when I am unable too. These can be sent to me at rlawrence@unitedfsi.com or feel free to call me at 314.494.7539. Col. Bob Lawrence

WEBSITE

SO WHAT THE HECK DOES AN OPERATIONS OFFICER DO ANYWAY?

TBM mechanics hard at it. Cols. Dutch Meyerpeter, Dave Ceglenski, John Fester and Ken Stricker.

As little as possible, if I could get away with it! But what an Ops Officer is supposed to do is spelled out in the CAF Unit Manual, which outlines the duties of all of the staff (so, if you are thinking of running for a staff position, read the manual first to see what youre getting yourself into!). My duties consist of the mundane; such as keeping the pilot and aircraft records up to date, to the great fun; training pilots, scheduling flight and ground training, conferring with the staff about our pilot needs for the Airshow season, scheduling pilots for shows and rides, running the Flight Evaluation Boards that are required to select pilots to fly for the Wing, and anything else that has to do with the Wings Flight Operations. I am fortunate to have Matt Conrad, as the Assistant Ops Officer, work with me and cover all of those duties (and do a much better job, I might add!) when I am out of the country (better part of the month). But, the best part of my job is to get to work with truly dedicated and talented Wing members - all of you! This is your Wing, so I encourage anyone who wants to get involved with the Flight Operations side of the house, but dont know what to do, to contact Pat, Matt or myself and join in the fun! Colonel Craig OMara, Operations Officer

PX

BUSCH STADIUM FLY-BY

As stated in the Wing Leaders Report, we have been asked to participate in the Cardinal vs Cubs pre-game ceremonies on Saturday, April 14th. We are currently tasked with being over the stadium at 11:59:45AM. Thats 15 seconds before Noon, but it could vary plus or minus 5 minutes depending on event happenings in the stadium. During some previous fly-by events, we relied on a ground-based member on site transmitting information to the pilots via our hand-held VHF portable radio. However, this mode is not always reliable as it seems to require line of sight where the ground coordinator has a visual on the bomber. This event is too important to rely on this method, so we will attempt to have another primary and additional back-up system in place. Plans are to have Col. Hubert Looney standing alongside the tower controller in the St. Louis Downtown/Cahokia/Parks Airport control tower while speaking directly with Col. Cecilia Holechek on the ground inside Busch Stadium. She will relay timely information to Hubert, who will relay the info to the controller, who will then relay the info directly to us in the cockpit. As a back-up, Col. Bob Lawrence will be our only additional crew member and will be wearing his state-of-the-art BOSE Blue Ray aviation headset which allows him to speak directly to a person on his cell phone connection (we should be getting a strong signal for his cell). If the primary tower thing doesnt work, Bob will speak directly to Cecilia and pass the information to us. Seems pretty complicated, but it should be workable. I stated that Bob will be the only other crewmember onboard. This is because we are restricted to a maximum crew of three because we will be flying under an FAA airspace waiver which we applied for and were granted. It allows us to lower our fly-by attitude from 1,000 feet AGL (above ground level) to 500 feet AGL. We have not been briefed on the actual run-in direction, but it will most likely be east to west. The open part of the stadium faces the Arch and our altitude might put us too close to the structure on that line. We will coordinate with the event planners and the FAA to make sure whatever we do is 100% legal. Trying to be over the stadium on the final note of the National Anthem will be very difficult, especially in a WWII bomber equipped with no computers and just VHF radios. While on active duty, I flew numerous stadium and gravesite formation flybys, but most were with a pre-briefed TOT (Time Over Target) and adjustments to actual run-in time were easier to make because of our ability to maneuver while accelerating or slowing down to hit the actual time. SHOW MEs standard rate of turn at 30 degrees of bank takes approximately 2 minutes to do a complete orbit and we will be flying around 170 MPH. We will not be able to adjust our airspeed much at all and our ability to do a tight turn will be diminished. If were heading in the opposite direction while orbiting and were directed to be overhead in one minute, it could be difficult to hit the target time as it takes up to a minute just to reverse our direction and begin the run-in. Oops! Guess Im getting a little carried away. Maybe this is our pre-mission Disclaimer to cover the possibility of a less than perfect performance. There will be a lot of variables, but we are certainly looking forward to participating in our First St. Louis Cardinals flyby. Oh, by the way, if our timing doesnt work out, someone other than the Wing Leader, Operations Officer, or Executive Officer will be running the 1:30pm General Meeting on that Saturday. These members might be taking the bus back home after they land the bomber at some undisclosed airport Col. Pat Kesler

