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Thread: Heads-up > there could be twenty five B-25s on the field this year!

  1. #1
    Rick Rademacher's Avatar
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    Heads-up > there could be twenty five B-25s on the field this year!

    I had a super time two years ago and am looking forward to their return this April to Grimes Field Urbana, Ohio. Although I enjoy flying my Cub, there is just something unique about the sound that all of those big round engines create when preparing for takeoff.

    For more information goto -> http://www.champaignaviationmuseum.o...g_of_B-25s.php

  2. #2
    Rick Rademacher's Avatar
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    There will be at least 24 B-25s arriving on Saturday April 14th. They will stay in Urbana on display and giving rides until Tuesday. If the weather is good, they will launch at 7.A.M Tuesday, one every 90 seconds for the short flight to Dayton.

    This will be a once in a life time event!

  3. #3
    I was there in 2010 and plan on being there again for this reunion - can't wait!

    Zack

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    Zack,

    Look me up and the pie is on me ! I will be at my hanger, south end of the field with the B-25 blocking my exit to fly the Cub that weekend. Don't worry, I will be having fun!

    Rick

  5. #5
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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    March 22, 2012


    Urbana, Ohio, Airport the Target for Largest Gathering of B-25 Bombers since World War II

    Record-setting Event Leads Up to
    70th Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Reunion at Air Force Museum

    URBANA, Ohio – Flying in from around the U.S., about two dozen B-25 Mitchell bombers will converge on Urbana, Ohio’s municipal airport, Grimes Field, beginning Saturday, April 14. The largest gathering of B-25s since World War II, the Grimes Gathering of B-25s will lead into the 70th Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Reunion at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (NMUSAF), near Dayton.
    For the 68th Reunion in 2010, 17 B-25s gathered at Grimes Field.

    The 70th Reunion ceremonies, April 17-20, will commemorate the famed April 18, 1942, bombing raid on Japan by 16 B-25s and their brave crewmen, under the leadership of Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle. The five surviving crewmen of the raid will participate in the reunion, including being the guests of honor at a private breakfast at the Champaign Aviation Museum at Grimes Field.
    The Grimes Gathering of B-25s, April 14-16, will allow the public to get a close-up look at the twin-engine medium bombers while they are on static display – and meet their crews. Also while in Urbana, the B-25s will fly around the area. Rides will be available for purchase on as many as six of the aircraft.

    At 7 a.m. Tuesday, April 17, the B-25s will begin a dramatic departure from Grimes Field, taking off one after the other for the NMUSAF, where they will take part in ceremonies honoring the surviving Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.

    “This is a tremendous privilege and honor, for the Urbana area and Grimes Field to play a role in honoring these American heroes,” said Jim White, who is co-chairing the Grimes Gathering of B-25s with Dave Millner. “The Grimes Gathering of B-25s is living history at its best. Seeing these meticulously restored aircraft and hearing the roar of their engines, I believe, brings you closer to appreciating the sacrifice and bravery of the men who put their lives on the line for our freedom.”

    Visitors can gain ramp admittance for close-up viewing of the bombers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 14-16, for a $5 donation, which will help defray costs of the event, including fuel for the bombers. A variety of World War II era military vehicles also will be on display.

    Flights will be available for purchase on up to six of the aircraft. Flight reservations can be made from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 14-16 in the Champaign Aviation Museum at Grimes Field.
    One of the participating B-25s, the Champaign Gal, is part of the permanent collection of the Champaign Aviation Museum.

    For more information…

    Visit the website of the Champaign Aviation Museum:http://www.champaignaviationmuseum.org
    Visit the website of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force:http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/doolittle.asp

    # # #

    About the Doolittle Raid

    The Doolittle Raid was a pivotal mission in the U.S. war against Japan. In an unprecedented combat launch from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier, 16 Army Air Force B-25s attacked Tokyo and four other Japanese cities on April 18, 1942, four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Under the leadership of Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, the mission gave Americans a much-needed lift in spirits and alarmed the Japanese, who had believed their home islands were safe from invasion.

    While the Doolittle Raiders successfully bombed the targeted cities without loss, 15 of the 16 bombers crash-landed en route to recovery fields in eastern China. They were low on fuel because they had to take off 170 miles early when the Hornet was spotted by Japanese fishing vessels; the recovery bases lacked homing aids; and they were flying at night in stormy, zero-visibility conditions.

    Only one of the B-25s landed intact, in the Soviet Union, where its five-man crew was interned and the aircraft confiscated.

    Of the 80 Doolittle Raiders, seven were injured and three were killed. In addition, eight crew members were taken prisoner by the Japanese. Three were executed and one died of malnutrition and mistreatment in confinement. Many of the Raiders went on to fly other combat missions. Ten were killed in action in Europe, North Africa and Indo-China.

    The five surviving Raiders are participating in the 70th Reunion.


    About Grimes Field

    Rich in history, Grimes Field, 1636 N. Main St. (U.S. 68), Urbana, is an active airport that serves the private and corporate aviation needs of Urbana and Champaign County, Ohio. The airport was donated to the city of Urbana in 1943 by Warren G. Grimes, a pioneer in aviation lighting whose many inventions include the familiar red, green, and white navigation lights on the wing tips and tails of aircraft.

