June 4th 15, 08:06 PM
M father-in-law, Bill Lever, was a bombardier on Miss America 62. He is 95 and lives in Auburn, ME.
On Tuesday, July 5, 1994 at 12:31:14 PM UTC-4, Toine de Greef wrote:
> [ Article crossposted from rec.aviation.military ]
> [ Author was MBandor ]
> [ Posted on 4 Jul 1994 15:58:04 -0400 ]
>
> I came across this article the other day. I thought others might be
> interested it in also.
>
> Mike
> E-Mail:
>
> ======= START OF ARTICLE ==============
> 072. Miss America '62 returns
> by Patti Rogers
> A B-29 bomber hasn't called Travis AFB, Calif., home since the
> 1949-58 Strategic Air Command years, but on June 18 the Travis
> Historical Society unveiled "Miss America '62" with all the fanfare
> of a long-lost friend.
> For almost 10 years, members of the society put in over 12,000
> volunteer man-hours restoring the 1944-circa bomber that will
> become one of the Travis museum's static displays.
> The aircraft was welcomed to the museum fleet by a host of
> special guests including two grandchildren of "the architect of the
> Air Force," Gen. Henry H. "Hap" Arnold. Also present were six
> members of the aircraft's original crew, which flew 23 missions in
> the aircraft, and five members of the second crew, which flew 15.
> Adding to the history of the day was the woman whose birth
> contributed to the aircraft's name.
> The old bomber's journey to Travis began in 1984 when the
> historical society learned of some B-29s being stored at China
> Lakes Naval Weapons Test Facility in Southern California.
> Bringing the worn aircraft back to Travis was a chore, said Warren
> Bailey, society president.
> "The aircraft was so far out on the test range it had to be
> pulled
> by a road-grader across the desert floor. Then a volunteer-team
> spent about 15 days disassembling it so two C-5s and 10 trucks
> could bring the pieces to Travis," said Bailey.
> The team removed the engines, the outer wing panels, the
> vertical and horizontal tail assemblies, and disassociated the
> fuselage from the wing in order to prepare it for the return voyage.
> The museum's restoration hangar housed the disassembled B-29
> for the next several years while it underwent refurbishment. As the
> layers of paint were removed, the plane's identity was revealed.
> Markings indicating the plane's former unit, the 6th Bomb
> Group, appeared. Other markings aligned the plane to the 24th
> Bomb Squadron. The restoration team then found a reunion group
> who identified several members of the original crew and a mini-
> reunion was held at Travis in 1988 for those who flew Miss
> America '62 from Tinian Island in 1945.
> By 1992 the exterior was nearly 100 percent complete. For the
> last two years a team of seven volunteers took on the intense task
> of bringing the interior of the Superfortress to restored status.
> And these history sleuths couldn't have been more pleased with
> what they uncovered. Near the navigator's seat, tucked under the
> installation blanket, is the inscription, "To the G.I.'s good luck,"
> which was written by Viola Ann Kolinski, who installed
> installation blankets in B-29s at the Omaha, Neb., factory in 1944.
> She had left her address and phone number, and the restoration
> team immediately started to search for her.
> "She was so excited when we tracked her down," said Bailey.
> "She said it was very nice after all these years to be recognized for
> what she did." Because of an illness in the family she wasn't able
> to attend the dedication.
> However, the bomber's namesake was there.
> The original crew, known as the Alger Crew No. 2409, chose
> the plane off the ramp at Tinian Island and set out to name her.
> The commander's wife had just given birth to a daughter and that
> sparked an idea.
> "One of the crewmembers suggested she represent all the little
> girls born that year, and he came up with the idea that they would
> be eligible to be Miss America in 1962. Hence Miss America '62
> was born." Linda Alger, the commander's daughter, participated in
> the dedication.
> Miss America '62 flew her last bomb mission against Japan and
> was still flying the day the Japanese surrendered. After World War
> II she was assigned to the Bahamas as a weather reconnaissance
> aircraft.
> (Rogers is contributing editor to the Travis AFB, Calif.,
> Tailwind)
>
>
> --
> You must remember this, a .sig is just a .sig
> --From Casablanca
>
> "What are you going to do next?"