Help Wanted: Are you a Wing member that likes to talk to the general public? Are you a person that can greet someone, make them feel comfortable and make a sale? Perhaps you have a high stamina for pounding on the dog tag machine and making tag after tag after tag. If so then the Wing needs your help. The PX is one of the few revenue generators the Wing has outside of the aircraft. While membership dues do not even cover a month of facility rent the PX has the ability to cover quite a few! The number of members needed per show is determined on how many rooms are negotiated by the Air Show Coordinator. Over the years this has become more difficult so at some shows we may have one room and others two or three. So if you are one of those types of people and are interested please get in contact with me. In other news I have just about finalized the new items. Our new Euro Style B-25 sticker is now available and can be seen on a number of cars at the Wing. The cost is set at $3 and is a great way to share with people your passion for our B-25 while you drive around town. If you are interested in one for your car, your wifes car or a friend let me know as I can probably mail these to you for a low first class cost. I am also close to finalizing the new t-shirt and will have those ready prior to the Doolittle Reunion. Please help me keep $teve Gossett happy with a high sale season! Col. Bob Lawrence

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

John Fester Over the last few weeks you might have noticed yet another new face at the hangar. Lets welcome John Fester to the Wing! John has been an aviation enthusiast as far back as he can recall starting with model building in the younger years and progressing to pilot and now thinking about getting his A&P as a retirement project. John and his wife Tommie have three kids in college and one in high school and own and operate Steelville Pharmacy in Steelville, MO. (John is a Registered Pharmacist) A forty-five minute flight in his 172 gets him to Smartt Field and once completed hell make that trip in about twenty minutes when his B-58 Barron is up and running. In addition to being a Missouri Wing member he is also a 1st Lieutenant with the Civil Air Patrol. At the Wing John hopes to be able to help with mechanical needs of our aircraft and has already got his hands dirty working with the TBM crew. When you have a moment be sure to say hello and make John feel right at home! Col. Bob Lawrence

As World War II enthusiasts all of us have seen the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai a hundred times. Ok well, maybe it just seems like I have seen it a hundred times. Anyway on a business trip to Bangkok, Thailand I got the chance to see the bridge that was the inspiration for the movie. My adventure all day and into the night, started before dawn with a pickup at my hotel and transportation to a central point where I was able to board a tour bus taking me through the jungles of Thailand. In the movie, the location for the bridge is in the mountains; in reality its located in a relatively flat area. While there were wooden bridges at that location periodically, they reportedly only lasted a couple of months before they rotted away. As you can see by the pictures, the bridge that was damaged was constructed of steel and concrete. Additionally, commandos didnt blow up the bridge; a B-24 Liberator from the 7th Bomb Group of the 10th US Air Force damaged the sections that now have the flat top replacements. The flat top sections were repaired by the Japanese after the war as part of their reparations. While it is a tourist site/trap now, the bridge is still actually used every day by trains. On the site there are several souvenir stands and structures present that look like guard towers. A little trivia supposedly Kwai actually means river. So the movie could have been called The Bridge on the River River. Also on that day trip, I was able to see remnants of the Thailand-Burma Railroad the Death Railroad and an associated cemetery. The Thai government continues to honor the allied soldiers, sailors and airman who died during World War II with well-maintained cemeteries. In this cemetery Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, remains of British and Australian military are buried British on one side and Australian on the other. These troops mostly died from their imprisonment, working on the bridge and also on the Death Railroad. As can be seen in one of the included photos of the cemetery, there is also a museum and research center for the Death Railroad, which contained illustrations, photographs and scale models representing the daily life of the allied soldiers. I was fortunate to be able to ride on that railroad that day. As you pass by the cliff and mountain walls along the railway, you can still see where the route was handchiseled away in many places. Ive included 2 photos each taken while riding the railroad, one shows a river boat and another shows structures along the river and a railroad bridge in the distance. Admit it, right now the theme song from The Bridge on the River Kwai is playing in your brain and will be all day. Article and photos by Col. Larry Thompson
Bridge on the River Kwai

