The "Air Travel From The Past: Part I - Lancaster's Airport Community Days" Story

Foreword:  I recently visited the Lancaster Airport Community Days with the intention of taking a few photos and heading home.  At least that's what I had told my wife.  Seems I stayed almost three hours.  The event was spectacular with close to two dozen planes on hand to examine as well as a few you could pay to ride.  I did take photos of the Ford Tri-Motor Plane, which I had read about in the local newspaper, but ended up also examining and photographing a few others.  Today I will give you a look at a variety of different planes and tomorrow show you the spectacular Ford Plane.

Entrance into the Lancaster, Airport Community Days.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing on the runway at the Lancaster, Pennsyl- vania airport talking to a fellow who had just taken a ride in a biplane, single engine plane at the Airport Community Days.  Telling me of the thrill of the open cockpit and the unobstructed view you get when all of a sudden he says, "I think I know you!  Do you live in Lancaster?"  

Biplane that you could take rides in over Lancaster County.

I told him I lived close by and that I taught high school at Manheim Township High School. "I knew it.  You paddled me in high school!  I was in a wood shop class and you were inside the room next to me.  You saw me throwing something and came out and paddled me."  I looked at him in amazement ... then said, "Sorry for that."  "No, I deserved it and if you hadn't done that I probably would have gotten in more trouble."  

Pilot in his gear for flying the plane.

Anyway, he introduced himself and we shook hands and spent the next fifteen minutes talking about his $195 airplane ride.  The plane he had flown in for the past hour was an open two-seater with a fantastic paint job of blue and yellow.  The front seat was where the passenger sat while the pilot sat in the rear seat.  

Getting ready to to lift off once again.

Along the side of the plane under the pilot's seat read Flt. Lt. David Kingston Inch RAF.  Naturally had to "Google" the name and found that Flt. Lt. David Kingston had died a few years ago.  But, I forgot the last part of the name and when I searched more I found that Flt. Lt. Inch was more than likely the pilot of the plane today,  He must have been, or perhaps still is, a member of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.  The biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other.  This wing structure has a structural advantage over a monoplane, since it produces more drag than a similar unbraced or cantilever monoplane wing.  The pilot and passenger communicate by way of headgear.  The pilot wore a leather hat that brought back memories of times past.  The passenger wore whatever head gear they chose.  

The "Bikini Blue" Assalt Helicopter.

After watching another passenger takeoff, I walked nearby nearby to view an a 170th "Bikini's" Assault Helicopter.  It was a Huey 823 which flew for the 170th AHC and Company 101st Airborne in Vietnam during 1968 and 1969.  It is currently being restored at the Lancaster Airport.  The wings for the copter were nearby on supports, but the body of the plane was open for inspection.  

A small boy having a chance to use the gun.

Children were able to sit in the side panels and see how the machine guns were used in war.  The machine guns were M-60s.  The engine had 1,400 HP and the plane had a crew of 3-4 but could accommodate up to 14 passengers.  As far as the helicopter's name, it was in 1965 that the 170th Assault Company in Vietnam adopted the name "Bikini's" with the first flight platoon called "Bikini Blue," the second flight platoon called "Bikini Red" and the armed helicopter platoon named "Buccaneers" or "Bucs,"  The 170th AHC paints custom graphics of the nose of their helicopters of the blonde "Annie Fannie" of Playboy fame wearing either a red or a blue bikini depending on the flight platoon.  

A retired commander telling about the assault helicopter.

The cockpit of the helicopter.

There were many places like this on the copter.  They are repair patches where the copter was hit by enemy fire while in battle in Viet Nam.

The two blades for the helicopter are in these wooden holders.  This plane is housed in a hangar a short distance away from where it is displayed.  It is still being readied for flight once again.

Another plane I had the chance to visit was a huge helicopter with the name of: CH-53E Super Stallion.  It was 99 feet long, 27' 9" in high and weighed 73,000 lbs.  Had a speed of up to 170 kilometers per hour, a range of 540 nautical miles with a ceiling of 18,500 feet.  It carried 2 .50 caliber machine guns in its windows and 1 GAU-21 .50 caliber machine gun on the ramp. It had a crew of 5 (2 pilots, 2 gunners, 1 crew chief) and could carry 37 troops or 55 if there were seats placed along the center of the chopper.  As you might imagine, you could walk up the incline plane at the rear of the chopper and into the rear of it.  Seating was along the sides.  The cockpit of the plane was amazing.  Hundreds of dials and controls line the panels in front of the pilots.  I suppose the pilot knew what every switch and dial were used for.  One of the crewmen of the helicopter told me it had 7 rotor blades and three engines.  Used primarily for transport of troops and cargo.  It could fly longer distances than what I stated if the fuel tube in the front was used for fueling while in the air.  

I'm standing in line to enter the rear of the Super Stallion.  Cargo and troops could be loaded into the plane through this door in the rear of the immense helicopter.

Seating along the side of the helicopter.

One of the crewmen with his stallion logo on his uniform.

The cockpit of this plane is amazing.

An officer of this plane walks along the side of it.

This device on the side of the helicopter is used for refueling while in flight.

A view of the plane from in front of it.

One more plane I will tell you about was the T-28B "Trojan." It was marked on the sides with "NAVY" and the US Navy logo.  The planes were built between 1950 and 1957.  It was designed to be a trainer for teaching military pilots to fly high-performance, combat aircraft.  It therefore has two cockpits with each having full instrumentation.  The pilots were being trained to fly combat aircraft.  The plane had a Wright R-1820-86B engine with 1,425 horsepower and could fly at 298 knots at 20,000 feet.  The T-28C would have had a tail hook for making landings on a carrier.  All T-28's could carry machine guns, rockets and bombs for weapons training.  They were used in ground attacks during the Vietnam War.   This particular plane was retired in 1976 and sold as surplus in 1990.  The owner of the plane was sitting next to it.  We talked about this plane and how he ended up buying it a few years ago.  Today was his second air show where he was showing his plane.  

A side view of the T-28B Trojan.  Please remember to click on photos to enlarge them.

The engine of this plane had 9 cylinders.  "Warbird" is a term that has come to mean any retired, military aircraft, whether or not it is a type that was used in actual combat.  Those with a true love of aviation view these airplanes as special.  There are about 200 civilian-owned T-28's in flying condition around the world and about that many more in various stages of restoration.

Here you can see the two cock-pits needed since it is a training plane.

My time at the air show was amazing.  Got to meet so many great people who have given of their time to serve in the United States Military.  I thanked each one of them for their service after talking with them.  Tomorrow I will tell you of my experience of viewing and entering the Ford Tri-engine plane that was probably my favorite.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.