Biggest Little Air Show
By Jay Smith
As modelers, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to fly our aircraft at some historic sites. Places such as Piper Field in Pennsylvania, Torrey Pines near San Diego, and the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio are a few that come to mind.
For the last four years, a partnership between the Pacific Aviation Museum, the Birds of Paradise Air Show Team, and the Paradise Flyers Radio Control Club has made it possible to fly RC models as part of the Biggest Little Air Show on Ford Island, Hawaii. The island is located in the middle of Pearl Harbor and was named after Dr. Seth Porter Ford, a physician who owned the island in the mid-1800s.
History of Ford Island
In 1917 the island became the home of Luke Field, named in honor of World War I pilot Frank Luke. The famous aviator Amelia Earhart was on the island in March 1937; while on her first attempt to circumnavigate the globe, she ground-looped her Lockheed Electra on takeoff at Luke Field, delaying her attempt.
Ford Island is best known for being in the center of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Thirty-three of the 70 aircraft on the ground at Ford Island were destroyed in the attack. Despite this, the air base remained operational throughout the fateful day.
Although Luke Field was deactivated as an air base in 1962, several buildings, hangars, and the control tower still remain, many of which bear the scars of the attack. These landmarks can be seen in the movies Tora! Tora! Tora! and Pearl Harbor. Hangars 37 and 79 and the control tower make up the Pacific Aviation Museum. Its mission is to develop and maintain an internationally recognized aviation museum on Ford Island that educates people of all ages, honors aviators and their support personnel who defended freedom in the Pacific region, and preserves Pacific aviation history.
The museum houses excellent artifacts along with aircraft, photographs, and a wealth of information about the island. The only thing lacking was the ability to hold an air show, because Ford Island no longer has an active runway. The partnership between the modelers and the museum allows some lucky modelers to fly aircraft again from this historic site, with the potential to educate and entertain more than 2,500 spectators during the two-day event.
The 2011 Biggest Little Air Show
The 2011 Biggest Little Air Show, held on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21, was well planned and staffed by a large number of volunteers. Although model flying was the main focus of the event, the museum had a live band performing and several vendors and organizations in attendance. Mark Goodin and his team did an excellent job handling all the flying and displays.
The event opened at 10 a.m. and closed at 4 p.m., but participants arrived early to ensure they were ready to start on time and stayed late for wrap-up meetings both days. Pilots were provided a roster showing pilot order and flight times. Mark made sure everyone was aware that down time between flights needed to be kept to a minimum to keep the crowd's attention.
Each day the show started with a presentation of the colors. Flights began with an aerobatic opening, followed by several World War II fighter aircraft. Scale and 3-D helicopters gave attendees a break from the fixed-wing aircraft while the jets were prepared for flight. Turbine jets never fail to impress with their looks, incredible flight characteristics, and sound, and this weekend was no different; many spectators stood and looked skyward in amazement.
The show closed with a candy drop from airplanes and helicopters, to the delight of a large number of children who scrambled to find the sugary treats that littered the ground.
Throughout the show, roughly 80 aircraft were on display. Spectators were able to get a good look at them and ask the pilots questions. The announcers provided a wealth of information about the aircraft flown, as well as biographies for each of the pilots.
Personal Experiences and Tours
I had the opportunity to meet the Pacific Aviation Museum's Executive Director, Kenneth DeHoff. Ken is not only a modeler but also a decorated combat veteran who flew Cobra helicopters in Vietnam. He graciously gave me a tour of the administrative offices at the museum and the opportunity to climb to the top of the 158-foot control tower to take some photographs.
It was definitely a highlight of my trip to be in the control tower, which was undergoing a full restoration. It offered an excellent view of the flying and the island, not to mention the USS Arizona Memorial and the battleship USS Missouri, both of which I was fortunate to visit before attending the air show.
Also at the event was Lawrence Tougas, AMA's District X vice president, who has supported the event since taking office. Lawrence is a lifelong modeler and full-scale pilot. The Biggest Little Air Show was a great opportunity to spend some time discussing modeling.
On Sunday afternoon I took part in an Aviator's Tour of the museum with a veteran docent who took me through Hangar 37, Hangar 79, and the Restoration Area. During the tour I had the chance to see all of the aircraft on display and got an idea of what life was like on the island before the war. I was also given an overview of the major battles of the Pacific.
Two hours later I had a better appreciation of Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, and the war in the Pacific that raged in the air and on the sea. A quick trip through the museum store had me wanting to buy more things than I could fit in my suitcase for the flight home.
In three short days I had the opportunity to meet some great people while in Hawaii. Ken DeHoff, Anne Murata, and the staff and volunteers of the Pacific Aviation Museum were wonderful. The Paradise Flyers Radio Control Club provided me with a club hat, which I proudly wore on Sunday. The club members were as appreciative of my attendance as I was of their hospitality. Thank you to Mark Goodin, Duke Chung, Mark Malczon, Wyatt Heine, Herve Lejeune, and the rest of the pilots who attended the event.
Before boarding the airline for the long flight home to Indiana, I made a stop at Hobbietat, the only hobby shop left in Honolulu, and had a chance to meet the owners, Butch and Paula Farm. They have run the shop for 36 years. Having worked in a hobby shop myself, I can appreciate the challenges they face and try to support hobby shops whenever I can.
If you find yourself looking for an event to attend in August that combines airplanes, history, beautiful beaches, nice weather, and friendly people, I highly recommend the Biggest Little Air Show and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Aloha!
—Jay Smith [email protected]
Sources
- Pacific Aviation Museum
(808) 441-1000 www.pacificaviationmuseum.org
- Paradise Flyers RC Club
- Hobbietat
(808) 737-9582 www.hobbietat.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