> --The Genie, after Aladdin has apparently won the heart of the princess.
On Tuesday, July 5, 1994 at 12:31:14 PM UTC-4, Toine de Greef wrote:
> [ Article crossposted from rec.aviation.military ]
> [ Author was MBandor ]
> [ Posted on 4 Jul 1994 15:58:04 -0400 ]
>
> I came across this article the other day. I thought others might be
> interested it in also.
>
> Mike
> E-Mail:
>
> ======= START OF ARTICLE ==============
> 072. Miss America '62 returns
> by Patti Rogers
> A B-29 bomber hasn't called Travis AFB, Calif., home since the
> 1949-58 Strategic Air Command years, but on June 18 the Travis
> Historical Society unveiled "Miss America '62" with all the fanfare
> of a long-lost friend.
> For almost 10 years, members of the society put in over 12,000
> volunteer man-hours restoring the 1944-circa bomber that will
> become one of the Travis museum's static displays.
> The aircraft was welcomed to the museum fleet by a host of
> special guests including two grandchildren of "the architect of the
> Air Force," Gen. Henry H. "Hap" Arnold. Also present were six
> members of the aircraft's original crew, which flew 23 missions in
> the aircraft, and five members of the second crew, which flew 15.
> Adding to the history of the day was the woman whose birth
> contributed to the aircraft's name.
> The old bomber's journey to Travis began in 1984 when the
> historical society learned of some B-29s being stored at China
> Lakes Naval Weapons Test Facility in Southern California.
> Bringing the worn aircraft back to Travis was a chore, said Warren
> Bailey, society president.
> "The aircraft was so far out on the test range it had to be
> pulled
> by a road-grader across the desert floor. Then a volunteer-team
> spent about 15 days disassembling it so two C-5s and 10 trucks
> could bring the pieces to Travis," said Bailey.
> The team removed the engines, the outer wing panels, the
> vertical and horizontal tail assemblies, and disassociated the
> fuselage from the wing in order to prepare it for the return voyage.
> The museum's restoration hangar housed the disassembled B-29
> for the next several years while it underwent refurbishment. As the
> layers of paint were removed, the plane's identity was revealed.
> Markings indicating the plane's former unit, the 6th Bomb
> Group, appeared. Other markings aligned the plane to the 24th
> Bomb Squadron. The restoration team then found a reunion group
> who identified several members of the original crew and a mini-
> reunion was held at Travis in 1988 for those who flew Miss
> America '62 from Tinian Island in 1945.
> By 1992 the exterior was nearly 100 percent complete. For the
> last two years a team of seven volunteers took on the intense task
> of bringing the interior of the Superfortress to restored status.
> And these history sleuths couldn't have been more pleased with
> what they uncovered. Near the navigator's seat, tucked under the
> installation blanket, is the inscription, "To the G.I.'s good luck,"
> which was written by Viola Ann Kolinski, who installed
> installation blankets in B-29s at the Omaha, Neb., factory in 1944.
> She had left her address and phone number, and the restoration
> team immediately started to search for her.
> "She was so excited when we tracked her down," said Bailey.
> "She said it was very nice after all these years to be recognized for
> what she did." Because of an illness in the family she wasn't able
> to attend the dedication.
> However, the bomber's namesake was there.
> The original crew, known as the Alger Crew No. 2409, chose
> the plane off the ramp at Tinian Island and set out to name her.
> The commander's wife had just given birth to a daughter and that
> sparked an idea.
> "One of the crewmembers suggested she represent all the little
> girls born that year, and he came up with the idea that they would
> be eligible to be Miss America in 1962. Hence Miss America '62
> was born." Linda Alger, the commander's daughter, participated in
> the dedication.
> Miss America '62 flew her last bomb mission against Japan and
> was still flying the day the Japanese surrendered. After World War
> II she was assigned to the Bahamas as a weather reconnaissance
> aircraft.
> (Rogers is contributing editor to the Travis AFB, Calif.,
> Tailwind)
>
>
> --
> You must remember this, a .sig is just a .sig
> --From Casablanca
>
> "What are you going to do next?"
> --The Genie, after Aladdin has apparently won the heart of the princess.