THE BRIDGE

ON THE

RIVER KWAI

Shops and guard towers around bridge

Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

Cemetery and Death Railway Museum

River boat as seen from the Death Railway Train track view of the bridge

River view from Death Railway

LHFE 2012

Last year LHFE was a new word for us here at the Missouri Wing but my how things have changed! As we enter our second year with this great program, our past experience should make this years efforts even better. All of you who participated last year quickly saw the excitement that was displayed by all of our riders. Big smiles, high fives, hugs, and great memories came back with each flight. Seeing the B-25 fly was great, but they developed a real love and appreciation for it after experiencing their LHFE flight. Thanks to all your efforts we made a good impression for the CAF and the Missouri Wing. Now we have this year to do even better and build on the lessons we learned last year. Exciting! As a member of the CAF and the Missouri Wing, we want to give YOU the chance to pre-book any of your friends, neighbors, relatives, or business acquaintances before our schedule fills up. There are only a few dates available due to the large number of air shows that we have been invited to attend. Check our website cafmo.org for available dates and information on booking a flight. If you still have any questions, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. What a great opportunity to share our passion for our B-25 with people we know! LHFE A rare opportunity..An unforgettable experience! Col. Bob Moore, LHFE Coordinator

NEWS

FROM THE

As you all know, $teve Gossett seems to always be working on a myriad of things that pertain to the Missouri Wings financial accounting. Recently we made some improvements that should greatly ease his work load. His computer has been replaced with a state of the art unit thanks to our friends at EPC and Butch Hutter has loaded in it the very latest version of Quick Books. These two improvements will not only make his job easier and faster but will also provide the staff with the complete up-to-date information that they need to support all our activities. Thanks very much for all your efforts! Col. Bob Moore

FINANCE OFFICE

TEST (DON'T FORGET YOUR HELMET)

I think our Finance Officer is looking at bringing another vehicle to the Wing. He is seen testing it here...

< Col. Bob Moore standing by the bomb that Col. Jack Seaman acquired and Col. Lou & Korri Tacchi repainted.

500 LB. BOMB READY FOR MUSEUM

Col. Shane Roden's new ride, 1946 Stinson. Nice!

<

Motor pool lineup and location. If you use a vehicle please put it back where you got it! Wing Staff

TRIVIA TEST
We still have about 40+ members on the roster that have yet to renew their membership. Please contact me if you are planning on staying active with the wing as we are at the beginning of the air show season and so many of our activities require you to be active. Feel free to call me should you wish to renew or be removed from our list. 314.494.7539 is my number. On the membership cards I have about 70 to mail out and have been holding out on that to reduce the postage and supplies cost. To help avoid this expenditure please come join us for the next Wing meeting to collect your card on April 14th. I know it my not seem like a stamp is that much but the stamp, envelope and labels needed will basically cost the same as two renewals. Col. Bob Lawrence

MEMBERSHIP

Sometimes when we are at the Wing doing our important jobs we take for granted the various items we have. Just for fun, see if you can pass this little observation test: Once a month we all get together in the meeting room to hear the staff officers conduct the official monthly Wing meeting. As you look past them on the raised platform, there are some decorative items that are hanging on the wall. Here is the question: 1. what is hanging on the wall. 2. how many are hanging on the wall. 3. what do they depict 4. what cities are represented. There you go! Think about it! (The correct answers are listed later in this newsletter.) Good Luck! Col. Bob Moore

