Published: October 03, 2008 12:08 am            

Reporter flies back in time over Wabash Valley

TERRE HAUTE — Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field was crawling with activity Thursday with expectations of more to come in the next three days as today kicks off Victory Days.

People were pitching their tents for the encampment, double-checking their apparel to be as historically correct as possible and polishing off their transportation whether it was for land or air.

I was able to head off into the sky in a Stinson L-5, one of between 30 and 40 World War II aircraft expected to be on display over the weekend.

The Stinson L-5 was used for observation to locate enemy artillery, transportation and as an air ambulance during the war, according to Darrel Zeck, Victory Days’ communications director and my pilot for the day.

With only enough room for the pilot and a passenger sitting behind him or the pilot and a patient lying on a stretcher in the back, it’s probably the smallest war aircraft I’ve been in out of three.

Set up with the original control panel, knobs and whatnot, my favorite feature was the sign posted on the panel in front of the pilot that reminded him not to spin when transporting a patient in the back. I laughed to myself as I read it, realizing that was probably put there because at least one person probably did spin while transporting a patient.

Take off and landing were surprisingly smooth compared with some of the other experiences I’ve had with war aircraft. Another surprising element of the flight was not feeling the wind as much as I thought we would, especially because it felt particularly windy on the ground.

Still, anyone who takes a ride over the weekend should definitely wear a jacket or gloves because it was much cooler in the sky compared with the land. Though that could have had something to do with the fact that my door was open.

Don’t freak out, though, because the door was not like a real door. To get into the plane, I had to pull myself through what was similar to a window. So in that respect, the door was really like a large window and riding with the door open in the plane was like riding with the window rolled down in a car.

We flew along with another L-5, which carried Tribune-Star photographer Jim Avelis. He called it one of his most pleasant flying experiences yet, not counting the cramp he got in his hip because of the lack of leg room.

That didn’t surprise me because my legs hurt a little bit after the ride and I’m short, Jim’s not. For this ride, I think there should be a maximum height requirement instead of a minimum requirement.

It made me think how soldiers handled that and dealt with bullets flying at their plane. Which brings me to a unique thing about this war aircraft — no guns.

Unlike other war airplanes, there was no turret or any guns attached to the plane for defense. If the pilot or his passenger were quick, they could maybe shoot out the window.

Otherwise, they just had to outmaneuver the enemy. Something Zeck said this plane could do because of its excellent short-field take-off and landing capabilities.

Another thing that made this ride unique for me was the fact that I got to steer. There’s a removable stick in the back that comes up between the passenger’s leg for steering from the back, if needed.

This was hard for me for two reasons: One, I couldn’t see where I was steering because I was in the back behind Zeck. And two, I’m only used to steering with a wheel and not a stick.

Victory Days is a World War II event that features more than aircraft. This is the first year for the event. In a way, it’s a live museum because there’s going to be vehicles, radio broadcasts, fashion shows and even a field hospital with simulations.

Peter Kirsch, 71, of Louisville will be part of the hospital simulations and can explain all the things involved. His field hospital is just a small part of the museum he operates in Louisville, he said.

Kirsch grew up during World War II and developed a fascination about it as he saw many of his relatives leave for the effort. A retired orthopedic surgeon, he started collecting the things to make up a battalion aid station and over 10 years collected enough to make a MASH unit, he said.

While many people know of MASH units from the television show, Kirsch said during World War II, the letters stood for Mobile Auxiliary Surgical Hospital because it moved to take care of the patients who were too injured to be moved and needed urgent care. The name was later changed to mean Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, he said.

Some unique items found are an X-ray machine made by the Picker Corp., a triangular device and an ether machine. And Kirsch can tell the story behind each item, as I found out by spending just a few minutes with him as he set up.

Dr. Harvey Picker donated all the X-ray machines, as he didn’t want “to profit off of American blood,” Kirsch said.

He went on to explain the triangular device, made up of two parts, a reorienting device and biplane marker. Similar to an image intensifier or X-ray TV camera, these items were used to remove bullets and any other shrapnel, Kirsch said.

Kirsch seemed most proud of the ether machine, which he called one of his “luckiest finds.” He didn’t even know it existed until a man who saw his display told him about it.

After doing some research, he found a company that was converting them for veterinary use, he said. He was able to buy five of them from the company at a good price to complete his display, but his troubles didn’t end there.

Even as an orthopedic surgeon, he couldn’t find anyone who knew how it worked until he came across one man who finally explained it to him, Kirsch said.

Having the museum and being a part of events such as Victory Days are important Kirsch said, because it honors veterans and “makes sure nobody forgets.”

“If you ask kids today about the Battle of the Bulge,” he said, “none of them know.”

Today is School Day at Victory Days, with 2,000 students expected to step back into the things they’ve been reading about in their textbooks. Members of the public can attend. Gates open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Sunday.

For more information, visit www.victorydays.org, e-mail info@victorydays.org, or call (812) 669-1717.

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.

        

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