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Five WWI Replica Aircraft Coming to
AirVenture Oshkosh World War I replica fighters will take to the sky
over Oshkosh during EAA AirVenture 2010, as the Vintage Aero Flying
Museum (VAFM) in Hudson, Colorado, brings five of their magnificent
airplanes to Oshkosh.
The Vintage Aero Flying Museum is home to
one of the world's largest collections of World War I aviation
memorabilia. It also maintains and flies three full-scale airplanes
including a Fokker Dr.1 triplane, a Fokker D.VII, and a Fokker D.VIII,
along with two 7/8-scale replica Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a aircraft.
Plans are to bring them all to Oshkosh this summer.
"We are really excited to
participate in this year's show," said Andy Parks, VAFM director,
whose father, Dr. James Parks, founded the museum in 1983. "We are
anxious to bring materials from our collection regarding some of the
most prominent aces and pilots of the First World War. I can't think of
a better place to demonstrate and display our replica aircraft than
AirVenture."
Along with the airplanes, Parks said
they'll bring a sampling of WWI artifacts to display, providing
AirVenture attendees a rare glimpse of this important period of early
aviation history. The VAFM is the official home of the Lafayette
Escadrille, a fighter squadron of the French Air Service during World
War I comprised largely of American volunteer pilots. The museum has
obtained and safeguards artifacts from members of that well known unit,
which was featured in the 2006 feature film, Flyboys.
The display, to be located near
AirVenture's showcase AeroShell Square, will include uniforms,
decorations, logbooks, and other personal effects from some of the most
renowned aces from both sides of "The War To End All Wars."
There will also be living history exhibits and daily discussions on
World War I aircraft and the aviators who flew them.
"World War I replicas cross over
several parts of what comprises EAA - vintage, warbirds, homebuilts,"
said Adam Smith, EAA vice president of membership. "This is a
particularly beautiful collection of airplanes, and we're really pleased
that the Vintage Aero Flying Museum has chosen to bring them all to
Oshkosh and participate this year."
Along with the full-scale Fokker replicas
- all of which were built using actual Fokker plans - VAFM also has a
number of full-scale WWI Allied fighter projects under way and soon to
be flying. VAFM also has a growing collection of World War II material
and a flying Vultee BT-13 trainer.
Vintage Aero Flying Museum is located at
the Platte Valley Airpark north of Denver. For more information, visit www.vafm.org.
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