The New England Air Museum — AVIATION HISTORY MUSEUMS

The period between WW I and WW II is often referred to as “The Golden Age of Flying”. During this period, air shows, barnstorming, and record setting flights were a major form of entertainment for the American public. In 1920, publisher Ralph Pulitzer established the Pulitzer speed trophy. The trophy became part of an annual speed racing event that attracted the best fliers of the day such as Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner, and Wiley Post. By 1929, the races became known as the National Air Races. With large monetary prizes, as well as widespread national publicity, these events also attracted top manufacturers. The National Air Races lasted up to 10 days and featured a variety of flying events, including point-to-point air racing, often ending in Cleveland.

Several speed trophies were offered, including the Thompson Speed Trophy. Instituted in 1929, the Thompson Speed race was flown on a small closed course at low altitude, with much of the race visible from the stands. The aircraft in this unlimited horsepower event flew all at the same time, making it very popular with the crowds. The first race, in 1929, was won by a Travel Air Type R called the Mystery Ship. The name came from the fact that it had been designed in secrecy. In 1930, designer E.M. “Matty” Laird entered his LC-DW Solution in the Thompson Trophy race. The plane was indeed the “solution” to the mystery ship as it won the race at an average speed of more than 201 miles an hour. The one-of-a-kind Laird Solution became the only biplane to ever win the Thompson Speed Trophy and that plane is fully restored and on display at the New England Air Museum.

Replica of the Thompson Trophy on display.

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Located next to the Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, the New England Air Museum dates back to 1960, when it was founded as the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association. There were several versions of the museum before the opening of today’s large, and very interesting, museum in 1981. More about the history of the museum later.

You enter through an attractive lobby which takes you into the three main display hangars- the military hangar, the civil aviation hangar, and the B-29 hangar (officially- the 58th Bomb Wing Memorial Hangar) . I began my visit in the civil aviation hangar

The civil aviation hangar houses several large aircraft, with a Sikorsky flying boat dominating one end. I began at the other end as I was curious about a very unique looking plane.

At first glance, the Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster has similarities to a DC-3. Built in Canada in 1944, the Burnelli did have comparable specifications to the DC-3, and its original engines were the same Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin-Wasps. The big difference is that the Burnelli has a “lifting body” fuselage, designed to provide wide-body capacity and increased performance.

Although the Loadmaster had an extensive and successful test period, which showed excellent flight characteristics and capabilities, the Brunelli was never able to find public or private financing for production. The only CBY-3 ever built was eventually sold and was flown regularly in cargo service both in northern Canada and South America. It was later retrofitted with Wright R-2600 engines.

The Loadmaster was abandoned in the 1960s and heavily stripped and vandalized. The plane was acquired by the museum in 1972 and restoration of this unique aircraft began in 2014.

Across from the Brunelli is another interesting exhibit- the control car from a WW II Navy airship.

Designed by Goodyear in 1937, the K-class non-rigid airships were built to provide anti-submarine patrols in the Atlantic and the Pacific. Only a few of the airships were operational at the outbreak of WW II, but production was quickly ramped up, with a total of 136 eventually being built.

This control car is from ZNP-K-28, which was delivered to the Navy at Lakehurst New Jersey in December of 1942. It was assigned to Blimp Squadron ZP-14. Following the war, ZNP-K-28 was repurchased by Goodyear and used extensively for testing. Named Puritan by Goodyear, the control car was donated to the museum in 1993. By that time 90% of its equipment had been removed and there were no original plans found to aid in the restoration. The entire car was restored, very close to original condition, with only photographs as a guide.

There are steps up to the control car, allowing visitors to take a good look inside this unique artifact. The museum’s website has an interesting 1970 film about the Goodyear Blimp as well as a virtual tour of the control car of the ZNP-K-28.

https://neam.org/pages/goodyear-znpk-28-blimp-control-car

One of two Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-2 radials on the ZNP-K blimp

Continuing through the civil aviation hangar, you come to another large, fully restored, aircraft- an Eastern Airlines DC-3.

