Mid-America Air Museum, Liberal, Kansas

While we were in Liberal, Kansas we also visited the Mid-America Air Museum. Jim took his rollator in but when the lady saw him with it, she offered him one of the scooters that they have for guests. It was a good thing that Jim rode that instead of walking as this place was pretty big and there was a lot of walking. The Museum is also a Harvest Host, which means they allow motor homes, RVs, etc. to park there overnight; no hookups so if you don't mind that, it's a great place to park.

Mid-America Air Museum is home to one of the largest historic aircraft collections in the country.  They have a collection of more than 100 aircraft spans across nearly a century of aircraft design and development.

Most of it is indoors and covers more than 80,000 square feet of exhibit space (hence the scooter), with additional outdoor exhibits on site. Many aircraft gifted to the museum by Colonel Tom A. Thomas, Jr. are on display, along with other donated and loaned models. They house an interesting mix of military, commercial, and homebuilt/experimental aircraft. Specialty exhibits add a pop of variety and additional education on aircraft-related topics. 

Jim on the Scooter

The first exhibit that I encountered when entering was a vertical beam from the World Trade Center from September 11, 2001, which they have on display. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that day. The beam here is displayed as a memorial to these people and to their loved ones.

The bravery and selflessness of the rescuers that day should not be forgotten. This memorial recognizes the healing work done by traumatized survivors, bystanders and a shocked nation. 9/11 changed the world. The memorial was located here because 9/11 accelerated the change in drones from small, unarmed, limited machines (like the one hanging in the museum) to large, armed, capable, machines (like the infamous "Predator" drones). While it's easy to get caught up in the details of the technology, take a moment to reflect on the human cost which helped spur on these advances.

This is just a few of the airplanes that they have on display:

Bachelor's quarters

 

Imagine it was September 17, 1944 ~~ Paris was liberated less than one month ago; German V-2 rockets have begun their attacks on London; the U.S. First Army is crossing the German border near Aachen. The 8th Air Force today sent more than 1200 Liberators and Fortresses over Western Germany to blast railroad yards and other industrial objectives. Liberal Army Air Base trained B-24 Airplane Commanders who were part of this mighty air armada.

Many married officers who underwent flight training in Liberal lived with local families. Bachelors lived on base in quarters (BOQ) like the one above. Officers' quarters were less formal than enlisted barracks. The items in this room appear just as they might have on that day in 1944.

Why does the balloon go up? When the flames heat the air in the balloon, the air molecules move faster, so they take up more room. This means the hot air inside is less dense than the cooler air outside the balloon. Since less dense hot air now fills the balloon, it is lighter. The balloon floats up.

Piper Comanche

The Piper Comanche is a four-seat monoplane released in 1958. This Comanche was flown by Max Conrad when he set three world records. 

Steen Skybolt

This is a homebuilt biplane first flown in 1970. Known primarily as a sport plane, the Skybolt was designed by teacher Lamar Steen. Steen wanted to build a biplane that was aerobatic like the famous Pitts Special, but was also big enough for larger pilots. Once designed by Steen, it was built by his students at Denver's Manual High School.  

For the most part, the plane was built with traditional homebuilding methods. They Skybolt's steel fuselage tubes, wooden wings, and fabric covering allowed Steen to instruct his students in these materials. The student's role in creating the Skybolt also allowed Steen to make sure that it was easy to build. This ease of construction played a key role in the plane's popularity. By the end of the 1970s, the Skybolt held the record as the most common two-person homebuilt plane ever made.

WWI British Scout 

Introduced in April 1917 during the Battle of Arras by the famous 56 squadron of aces (26). It was the first British single-seat fighter to mount two machine guns as standard armament. The British Air Staff threw down the gauntlet to the fledging British aircraft industry. "Build us," they said, "an airplane with speed, maneuverability, and armament superior to the enemy, Germany's Albatross Scouts." 

