Above: Pumpkin Pie fully restored and now bearing
the name Lieutenant America sits on the tarmac
at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Right: On
completing his training in 1970 at Hurlburt Field in
Florida, Lt. Hampton Tillery (kneeling, far left, front
row) pauses for a photo with the other members of
his class of A-1 pilots.
The planes were partially disassembled, taken
from hangars by tractor, secured to barges, and
floated on the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok.
Five years later, Dave Tallichet, a warbird collec-tor,
learned of the Skyraiders’ existence and had
the four planes shipped to Los Angeles via a
Russian trawler.
Six more years would pass before the Skyraiders
stored at the Orange County Airport found
their permanent homes. Neal Melton, founder
of the Tennessee Museum of Aviation, brought
#139665, aka Pumpkin Pie, to Tennessee where
it is today, restored and in flying condition to
honor all A-1 Skyraiders and their pilots.
In 2012, word of Pumpkin Pie’s home at the
Tennessee museum reached Hampton Tillery in
Wilmington. Although he had been in contact
with the museum administrators since that
time, it wasn’t until this year that he was able to
visit the museum and his aircraft.
On the tarmac under bright skies, Tillery, his
wife, children, and a scattering of grandchildren
and friends watched as the A-1H’s propeller came
to life.
“The sound of the A-1’s radial engine is not
like any other airplane — it’s not the amount of
noise as much as the rhythm,” Tillery said. “It
has its own sound.”
As thick gray smoke belched from the
powerful 2,700 horsepower Wright engine, he
added, “It’s everything I remembered, but the
cockpit seems smaller.”
LEARN MORE ONLINE
THE four Skyraiders rescued
from U-Tapao are housed at
aviation museums in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, Washington,
D.C., Addison, Texas, and
Sevierville, Tennessee. See the resources listed below to learn more about
the Skyraiders, their long journey home, and how you can visit them.
TENNESSEE AVIATION MUSEUM https://www.tnairmuseum.com
ESCAPE TO U- TAPHAO BY RALPH WETTERHAHN
https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/escape-to-u-taphao-112/
THE A-1H SKYRAIDER COMES TO LIFE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97pefj32Fjo
32 november 2021
WBM