    Inducted posthumously into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2010, Mr. Grimes is known as the Father of the Aircraft Lighting Industry. In the 1930s he founded Grimes Manufacturing (now Honeywell Aerospace) in Urbana. The company, which continues to serve military and commercial aviation markets, engineered and manufactured lighting used on nearly all American and Allied aircraft in World War II.

    The airport is a part of the National Aviation Heritage Area (aviationheritagearea.org) and is home to two museums:

    The Champaign Aviation Museum features World War II-era aircraft, including the B-25J Champaign Gal, and is home to the ongoing restoration of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, the Champaign Lady.
    The Grimes Flying Lab Museum celebrates Warren Grimes’ important role in the history of flight and features the restored Grimes Flying Lab, a Beech 18 used to test Grimes’ innovations.

    The airport hosts fly-ins and special events, including the Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-in, one of the country’s leading gatherings of experimental aircraft, to be held August 25 and 26 this year.

    # # #

    Media Contacts for the Grimes Gathering of B-25s:

    Ron Kaplan, Media Coordinator
    C: 937-212-8847 rkaplan@nationalaviation.org

    Gary Schenkel, Deputy Media Coordinator
    C: 937-478-6533 schenkel@ctcn.net

    You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website www.nationalaviation.org

    Aviation Hall of Fame P.O. Box 31096 Dayton, OH 45437

    Our telephone:
    937-256-0944

    Copyright (C) 2008 National Aviation Hall of Fame All rights reserved.

  6. #6
    Rick Rademacher's Avatar
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    Could not get my Cub out of the hanger all weekend in 2010. That green B-25 at the bottom of the picture was blocking my way. Yet, was loving it! More on the field this year!

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  7. #7
    22 B-25 Mitchell bombers plan to take part in tribute to Doolittle Tokyo Raiders

    by Rob Bardua
    National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

    3/21/2012 - DAYTON, Ohio -- One of the largest gatherings of B-25 Mitchell bombers since World War II is being planned to take place as part of a tribute to the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders as they commemorate the 70th anniversary of their raid on Japan during a reunion April 17-20 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

    On April 18, 1942, 80 men achieved the unimaginable when they took off from an aircraft carrier on a top secret mission to bomb Japan. These men, led by Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle, came to be known as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.

    Twenty-two B-25 Mitchell bombers plan to come from across the nation and land on the runway behind the museum on the morning of April 17. The aircraft will then be placed on static display from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. for the public to get an up-close look at each plane and meet the pilots and crews.

    On April 18 at approximately 12:15 p.m., the aircraft will take-off one by one, form-up together over the Dayton area and then fly in formation over the museum at 1 p.m. -- just prior to the Doolittle Raiders Memorial Service in the museum's Memorial Park.

    These outdoor reunion events are weather contingent and subject to change. In order to operate the B-25s on the museum's normally closed runway, there must be relatively clear weather and a dry runway. A final weather call will be announced on April 16. For the latest updates and information on the reunion, including the complete schedule, visit http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/doolittle.asp.

    The Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, Inc. continues to work on securing sponsorship to assist with the funding of these B-25 aircraft. Those interested in helping should visit www.doolittle-raiders.org, or contact Tom Casey with the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, Inc. at (941) 921-7361 or tomcat911@comcast.net or Larry Kelley at (410) 991-2356 or b25driver@aol.com . (Federal endorsement is not implied.)

    At this time, all five of the living Doolittle Tokyo Raiders -- Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, Lt. Col. Robert L. Hite, Lt. Col. Edward J. Saylor, Maj. Thomas C. Griffin and Staff Sgt. David J. Thatcher -- are able to travel and plan to be on-hand for the reunion events. Others scheduled to attend the reunion include retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Allen Josey, who was an electrician on the aircraft carrier Hornet when the Raiders took off on their mission, and Hu Daxian of Zhejiang, China. Daxian is the wife of Li Senlin, who aided Doolittle Tokyo Raider crew number two.

    Other public events during the reunion include two autograph sessions, two lunches (sold-out), a dinner banquet (sold-out) and the screening of the film "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," which will be shown in the museum's Carney Auditorium on April 18.

    Before and after the museum reunion events, the B-25 aircraft will stage out of Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio, to practice formation flights, and will offer public rides and static displays. For more information on the events at Grimes Field visit http://www.champaignaviationmuseum.o...g_of_B-25s.php.

    The National Museum of the United States Air Force is located on Springfield Street, six miles northeast of downtown Dayton. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). Admission and parking are free.

    NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at (937) 904-9881.

  8. #8
    Rick Rademacher's Avatar
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    It is my understanding that there will be many, many war birds other than the 22 B-25s on the field this weekend. Remember, there is always room for Cubs.

    http://www.urbanacitizen.com/main.as...ticleID=159639


  9. #9
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    If you fly to Grimes Urbana this weekend for the B-25’s, you will be parked in the grass at the South end of the field west of the general aviation hangers. The public will not be permitted in your parking area. You will not be charge the general public admission fee of $5.

    Please use caution when taxing behind a B-25 as they will do their run-up just before takeoff. Give them plenty of room!

    Five or six P-51s will be here on Monday to do their thing and then fly behind the B-25’s on their flight to the AF Museum on Tuesday morning at 7 A.M.

  10. #10
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    How many of you have been in the air with a Jap Zero and lived to tell about it? Today, my wingman Stan and I forced a Zero to land. Of course, it was an unfair matchup with two J-3 Cubs against only one Zero.
    That’s our story and were sticking to it!

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