Shortly after the war ended, he was asked to contribute his flying boat expertise to another military program. Louie Bertorelli is in the dark shirt in the middle of the last row. George Rodney is the tall man at far right. Flight test staff at Middle River in Baltimore, circa 1955. George went through military flight school and became the company test pilot. I did not think to ask him what kind of training he got in test flying, but I know he had to figure much of it out himself. Since it was his full-time job at a company that built airplanes, I know he was very focused on doing it well. In World War II, George was a new engineer working in Martin’s design organization in Baltimore. They were having a terrible time finding test pilots who could give good feedback to the engineers. One day, one of his managers said, “Since we cannot find a military pilot who can speak engineer, maybe we can take an engineer and teach him to speak pilot.” So they asked George if he would like to be a test pilot. He said, “Sure.” To run the new agency, they hired a man named George Rodney. A tall, slim, quiet and patient man, George came from the Martin company where he had been one of its first true test pilots. Call now and book a ride! These aircraft and more can also be seen at the various events the museum puts on throughout the year so be sure to follow them on Facebook to keep in touch and up to date.In 1987 I joined NASA HQ in Washington, D.C., to help modify the Space Shuttle program after the Challenger accident. I was hired by what they called Code Q, the brand-new quality and safety organization. Before the accident, the safety related offices were all under the chief engineer and had no direct path to the Administrator and other senior leaders. Code Q was part of improving the agency’s oversight of its work. As of this writing the museum offers rides in their 1989 Waco YMF- Boeing Stearman. The museum also offers warbird rides which can be scheduled in advance. A definite one of a kind sight for an aviation enthusiast. The hangar was repaired and eventually found its way here. Designed as a makeshift transportable hangar, this particular hangar was damaged by bombs from an 8th Air Force attack. The Cuttbus hangar, named so due to it being relocated from the Cottbus Army Airfield in Cottbus Gernamny, is a real hangar used by the Luftwaffe. Other than just checking out parked aircraft, visitors can also get a taste of what a real Luftwaffe hangar was like. Some of these aircraft are the last airworthy craft of their kind. Many of the aircraft in this collection have been painstakingly restored to their military conditions. Even more impressive is just how many of these aircraft are still air worthy. With aircraft ranging from World War 1, through World War 2, and into the Vietnam era, there is definitely something for every aviation enthusiast. The Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach has one of the largest collections of vintage military aircraft in the world.
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