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WW II USN Aviation Reenactor Groups?


Lightning Ace
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Lightning Ace

I'm just inquiring to see if they're any WW II USN Aviation Reenactor groups because I know WW II Navy planes show up at air shows and there's also Navy and Marine Aviation museums in the U. S.

Thanks

Mike

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Hi Mike-

 

If you find one, please let me know! I attend an event every April in Peachtree City, GA, for the branch of the Commemorative Air Force there. They have a wonderful group and put on a fantastic event as a fundraiser to restore vintage warbirds and "keep 'em flying!". They even have a fully restored and flying SBD Dauntless- one of only 2 (?) in the U.S. The pilots of the CAF usually attend the big flying show at Reading, PA every summer, and also Oshkosh, WI, sometimes as well. Since these guys actually fly the restored planes, they develop an "impression" as a WWII pilot. Other than the CAF group, I'm not aware of any USN aviators reenactor groups in the U.S. In fact, there are very few US Navy reenactor groups at all. The USS North Carolina battleship and the SS John Brown Liberty Ship, both have living history crews. There is also a new reenactors group in the Virginia area composed of active duty and reserve Navy personnel, called the BlueJackets. Others, like myself and my husband, participate as independent reenactors, along side other military units.

 

Please post if you find information about a group! :)

 

Thanks-

Kathryne

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Lightning Ace

Kathryne

I sure will if I hear of any groups.

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Mike-

 

 

 

 

If you find one, please let me know! I attend an event every April in Peachtree City, GA, for the branch of the Commemorative Air Force there. They have a wonderful group and put on a fantastic event as a fundraiser to restore vintage warbirds and "keep 'em flying!". They even have a fully restored and flying SBD Dauntless- one of only 2 (?) in the U.S. The pilots of the CAF usually attend the big flying show at Reading, PA every summer, and also Oshkosh, WI, sometimes as well. Since these guys actually fly the restored planes, they develop an "impression" as a WWII pilot. Other than the CAF group, I'm not aware of any USN aviators reenactor groups in the U.S. In fact, there are very few US Navy reenactor groups at all. The USS North Carolina battleship and the SS John Brown Liberty Ship, both have living history crews. There is also a new reenactors group in the Virginia area composed of active duty and reserve Navy personnel, called the BlueJackets. Others, like myself and my husband, participate as independent reenactors, along side other military units.

 

Please post if you find information about a group! :)

 

Thanks-

Kathryne

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We soon will be "playing" with a PBY, BUT we are going to portray the 8th AF guys who were with the air sea rescue groups.

 

Scott

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I'm just inquiring to see if they're any WW II USN Aviation Reenactor groups because I know WW II Navy planes show up at air shows and there's also Navy and Marine Aviation museums in the U. S.

Thanks

Mike

 

 

A friend of mine in Long Island attends several events a year as a Navy officer attached to VF-5, in full WWII-period dress whites... he pulls the look off quite well, and it's quite a change of pace from all the Air Corps folks running around at such events (myself included).

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I'm wanting to put together a WW2 Chief Signalman impression. I was a Chief Signalman, so think I could do a pretty good job at it. However, I'm sort of a big guy. I wore a size 50 long uniform coat when I was on active duty so geting original is out of the question. Any one know where I could get repor Chief uniforms made other than make them myself?

 

Steve Hesson

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There's a unit in Pennsylvania called the "VF-11 Sun Downers". They represent a Navy fighting squadron assigned to Gradalcanal from February to July, 1943. They're always set up at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum's WWII Weekend. You can see pictures of them on the museum's web site: www.maam.org.

 

Jack

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  • 2 weeks later...
I'm just inquiring to see if they're any WW II USN Aviation Reenactor groups because I know WW II Navy planes show up at air shows and there's also Navy and Marine Aviation museums in the U. S.

Thanks

Mike

 

 

Mike,

 

I'm in WA state too and I'm looking as well. I seem to be the only, for the most part, Navy pilot reenactor out there as well. AAF guys don't seem too interested in a USN guy around.

 

JV+

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Lightning Ace

I wonder if you're the collector that my USAAF ReEnactor collector friend from Everett or the Seattle area is supposed to bring down to my place to see if there's any WW II US Navy Aviation items you might want to buy from me, since I've been liquidating my WW II Aviation Collection?

Mike

 

Mike,

 

I'm in WA state too and I'm looking as well. I seem to be the only, for the most part, Navy pilot reenactor out there as well. AAF guys don't seem too interested in a USN guy around.

 

JV+

post-9389-1265088350.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

My Dad was a gunner in a TBM Avenger during the War, I'd love to reenact USN Airdale for that. Plus I was a Plane Captain (for Tomcats) LOL.

Thanks

Mark

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The great thing about NavAir living history is you can do it by yourself. Many/most AAF re-enactors do bomber crew and, for that, you need ten +- guys. Most USN flying was done by individuals or two to three man crews.

