----- Forwarded message from Albert K Lark -----
>From kd4sff@juno.com Mon Jun 9 21:07:04 1997
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Date: Mon, 9 Jun 1997 21:57:42 EDT
Subject: Re: Great B-29 Effort/QST Article!
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From: kd4sff@juno.com (Albert K Lark)
Dear Paul,
Fred and I also enjoyed the SAC article in May's QST. I found the
history of the SAC and involvement with amateur radio quite fascinating.
I believe the timing of the various articles were ideal for the 50th
anniversary of the Air Force. We are delighted that you are going to
operate amateur radio from the Mighty Super fortress. I'm sure the old
girl,Fifi, will welcome your efforts!
I am honored that I may somehow assist you in your noteworthy event!
........................................................................................................................................................................................
- Coordination with airport officials regarding transmitter operation
and RFI risks.
We were very lucky in that Jim Stewart, WA4MVI, is not only the B-24
pilot of "Diamond Lill", he is also the Chief air traffic controller
and FAA at GSP airport.
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
- Useful station configurations, including antennas, on or near the
B-29
aircraft (we're not likely to actually fly in it this time, but some
more information about that would also be welcome).
We setup an outside station that supported our HF antenna mounted up 15
ft., which was a Cushcraft R5 vertical. We used a Kenwood TS-450 SAT
running 100 watts, powered by a 73 AH gel cell. Our coax ran about 150
feet to our structure set up in the grass. Airports can generate a lot
of wind, both from mother nature and airplanes. So it is imperative that
your antenna structure is secure. We certainly didn't want to watch our
structure shoot down Fifi! (We also had a small haylon fire extinguisher
handy with the radio)
You could setup a tripod, weighted down, to support a similar antenna, or
a small beam. Hopefully they will set her near some grass. To avoid
excessive RF exposure, you need to make sure it is located far enough
from the general public, though I believe hams enjoy the stuff. You will
also want to take lots of photos. and a video of your special event.
I operated a 2 meter HT with a rubber duck attached to a Radio Shack coax
window mount extension. I wore a head set and used a mike, because of
the noise. I also powered the HT and an amplified speaker from a 7 AH gel
cell I located the antenna at the rear scanners bubble window. Worked
great! I had someone video the QSO's. Make sure you gain the captains
permission before you operate. (I hope they let you take a ride!!!!!)
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................
- Interacting with the general public (what kinds of questions will
be
asked, how best to answer them, etc.)
You will want to contact Rosalie White at the ARRL EAD to receive some
free pamphlets. The only cost involved is the postage. This will be an
excellent time to introduce the general public to amateur radio and the
SACMARC.
..................................................................................................................................................................................
- Interacting with the media (they may be there as a result of our
publicity, or for the static display in general) (what kinds of
questions will be asked, how best to answer them, etc.)
You will want to make a banner for your special event station. Color ink
jet printers do a wonderful job. I used the program Print Shop Deluxe to
create ours. I then mounted it on cardboard, and covered it with
plastic. (in case of rain... knock on wood, it won't be needed) Attach
it to a table with someone handing out your amateur radio pamphlets.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................
- Operating on the air (balancing communicating and serving an
education/publicity purpose, including setting a good example for
amateur radio vs. working a contest-like pileup to appease QSL card
collectors)
I'm sure you will have a pileup. It's GREAT to be on the receiving end
for a change! We would first call CQ several times telling about our
special event, then wait for the calls. We had one person keeping the
log and trying to pick out the calls, while another operated the radio.
A third took video and still photos. When the pileup slows down, just
call CQ and tell of operating from Fifi for your terrific 50th
Anniversary. Air Force air show, and the pileups will appear again!
You will want to wear light clothing, and have plenty of refreshments on
hand - lots of cold water! The first day we operated in the back of
Fifi, sitting at the right rear gunners window. It was very hot, we would
take turns operating and then get outside the craft to cool down. The
CAF may let you operate from the radio operators position before the
public begins touring the plane.
