Following on from yesterday's article describing our recent trip out to Everett, Washington to work on the Zero, I wanted to express my thanks to the people involved in that endeavor.
I was very glad we were able to have Richard along to capture the experience of the weekend at Paine Field. While it had been my hope that he would capture the exact moment of the first flight and record it for all of you, he actually captured something special for other reasons. Like most of you, I read warbird publications and Zero in on the exciting recaps of first flights. It is always incredible to see these historic aircraft returned to the sky. However, having been involved in several first flights in my career, I found that these articles never fully translated the emotional rollercoaster that can arrive in the days and weeks prior.
If you think about it – it is a herculean effort – and that is why I am so glad that Richard prepared a story which went some distance towards capturing the hopefulness, the disappointment and most importantly the team spirit which develops in these moments. They are stories and experiences which would otherwise be overshadowed by the announcement of a successful flight, but given that it ultimately wasn’t in the cards for that weekend, we are going to use this space to celebrate the team instead.Â
The picture Richard has included above is my favorite from the weekend. Not only does it show everyone working hard in the fading sunlight to get the airplane ready, but it captured a moment when a shout went out across the shop - that a brand new airplane for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force was being towed across the ramp from one Boeing facility to another - right behind our Zero! Everyone experienced a moment of shared excitement and a sense of connection between the past and the present - and that is what we are all about!Â
Getting the Zero to this point, and trying to push it past this next key milestone is not a task lightly undertaken. Luckily, however, the Museum has both literal and moral support from some particularly interesting and wonderful people from across our industry. I want to take a moment to call them out here, as they may not be as well known to all of you as other members of the Museum and Legend Flyers team.
Refueling the Zero prior to an engine run. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Mike Spalding climbing aboard the Zero to run up its engine. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
The Zero's R-1830 engine belching smoke just after start up.(image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
The sun beginning to set on our engine tests during our recent visit to Everett. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Bob Hammer
Bob Hammer’s work in the warbird world is well known to most, as he is the man who lead the completion of the Me 262 Replica Project. That being said, however, many of you may not realize what a prolific and talented engineer he is.
While we were awaiting the arrival of the prop governor, Dan Hammer (who makes a delicious bratwurst!) and I, took a quick ride across the airport to see some of Bob’s General Aviation projects. Long before he was a Warbird guy, Bob was an active member of the EAA and homebuilt aircraft community. Dan shared stories of growing up around some of the wonderful people they had an opportunity to work with, including pioneers like Jim Bede. Bob’s HH-1 Zipper, completed in 1980, was both a record breaker and the first homebuilt jet aircraft. Present in their hangar was another of Hammer’s fascinating projects, the amphibious Sea Fire; designed to travel to the Arctic Circle on a fishing expedition, and recognized at Oshkosh as the ’98 Grand Champion.Â
That drive across the airport also gave Dan and I an opportunity to see the immense machines which Boeing Commercial Aircraft constructs, providing another fascinating reminder of Bob’s engineering prowess. Hammer was Vice President of DCAC/MRM when he retired from the Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company. Prior milestones and accomplishments in his career include his service as Chief Engineer, Director of Quality Control and Director of Engineering for the Boeing 757 and as designer of the composite tail sections for both the 757 and 767. Bob was also the Chief Engineer of Structures in the B-2 Bomber Program – certainly not a civilian aircraft by any stretch – and he holds the current U.S. Patent for the B-2 Bomber’s wing.
An amazing career, and a talent which we are lucky to have supporting the Warbird community.
Gordon Page
Gordon, another great friend to the Museum, happened to be in the North West visiting his daughter who is a medical professional in the Seattle area. A keen follower of the Zero project and long-time friend to the Legend Flyers team, Gordon is known across the warbird community for his Chasing Planes Project. Both a TV show and a wonderful book, Chasing Planes is the story of an aircraft aficionado finding his place in the community. His earlier book, Warbird Recovery, is another fascinating window into how aircraft find their way home to Museum’s – with particular attention being paid to the projects which Page recovered from Russia some twenty years ago.Â
Always quick with a story to share, Gordon has some good ones! Remembering key moments in the post-war history of many of the aircraft which are in our collection today. Our P-63, and the MiG-3 in particular, were well known to him! Gordon also established the Spirit of Flight Museum, in Nampa, Idaho, and has been a collector of unusual and eclectic aircraft. In fact the PQ-14 project which joined the Military Aviation Museum’s collection last year arrived via the Spirit of Flight collection!Â
When it comes to our Zero, Gordon was a key participant in the effort to get the prop governor sorted. He began the non-local aspect of the search, suggesting we broaden our range of possible sources to make use of Mark Darrow’s T-34C as a way to get the part back in time, preserving the hope of achieving the first flight on time. His past experience with these sorts of projects has made him an important grounding rod for all of us, even amidst trying circumstances.Â
Gordon is the friend who makes everyone come back together and shake hands after a disagreement, and such diplomatic ability is vital to any team’s success!Â
Ralph Bufano
The now-retired CEO of the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Ralph has been something of a mentor to me, providing access to a seemingly limitless font of knowledge and advice. Naturally exuberant, and proud of his Italian heritage, Ralph was the man who charted the course for the Museum of Flight to become one of the nation’s finest aviation history institutions. With the Museum of Flight receiving almost half a million visitors a year at the close of his tenure, Ralph was also instrumental in bringing together many of the globally significant aircraft, historical documents and archival treasure which make up that museum’s collection. Despite these significant accomplishments, Ralph would be the first one to stress that none of them were solo efforts; a board and dedicated philanthropists backed him up all the way.
