Atlantic City Weekly

The Naval Air Station Wildwood (NASW) Aviation Museum will begin a series of four lectures (two in June and two in July) that will chronicle key elements of U.S. aviation as applied to military warfare.

Each of the four lectures in the series takes place on Wednesday evenings and are free to the public. They will be held at the Cape May Airport inside Hangar No. 1, a 92,000 square-foot all-wooden structure that was purchased by the NASW Foundation in 1997. The hangar has since been listed on the Register of Historic Places on both the state and national levels, and has 26 historic aircrafts on display as well as exhibits of military memorabilia, engines, photographs and posters. Additionally, the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia has provided the NASW museum (located inside the hangar) with a wealth of interactive exhibits that allow visitors to discover the science of flight.

World War II and Naval aviation historian Jim Krombach will start the lecture series on Wednesday, June 16, at 7pm. Krombach is a retired school teacher and is presently on the faculty at Penn State University as a student-teacher supervisor.  His lecture, entitled “First Team — Our Naval Air Force Upon Entering WWII,” will discuss the problems facing the United States as the country tried to rebound from the depression and prepare for war. Based on his extensive research, Krombach will detail U.S. Navy and Marine aviators and how they used training, tactics, ingenuity and luck to hold the line until the United States could mass produce high-quality aircraft — a facet of the U.S. military that was lacking in the years following the Great Depression.

Other lecturers will include Lt. Col. Bernard Noland, USAF Ret., on June 23; Sgt. William Fili, USAAF Ret., on July 7; and U.S. Air Force veteran Chuck Byler on July 14. Additionally, on Aug. 11 at 7pm, there will be a special lecture and color slide show by Lynn Lorraine Yonally, a former WWII WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot) who was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Barak Obama on March 10, 2010.

“The lecture series started when Dr. Joseph Salvatore took over historic Hangar No. 1 in 1997 and formed the non-profit NASW Foundation,” says Bruce Fournier, the NASW Aviation Museum education/collections manager. “The hangar, a former WWII dive-bombing training facility, was operated by the Navy from 1943-45, and 42 men died training here. Following the war the hangar was used for various businesses, however it was in a state of disrepair and was more than likely set for demolition. 

“The mission of NASW Foundation is to save and restore the hangar, memorialize the men who perished here, and educate the public on aviation history," adds Fournier. "This mission resulted in the desire to hold an educational, free lecture series that all could attend. Past speakers include NASA astronaut Dr. Terry Hart and Enola Gay [the B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945] navigator Dutch Van Kirk. This year the museum put more energy into the lecture series, and subsequently was able to secure some amazing individuals.”

The NASW museum is open daily from 9am-5pm through September.  Regular admission to the museum is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12, and free for children under age 3.

Wildwood Aviation Museum’s Lecture Series

At Naval Air Station Wildwood, 500 Forrestal Rd., Cape May Airport in Rio Grande (about four miles northwest of the central business district of Wildwood). Each lecture starts 7pm. Call (609) 886-8787 or see usnasw.org for more details.

Wed., June 16 — Jim Krombach, WWII Naval Aviation Historian
Krombach will discuss “The First Team — Our Naval Air Force upon Entering WWII.” The discussion will include a Q&A session.

Wed., June 23 — Lt. Col. Bernard Noland, USAF Ret.
Pilot and author of Isaiah’s Eagles Rising, Noland flew 33 missions in B24s and B17s with the 8th Bomber Command. His combat decorations include: the Distinguished Flying Cross and four Air Medals. He also wrote The Unfriendly Skies — History of the Eighth Air Force battle against the Luftwaffe. His discussion will include a book signing and Q&A.

Wed., July 7 — William “Bill” Fili, Sergeant, USAAF Ret.
Fili was a member of the 450th Bomb Group, a B-24 engineer/top turret gunner, a former POW, and author of Passage to Valhalla, Passage to Valhalla II and Face Lifts. His discussion will include a book signing and Q&A.

Wed., July 14 — Chuck Byler USAF Veteran
Byler was an F-105 weapons loader in the U.S. Air Force who served under Col. James Kasler in Cold-War Germany, and later co-authered the colonel's biography entitled Tempered Steel, the Biography of Col. James Kasler.