I will send you some photos, full article, sample QSL etc. via the mail
from our special event. At the end of this
msg. I will include the full article.
We wish all of you the very best of luck with your adventure, and I know
the effort your putting forth will be greatly appreciated. Fred and I
will hopefully be able to operate your fantastic special event.. Please
let us know when and where you will be operating. If you have any
shortage of operators, Fred and I live close to Donaldson here in
Greenville- just get us a ride on cargo plane, or F-16, and we'll be more
than happy to lend a hand!!
Have a GREAT TIME & Blue Skies!
73,
Al Lark - KD4 Super Flying Fortress
Experimenters Group ARC
301 Shannon Dr.
Greenville, SC 29615-1814
kd4sff@amsat.org
(864) 322-0003
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Hamming it Up" Aboard the B-29
Superfortress "Fifi"
By: Fred Tuck Jr. "WD4KTI" and Al Lark "KD4SFF"
".....Mostly cloudy today... with a 60% chance of thunderstorms",
announced the voice from the National Weather Service over the radio.
This
was definitely not the forecast we wanted for the first day of our
planned two
day special event operation. For the past two months, the members of the
"Experimenter's Group Amateur Radio Club", had been planning to operate a
very
special, "Special Event Station". Operation was to be from the last
flying
Boeing B-29 bomber, named "Fifi", to commemorate "National Young Eagles
Day"
on June 8 and 9, 1996.
The idea was sparked several months earlier, during a casual
conversation
between Club President, Al Lark, "KD4SFF" and fellow club member, Jim
Stewart,
"WA4MVI". It ignited plans for a very special event that would launch
the
membership into another exciting, worthwhile project. Colonel Jim
Stewart is
also a member of "The Confederate Air Force", which maintains and
exhibits
vintage aircraft, as part of their "Flying Museum". Three historic WW II
airplanes were coming this June to Stevens Aviation, located at the GSP
(Greenville/Spartanburg) International Airport, in South Carolina. Jim
would
be Captain of the oldest flying B-24 Liberator, "Diamond Lil". Joining
her
would be a B-25 Mitchell, "Yellow Rose" and the Confederate Air Force's
pride
and joy, the last flying B-29 Superfortress, "Fifi". These planes would
be on
display, during the week of "National Young Eagles Day", which was June
8th.
The "Young Eagles" program is sponsored by the "Experimental Aircraft
Association", to interest youth in aviation. One way they accomplish
this, is
by having pilots give children free airplane rides. Afterwards, a
certificate
is issued to "log" their adventure. Al suggested operating a "Ham Radio
Special Event Station", because of the large number of kids expected to
attend. Jim said that he had thought of doing that in the past, but was
kept
too busy. In addition to his duties as senior air traffic controller at
GSP
International Airport, he would be helping the Confederate Air Force.
Then Al
seized the opportunity to volunteer the services of the Experimenter's
Group
ARC. This would be an excellent occasion to interest youth in Ham Radio,
fulfilling one of the club's main goals. Jim graciously agreed, and
thought
that history could be made, by operating from within the mighty
"Superfortress", using Al's
callsign, "Kilo Delta Four Super Flying Fortress".
The rest of the club members eagerly backed this idea and proceeded
to
plan and prepare for the upcoming special event. Arrangements had been
made
to set up the station on Friday afternoon, June 7th. Thunderstorms put a
halt
to that! This meant leaving everything to the last minute, early
Saturday
morning. Saturday brought more concern, with a bleak weather forecast
and
gloomy skies. After 7:00 a.m. phone calls between anxious members, it
was
agreed that they would try setting up the station, anyway. Fred,
"WD4KTI" and
Joe, "N9FTV" would bring their gear to Al's house and load up the
station.
>From there, the three of them would head to the airport. That's where
they
would meet Ron, "KD4RSM" and Melvin, "NQ4N" (armed with his camera).
