| Updated February 21, 2013 OY-1 SEMPER FI ! A new book of interest to all L-5 and Warbird enthusiasts Last year, club member Duncan Cameron won the prestigious Rolls Royce Neil Armstrong trophy with his meticulously restored USMC OY-1. This aircraft flew on at least 28 sorties and sustained battle damage over Iwo Jima with Marine Observation Squadron 5 in 1945. Amazingly, 57 years after he flew it in combat, Marine Corps pilot Merton Hansen was reunited with his old mount at the judging and award ceremony held in Reno, Nevada last October. Duncan Cameron has recently published a book about this airplane, covering its epic history with the USMC, its subsequent life with the Civil Air Patrol, and its pain-staking restoration. At 140 pages, with over 250 high quality color and black & white photo reproductions, including detailed restoration pictures and dozens of never before published historic images, this book is an absolute must have item for all L-5 owners, restorers and enthusiasts. Quality-wise, it is just as well put together as the airplane itself. For a limited time only, everyone who purchases a 2013 L-5 club subscription can also buy this book AT COST, saving anywhere from $10 to $40 off the retail price, depending on which edition is purchased. There are four versions available, an 11"x13" hard cover "coffee table" edition, two 8"x10" versions (one hard cover and one soft cover), and an e-Book version in PDF format. The discounted prices are approximately $118, $61, $44, and $5 respectively, plus shipping. While the printed editions are not inexpensive, their prices reflect the actual cost of printing and no more. They are also printed in the USA, unlike most books these days. To anyone truly interested in these airplanes, the finer points of Stinson L-5 restoration, and Marine Corps aviation history, the books are worth well more than the cover prices. Don't delay, the introductory price ends March 15th. For information on how to order one of these books at the introductory price CLICK HERE * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Older news.... February 6, 2013 CLUB OPERATIONS After a long absence away from managing this website, I am finally back at it. Family matters, a series of computer meltdowns, research on my books and a flying job in Alaska have kept me juggling life to the point where overseeing the SOPA and keeping this website up to date were more than I could cope with. I also admit to a certain amount of "burnout" since the Sentinel Club, the L-5 Newsletter and this website are more or less a one-man show. After 8 years of continuous effort, I simply needed a break, though I did not plan on being away from it quite so long. L-5 STUFF In the world of Stinson L-5's, there's a lot to report -- far more than can be covered in a few paragraphs. I'll just mention two of the latest highlights but stay tuned for updates. A lot has happened in the past two years.. 2012 AWARD WINNERS An Iwo Jima combat veteran OY-1, restored by club member Duncan Cameron of Lebanon, Tennessee, garnered top honors at the prestigious National Aviation Heritage Invitational at Reno in October, 2012. A nod must also go to Tom Westfall for his assistance on this incredibly accurate restoration. Well done! Photo here: http://www.pacificflyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/On-05-Heritage -trophy-winne.jpg An OY-2 restored by Fred Wright of Inverness, Wisconsin, took top honors in the Liaison Aircraft category at Oshkosh this year. Fred and Sam Taber, who assisted on the project, both earned Silver Wrench awards for the effort. congrats guys. Photo here: http://www.airventure.org/awards/images/2012/warbird/N2584B.jpg L-5 BOOK The long-awaited "L-5 Book" is still not finished, but after a five year wait for the "Sarah Clark" collection of Wright Field Test and development documents to become available to the public at the National Archives, I have finally collected nearly all the "missing pieces" needed to complete the story. In fact, I now have collected so much material, you will be seeing at least two books when the dust clears. Keep 'Em Flying" ... Jim Gray |
CLUB NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS |
| Consolidated-Vultee Stinson L-5 Sentinel Owners and Pilots Association |