THANKS TO TIM & BOB WE'RE FLOORED

Col. Bob Moore approached me a few weeks ago about flooring the Briefing Room (damaged from the straight-line wind and rain damage to the roof last year). He said he would take the task on in regards to finding material and labor. Considering the fact that I have been asking members for suggestions as to material and possible donations for the past many months and nothing had materialized I told Bob to take the ball and run with it. He not only took the ball, but he scored a fast touchdown by finding reduced cost carpet tiles at a local dealer, loading them into and out of his own pickup truck, seeking out professional installation expertise, and seeing the entire venture through its conclusion. Bob asked Col. Tim McCluskey for his expert opinion and help and Tim took that ball for a straight 12 hours to score another touchdown on Saturday, March 31st. Tim volunteered, jumped right in, and brought all of his professional equipment and knowledge out to the Wing that morning. With Bobs help, Tim measured, prepared, and hand-troweled the floor with a special releasable and rebondable adhesive before laying out the 200+ two-foot-square carpet tiles. He trimmed the boarders and cut special angles to ensure a professional look and KAZAAM!!! We finally have new flooring in the briefing room. Guess we should christen it the McMoore Floore You know its members like this that keep the Wing moving, worth coming to, and presentable to the public. They both have my undying gratitude for their continued service, enthusiasm and hard work. I dont know about Tim and Bob, but I probably would have been bed-ridden for a week after all of the lifting, bending up and down, knee work, and contortions. Please give them a gentle pat on the back when you see them. We need to make sure we thank and acknowledge the good deeds of our active members, especially when they do this kind of work out of dedication rather than sought recognition. Col. Pat Kesler

SNJ MOVES

TO

CAF HANGAR

John Schonhorst made it to Smartt with his new SNJ-6. Due to Johns military commitment and job constraints, hes been waiting since November 2010 to bring it home from Wisconsin.

March Guess Who: Dan Schmied

Dan repairing the leaking smoke oil tank on the B25. >

On Saturday, May 19th from 10:00 am 3:00 pm the Wing will be hosting two very exciting events Classic Cars & Warbirds 2012 as well as our first (or first in a long time) Wing Open House. The following car clubs were invited to attend the car show Gateway Olds, Gateway Camaro, First Capital Classic Cars, GTO, Southern Mustang, Show Me Mustang, St. Louis Mustang, AMC, Coachman Cars and Fords Unlimited. Commitments as of this writing have been received from Fords Unlimited and the AMC and GTO clubs; First Capital Classic Cars is unable to attend. Col. Nick Talarico will OPR the Open House while I OPR the car show. Food Concessions will be provided at 12:00 pm by EAA 32 near their hangar location. Both events will not be successful without the support of every Wing member that is available to assist that day. Nick and I will need members to help with set-up, marshaling of cars and aircraft, towing aircraft for static display, museum staffing, PX sales, and cleanup. Since both events are open to the public we will have a Wing Information Table in the TBM Hangar containing info on our Wing, aircraft and CAF/Wing membership that will need one or two Wing members to occupy on one-hour shifts throughout the event. Take a look at the areas of need that Nick and I have, pick one or two and get ready to sign up at the April Wing Meeting AND get your Wing Member shirts/blouses ready for a fun day! Col. Rick Rea / PIO, Adjutant

CLASSIC CARS & WARBIRDS 2012

CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLIGIENCE ROLL CALL OF STAFF: WL __ ADJ __ EXEC __ OPS __ MAINT __ FIN __ SAFE __ PIO __ RECOGNIZE VISITORS AND GUESTS MINUTES OF LAST MEETING (in COMPASS) INFIRMED MEMBERS COMMITTEE REPORTS: Compass John Coffey Gasoline Sales Jim Lammert/$teve Gossett Web Site Bob Lawrence Museum Jack Seeman PX Bob Lawrence Recruiting & Membership Steve Newcombe Air Shows Matt Conrad LHFE Bob Moore Hangar Dance Pat Kesler