 

The living history group I belong to, the WWII Airmens Preservation Society, is primarily AAF oriented. My display of survival gear has two parts, AAF and "The Good Guys" - a title that always gets the goat of my fellow members. When Larry Kelly or another bomber owner needs a crew for photos, the gang falls out to play "mannequin men". We can also do a full ground crew and, in fact, have done actual PM on Larry's B-25 as we have a certified A and P mechanic on staff. (Larry's real ground crew loves getting to sit back and watch while we work and the photographers snap away!)

 

Anyhow, if the owner of a USN aircraft needs a period pilot for photos, etc., he is happily (for me) stuck with only one available "dummy" in proper Navy flight gear at the airshow - guess who? My avatar shows the result of exactly that situation. He needed a gunner and I was the only one at the show with USN gear. Tough job but someone had to do it!

 

Anyhow, don't worry about being the only one. In fact, revel in it!

 

Tom :thumbsup:

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Hello

 

Has any one ever heard of someone portraying a WWII USN Plane Captain? That is something I'd consider, seeing as I was a Plane Captain at one time.

Mark

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  • 6 months later...
flight helmets 522
I wonder if you're the collector that my USAAF ReEnactor collector friend from Everett or the Seattle area is supposed to bring down to my place to see if there's any WW II US Navy Aviation items you might want to buy from me, since I've been liquidating my WW II Aviation Collection?

Mike

 

 

That's an impressive flight helmet collection! Can you post individual pics of them?

Phil.

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I'm just inquiring to see if they're any WW II USN Aviation Reenactor groups because I know WW II Navy planes show up at air shows and there's also Navy and Marine Aviation museums in the U. S.

Thanks

Mike

 

 

Funny you should ask Mike. We are as we speak setting up our Naval ground crew section to our ground crew unit. :thumbsup:

 

Scott

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Lightning Ace

Phil

I 'm sorry but I don't think I took individual pictures of my USN helmets but when I finally buy another scanner I'll see if I can find any. The only other items I had were 2 mannequins which I'm enclosing pictures of, one's my USN fighter pilot with an original USS Yorktown fighter pilots seat pack parachute and the other mannequin is my WW II USN Aviation Gunner.post-9389-1289277145.jpgpost-9389-1289277161.jpgpost-9389-1289277177.jpg

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's an impressive flight helmet collection! Can you post individual pics of them?

Phil.

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  • 8 months later...

Well we are doing Navy aviation now too. we have a PV-2D to play with and decided as no one does Navy ground crew we should.

 

Scott

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Well we are doing Navy aviation now too. we have a PV-2D to play with and decided as no one does Navy ground crew we should.

 

Scott

 

Scott,

 

Beat ya! :lol: Reading, 2005. Photo for their brochure.

 

Tom :thumbsup:

post-81-1311089221.jpg

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Ha, Ha we wear our denims and not our HBT's. :P Looking good, man get rid of those damn aprons, those things get way OVERUSED I think reenactors use them more than the WW2 ground crews ever did. :D

 

Scott

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Ha, Ha we wear our denims and not our HBT's. :P Looking good, man get rid of those damn aprons, those things get way OVERUSED I think reenactors use them more than the WW2 ground crews ever did. :D

 

Scott

 

Yeah. We have denims but this was a quick photo op. As for the aprons, we've learned. That photo was six years ago. :)

 

Tom

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Tom we ALL need to do one BIG AAF event and get ALL the ground crews together (if the world is ready for that) and show 'em how it SHOULD look like with more ground crews than aircrews.

 

Scott

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  • 2 weeks later...
VP_Association

post-16247-1312224071.jpg

 

I would not call myself a re-enactor, as I am not, but here's a photo of me wearing some genuine early 1960s vintage USN flight gear at the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaisance Force Reunion held at NAS Jacksonville, FLA during April 2011. The theme at this year's event was the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation so in the spirit of the historical theme I wore an ensemble of vintage flight gear that I picked up in the weeks leading up to the event on eBay. I had served as a P-3 sensor operator with VP-8 back in the early 1980s and the outfit that I wore is what a VP-8 flight crew member would have been wearing back when the squadron got its first P-3As in 1962. I got a lot of attention at the reunion!

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Tom we ALL need to do one BIG AAF event and get ALL the ground crews together (if the world is ready for that) and show 'em how it SHOULD look like with more ground crews than aircrews.

 

Scott

 

Yeah. Take your flightline display with ours and install Larry Kelly's B25 "Panchito". Add your A&P (you) with our A&P (Jerry) and we'll field strip that booger in no time, give it its annual and reassemble it all for the public's cameras. It don't get any better than that! :lol:

 

(Last airshow we did, Larry had us change a bank of plugs on his #1. The guys did something else the previous airshow, but I don't remember what. All work is inspected and gets signed off by Jerry and Larry's own A&P. His crew loves it cause they get to sit back and watch someone else get greasy for a change!)

 

Tom

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