How I Became part of the Ohio 48th Squadron by Chris Osgood

When I first started working as a lineman at Moraine Airpark I noticed a group of guys working on something in a hangar not far from the office.  I wasn't sure what they were doing so one day I went up to them and asked, "What are you building?"  They told me they were building a half scale P47.  At the time, I didn't know what a P47 was but it looked cool.

"Do you need any help?", I asked.  One of the fellows said "We have everything under control right now.  Come back another time."  When I showed up the next night, the same thing happened.  One day, shortly thereafter, the same fellow came into the office and told me he couldn't make it later in the day and wondered if I would replace him on the project. 

Well, of course, I would help out!  I wasn't going to pass up the chance to work on a real, man-rated, flying aircraft.  The answer was loud and instant, "Yes."  That was the day I became part of the crew.  This was, at that time, an EAA project.  I didn't know that EAA existed or what the letters, EAA, stood for.  I didn't know anything about working on model aircraft, let alone a real aircraft.  But I thought this could be fun and it will give me something to do after I get off work.  I was the youngest in the group and learned so much from the others.

The thing I'll remember most was the freezing Winters and the very hot Summers.  We worked in temperatures ranging from below zero to 101 degrees.  In the Winter you could stand in front of the heater and you still wouldn't feel any heat.  It was like being in an ice cold freezer without clothing.

Since most of the guys were older we couldn't work very long.  In the Summer, it felt like we were all cooking in a stove because our air conditioners didn't work.  Our P47 project was being worked in a metal hangar.  We put in many hours and days of hard work in this project and it has really paid off.

People ask us everywhere we go, "How fast does it go?"  I like to tell them, "The fastest we have achieved is sixty MPH."  Then their next question is, "Does it fly?"  "Well, it can get up sixty MPH and we hope it doesn't take off", I always say.  People are amazed where ever we go with this plane.  We have been to the Moraine Municipal Building, the Dayton Air Show, the Old Fashion Day Parade and A Taste of Trotwood, just to name a few places we've displayed the P47.

Ace Weeks, Vern Todd, Mike Williams and Roger Cummins took me in and taught be everything I know about aviation.  I have known them for about five years now and they have been my best friends ever since.  Since we have started up in Moraine, we moved to Hook Field in Middletown, Ohio, and try to get together every Wednesday and Saturday of each week to repair/upgrade our project.  By the way, the project is no longer an EAA project.

The crew of the P47 Thunderbolt isn't just a crew but like a family.  It started out with just five members and over the past four years, we have gained many new members.  Now we go by the Ohio 48th Squadron because our goal is to have an entire squadron of WWII planes when we are done.  Our next project is a 1/4 scale P40 war bird.  It also is a World War II fighter plane.  The mandate of the Ohio 48th Squadron is to use our projects to honor Veterans of WWII.

View current photo of our P47 Thunderbolt

Last years Tribute to Veterans