Upon arrival, we began to assemble the outside ham shack. Al had
designed and fabricated it out of electrical conduit and power-strut
channel.
As we unloaded Al's van and started this laborious project, Bill,
"WB4TBF"
showed up, just in time to lend a helping hand. Four conduit posts, one
in
each corner, had a TV mast inside of them. The antennas would later be
mounted to these masts, and raised up, 15 feet above the ground. The
posts
were supported by two sets of channel. Strapped to the upper set of
channel,
would be a tarp canopy; while the lower set held a large, 4 by 10 foot,
operating table.
Once the structure was finished, the VHF and UHF antennas could be
put
into place. After all, it was VHF contest weekend, and we intended to
take
full advantage of the increased number of stations, expected to be
active, on
VHF/UHF bands. On one of the corner masts, we attached a 4 element yagi,
for
2 Meter operations, and on another, an 11 element antenna, for 70 cm.
Both
antennas were mounted for horizontal polarity, since we felt most
stations
would be operating SSB, for the contest weekend. Then, we set up the HF
antenna, a Cushcraft R5 vertical. Next, the VHF/UHF radios, a Kenwood
TR-751A
and TR-851A, were hooked up to a Yuasa 73 Ah gel cell. Immediately, Bill
and
Ron started operating the station, from which several contacts were made
that
day, on 144.24 and 432.1 MHz.
Saturday's HF operation was conducted from the pressurized center
section
of the B-29, just behind the bomb bays, in the right gunner's position.
Jim
came by to show us how to attach the ladder, to the right rear hatch of
the
bomber; so we could gain access to our operating position. After setting
up
the HF rig, a Kenwood TS-450S/AT, we connected another Yuasa 12 volt 73
Ah gel
cell for power. Fastened to the radio was approximately 250 feet of
RG-8,
running out the rear hatch, and across the airport tarmac, to the HF
antenna.
The B-29's were the primary aircraft used against Japan, in WW II,
because of
its long range bombing capability. Hence, we thought of this irony, as
we
positioned the Japanese manufactured equipment aboard. It also reminded
us of
the change for the better, that has occurred in the last 50 years, and of
the
goodwill, that now exists, between our two countries.
The HF operation began by checking our previously announced
frequency of
14.29 MHz on 20 meters. Finding it occupied, we tuned down the band to
14.285
MHz. After several calls, to inquire if the frequency was clear, Al made
the
first CQ call. He identified the station as a special event station,
operating from aboard the last flying B-29. It did not take long, for
the
pile up to begin! As soon as we gave out the information, that we were
operating from within "Fifi", many more stations began calling. It
became
increasingly more difficult, to pick a callsign out. Fortunately, we
always
operated with at least two men. One took charge of the radio and made
the
contacts. The other helped in picking out the callsigns, and kept a log
of
sequential QSO numbers. Even with two people working, sometimes we could
get
only partial calls, and would have to ask the stations to repeat. All of
us
took turns operating and logging, the contacts, as it was probably close
to
110 degrees in the aircraft, with near 100% humidity. Each operator
would
work 20 or so stations, pass the mike to the next person, and scramble
out of
the hatch to get a breath of cooler air.
The exhibit did not open to the general public, until 10 a.m. This
meant, we were able to operate, for about 90 minutes, prior to people
being
admitted to the area. Once the gates opened, many families arrived. The
crowd ranged from those who had probably seen the B-29, when it was new
in
1944, to 5 and 6 year olds, who were just fascinated by airplanes. It
seemed
like there were children everywhere, and nearly every group carried at
least
one camera. Those that toured "Fifi" could catch a glimpse of us
actively
making QSO's.
Throughout the contacts, many stations would reminisce about their
memories of the WW II aircraft. Some had been crew members, mechanics,
and
yes, even some had piloted the B-29 and other planes, during WW II. All
were
eager to hear about the last B-29 still flying. It was enjoyable to talk
with
the hams and hear their interesting stories. In all, over 100 stations
participated in our special event that day.
