Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's 26th Anniversary WWII Weekend in Reading, PA June 3-5th (1 Viewer)

[Julie]

Getting our stock together for the next show on the Treefrog Travel list! I will be attending the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's 26th Anniversary World War II Weekend in Reading, PA June 3-5th.
http://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html


Lots to do at this shindig it appears! Come check us out in the Hangar if this is one you attend.

Julie

 

[theBaron]

You'll be there, too? I'll see you, probably on Saturday.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Julie]

Brad,

Yup - I'm traveling a bit more now!
Stop in and chat - our conversations at MFCA were pretty much "Please help me find Steve!" (Thank you for your assistance on that by the way).

Julie

 

[Julie]

The Show has not yet started but a successful set-up this evening with Larry Weindorf from "For the Historian" (aka the Book Guy)!
Had a chance to walk around a bit this evening as things were being set up and this looks like a fun weekend. SO much to see and do - took some pics already to share - enjoy!

In the Hangar where we will be selling:










Hope you enjoy my journey :salute::

 

[Julie]

Some of the Model Cases that are in the Hangar - these are behind some of the selling tables so I'm not sure how accessible these are to the public during the day this weekend. So many planes!!!

 

[Julie]

Quite a few Jeeps, Trucks, Motorcycles and Classic Cars as well --

 

[Julie]

And a few FUN displays scattered around as well - Love the Sign Post "YOU ARE HERE" and a few other places nearby ^&grin


I may check out the area 20ft to the right....follow the sign!








A lone last display from in the Hangar here!

 

[Julie]

And to top off today's recap some AIRPLANES of course! Saw several in the sky as well during set up - bit distracting but a good reason to pause and see what is cruising by outside
Not everything is uncovered and set up yet but this gives you an idea of what will be on display!

 

[Julie]

Last Airplane pics for today! Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings as I join Larry on this MAAM Show Adventure









Hope you all enjoy the pics from my point of view (via cell phone since I didn't bring my real camera today)!

Julie

 

[Julie]

Great first day in Reading! Met lots of people and had a great view of the planes taking off. Paul Traeger visited with us today and as we are all staying at the same hotel and had a great dinner and conversation! Fun to see familiar faces as well as meeting new - but on to some of today's pics when I had the chance to squeak away.

 

[Julie]

A few more...




That's a Corsair taking off behind this!

 

[Julie]

And a few fun ones! When I am able I am totally flagging down some of the guys all dressed up and taking photos with them!


This guy looked a wee bit warm!


Larry Weindorf of For the Historian books and I


These guys were AWESOME - had to take a photo with them

Hopefully some of you are enjoying these as this event is quite the spectacle! If I wasn't working ^&grin it would be fun take some time to wander further away from the Hangar and see more of the grounds and events. Still a WOW time though!
Thoroughly enjoyable experience --

Julie

 

[Larry Allen]

Great shots .. Julie. Looks like a real fun show.
Gee, going forward, the normal TS shows are now going to be bit BORING for you, I would imagine.

Thanks for bringing a bit of the show to me in Maine!

--- LaRRy

 

[theBaron]

It was nice to see you again, too, Julie! When I get home, I'll sort through the photos I took and post some. I missed the money shot, though. As we were walking back to our car, I was right under the landing approach as "Fifi" made her landing, and I did not have my camera out. To add insult to injury, after "Fifi" set down, the Mosquito took off and performed an aerial demonstration. I did get to see most of that from the shoulder of Route 183, though.

Still, it was a good show. The crowd looked to me to be the biggest I've seen, since I started going to the WWII Weekend about 10 years ago. The weather held up nicely yesterday, and I'm nursing a sunburn. Today may be a little wetter there, though.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Julie]

This weekend was a BLAST! Honestly the experience was great on so many levels. I met lots of new people and other nearby Vendors & Volunteers that were so nice & friendly. I entered a mission of getting my pic taken with different people all dressed up. ^&grin
Larry's tables faced the other way so he would alert me to people I "needed" to take a picture with as well. He was a stellar show buddy and we had a grand time together!