Subsonox JSX-2 Jet

The Rutan Vari-Eze

This is a well-known homebuilt plane first released in 1975. The construction, design and performance quickly made it popular with attendees at the EAA (Experimental Aviation Museum) Oshkosh Annual Fly-in. Burt Rutan, after seeing his plane's popularity, quickly worked on a version specially meant for homebuilders. Plans for this version were released in 1976, and flyable Vari-Eze's were built the next year, With this, Rutan revolutionized homebuilding.

Early Vari-Eze planes had some major issues, but these did not impede the plane's popularity. Rutan soon moved on to new designs such as the Quickie and the Long-EZ. Though they were very different from their predecessor, these planes all used a canard design.

Curtiss-Wright Junior

The Curtiss-Wright Junior was a light sport plane produced in the early 1930s. Designed as an alternative to the larger and more expensive cabin aircraft of the time, the Junior was marketed mainly to sportsmen pilots and the new fixed-base operator market. As an investment, the Junior was an interesting project for Curtiss-Wright to pursue, as the company would become known for its heavier military and corporate aircraft during this period.

Pietenpol Air Camper

This was an early homebuilt airplane. The Air Camper's designer, Bernard Pietenpol, wanted to create an airplane that could be created and flown by the average enthusiast. Homebuilt and kit planes were already available when the Air Camper was designed, but Pietenpol specifically wanted to use ideas unpopular with homebuilders at the time. He wanted his plane to be easy and cheap enough for anyone interested in building it. Pietenpol experimented with the Air Camper until the 1960s, producing variations such as the Sky Scout, which runs on a Model T. Today Pitenpol is known as the father of homebuilt planes, because he redefined how they could be made.

McCulloch J-2 gyroplane

The gyroplane was developed as a cheaper alternative to helicopters in the post-WWII civilian aviation market. In order to be cheaper than helicopters, the J-2 was built as an autogyro. Both autogyros and helicopters feature rotors, but on autogyros, these rotors are not powered -- instead, they are moved by the natural flow of the wind, providing lift and directional control. Instead of a rotor, a propeller would provide the actual thrust to allow an autogyro to move forward.

Pereira X-28 Osprey

The Osprey was a military light flying boat prototype intended to be used in Vietnam. Originally, George Pereira designed the Osprey 1 for the home-built civilian plane market, but it soon attracted the attention of the military. Because the Osprey 1 was light and fast, it was considered a perfect candidate for Project Air Skimmer. This project aimed to find an ideal plane to serve as a flying police boat in Southeast Asia. Learning to fly the plane was very easy, making it ideal for South Vietnamese Police. However, just before the X-28 entered production, the Vietnam War ended. Project Air Skimmer was closed and the sole X-28 came to this museum.

Cessna 337 Super Skymaster

After the Skymaster was developed, the US Air Force developed a military version, the O-2 Skymaster. This plane served in Vietnam as a replacement for the O-1 Bird Dog. That plane was used to guide bombers as a Forward Air Control plane. 

Rearwin 8135 Cloudster

This was a light plane originally released in 1939. The museum's Cloudster is an 8135T Cloudster, a variant specifically designed for Pan American Airways. At the time, Pan Am was expanding by finding new routes for their popular flying boat flights. The Cloudster was ordered as an instrument trainer for Pan American pilots. The Cloudster was advertised for its performance, look and economy. But apart from a few special orders -- 20 sold to Pan American and 25 sold to Iran -- the plane never really caught on, and production ended before WW2 began.

Bell UH-1 Iroquois

This was one of the most famous helicopters of the Vietnam War, and is better known as the "Huey." In Vietnam, the Huey filled a variety of roles. It could fit up to 14 soldiers when used as a transport, or 6 stretchers when used as a medical evacuation craft. However, because of the danger facing transport helicopters, it became apparent that an escort helicopter was necessary. In the early days of Vietnam, these gunships did not yet exist, so the UH-1C was created to serve as an armed version of the Huey. Unarmed Hueys became known as "Slicks," while armed Hueys were "Cobras." After Vietnam, the Huey continued serving with the US Military for decades, first as front-line copters, and later as utility craft. Worldwide, numerous countries have adopted the Huey, making it one of most globally popular aircraft ever built. Two civilian versions have been used for agriculture, transport and firefighting.