Saturday's operation went pretty much as we had planned - with one
exception ... the weather. In the distance, stormy, dark skies had been
observed all day. At 1:30 p.m. the decision to shut down was made, due
to the
advance of a line of thunderstorms, with heavy lightning. We quickly
packed
the operations up from inside the plane and outside, at the VHF/UHF
station.
Lowering all the antennas, we rushed to secure everything for overnight.
We
succeeded in getting everything done, just minutes before the storm hit.
Time
to head for home, get some food, and take a hot shower.
"National Young Eagles Day" would come to a close, with a dinner
and
dance, planned for that night. It would be held in an aircraft hanger at
Stevens Field. Stevens Aviation and the Confederate Air Force had teamed
up
to host this fund raiser. The proceeds from the event would help offset
the
cost of the fuel consumed that day, in giving over 425 kids, free
airplane
rides. The theme for this gala, was the decade of the 40's, and many had
planned to "dress up" in attire from that time. Being moved into the
hanger
for the evening was "Diamond Lil", the B-24 Liberator. Also featured,
was a
live Big Band that would play the popular tunes of the era. Al, and his
wife
Sue; accompanied by her parents and grandmother, who came down from Ohio
for
the special event, attended the affair. Al wore his grandfather's First
Lieutenant, Army uniform, and received many wonderful compliments on his
outfit. For a good number of folks there, the uniform brought back lots
of
memories. Al said they all had a great time and enjoyed the nostalgic
music.
However, he did confess that he couldn't eat too much, because the
uniform was
a little tight!
On Sunday morning, we met early, again, at the airport. This time
it was
in order to inspect the shack. The previous afternoon's storm had been
severe
- complete with high winds, heavy rain, and lightning. Our shelter and
antennas were all intact and in good shape. Unfortunately, the
concession
tent located next to us, did not survive the storm. It was now upside
down,
and on the ground. There were several large holes in the fabric and the
support poles were bent. To start, we set about raising the antennas.
Our
goal was to get the HF operation back on the air, first. Jim also had
promised us a tour, of the B-29 cockpit, this morning. To our surprise,
he
had arranged for us to operate from the actual radio operator's position.
This is located in the rear cockpit area, directly behind the flight
engineer's position!
Meanwhile, Fred was busy shooting video of "Fifi," and of a C - 130
during its preflight check, before transporting National Guard troops to
Texas. The rest of us, Joe, Bill, Al and Bob, (Sue's dad) were waiting
for
two Colonels, from the National Guard, to finish visiting the cockpit.
Al was
wearing "Pap's", (his grandfather) World War II First Lieutenant's
uniform at
the time. The Sergeant, with his men, walked past Al to admire the
Superfortress, since their plane wasn't ready to take off, yet. Al said
to
the Sergeant, "I do believe you forgot to salute a superior officer!"
The
Sergeant gave Al a double take. Then, he gave Al a half-hearted salute,
along
with a big grin. Al returned his salute, standing straight at attention
and
very formal, stating, "I'll let you slide this time... just don't let it
happen again!" The Sergeant, along with his men, and everyone else, sure
had
a good laugh!
It did not take long, to establish the HF operation at the radio
operator's table, after our tour. Today, we routed the coax down through
the
hatch, behind the nose gear. Otherwise, the set up was identical to that
of
the day before. In a matter of minutes, we were back on the air. Al was
first to the mike, and tuned the rig to 14.29 MHz. After checking to see
if
the frequency was clear, he began calling: "CQ, CQ, CQ... this is Kilo
Delta
Four Super Flying Fortress" from the radio operator's position aboard the
last
flying B-29 "Fifi"." A station from Florida, returned his call. Then,
Al
knew the band was finally open to Florida. So, he spoke of wearing his
grandfather's uniform and of the receiver, that he had sent his mother.
