People who want to have a grumpy flight are getting their chance.
We're not talking about a bad mood in the air, we're talking about a rare opportunity to go for a plane ride in one of the classic warbirds of the Second World War, a fully restored B-25D Mitchell that goes by the name Grumpy.
Grumpy is one of the attractions at the Vanderhoof International Airshow this weekend, but on Friday (and perhaps select flights on Saturday, weather and schedule dependent) the public can purchase a ticket to ride the local skies in this vintage bomber now converted to flying museum.
"The Vanderhoof International Airshow has always had a love affair with warbirds, and warbirds have always loved the Vanderhoof International Airshow," said event co-organizer Tom Bulmer. "This year that relationship will be front and centre with a spectacular lineup of World War Two aircraft including one of the great draws at any airshow - the B-25D Mitchell known as Grumpy."
Grumpy is based now at Paine Field in Mukilteo, Wash. where the Historic Flight Foundation collection is based. Grumpy is one of their historic gems.
Grumpy was built in 1943 as part of the rush to ready the American military with a hasty but decisive response to Japan. When the Pearl Harbor attack took place (Dec. 7, 1941), U.S. factories leapt to service manufacturing about 10,000 B-25s. Two thousand of them were D-class versions, of which Grumpy was one.
"Time was pressing. Working on the fly, a handful of brilliant designers and engineers gave us World War Two's most widely used mid-range bomber, as well as a low flying 'strafer' and a superb trainer," said a written statement from the Historic Flight Foundation about Grumpy and the other B-25s.
It was the latter role that Grumpy took up almost immediately after coming off the assembly line. Not long after that, Grumpy immigrated to Canada for awhile as part of a 1944 lend/lease program between the American Air Force and the Royal Air Force. Grumpy was dispatched to the Canadian branch.
"Though her work was quiet, she trained crews to fly B-24 Liberators for the critical aerial offensive in Southeast Asia," said the foundation. "Post-war, it's probable that she spent time in storage, but also joined auxiliary bombing units responsible for defending western Canada."
Grumpy finally saw action, but it wasn't until after the war was over and the plane was transferred to a civilian role, according to foundation records.
"Grumpy wandered a bit as a surplus plane between 1962-1967, but did go active again as a civilian fire bomber in 1967. Grumpy could quickly manoeuvre in and out of deep hot zones and hold up to 1,000 gallons of fire retardant in what used to be her bomb bay, making her one of many B-25s who came out of storage to serve again."
After years of neglect, Grumpy was purchased by hands intent on restoring the plane to its former mechanical glory. Once this was done, Grumpy became a fan favourite as a touring attraction in England and continental Europe, a role that has grown now that Grumpy has been redeployed back in North America.
Tickets to take a flight on Grumpy, with pilot Michael Kopp and a crew of four,
are $395 each and available by contacting Bulmer at 250-567-8438 or email
tom.bulmer@cf-sn.ca. The flight opportunities are on Friday prior to 11:30 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
The Vanderhoof International Airshow happens Saturday at the municipal airport, only a few minutes' drive from downtown Vanderhoof. Gates open at 10 a.m. that day, with static displays and ground features throughout the event, the air acts getting underway in the late morning into the early afternoon, then a dinner and dance at the main hangar in the evening.