RLU-1 Breezy

The RLU-1 Breezy is a homebuilt aircraft first introduced in 1965. Attempting to return to the basics of flying, the pilots built the Breezy with an open structure. After initially failing to build a gyrocopter, the pilots decided to build a plane that was safe and stable, but had no cockpit or traditional cover. The result, Breezy, didn't look like much but was fun and easy to fly. At the 1965 Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in Breezy was declared the most popular homebuilt design. One of the pilots began offering rides, and attendees soon began requesting plans to build RLU-1s of their own. The only problem was that the Breezy did not have plans. So the creators had to reverse-engineer it in order to make plans available to others. Over 1,000 Breezy plans have been sold. This particular Breezy was owned by Colonel Tom Thomas, and, along with many other planes in this museum, was part of a World Record attempt. On this 65th birthday, Thomas flew 65 different planes in 12 hours.

Staib LB-5

This airplane was a series of small airplanes built by Wilbur Staib. When Staib first began the LB ("Little Bit") series, he was competing against other groups of aircraft designers to create the world's smallest airplane. This race had originated with the team led by Ken Coward, which made the 14-foot long Wee Bee in 1948. That record was later beaten by Staib's main rival, Ray Stits, with the 11-foot long Stits Junior. This plane is the final plane in the SB series, the Staib LB-5 Tiny. Interestingly, the plane was not named for its size, but was named for the nickname Staib gave his wife. 

Beechcraft Staggerwing

This Staggerwing was manufactured in January 1939 at a cost of $29,000. The Staggerwing made its maiden flight on November 4, 1932, and was the first of The Beechcraft Aircraft Company to be put into production in Wichita, Kansas in 1933. Between 1933 and 1949 when the last Staggerwing was manufactured, a total of 785 had been made. Over 270 modified Staggerwing's were initially purchased by the United States Army Air Force. The British Royal Airforce and British Royal Navy purchased 106 planes. The Civil Air Patrol also used this aircraft to patrol the eastern seaboard. This aircraft was used for a variety of functions in the military. Over 16 different countries had purchased this aircraft.

The Radioplane OQ-19 Target Drone

This drone was part of a family of target drones produced during and after WW2. Before the war, Radioplane had developed the US's first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the OQ-1. Throughout the war, Radioplane continued developing new drones, even after it became a division of Northrop. The OQ-19, first tested in 1946, was actually a post-war model. 

All target drones were designed to simulate enemy aircraft from a distance. Because the drones would look and move roughly like approaching aircraft, they would be an ideal training target for anti-aircraft gunners. During practice sessions, the drone would be launched into the air, and then controlled from the ground via a radio box. When the session ended (either because the drone was shot down or because it ran out of fuel), the drones would be recovered via parachute. As the OQ series continued, Radioplane developed drones that were faster and harder to hit. 

Beechcraft 35 Bonanza

The Beechcraft was a post WW2 light civilian airplane designed to make use of design advancements made during the war. The Bonanza was much faster than most of its competitors at the time, and stood out in a crowded market. Among the innovations of the Bonanza are its use of the tricycle gear and its rugged build, allowing it to better land on the many unpaved landing strips in post-war America. The Bonanza's most distinctive feature was its V-tail. However, the tail also contributed to the Bonanza's high initial accident rate. Many of the pilots who could afford the early Bonanzas were professionals like doctors and lawyers, and many of them were used to much simpler designs than the Bonanza. Because of the perceived frequency of crashed by these pilots, the Bonanza earned the nickname "Doctor Killer." This accident rate decreased as trainers became more accustomed to the Bonanza. 