Since we were going to be virtually in his back yard during our visit to the North West, I called Ralph to ask whether he might like to join us for the planned activities, and he leapt at the chance! Although he had not seen this Zero up close lately, Ralph was very familiar with the work of the Legend Flyers team, and like Gordon, he offered important perspectives in the closing weeks of a project which has been underway, on-and-off, for the best part of four decades. He was also provided important comic relief at the lunch table!
In addition to his comedic talents, Ralph also took the opportunity to share with our Museum’s team some of the lessons he learned from his quest to hit half a million annual visitors at the Museum of Flight. We, after all, are on a similar journey here.
Our efforts do not just concern aircraft, they are also about engagement and providing the public with access to these important artifacts!
Brad PilgrimÂ
Of everyone whose efforts we are championing here, Brad is perhaps the one who will be most annoyed at me for having done so! Something of a legend in the warbird community, Brad has spent virtually his entire life focussed on aviation. More recently, this enthusiasm has grown to include Monster Energy Drinks… but that’s another story!
I have known Brad ever since my time at the CAF. He has always been someone I could look to for unvarnished advice on all matters mechanical. A former flight engineer on the B-29 FIFI, he regularly demonstrates a deep knowledge of aircraft systems and is the kind of guy who just knows how it works. Pilgrim spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, serving primarily as a Loadmaster with C-130 and C-17 units. A member of the CAF since childhood, he is a legend within the organization and was recently inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame. He has also served on the board of the Olympic Flight Museum, and played a major role at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum too. His standing within the warbird community is second to none, which also means that the respect he carries with him brings a high level of trust in solving a variety of problems. Throughout our involvement with this Zero project, Brad has been a fixer of sorts, helping get the airplane across the final series of hurdles.
Since Pilgrim lives in Houston, Texas, he is not routinely available on site at our Museum in Virginia Beach, but he has been an important supporter of this project (and others), while also providing technical consultation for the Fighter Factory on occasion. His Texas location does mean that he can get a direct flight to Seattle to work on the Zero when the rest of our team cannot, which has proved to be an additional asset to his collaboration between the Museum and Legend Flyers!
A final word of thanks
While I have called out some individuals above who you might see in the pictures but not recognize as regular fixtures on the Museum team, I do want to make sure that we also acknowledge the rest of those working arduously to finish the Zero, and those who helped try and get it to a first flight a few weeks back.Â
Of note, when I mentioned Dan’s Brats earlier in the article, it is important to add that cooking and breaking bread together are important parts of how a community unites around an airplane. Dan, a former Marine and CH-53 guy, understands that well. Bennett Johnson, or Ben as many of us know him, is – I think it is fair to say – the guy on the hangar floor who built the airplane, and his dog Herman is the unofficial mascot! Also an extension of the Legend Flyers team is Jim Larsen, a photographer who has chronicled the airplane over these many years, and was present once again at an important moment for the aircraft.
Dan Hammer (right) discussing the gear swing procedure with Brad Pigrim. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Dan Hammer preparing the brats for our communal meal at Legend Flyers... they were very tasty! (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
The Museum's Chief Pilot, Mike Spalding, sitting in the Zero's cockpit just prior to an engine run. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Cody Busse hard at work adjusting the Zero's propeller governor. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
Al Lintz placing the new seal on the propeller governor's mounting pad. (image by Richard Mallory Allnutt)
From the Museum, we had our Fighter Factory Senior Director of Maintenance Al Lintz, who brings decades of experience working on Warbirds to the table, and Senior Mechanic Cody Busse, whose tremendous talent and enthusiasm are a major asset for us. And Chief Pilot Mike Spalding was, of course, present to fly the airplane, having spent the past few months carefully studying manuals and preparing for the challenge.
Finally, there was your Restoration Update provider (and our Curator of Digital Media) Richard Mallory Allnutt. They say it takes a village to undertake large projects like this, and Richard captured the photographs and story which have so effectively highlighted the scale of the effort, and the breadth of the coalition which worked so hard and continues to strive in their mission to prepare the Zero for flight.