Al had built two TEN-TEC 20 meter SSB Receivers, for his parents.
It was
his hope, that they would be able to hear the special event station,
operating
over the week-end. He had mailed the first one to his father, in
Cleveland,
Ohio. Al's dad had served in the Army's Signal Corps, during the Korean
War,
as Chief High Speed Radio Operator. The second radio was delivered to
his
mother and grandfather, who share a home in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Once again, our CQ calls were answered with a multitude of replies.
Jim,
"WA4MVI" even found the time, to answer a few of the calls, himself.
Even
though the operation Sunday, was again cut short by thunderstorms, we
deemed
the event a success. Well over 150 contacts, total, were made. Many of
the
general public were exposed to amateur radio, who otherwise, may not have
been. Everyone got to see some wonderful examples of vintage aircraft.
Additionally, the members of the Experimenter's Group Amateur Radio Club
had
a very nice weekend, doing something they really enjoy - ham radio!
Al later shared with the club, another humorous incident, that tied
into
this week-end's events. He told us that he had received a strange phone
call
Sunday evening. The caller stated, "St. Pete's been invaded.... the
radio
operator didn't decipher the message in time!!" It was Al's mother. She
had
heard a station over the air called "Super Flying Fortress", telling of
wearing his grandfather's uniform. Then something about it being itchy
and
very warm, being made of wool. Lastly, operating in the hot cockpit,
from the
radio operator's position, inside of Fifi. She was reading to Al the
notes,
she had taken, during the day. Al's mother had been listening all
Sunday, to
the TEN-TEC Receiver and had been writing down everything she had heard,
over
the air. At the time of this particular conversation, she hadn't
realized
that it was Al. About an hour later, while reviewing her notes, it hit
her!
That had to have been her son!! She told Al, that she didn't recognize
his
voice. Al laughed and told her the SSB receiver must have been tuned off
frequency, slightly, and that would have affected the pitch of his voice.
He
was certainly delighted that his mother and grandfather "Pap", had heard
him!
He also told them about the episode with the Sergeant. Then they,
especially
"Pap", had a good laugh about it, too!
This could be a suitable ending to our tale, except for perhaps, the
mailing of the QSL certificates. But... it did not end here!! Al had
taken
the day off, Monday, due to a sore muscle. It was still quite early,
when Jim
Stewart called, with the news that the WW II aircraft were flying out,
that
morning. They were headed for the next exhibit, in Asheville, North
Carolina.
And - the unexpected bonus - there was a slight possibility, he could get
Al a
seat, aboard one of the planes! Be there 9:00 a.m. sharp, he advised Al.
Well, Al figured, even if a ride doesn't pan out, he could at least see
the
great planes take-off! So, he told Jim, he would be right over. Before
leaving, Al made some quick phone calls, to a few friends, to tell them
he
might be operating "aeronautical mobile", this morning. Then, Al grabbed
some
radio gear, and he was out of the house. Reaching the airfield before
9:00
a.m., Al was hoping, against hope, that he could hitch a historic ride.
Upon
finding Jim, Al was told that he didn't have a seat, yet. But, since Jim
was
still working on it, Al should go over by the grass and wait....
It was nearly 10:00 a.m., when Jim told Al that he had a seat. Not
just
any seat! Somehow, Jim had managed to get Al a seat in the back of
"Fifi"!!
All Al had to do, was go over to the B-29 and fill out some papers.
After
signing the release forms and kissing his wife, Sue, good-by, Al joined
the
crew and passengers, in front of the plane. Soon, in-flight instructions
would be given by the pilot, Col. Steve Keller. To Al's great amazement
and
total surprise, Steve introduced Col. Robert K. Morgan, to the group.
Col.