GENERAL MEETING

- 1:30 PM March 10, 2012

VETERANS

AT FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE HONORED Last month Col. Dick Hyde and I were invited to represent our Wing at a lecture/video presentation done by McDonnell Douglas/Boeing retiree Joe Gurney at Friendship Village, a retirement community in Sunset Hills, to the communitys veterans and interested residents. Joes subject was the United States Navys Flight Demonstration Team The Blue Angels. Joe is an aviation historian and lecturer that was a liaison for the Team during his career. Joes lecture began with the origination of the Team in 1946 and continued through their Show Schedule in 2012. Following his lecture Joe showed two videos of the Team taken during the last air show at Spirit of St. Louis Airport and the 2010 air show in Cape Girardeau. Prior to and after Joes presentation there were table displays available to the attendees that contained very detailed aircraft models and information. Joe also had on display his impressive collection of framed, autographed posters signed by the Team members through the years. Joe also does a lecture/video presentation on the United States Air Forces Flight Demonstration Team The Thunderbirds. Joe has made himself available to do a custom presentation at a future Wing meeting if requested. It is always great to meet with veterans to thank them for serving our country and have the opportunity to represent our Wing and our local activities Lest We Forget. Col. Rick Rea / PIO, Adjutant

OLD BUSINESS < BRIEFING ROOM Carpet squares will be purchased and installed by April 1st. < OFFICE AREA REHAB $teve & I will paint offices first. Colors & Flooring? < CHALLENGE COINS Now Available ($10 for members first one/$20 thereafter). < STEEL BLDG. Still getting Estimates. NEW BUSINESS < STAFF REPORTS: MAINTENANCE___ EXECUTIVE___ OPERATIONS____ SAFETY___ ADJUTANT___ PUBLIC INFO___ FINANCE___ AIR SHOW___ LHFE____ < AIRCRAFT STATUS: B-25 - Annual TBM - Annual L-3-A/W < CURRENT AIRSHOW SCHEDULE Pass around. < CARDINALS GAME FLYOVER Saturday, Apr 14th. ~Noon. Restricted to two pilots and one ACM. < CAF WING STAFF CONFERENCE Bob Moore discussed. < HANGAR RENTAL What can we handle? What do we charge? What magic words do we put on the website? Bob Lawrence is putting together packages. < TBM HANGAR Fans and heaters? Mark Statler < CLASSIC CARS & WARBIRDS and WING OPEN HOUSE - Saturday, May 19th, 10:00am-3:00pm. Rick Rea & Nick Talarico are OPRs. < 70TH DOOLITTLE REUNION all the B-25s have to be in place at Urbana by Monday, Apr 16th, stay one night at Wright-Patterson (Tuesday), then back to Urbana... RTB to Smartt later in week. < FEP Discussed plan and generated new Team Leaders and member list. < NO OTHER ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION? Meeting Adjourned @ 2:30PM

TBM getting ready for airshow season. Col. Hubert Looney and Brian Vallero working on the C47 ailerons. ANSWERS TO TRIVIA TEST: 1. clocks; 2. four; 3. local times; 4. Tokyo, London, Midland, Honolulu

COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

MISSOURI WING P.O. Box 637 St. Charles, MO 63302-0637

APRIL 2012

B-25 MISSOURI WING COIN

Shown actual size - 2"

Front

Back

North American is the company that designed and built the B-25 The orange circle represents the orange cowlings on the B-25 Mitchell. The name Mitchell comes from General Billy Mitchell, which signifies the 501st Squadron of the 345th Bomb Group in famed World War I pilot. The 1385 tail number is the last four the 5th Air Force. "Keep 'em Flying" is the Missouri Wing's motto. digits of our B-25's serial number. The Air Apache chief of the The front shows the Missouri Wing shield of the CAF; Show Me 345th Bomb Group is on the rudder of the B-25. The nose art gal, (the state motto); outline of the state of Missouri; Gateway to the "Show Me", sits on eight bombs which represents 1980 when we West Arch representing the area of our location; US Army Air became a Wing of the CAF. Both sides have two USA insignias in Corp roundel, circle and star and our B-25. The wing's website: the orange circle. cafmo.org Can be purchased from the Missouri Wing - $20 each Delia Greer (15) Eric Baldwin (7) Bryon Guetzgen (9) David Woodson (14) Bill Coffey (15) Mark Pruitt (18) Darren Nash (18) David Reed (27) Rick Rea (30) Compass Deadline: June Newsletter - Need info by May 23

April Birthdays!

July Newsletter - Need info by June 22