The Flight Museum B-25 is the official aircraft of the
Doolittle Raiders. It honors the 80 brave men who
flew 16 land-based B-25s off the USS Hornet in the
first air raid against Japan in WWII.
www.calhounaircenter.com
Posted on 12/08/2009 11:58:28 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
The Calhoun Air Center may suddenly have a plethora of visitors in the near future.
The public is invited to the airport’s second annual “Big Whoop Fly-In” on Saturday, Dec. 12 to see the facility, planes on display, and enjoy food and entertainment by more than 40 local organizations.
“We have everything from retail organizations in town to banks, real estate,” Calhoun Air Center manager Ann Brinkman said. “It keeps growing and growing. We’re working really closely with Our Lady of the Gulf because we’re having a live nativity scene with animals.”
Families are welcome to bring the kids out to take a free picture with Santa, make a few crafts and listen to several local school choir and band programs perform.
“Everything that we’re doing we’ve tried to keep within our county,” Brinkman said. “We’ve given people options and opportunities to join us, but we always ask for local people first because we want this to be an ‘our community’ event.”
Lone Star Flight Museum will also have a B-25 Mitchell bomber on hand for the event. Made famous by the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo during World War II, the plane that will be on display at the airport is the only flying aircraft painted like those of the original Doolittle Raiders. Rides that last 35 minutes (20-25 minutes in the air) will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $375 per person. Passengers must be 12 years of age or older.
Students at several county schools are participating in the coloring contest, which Brinkman said would serve as a “mini-contest” for the International Aviation Art Contest. Winners from the Calhoun Air Center contest will be submitted to the 2011 the Texas Department of Transportation Kid’s Aviation Art Calendar.
“There are just great pictures these kids do and they’re put into calendars,” Brinkman said. “There’s not a Calhoun County child in this calendar – any of them.”
Brinkman said that she had recently contacted TXDOT to learn about this past year’s submissions and learned that there has not been a submission from Calhoun County in previous years. With the number of entries expected in the local contest, Brinkman believes there is a very good chance that one of the local submissions could make next year’s calendar.
“If they all showed up, we could have as many as 2,000 pieces of artwork to judge,” Brinkman said. “If we have this many pieces of artwork, I will send 50-60 pieces to the state for consideration. The entire state last year had 435 pieces of artwork.”
This year’s theme is “Flying With The Sun.” Members of the Port Lavaca Art Guild will judge entries for the local contest, and prizes will be awarded to the top three in each of the age group categories: ages 6-9, 10-13, and 14-17. Winners will be announced at the Big Whoop event.
“However many pieces of artwork there are that are completed will be on display here on the 12th,” Brinkman said.
Keeping in the unofficial theme of giving back to the community, non-perishable food contributions for the local food pantry are requested as gate admission. Pilots have also been asked to bring new toys or monetary donations for the Harbor Children’s Alliance.
Nearly 350 people turned out for last year’s event, but the airport staff expects almost 1,000 people throughout the day depending on the weather. Brinkman is looking forward to seeing various faces of the community come into Calhoun Air Center to see the hard work that the staff has put into making it the “Gulf Coast’s Friendliest Airport.”
“People have impressions that the airport is a haven for ‘rich people,’ but it’s not – it’s for everybody that comes out here,” Brinkman said. “There’s been a lot of buzz about the improvements and we’re proud of what we’ve done out here.”
For more information on the Big Whoop Fly-In, contact Calhoun Air Center at 361-552-1228 or e-mail fly@calhounaircenter.com.
www.calhounaircenter.com
My sister-in-law lives in Port Lavaca; it’s on the Gulf Coast halfway between Houston and Corpus Christi (which puts it exactly in the middle of nowhere). Several industrial plants (Alcoa, Formosa Plastics, Union Carbide) around there but many people commute from Victoria.
This sounds like a great event for the town, and I’ll bet my nephew attends.
True beauty..
I’ve met WW2 guys who’ve flown or crewed B29s, B17s, B24s and even those who “flew the hump”. But never met a guy on a B25 (don’t know why that is). But I love those 25s!
I seem to recall, as a kid in the 60s, they found one that had crashed some where in a North African desert. Was a big write up on it from the magazine “LOOK”, I think. Had been missing since ‘43 or something like that. I think the name of the plane was “Lady Be Good”. Don’t ask me how I remember that! But it was a B-25.
Your got most of it right but it was a B-24.
It was a B-24 Liberator.
Lady be Good was a B-24, a 4 engine heavy bomber.
Really? A B-24? Are you sure? I was only about 10 then. I guess that makes since...a B24 would have had greater range and a B25 probably had no business being way out there anyway.
Really? A B-24? Are you sure? I was only about 10 then. I guess that makes sense...a B24 would have had greater range and a B25 probably had no business being way out there anyway.
I was about the same age as you when the story broke. I think there is some confusion because “The Twilight Zone” did a story clearly inspired by the Lady be Good and they did use a B-25.
Also the B-25 had the similar twin tail configuration.
It really was a spooky story. If I remmeber right they said the crew would have had a better chance if they had stayed with the plane instead of bailing out. Probably would have been goners either way tho.
Hmmm...I guess with all the responses I’m getting, it was a B24! LOL!!
But it sure seems like I remember thinking they (also) must have found a B25 somewhere around the north Africa area too. Maybe they found a B24 and a B25 and I’m combining the memories.
Now I won’t be able to sleep thinking about it! LOL
“I was about the same age as you when the story broke. I think there is some confusion because “The Twilight Zone” did a story clearly inspired by the Lady be Good and they did use a B-25.
Also the B-25 had the similar twin tail configuration.”
LOL! Maybe that’s it! You know, I seem to kinda remember that too!
As a kid I knew the B24 had four engines and the B25 had two—that’s how I could immediately tell the difference.
I used to love all those WW2 aircraft. I haven’t studied them since I was a kid, but it’s amazing how much I still remember of them. Drives my wife nuts—we’ll be watching an old movie and they’ll have some guy getting into a P51 or something, but show clips of a P47. Of course, I go into my “rant” of Hey, that’s not a Mustang or something like that! Or I’ll see some old clip with a particular rifle and yell out “Hey, that’s not Russian! That’s a German!” My wife usually asks “How do you know that??” I just shrug. LOL
Port Lavaca ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
Thank you everyone for your responses. I guess I was thinking of that old Twilight Zone episode regarding a B25. Boy, I haven’t thought of that for decades—funny how an old TV show meshes with what you think your memories are (kinda spooky). Hope I don’t start thinking some guy named Dr. Smith and a giant tin can garbage can looking robot was trying to kill me in the “old days”...hahah
Now I’m gonna have to see if I can find that on youtube...cause I want to see it now. Mainly to see if it’s as scary now as it was when I was 10! LOL
In all my years watching "The Twilight Zone" I don't remember this episode. I know I haven't seen them all, though. Do you recall the name of it?
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