WWII Morale Boosters

From the collection of the Virginia Aviation Museum (a division of the Science Museum of Virginia) are two World War II era morale boosters for troops. These booklets provided entertainment for those serving overseas during the war. The “Army Song Book” was published in 1941 by the Library of Congress and contains well-known songs such as “America the Beautiful” and the “Star Spangled Banner”. It also includes the official song of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Here is an excerpt:

"Off we go into the wild blue yonder,

Climbing high into the sun;

Here they come zooming to meet our thunder,

At 'em boys, give 'er the gun!

Down we dive spouting our flame from under,

Off with one helluva roar!

We live in fame or down in flame;

Nothing'll stop the Army Air Corps!"

And for some much needed comic relief from the stresses of war, the booklet titled "The Scrapbook of Army-Navy Humor" provided just that. It was published in 1943 by Texcel Tellophane Tape and is a compiliation of funny stories, jokes and cartoons depicting life in the service. The caption of the cartoon at left reads: "Can't you hover somewhere else? It makes me nervous!"

Great Backyard Bird Count

Hazel Erikson, TN, GBBC 2010

What is it?  The Great Backyard Bird Count engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds over a 4-day period.  This annual bird population survey creates a real-time snapshot of bird populations throughout the US and Canada and helps researchers better understand birds and their behavior.

Who can do it?  You can!  Anyone may participate.  You may count birds for as little as 15 minutes or for as long as you like each day of the event.

When is it?  This weekend - Friday, February 18 through Monday, February 21.

Where do I count?  Anywhere!  Birds are all around us - your backyard, a park, a farm, or the city.  You may go to a particular place to count or you may count wherever you happen to be.

How do I report my count?  Go to the Great Backyard Bird Count website "How to Participate" page - all you need to know is there: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html

Enjoy your weekend and happy counting!

Get to Know Virginia Aviation History: The Roma Disaster

Recently I discovered a scrapbook at the Virginia Aviation Museum. Glued inside a bound ledger of the “Southern Fire Insurance Company, Inc. of Lynchburg, VA”, were newspaper clippings spanning from the early 1920s to the late 1930s describing various advancements and events in the progress of aviation technology. Eighty-two of the pages are filled with descriptions of Amelia Earhart, the Zeppelin, and Byrd’s Antarctic Expedition (even with a photo of the Stars and Stripes!). In addition, a few pages were devoted completely to the Roma disaster that occurred over the Norfolk Army base in 1922.

The Roma was a dirigible, or a lighter-than-air airship, that was purchased by the US Army from the Italian government in 1921. The ship was taken apart and shipped to Langley Field, Virginia where its steel skeleton and fabric exterior reassembled. The airship was able to fly at 60 miles per hour and was the largest semi-rigid dirigible at that time at 410 feet long and 90 feet in diameter. An interior gas bag filled with hydrogen gas kept it in air. The Army made three successful test flights with the Roma before disaster stuck.

On February 21st, 1922, the crew made a fourth test flight and flew for forty-five minutes without incident. They flew from Langley Field to Hampton, to Newport News, and finally to Norfolk. It was above Norfolk that the rudder (a device that allows for control over the direction of the nose of the airplane) malfunctioned. The exact cause of the rudder’s failure was never determined other than that it, in most simple terms, structurally failed. This failure caused the nose to dip downward, causing the Roma to descend slowly. Because of this slow glide, there may not have been such a catastrophe had the ship not touched electrical wires. However, the contact with the electricity caused the hydrogen in the ship to explode as well as the gasoline tanks. Thirty-four of the forty-five man crew would perish in the accident over the Norfolk base.

This was the last dirigible used by the US Army, and the last time hydrogen was used in dirigibles. This scrapbook documents the worst and most deadly aircraft accident the US military had seen at that time and an important, but unfortunate moment in Virginia Aviation history.

[Top photo courtesy the National Museum of the US Air Force. http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/]

It's not a Parachute, it's an Improvised Shade Hat!

In sixth grade my teacher gave us a scenario. We were stuck in the desert and could only have one item for rescue- what would we use? He gave us a list, from which I believe I picked a broken radio (I was optimistic-maybe I could fix it?). But the right answer was a mirror. A mirror could be used to signal your location when it reflected sunlight. That idea has always stuck with me and I always keep a mirror nearby in case….I’m ever stuck in the desert, or have something stuck in my teeth.

But what if you only had a parachute? While cataloging items in our collection I found this booklet printed by the US Army Air Forces in February of 1945. Titled “Emergency Uses of the Parachute” it details just that. Inside are some ingenious uses for something every aviator has, the parachute!

Here are some examples:

1. Trade some of your chute for food: Many people value the quality of the silk. But be thrifty, don’t give it all away for a small meal!
2. Use it as a signal: tie parts of the parachute over a stream to show your location if you are in an area with a lot of trees.
3. Make a slingshot: a portion of the harness of the chute is used as the sling which is tied to the elastic cord from the parachute pack, which is then tied to a single bent rod from the pack frame wire.
4. And my favorite, the Improvised Shade Hat: Using the metal frame and canvas from the cover of the pack make a brim, then make the crown of the hat with the cloth. And for extra comfort, “to promote coolness, stuff wadded grass or cloth in the crown”.

These are just a few of some of the clever ways that aviators were trained to survive should they find themselves in an emergency situation.

Question of the Week

The 1903 Wright Flyer was the first successful manned, heaver-than-air, fully controllable, powered airplane.  On Dec. 17, 1903, at Kill Devils Hills, N.C., one of them flew the famous first flight. Which brother flew first?  How long was he in the air and how far did he fly?

The Wrights made three additional flights that day.  Who flew the final flight?  How long was he in the air and how far did he fly?
 
Come to the Science Museum of Virginia to see the Wright Flyer reproduction now on display, celebrating the opening of the film Legends of Flight in the IMAX®Dome on November 6, 2010.

Answer:  Orville Wright made the first flight on December 17, 1903.  He flew 120 feet in 12 seconds. Also on that historic day, the Wright brothers made 3 additional flights.  On the final flight, Wilbur flew 852 feet in 59 seconds.

They were ingenious but also very brave. How do you think they felt before they flew? How about after?