Keller added, "Colonel Morgan, here, will be flying "Fifi" this morning,
and
will show us how its done!" As Al listened, he learned that Col. Bob
Morgan
was the famous pilot of the B-17 Flying Fortress, "Memphis Bell". Also,
to his credit, was the fact that: he was the pilot of "Dauntless Dotty",
which lead the first, and extremely successful, B-29 bombing raid over
Tokyo,
Japan, on November 24, 1944. Needless to say, Al was completely thrilled
to
be aboard, this particular flight!!
Before boarding the plane, Al gained the Captain's permission to
operate
his 2 meter HT from the back of the B-29. Which, incidentally, was the
same
location we had operated from, on Saturday. Then Al proceeded to set up
his
station - an Alinco DJFIT/HP, 2 meter HT, (tuned to 146.49 MHz) a Yuasa 7
Ah
gel cell, and a Smiley 5/8-SLD-2 rubber duck. As each engine started,
the
rumbling of the plane increased. Anxiously, Al awaited take off. Once
the
plane lifted off the runway, and seat belts could be unbuckled, Al moved
into
position, by the gunner's bubble window. He began calling: "CQ, CQ, CQ
...
this is Kilo Delta Four Super Flying Fortress / Aeronautical Mobile /
QRP...
from the Last Flying B-29 "Fifi"!" Al listened, and heard a faint voice
return his call: "KD4 Super Flying Fortress... this is Kilo Echo Four
Papa
Yankee Lima / QRP. My name is Tara. I'm in my Fifth grade classroom at
Upward Elementary School in East Flatrock, North Carolina!!" Al gave
Tara
Contact # 001. Looking out the window, Al told Tara and her classmates,
about
the beautiful view he had of the mountains, from up there. "Flying, next
to
us, is the Liberator... flown by my friend, Jim", Al continued. "Col.
Robert
K. Morgan of the "Memphis Bell" is flying the plane I'm in!!!" Of
course,
their conversation astounded her teacher and classmates! Fred, "WD4KTI"
obtained contact #002, from his ham shack at home. While sitting in his
car,
Ron, "KD4RSM" made a "mobile contact" for #003. As the planes flew in
formation, first circling Hendersonville, NC and then Asheville, Al spoke
with several other stations. After being aloft for about twenty minutes,
the
B-29 made a perfect landing at the Asheville Airport.
Therefore, two certificates, will now be issued by the
Experimenter's
Group ARC. The first is the "National Young Eagles Day"/B-29
commemorative
certificate/QSL. These will be sent to the stations that were successful
in
contacting us, on June 8th and 9th. Al will, also, be creating a very
special
QSL for those stations lucky enough to have worked the last flying B-29
bomber, aeronautical mobile. Both of these events were the first, and
very
well, may be the last, amateur radio operations from this legendary
aircraft.
While an event such as this, is a lot of fun; it also requires
planning,
scheduling, promoting, and a lot of hard work. Our thanks go out to Ron
-
KD4RSM, Melvin - NQ4N (photographer), Bill - WB4TBF, Joe - N9FTV (QSL
mgr.),
Fred - WD4KTI (video), Al - KD4SFF, and his father-in-law, Bob
(photographer).
And a very special thanks to Jim - WA4MVI; Col. Robert K. Morgan,
and the crew of "Fifi", including: Pilot, Col. Steve
Keller (727 Captain for Continental); Co-pilot, Col. Jerry Shockey (727
Captain for Delta); Flight Engineer, Col. Mike Looney; APU operator,
Col.
Johnny Mouton; and Rear Scanners, Col. Blackie Blackburn and Col. Frank
Carrigan; for making it all possible. And of course, thanks to our
families
and bosses, for allowing us the time, to promote and enjoy amateur radio!
We would like to Dedicate our Historic Special Event to:
"Pap" First Lieutenant, Kenneth H. Hugland / US Army
November 7, 1911 - June 21, 1996
and all the other
"Courageous Veterans of WW II "
----- End of forwarded message from Albert K Lark -----
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