Jato Rockets

Used to gain more power on short take-off and landing in B-47 Stratojet; they were also used on C-130s and various USN seaplanes, including PBM Mariners.

P-51 Mustang

This P-51 is a three-quarter replica of the war bird that flew in World War II. It was flown into Liberal on October 10, 2006.

The B-25 Mitchell Bomber
"America's Answer to Treachery"

The B-25 Mitchell Bomber proved a rugged and versatile weapon, bringing the war to Japan's door. In August 1943, newly arrived in the Pacific War, the 345th Bomb Group, "The Air Apaches," converted  

their B-25s to serve an additional strafer role. By adding eight forward-firing .50 caliber machine guns, the B-25 could literally "dissolve" enemy ships with armor-piercing and incendiary ammunition.

This B-25 is configured as a 345th BG strafer. By war's end, the 345th was credited with sinking 260 Japanese ships and destroying 367 enemy aircraft. This record came at a high cost for these brave Americans: 712 345th BG airmen died and 177 B-25s were lost.

Known as the Doolittle raid, the plan was to strike at Japan to slow down Japan's advance as well as to lift America's morale. A daring idea was adopted to launch Army bombers from a Navy aircraft carrier. Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle was chosen to lead the raid. The B-25 bomber, which normally required 1,500 feet to take off would only have 500 feet on an aircraft carrier. Volunteers were recruited and training began in specially modified B-25s. 

Forced into an early launch from the USS Hornet, 16 bombers led by Doolittle struck at military targets in four Japanese cities. However, the raid caused great confusion and shame among Japanese leaders. Historians believe that the Doolittle raid led to Japan's disastrous decision to attack Midway Island, with the loss of four Japanese aircraft carriers. Of the 80 raiders, 67 were rescued and returned to combat. The Japanese murdered an estimated 250,000 Chinese civilians in reprisal for Chinese help in saving the crews.

Vought F4U Corsair

 

This plane is one of the most famous Naval fighters of WW2. It was originally designed as a carrier-based fighter and saw near constant performance issues and delays. In one instance, when asked how to spin a Corsair, test pilot Boone Guyton only answered "don't." Because the plane also tended to bounce when landing, the Navy initially deemed it unfit for service on a carrier. 

Despite this setback, the Corsair soon found popularity with the Marine Corps. In its debut battle, at Guadacanal in 1942, the plane was soundly outmaneuvered by Japanese Zeroes. This Corsair served in Korea and into the Cold War. The museum's Corsair was designed as a night fighter, it featured a radar on one wing and conical flash suppressors on its cannons. These were used to both attack enemy supply lines and defend friendly lines from enemy raids.

Viking Dragonfly

The Viking Dragon fly was a light kit-plane first flown in 1980. When the Dragon fly was released, canard planes -- planes with two wing, with the back wing being larger and providing more lift -- were very popular with homebuilders. The Dragonfly is a variation of the canard plane because it uses two wings, but both are roughly the same size and provide equal lift. This canard variation is sometimes called a tandem-wing design. 

Beechcraft 2000A Starship

The Starship was the first civilian aircraft with a pressurized carbon-filter fuselage to be certified by the FAA in 1988. The Starship was the first modern U.S. built production civil aircraft with a forward wing (or canard) and the first passenger turboprops with pusher propellers. The Starship was a high-performance, stall-free aircraft, competitive in speed to small business jets. 

The Starship was one of the largest and most advanced business aircraft programs ever attempted, with the cost exceeding $350 million or $50,000 per aircraft with only 53 aircraft ever produced. Starships were tarred as "hanger queens," and was hard to sell airplanes that had a reputation of being a "lemon." Although considered a commercial failure, the Starship project, for those who worked on it remains the experience of a lifetime.

Despite the innovation and advanced technology, the Starship faced challenges with maintenance cost, market acceptance, and overall appeal of its unique design. Today, the Beechcraft Starship remains a collector's item and a symbol of ambitious aviation engineering.