.
PETERSON
AIR AND
FOUNDATION
NEWSLETTER
PRESERVING THE HERITAGE
VOLUME 2, NO. 6 OCTOBER
2007
FROM THE PRESIDENT
MIKE DRENNAN, PRESIDENT
The activity at the Museum
continues in full swing. We just found
out from the 21 Space Wing that we have approval to occupy the Broadmoor
Hangar; however, military necessity is such that we will have to share the
hangar with a USNORTHCOM contingent Gail Whalen has worked out a plan for
the best usage of the portion of the Broadmoor Hangar which we will
occupy. The addition of the Broadmoor
Hangar has been a long time coming and we will make very effective use of the
space that we received as we continue to strive to be the best field museum in the
Air Force
Improvements continue in the
Old City Hangar, the
I cannot give enough praise to
our many volunteers in both the Foundation and on the Board of Directors. My thanks to each of you and I look forward
to adding the Broadmoor Hangar to our activities.
WHO AM I?
ED WEAVER
I was manufactured by
Northrop at
Two years later I went back
home to Northrop but this time I was sent to
For five years during the
1950s, we (F-89s) were the mainstay of the Air Defense Command. As a high altitude, twin-engine interceptor,
our primary mission was to intercept and destroy enemy bombers or air-breathing
missiles. Our upswept tail assembly
provided us with a characteristic silhouette and gave us our nickname. I had two Allison J-35 engines side by side
in the fuselage under the cockpit floor.
Wing-tip pods contained fifty-two 2.75-inch folding fin rockets in
addition to fuel. My pilot and radar
operator were in tandem beneath a long cockpit canopy.
In later years I carried the
Douglas MB-1 Genie unguided, nuclear-tipped rocket on under-wing pylons, one on
each side. Additional pylons could carry
up to four GAR-2A air-to-air missiles and the wing-tip installation could be
either 2.75 rockets or fuel tanks.
On
(By now
you should know that I’m F-89J “Scorpion” Tail Number 52-1941 at the Peterson
Air and Space Museum)
ARTIFACT OF THE
QUARTER
JACK
Screaming
out of the sky on a Saturday morning in September 1974, to land on the farm of
Ollie Wagner, near
When the object landed, the intense
heat scorched leaves near it and steam came from the hole, in which it almost
buried itself, and the ground around it.
The object is believed to be a
pressure bottle from a Soviet COSMOS satellite.
In compliance with the 1968 “Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the
Return of Astronauts, and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space”, the
The object is made of cast iron, with a circumference of 34 ½
inches and weighing approximately 22 pounds.
There is a hole at both poles and it is completely empty. It shows results of intense heat and there
is some rust that developed after its recovery.
SEPTEMBER IN THE PARK
JACK
As you must have noticed, our
planned September in the Park celebration did not occur. Many factors interfered with plans for the
function; however, those who do the planning assure us that there WILL BE a
September in the Park celebration in 2008.
Coordination with other agencies involved has already begun and a firm
date will be announced early enough that all may plan accordingly to come out
to the Museum and enjoy the food, music and good company.
GIFT SHOP
Ed weaver
Christmas is coming…Christmas is coming! The Museum’s Gift Shop annual sale month will
be November 2007. We will offer
twenty-five percent off listed prices on all items in the Shop for Foundation
Members/Volunteers and ten percent off for all other patrons.
We have continued to upgrade our inventory with new
items such as Hawaiian Aloha Shirts, AF Retired and 60th Anniversary
Coins, Women’s Jewelry, expanded T-Shirt and hat line, pins, and magnets. Take
advantage of a great sale, find some stocking stuffers and save a few
dollars!
DATES THAT IMPACTED OUR HERITAGE
JACK
Just 100 years ago, 1 August 1907, the Aeronautical
Division of the US Army Signal Corps was established – the forerunner of the US
Air Force. What will follow in this and
future issues of the Newsletter are other significant dates which impacted the
realm of our Museum’s heritage.
(Dates
are applicable to the coming calendar quarter and will be done this way in
future issues of the newsletter)
ACKNOWLEDGEING DONATIONS
ED WEAVER
The Peterson Air & Space Museum
Foundation is pleased to acknowledge the recent substantial donation by Steve Lewis. Mr. Lewis made his contribution to honor
the Lewis Family and became a member of the Foundation's Eagle Wings Membership
at the
The Peterson Air & Space Museum
Foundation is pleased to acknowledge the recent substantial donation by
the Northrop Grumman Corporation. Northrop Grumman continues to provide financial support to the
Museum's mission.
The Peterson Air & Space Museum
Foundation is pleased to acknowledge the recent anonymous donations from
the CSC Employee Campaign Fund.
If you are looking for a 501c3
organization to make a donation during the 2007 tax year, we urge you consider
the Peterson Air & Space Museum Foundation.
And, if you are planning to make a contribution to the United Way
Campaign and wish to designate your contribution for the Museum, you can do so by writing in
the "Peterson Air & Space Museum Foundation".
TREASURER’S REPORT
ED WEAVER
The Peterson Air & Space Museum Foundation is a
501c(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to:
- Foster and perpetuate the
- Serve as a philanthropic corporation in assisting
the development and expansion of the facilities of the
- Receive, hold and administer gifts (monies) in the
best interest of the
Your
Foundation’s Treasurer’s abbreviated report as of
Total
Cash On Hand: $24,116
Gift
Shop Inventory: 11,728
Total
Assets 35,844
Net
Liabilities 1,183
Net
Assets $34,661
MEMBERSHIP
ED WEAVER
Our membership program draws together aviation and
space enthusiasts interested in the activities of the Museum and assists in the
growth of our facilities. For a fee,
members receive such benefits and privileges as discounts in the gift shop,
newsletters, commemorative tiles, coins and lapel pins. Individuals may become a member by
volunteering more than 60 hours annually.
The Foundation would like to acknowledge the following
individuals who have recently joined our
ranks or renewed their membership:
Certainly we can and should improve our numbers. You can help by becoming a recruiter. If you know someone who may be interested in
our mission, give or direct them to our web site for an application http://petemuseum.org/CommemorativeTileForm.html.
We are also
looking for someone who would be interested in becoming our Membership
Chairperson. This position has been vacant for sometime. If you are the person
or if you know someone, please have them contact Ed Weaver, weaverek@aol.com .
BLACK GANG
ED WEAVER
Moving day has come and gone. Gone from the
Now we have turned our attention to making a first class maintenance facility that will improve safety, appearance, and creature comfort levels. It is sad to reflect on the days of individuals working at their desks as the dirt and dust collected around them, a vehicle oil pit filled with books, pictures and videos, an artifacts storage room that was so jammed that it was difficult to open and close the door, and climbing over things while we tried to construct/repair items. Much to do as we continue to do a complete “make over” of the operations building. We will keep you posted of our progress.
DID YOU KNOW THAT. . . . .
The Eisenhower interstate highway system requires that one mile in
every five must be straight. These
straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.
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The Peterson Air and Space Museum
Newsletter is published by the Colorado Springs Peterson Air and Space Museum
Foundation, Inc., a private entity no way connected to or with the United State
Air Force. Contents of the Newsletter
are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the
Jerry M. Drennan, BGen (USAF, Retired),
President
Jack L. McKinney, CMSgt (USAF, Retired),
Editor
Peterson
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Peterson Air And
Peterson