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7/26/2018 0 Comments

Dare County Regional Airport: History and Museum

The Dare County Regional Airport on the north end of Roanoke Island, where OBX Airplanes operates its air tours, has a very rich history dating back to before World War II. There is small but detailed museum dedicated to the history of the airport located inside the west end of the main terminal building. On display inside the museum’s two rooms are photographs, documents, uniforms, models and artifacts that bring to life the airport’s storied past. 

The Wright Brothers may be the most famous aviators to have flown in Dare County, but their fame does not mean we should overlook the brave pilots that flew out of Manteo during World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S. Navy realized it needed an air base near Cape Hatteras and considered building one on the Cape itself. However, Dare County had already begun construction of a publicly owned airport on the north end of Roanoke Island, so the Navy decided to make this their base of operations. 

Civil Air Patrol Base 16

On July 27, 1941 a mass flight of Civil Air Patrol aircraft from all over North Carolina descended on Roanoke Island. Historically, Civil Air Patrol Units were comprised of private citizens and private aircraft from all over the Country, but not the Civil Air Patrol based in Manteo. 95% of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Base 16’s pilots came from North Carolina.

The mission of CAP Base 16 was to patrol the waters off the Outer Banks looking for wrecks and the German U-boats that were harassing U.S. Convoys. It was a dangerous job. The single engine planes flew twenty to forty miles offshore, often in hazardous weather conditions and with spotty radio contact. Two pilots from the Manteo base were lost in action while serving their country.

VF-17 F4U Corsair Squadron “Jolly Rogers”

The Navy transitioned the CAP Base to a Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) and officially commissioned it on March 3, 1943. NAAS Manteo was used for the special training of squadrons. Some of the aircraft that flew out of Manteo where F4F Wildcats, F6F Hellcats, SB2C Helldivers, TBM and TBF Avengers, PBY Catalinas and F4U Corsairs.

In April of 1943, a squadron of F4U Corsairs arrived in Manteo for the completion of their land-based training. The squadron, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Tom Blackburn, was known as the “Jolly Rogers.” This squadron was to become the most famous Navy squadron to operate in the Pacific Theater. Blackburn encouraged his pilots to take risks while training and his squadron earned the secondary nickname “Blackburn’s Irregulars.”
 
Lieutenant Commander Tom Blackburn of The Jolly Rogers

The “Jolly Rogers” or “Blackburn’s Irregulars” had been training in Norfolk, but their hellraising antics caused them to be transferred to a less populated area. According to Tom Blackburn’s memoir, the last straw was either Ensign Burris holding a low-level dogfight with a P51 over residential Norfolk or Ensign running a truck off the highway while playing chicken in his inverted F4U. In Manteo, however, the squadron was able to continue with its unorthodox method of training without drawing the attention Norfolk brass. 

This type of training paid off. According to Blackburn: “During VF-17’s two combat tours under my command, we were credited with 154.5 Japanese airplanes destroyed, 27 probably destroyed, and 27 damaged. Until then, no U.S. Navy or Marine fighter squadron in World War II had done so well.” (p. xviii. Blackburn, Tom. The Jolly Rogers: The Story of Tom Blackburn and Navy Fighting Squadron VF-17)

A local aviator was among the members of Blackburn’s “Jolly Rogers” and was one of the squadron’s top pilots. “One of Dare County's own, Lt. Sheldon R. ‘Ray’ Beacham of Kitty Hawk, was a pilot with VF17. He was credited with their first victory” (https://www.darenc.com/departments/airport/museum).

The Ready Room: Ondongo, 15 November 1943. From left to right, Schub, Davenport, Chasnoff, March, Kepford, Blackburn, Wharton (kneeling), Kurlander (kneeling), Streig, Hogan.
 
Tommy Blackburn and his VF-17 squadron mates with his F4U Corsair "Big Hog." Note patched bullets holes behind Blackburn's shoulder, holes courtesy of Exec Roger Hedrick.

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Dave Driskill: The Re-Discoverer of the Outer Banks

J.D. “Dave” Driskill was the local barnstormer of the Outer Banks in the 1920s and 1930s, but he went on to become known as one of the better accomplished of America’s aviation pioneers. He was a test pilot and the first licensed helicopter pilot in the country. Dave was integral in the foundation of the Dare County Regional Airport and served as its first manager from 1946 to 1949.
In 1936, the National Park Service acquired its first aircraft, a 1928 Fairchild FC-2W2. Dave Driskill was its pilot. At the time, the park service had several remote Civilian Conservation Corps camps along the Outer Banks that were used for staging dune stabilization projects. Dave and the FC-2W2 provided the Park Service with a reliable means of transporting personnel, mail, and supplies to and from the scattered camps. 
 
