3 WWII era Piper L-4 Cubs in formation for the National Mall flyover
On May 8th, Nalls Aviation was honored to be included in the historic flyover of the National Mall, Washington, D.C. of nearly 60, WWII era airplanes. Nalls Aviation owns and operates a vintage 1939 Piper L-4 Cub, painted in a WWII invasion livery. Art Nalls flew the flight and was the second aircraft to fly over the Mall.
“I’ve never worked so hard to fly formation at 60 miles per hour,” said Nalls after the flight. Formation in the Cub is especially challenging because the control response and power response are not immediate, and the Cub is susceptible to every gust of wind. Fortunately, the winds were light and the weather cooperated.
The flight lasted nearly two hours, using most of the fuel the Cub carried on board. Nalls and the other Cubs were the first to take off and the last to land. They landed at an intermediate airfield, short of their final destination, just to ensure they had sufficient fuel reserves.
“I was also honored to carry several American Flags on board the Cub for the trip,” said Nalls. One flag, was from his father’s casket. Arthur Nalls, senior, was a Korean War veteran of the Army. “My father would have been extremely proud to accompany me on this flight, and I feel he was right there with me.”
Another flag Art carried was the “Honor Flag.” The Honor Flag has been carried all over the world, from aircraft carriers, combat operations, with sky divers at football games – – you name it, it’s been there. It was also right in the Cub behind Nalls for the overflight of the Mall. Art’s mission was to document the flight with the flag and pass it back to the curator to continue the saga.
Members of the VE Day Anniversary flight pose with 100 yr old Phoebe Patton holding the “Honor Flag”
In addition to the flight, the event was host to numerous WWII veterans. Several of them are close, personal friends of Art Nalls. RADM Ed “Whitey” Feightner, USN(ret) is a WWII ACE with nine victories to his credit. Admiral Feightner was also a Blue Angel twice and the an early jet test pilot. Admiral Feightner is 95 years old and lives in Cleveland with his family, but came to Washington to be hosted for the event by the National Air and Space Museum.
Another distinguished guest was Richard Johnson of southern Maryland. Richard was a B-17 pilot and only had a hundred or so actual hours of flight time before he was flying a B-17 in combat over Europe. He had 25 combat missions before returning stateside. At 93 years old, his eyesight is still 20/20. He does not even wear reading glasses!
Still another distinguished guest of the event was Eugene Detrick. Gene was at West Point during the war but graduated to the Army Air Corps, just after the official conclusion of the war. He went on to serve as a plank-holder for the U.S. Air Force, trading his ‘pinks’ for “blues.” Gene was an early test pilot, serving as Commandant of the US Air Force Test Pilot School and is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Gene lives in northern Virginia.
A formation of Stearman flight trainers overfly the National Mall on May 8, 2015 to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of VE Day
Once the flyover was complete and the planes were secured for the evening, it was time for an evening of celebration and congratulations.