In 1947, Eastern Flight 624 arrived at Hartford’s Bradley Airport marking the first commercial airline flight into Bradley. Eastern CEO Eddie Rickenbacker was on board the flight and he spent several days in Hartford promoting Eastern as well as Bradley Airport. The airport had recently been returned to civilian use after serving as an Army airfield during WW II. This restored DC-3 was part of Eastern’s fleet in 1947 and the museum is still researching the possibility that this is the same aircraft that arrived on that inaugural flight. In any event, it is a great representative of the history of the airport and Eastern Airlines.

In the 1930s, long distance airline travel was conducted primarily by large flying boats. Pan Am had developed much of its route structure with Boeing, Martin, and Sikorsky flying boats. I have often pointed out in these blogs that it is unfortunate that none of the original Pan Am Clippers have survived. Although they were never purchased by Pan Am, three Sikorsky VS-44 flying boats of the same size and vintage were built, one of which has survived. The massive Excambian is fully restored and on display here.

The VS-44 was developed from the XPBS-1, a prototype Navy patrol bomber. Only one XPBS-1 was built, as Consolidated Aircraft, not Sikorsky, won the Navy contract. The Sikorsky patrol plane served during WW II and after the war, Sikorsky hoped to sell a passenger version to Pan Am. In the end, the only orders that the company received were from American Export Airlines. AEA ordered three VS-44s and named them the Excalibur, the Exeter, and the Excambian. Delivered in May 1942, the Excambian flew the North Atlantic in camouflage colors under contract to the Navy throughout the war.

In January 1945, Excambian returned to scheduled flying with AEA, along with sister ship Exeter. The third VS-44, Excalibur, had crashed in 1942. By the end of 1945, the two flying boats were being replaced by DC-4s and were put up for sale. Exeter was sold first, to TACI Airlines in Uruguay, and crashed shortly afterwards. AEA had now been re-named AOA (American Overseas Airlines) and Excambian continued flying for AOA until 1947, when its sale was completed. For several years the VS-44 flew freight for Tampico airlines in South America, but it became stranded in Peru in the mid-1950s. In 1959 the plane was rescued by two California businessmen and ferried to Long Beach where it was restored and put to work with Catalina Airlines.

For the next six years, the Sikorsky, now named Mother Goose (the airline also operated the Grumman Goose) ferried vacationers back and forth to Catalina Island, off the Coast of Southern California. In 1967 the plane was sold to Charles Blair (husband of actress Maureen O’Hara). Blair took the plane to the Caribbean to become part of his Antilles Flying Boats operation. In 1969, the Excambian was damaged on the rocks near St. Thomas and, by 1972, it was deemed unrepairable, and was beached. The majestic VS-44, like a number of other abandoned planes in the Caribbean and Central America, was turned into a hot dog stand.

The final chapter of Excambian began in 1976 when Charles Blair donated it to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. In 1983, the Navy transferred her to the New England Air Museum. The massive restoration project was conducted in Bridgeport Connecticut, not far from where Excambian was built. The restoration was completed mostly by volunteers, many of whom had worked for Sikorsky. After eight years of work, the VS-44 was moved to the New England Air Museum for final assembly and painting. The display was dedicated in 1998.

The museum website has an excellent documentary about the history and restoration of the Excambian.

https://neam.org/pages/sikorsky-vs-44a-excambian

Igor Sikorsky is perhaps best known for helicopters, but he also designed and built a number of fixed wing aircraft, including the Excambian. As you leave the Civil Aviation Hangar, you pass along a corridor towards the B-29 Hangar. On the walls there is a comprehensive depiction of the life of Igor Sikorsky. Born in Kiev in the Ukraine in 1889, Sikorsky studied mechanical engineering in Paris and Kiev. In 1909, he learned of the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers and immediately decided to make aviation his life’s work. He designed and built bombers in WW I. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Sikorsky fled- first to France, and then to the U.S. He found work as a school teacher and, in 1923, he founded the Sikorsky Manufacturing Company at Roosevelt Field on Long Island. In 1929, Sikorsky moved his operation to Connecticut. Later that year, Sikorsky became part of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (now United Technologies).

Sikorsky’s first product was a twin-engine airliner, the S-29-A, which had its maiden flight in 1924. The S-29, among other advances, was the first twin-engine plane capable of flying on one engine.

