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La Junta Air Show, 1975
Edited by David Barth February 2016. Photos were taken by David Barth except where noted otherwise.
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| Preparing to fly from Arapahoe Airport to La Junta Airport for an Air Show, 1975. |
Arapahoe Airport was renamed Centennial Airport on July 13, 1984.
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| Left to right: Judy Peckho, Gary George, and Carol Mikesh at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| de Havilland Beaver jump plane at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| North American P51 fighter "Boomer" at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| Pitts aerobatic biplane flown by Jim McKinstry at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| Balloon at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| Balloon at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| Pitts aerobatic biplane at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| Balloon at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| Balloon at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| Judy Peckho, Gary George, and David Barth at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. Photo by Carol Mikesh. |
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| Judy Peckho, Gary George, and Carol Mikesh at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
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| The only flying Vultee V1, La Junta Air Show, 1975. |
The V1 prototype took one year to build. Its elliptical monocoque fuselage was made from narrow strips of flat Alclad sheets, overlapped like shingles. Repairs on such a structure would be simple—drill out the rivets and replace the damaged surface with flat Alclad stock. The wing was built in three sections using the same technique. Wing and tail surfaces were completely faired to the fuselage. Fully-retractable landing gears and split flaps were operated by a single electric motor. This first Vultee, with a 650hp Wright SR-1820-F2 and three-blade prop, was test-flown for more than a year, proving to be very efficient for its time by carrying a pilot and eight passengers 750 miles at 195 mph.
Initial orders for the V1 were placed by American Airlines (then Airways) in 1933. Working with airline pilots and engineers, the production model incorporated several changes. The cockpit was rearranged to accommodate both a pilot and copilot, the fuselage and wings were slightly lengthened, and other modifications were made to the engine cowling, tail assembly, landing gear, and flaps. As V1-A, it was certified in July 1934 by ATC #545.
American Airlines began taking delivery in July 1934 and was operating eight V1-As between St Louis and Chicago by September 1934, and eventually bought a total of 11 V1-As, but government concerns over single-engine safety (and the advent of the twin engine Douglas DC-2 and Boeing 247) brought the V1-A's commercial airline career to a halt. Despite this setback, V1-As and -ADs with deluxe interiors were sold as high-speed executive transports to corporate customers.
Today the only known survivor of the famed V1 series is the Virginia Aviation Museum's [NC16099]. As V1-AD Special, it was built for San Francisco Examiner publisher William R Hearst in Dec 1936. Fitted with a plush interior and a powerful 1000hp R-1820-G5, Hearst operated this fastest of the Vultees for nearly three years. In 1939 it was sold to Marco "Tito" Gallabert, "Father of General Aviation in Panama," for operations in Central and South America. On 12/10/41, it suffered a landing accident at Aero Puerto, Panama.
The US Army bought the wreck and moved it to Allbrook Field. The War Department needed a high-speed civil aircraft for use by the Embassy in Columbia, so it was repaired and turned over to the military attache for use as a high-speed transport. Flown throughout Central and South America, Cuba, and the Caribbean, it always received top priority for landings. Later it flew for a variety of owners as an executive transport, in a charter/air taxi service, and as a prop for some Hollywood motion pictures, including "Tarnished Angels." Its most exotic role was for hauling live monkeys from Central America to the University of California Medical School for research.
This plane was located in the early '60s by Harold W Johnston of Pueblo CO, who later became owner and renamed it Spirit of Pueblo. After five years of restoration, it flew once more on 4/30/71. Johnston flew the Special for several years, logging almost 700 hours before it was finally retired to static display at the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg VA. Renamed Lady Peace II to commemorate Dick Merrill's round-trip Atlantic flight, it is now featured at the Virginia Aviation Museum.
When Sid Shannon bought Lady Peace II for his museum, it did not go on static display, but continued to fly regularly. Sid prided himself on the fact that all the aircraft in his museum were in flying condition, and all flew except the Thomas-Morse Scout, which no one ever worked up the nerve to take aloft. It was ready to fly, but had no brakes and a tail skid, so was sort of a loose cannon on the ground.
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| Cessna 340 at the La Junta Air Show, 1975. |