Saturday was packed and I think me & Larry each only escaped the Hangar probably twice during the day. We did have a great view of the fly-bys so on occasion there was a stop & point moment!
We stayed after on Saturday a bit to walk around with Paul and checked out a few things before we expired for dinner & drinks. I received a few invites for the evening dance but I deferred .... Until next year I hope! No time to upload photos but I will make some time in the next few days to sort and upload my photos.

I am excited to see your photos Brad! (We followed the Mosquito as it was being towed to the runway.)
It was great to run into to you on Saturday and chat once you made it into the Hangar.
Saturday was toasty and we went thru a lot of the water we brought in. Sunday's weather was not awful but there was some misting during the day and the downpour held off until 430pm. We we able to pack up & clear out quickly and made it back to Gettysburg in decent time tonight.

Time to crash out until morning and we re-organize at Larry's shop - (For the Historian) - before he drops me at the airport.

Julie

 

[theBaron]

Here are the pics I took, very subjective in the choice of subjects.

When we had just paid our entry, I saw the Mosquito, so I headed there first:



Of course, it's hard to get any photos without some folks in the shot. But here, I asked Pop to smile, but he didn't hear me:



Other shots around the Mossie, taken with an eye to building a kit of one, someday:







Cockpit detail:





The business end:





and a shot of the landing gear:



The pan is to collect hydraulic fluid when the aircraft is parked.

While I was looking at the Mosquito, I struck up a conversation with a very nice British ex-patriate now living in Virginia. His father worked for De Havilland before the war, up through working on the Comet, the Mosquito's grand-dad, as it were. That was one of those things that make going to shows, whether full-scale re-enactments like this one, or toy soldier shows, so great and very worth the effort.

More to follow....

 

[theBaron]

Next, a reconstruction of the Nakajima B5N2 "Kate":









This isn't the Kate that has been at the show in the past, I think. That one was built for "Tora! Tora! Tora!", and converted from a Vultee BT-13. This one was built from a North American AT-6/SNJ. The Val that is usually on display was also missing this year.

More to follow...

 

[theBaron]

P-51D "Never Miss":





Tried to get one without someone in the way, but it's a tad fuzzy:











That Mustang flew later in an aerial demonstration, and the announcer noted that it passed into civilian hands at a USAF auction in 1956, for the final price of $7,000. Sure, that was a lot of money back then, but imagine picking one up for the price of a higher-end car...

 

[theBaron]

Aircraft on the ramp, available for rides. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, maintained by the Commemorative Air Force:



A Beech C-45 Expeditor, in RAF livery, also maintained by the CAF, I believe:



and "Fifi":



Pop and I stayed at the show till around 3:30, till after the paratrooper jump demo, and then left to head for our car. During that whole time, neither "Fifi" nor the Mosquito flew. But sure enough, as we hiked along the road that runs around the airport grounds, the B-29 went up, and I missed an opportunity for a great shot. When she was in the landing pattern, I just happened to be on the road, at that end of the runway. "Fifi" passed less than a hundred feet over my head--and I didn't have my camera ready! D'OH!

And then, the Mosquito went up for a demo. We got to watch that from Route 183, as we got back to our car. She was scheduled to fly earlier in the day, in an aerial display with an Me-109, but the Messerschmitt was a no-show. There was a P-38 scheduled to appear, too, but that one was also scratched at the last minute. And the Spitfire Mk IX flew on Friday but was in the maintenance hangar on Saturday. Still, plenty to see...

 

[theBaron]

Photos from the vehicle parade before noon. Mostly Jeeps:

This one belongs to a group of re-enactors who portray VF-11, the Sundowners:



and another in Navy livery:



and then in OD:



As I said, it's hard to get shots without someone in between, at an event like this. But this clown jumped in front of us, knowing that we were taking pictures:











and bicycles, because, as the announcer noted, with gas rationing, bikes became a necessity for getting around, both at home and on base:



More to come....