The vintage photos and descriptions in the hall very elegantly tell the story of Igor Sikorsky and his many aviation accomplishments.

Now on to the B-29 hangar.

Although there are other aircraft and displays in the hangar, the beautifully restored “Jack’s Hack” certainly dominates the room.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress first flew in 1942 and entered service in May of 1944. It was by far the most advanced plane built during WW II and the complexity of the aircraft systems caused many production problems. Besides being the first pressurized bomber, the B-29 was equipped with remotely controlled gun turrets and many other new advancements. The Superfortress was powered by the Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial, a new and complex engine. Although the 3350 eventually became a reliable workhorse, early models were dangerously unreliable. Coupled with an urgent need for mass production, the complexity led to a major hold-up in getting the Superfortress into operational units. By the time 100 aircraft had been built, only 15 were operational, with the rest being hung up in various stages of modification. The delays were so critical that General Hap Arnold became directly involved in getting the modification centers in Wichita working efficiently, a time that became known as “The Battle of Kansas”.

Originally slated to be deployed in Europe, the production delays caused a change of plans and the B-29 only operated in the Pacific during WW II. The eventual contribution of the B-29 was, of course, dramatic- culminating in the dropping of two atomic bombs.

This B-29, serial number 44-61975, was built in Renton Washington in 1945. It was delivered too late to be assigned to an overseas unit during World War II, and it served with training units until 1949. During the early 1950s, it flew out of the United Kingdom and Libya. The last flight made by 44-61975 was to the U.S. Army Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland. At the time it was scheduled to be used for target practice. Luckily, it was never shot at, and survived to become one of the very few remaining B-29s.

Note- this B-29 was not the original “Jack’s Hack”, but the museum and the 58th Bomb Wing jointly selected is as representative of nose art for the display.

The museum website has a period Army PR film as well as a virtual tour of the B-29 cockpit.

https://neam.org/pages/boeing-b-29-superfortress

There are a number of other aircraft on display in the B-29 hangar, all with WW II heritage.

At the outbreak of WW II, the Grumman F4F was the most advanced fighter in the Navy and Marine inventory. The Wildcat served well in the early fighting in the Pacific, until more advance fighters went into production. As Grumman ramped up production of the F6F Hellcat at their plant on Long Island, the F4F was still needed. Grumman transferred production of the F4F to General Motors’ Eastern Aircraft Division who produced them in five former auto plants including their Buick plant in Linden NJ.

The GM produced planes were designated the FM-2. They were essentially the same as the F4F, but they had more powerful Wright R-1820 engines. General Motors eventually produced over 5,000 FM2s and they continued to serve in a variety of roles throughout the war, including bomber escort and submarine hunting.

This FM-2 was built in 1944. Displayed next to it is a model of the escort carrier U.S.S. Mission Bay on which she served in 1945.

The Vought F4U Corsair was one of the new aircraft that began replacing the F4F in the Pacific in 1943. Like any new aircraft, the Corsair had growing pains. Due to the long nose and very powerful R-2800 engine, the Corsair was difficult to handle during carrier operations and the Corsair was initially assigned to land-based Marine squadrons. Once pilots gained experience in the F4U, it became one of the most successful fighters of WW II, with an amazing 11:1 kill ratio. The Corsair was in production the longest of any WW II fighter and was the last piston powered fighter in production, for any branch of the U.S. Military.

In 2005, the Corsair was designated the state plane of Connecticut, as all the major components (airframe, engine and propeller) were built in the State.

Tucked under the wing of the B-29 is this Grumman F6F Hellcat. Introduced in 1943, the Hellcat had considerably better performance than the F4F. It had the same Pratt and Whitney R-2800 engine as the Corsair, but it had fewer operating issues at its introduction as a carrier aircraft. For this reason, it became the dominant Naval fighter in the Pacific. The Hellcat eventually had the most aircraft destroyed of any Naval or Marine aircraft with the destruction of over 5,000 enemy aircraft recorded.

F6F, BuNo 79192, after it was shipped to the museum

This F6F, BuNo 79192, was in a gear up landing in China Lake California in 1956. It was stored outside, upside down, for 17 years and in 1973, it was shipped by boat to the Bradley Air Museum. The 12-year restoration restored the Hellcat as close as possible to the condition it was in while serving in VBF-11 in 1945.

