The history of jets and trainers flown by civilian owners and pilots began in the United States in the late 1950s when some of the first military jets operated in the United States were surplus British Vampires and Meteors. These days former Eastern Bloc trainers are the new favorite aircraft.
Jim Robinson was the moving force behind the Classic Jet Aircraft Association (CJAA), made calls to aircraft owners and pilots to gauge interest in establishing a jet organization after the FAA published a notice regarding the use and operation of jet warbirds. This resulted in the first organized meeting, held in Denver in 1989 with 60 people in attendance.
The CJAA is now over 200 members strong and works closely with the FAA regarding regulations and with its members to promote safety, pilot training, recurrency, maintenance schedules and environmental impact when operating these jet aircraft.
CJAA stage an Annual Convention and also hold Regional Fly-Ins (Jet Blasts) which cements the above statements. The CJAA also produce a quarterly publication, Classic Jet Journal, which includes safety information and profiles.
One such Jet Blast was staged at the historic Wendover Airfiled, UT from 18-20 May 2007.
Wendover Airfield is littered with historic building dating back to the WWII era. It used to be home to B-17, B-24 and later B-29 bombers.
The airfield was selected to carry out tests on the new nuclear weapons being developed due to its isolation and wide open spaces needed for training.
Inert concrete bombs were made on the south side of the airfield and transported to specially made pits, where a B-29 would be towed into position over the pit to allow the bombs to lifted and fixed to the aircraft.
These bombs were the prototypes of the "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" weapons later to be dropped on Japan, and the tests allowed the engineers to study flying characteristics, release mechanisms and detonators amongst other things.
After WWII the base was used to evaluate captured experimental rocket systems and develop new power driven bombs.
In the evening if you stand anywhere on the airfield you cannot help but wonder how things were during WWII.
Wendover Airfield has a unique place in history and the tireless dedication of Jim Peterson, founder of the Historic Wendover Airfield Foundation and Airport Manager, to preserve history here should be rewarded – unable, as yet, to obtain National Landmark or National Historic Site status he faces an uphill struggle with finances and logistics to preserve what is left of this site.
More information is available at Historic Wendover
Notes on aircraft:
L-29 N749X has been re-engined with Pratt and Whitney JT12 making it more powerful than an L-39.
The Vampire painted as The Admiral’s Barge had just come out of a 7 year restoration – and didn’t it look good!
L-39 N390ZA is a newer L-39ZA mark – it still a gun mounted under the fuselage.
L-39 N390ZA and the Thunderbird T-33 are both from my home state (Colorado) – I had no idea they were here.