Dave Driskill


During World War II Driskill went to work as a test pilot for Kellet Aircraft Company. After the War he returned to Manteo and was responsible for the revival of aviation on the Outer Banks. It is said that “The Wright Brothers brought aviation to the world, but Dave Driskill brought aviation to the Outer Banks.” (https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2008/09/national-park-services-first-plane-was-1928-fairchild-fc-2w2). 

Sadly, On October 3, 1949, Driskill was killed while testing the XR-10 helicopter near Philadelphia. There is a pictorial history of Dave Driskill’s career in the Ready Room of the Dare County Regional Airport.

Experience the History of Aviation on the Outer Banks

The museum at the Dare County Regional Airport is often overlooked by visitors but is worth the time to check out. The airport terminal is located less than a quarter mile from the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. Stop by next time you’re in Manteo…and while you’re at it, consider booking an air tour with OBX Airplanes for the ultimate adventure on the Outer Banks. 



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7/5/2018 0 Comments

Introducing our WACO YMF-5C Biplane…the Perfect Aircraft for the Ultimate Outer Banks Adventure

Introducing our WACO YMF-5C Biplane…the Perfect Aircraft for the Ultimate Outer Banks Adventure
OBX Airplanes has added a true classic to our fleet of aircraft. The WACO YMF-5C marries the beauty, adventure and romance of the 1930s Golden Era biplane with the modern safety and technology of an FAA certified aircraft.

Originally built in 1934 by WACO Aircraft Company in Troy, Ohio, the Waco F series represents the aesthetic and performance pinnacle of the open cockpit sport biplane. The company (originally Weaver Aircraft Company) was founded in 1920 by barnstorming pilots Charles "Charley" William Meyers and George "Buck" Weaver and businessmen Clayton J. "Clayt" Brukner and Elwood "Sam" Junkin. The popularity of the WACO biplane quickly took off. By 1927 more than 40 percent of personal aircrafts in the U.S. were WACOs. During World War II WACO shifted its prodution to military aircraft including the  CG4-A troop-carrying gliders, but as a result of a post-war general aviation bust the company halted production in 1946.

Aviation’s Golden Era Revived

In 1983 the founders of Classic Aircraft Corporation (now WACO Aircraft Corporation) decided to bring the Waco YMF back to life. The family owned company hired the best engineers they could find for the purpose of achieving their dream: “to revive the Golden Era’s open cockpit flying experience.”
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In the words of the new WACO Aircraft Corporation: “To accomplish this mission, Classic hired experienced engineering talent from Piper, Taylorcraft and Ford. While maintaining the sanctity of WACO's original masterful design, this team of proven professionals modernized the aircraft with more than 300 engineering changes, redesigning over 1400 drawings and building new tooling for production.
“In March 1986, the first WACO YMF Classic rolled off the assembly line and received FAA certification under the original WACO type certificate. With more than 5000 labor hours of fine craftsmanship hand-built into each aircraft, it’s no wonder the WACO YMF was hailed as an aeronautic thoroughbred. This unique biplane was not a rebuild or a kit plane, but a brand new FAA certified production aircraft, with such improvements as the use of sturdy 4130 steel for the fuselage frame, modern hydraulic toe brakes and advanced avionics.” (“About – WACO Aircraft Corporation.”) 

Experience the Adventure and Soul of the Golden Era on the Outer Banks

There is no experience quite like flying in a WACO open cockpit Biplane above the coast of the Outer Banks; it is the ultimate Outer Banks adventure. The sound of the Jacobs R-755 Radial Engine, the wind on your face, the smell of the salt air, the view of the beaches, bridges, lighthouses and shipwrecks between glossy red wings… our Biplane Tour truly is an experience of a lifetime!
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OBX Airplanes’ WACO YMF-5C (nicknamed the ‘Sightseer’ by the manufacturer) is the perfect aircraft for taking in the beauty of Coastal North Carolina. We can accommodate two passengers on our Biplane Discovery Tour, Biplane Oregon Inlet Tour, or our Biplane 1-Hour Custom Tour (which is hands down the coolest thing you can do on the Outer Banks). And the rates are surprisingly affordable for this once in a lifetime Outer Banks adventure! Book your Biplane Ride here: 
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    Jenny Hawk

    As a Certified Flight Instructor on the Outer Banks of North Carolina I am pleased to say that when you fly with me you will be sure to have fun, be safe and learn to fly!

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