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Let’s continue with a little more history of the New England Air Museum. As mentioned earlier, the museum opened in 1960 as the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association (CAHA). Their first aircraft acquisition, a Bancroft, burned in a fire. The Association re-grouped and expanded slowly, with just outdoor exhibits. By 1968 an inflatable shelter had been erected and planes were now on display both inside and out at the Bradley Air Exhibit. Misfortune struck again as a snowstorm that winter caused irreparable damage to the shelter. Outdoor displays continued until 1976, when the museum leased an old WW II hangar, building 170, from the State of Connecticut and began building up the Museum. Although outdoor aircraft were displayed at a different location on the airport, the collection of over 20 historic aircraft became a popular attraction in the area. Disaster struck again.

On October 3rd,1979, a powerful F-4 tornado tore across Connecticut. The outdoor aircraft display was devastated and the roof was blown off Building 170, resulting in extensive damage.

Photo courtesy of the New England Air Museum

The 10-minute event left 16 aircraft totally destroyed, 10 heavily damaged, but restorable, and just four that were undamaged. The museum staff quickly regrouped and pledged to rebuild. They began on weekends by charging 99 cents to view the wrecked aircraft. By the next summer they had organized aircraft on the ramp in front of the damaged Building 170. In 1980, the Bradley Air Museum signed a lease on a new location and began a significant series of fund raisers. In 1981, just two years after the tornado hit, the first of the buildings of the new museum (now the Civil Aviation Hangar) was dedicated. In 1984, the museum was re-named The New England Air Museum. Expansion continued and new buildings were completed in 1989, 1991, 1992, 2003 and 2010. This is just a brief account of the amazing 60+ year history of this great museum

Most museums have interesting and sometimes unique artifacts on display. When a museum, like this one, has many aircraft, I don’t spend too much space writing about the display cases- they are much better to see in person- one of the many reasons to visit these museums! I also don’t spend much time during my visits viewing the contents of display cases, I rarely have enough time. I made an exception at this display of rare aviation toys.

The Wright Brothers did not become famous in 1903, after their historic first flight. They returned to Dayton and continued designing, testing, and manufacturing their invention. It wasn’t until 1908, when Wilbur travelled to France to demonstrate the Wright Flyer that they became known world-wide. Not only did the world notice the Wright Brothers, but toy manufacturers did also. Each new event, like Lindbergh’s Atlantic crossing, spawned new toys and advertising. The museum has a group of display cases that describe and exhibit many of these rare and interesting toys.

Well known U.S. manufacturers like Marx and Tootsie Toys are well represented.

Marx was founded in 1919 and produced a wide variety of tin plate toys. One specialty of Marx was buildings for toy trains, and those of us who grew up in the 1950s can recall cutting ourselves on the sharp corners of tin plate toys! Marx also had a line of aviation toys. The “Municipal Hangar” on display (on the left) was manufactured in 1929 and was the first aviation themed Marx toy.

One of the most popular toy companies in England during the time was Meccano. They manufactured toy construction sets, including airplanes, very similar to Erector sets (Mecanno was an invention of Frank Hornby in 1898. Erector sets were first produced by Alfred Gilbert, in Chicago, in 1913. Both the Erector Set and Meccano brands have gone through a series of owners and, in 1980, Mecanno acquired Erector sets. Today they are manufactured in France under the Meccano brand). There are many more vintage toys on display, all very well described.

Douglas A-26C Invader (Reida Rae) and North American B-25H Mitchell (Dog Daize)

The third hangar is the Military Hangar. It is another large hangar with quite a few aircraft on display. It could reasonably be called the Air Force/Army hangar; most of the Navy planes in the collection are in the B-29 hangar. Museums, such as this, with many types of planes have difficult decisions to make when choosing how to group and display their aircraft. It is a constant challenge for the curator- and there is never enough room! The New England Air Museum has done a great job on organizing their displays. Each aircraft can be viewed close up and many have steps to enable a close look at the cockpit.

There are many interesting planes to see here- but to my eye, one of the most interesting is the F-104C Starfighter. Designed by Kelly Johnson at the Lockheed Skunkworks, the F-104 was first flown in 1954. One of the storied “Century Series” fighters of the 1950s and 60s, the Starfighter entered service in 1958. Although the F-104 saw service in the Berlin Crisis of 1961, as well as during the early stages of the Vietnam War, fewer than 300 F-104s saw active duty in the U.S. Air Force. At the time of introduction of the F-104, Air Force doctrine was changing towards heavier aircraft with more weapons carrying capability and Starfighters were essentially withdrawn from active service by 1967. The design of the F-104 as a light, relatively inexpensive aircraft to manufacture and maintain, however, made it attractive to the armed services of other nations. Eventually, over 2,500 Starfighters were built and they served in the military of 15 nations.

During its lifetime, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter set numerous speed and altitude records. Among other things, the F-104 was the first aircraft to simultaneously hold speed and altitude records, as well as time to climb records. At one point the F-104 reached over 120,000’ for an altitude record. As a Lieutenant Colonel in Air Force reserves, Jackie Cochran set three women’s speed records in the F-104. On a flight in 1962, this F-104C (56-0901) set the speed and altitude record for an operational fighter. The flight out of Hahn AFB in Germany climbed to 92,000’ and reached a speed of Mach 2.5. The flight was tracked by Soviet radar and it clearly demonstrated our Cold War capabilities.

One side of this hangar has an interesting collection of helicopters.

The huge Sikorsky CH-54Tarhe first flew in 1962 and served in reserve units until 1993. The Ch-54 was designed to have great load carrying capability as well as flexibility. The pods it could carry ranged from troop carriers to a mobile hospital to a mobile command post. Like the F-104, the Ch-54 held several records, albeit in a totally different category. At the time, the Tarhe held the record for the highest record for altitude in level flight for a helicopter at 36,000’. It also held time to climb (helicopter) for a number of different altitudes. In 1965 a CH-54 set a record for carrying a pod with 90 people aboard. Best known for its lifting capabilities, the CH-54B could lift 25,000 ponds.

The Tarhe was widely used in Vietnam, performing many types of missions. The Ch-54 was credited with retrieving over 300 downed aircraft- saving hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of planes. This Sikorsky Ch-54B, 69-18465, last served in an Army Aviation Unit at Bradley Field

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the most successful fighters of WW II. Affectionally called the “Jug”, the P-47 was powered by the same R-2800 Pratt and Whitney engine that powered the F4U Corsair and the F6F Hellcat- which we saw earlier. The Double Wasp engine gave the P-47 great capability as a high-altitude bomber escort and its heavy armament made it a very successful ground attack aircraft. After its introduction at the end of 1942, the Thunderbolt served through the end of the war in all theaters of operation. Over 15,000 P-47s were built and they stayed operational with the active Air Force until 1949 and with the Air National Guard until 1953.

This 1945 P-47D, 45-49458, “Norma” is painted in the colors of Bradley Field’s 57th Fighter Group, 65th Fighter Squadron, that served in Italy in 1945.

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This Blog only covers a small portion of the historic aircraft on display at The New England Air. When you go, plan to spend plenty of time to enjoy this amazing museum.

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A special thanks to museum guide Carl Cruff who provide great assistance for my research as well as Rick Cleary and the rest of the great museum staff.

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To learn about what to do in the local area, museum hours and costs as well as books to read and other interesting odds and ends, keep reading! At the end you will find a photo gallery of the entire museum.

PLANNING YOUR VISIT

The Museum is open 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, 7 days a week.

Closed New Years Eve, New Years Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Admission:

Adults $21

Youth $13

Seniors 65+ $17

Kids under 3 Free

Veterans with Valid ID $12

FLYING IN

The Museum is a short ride from the BDL terminal or FBO.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

Museum Staff recommend these nearby attractions-

CT Trolley Museum in East Windsor, CT

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA

Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield, MA

And a little further away- Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, CT

WHERE TO EAT

Bear’s Smokehouse Barbecue (2150 Poquonock Ave, Windsor, CT 06095) serves excellent barbecue style food and is always rated as a CT food “must stop” location- as per museum staff.