Minnesota BT-13s Share Texas Connection

Minnesota's commitment to aviation history was well represented when the National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater, Texas, reopened in early May after completion of a significant renovation and expansion project.

Two Vultee BT-13s with state connections were among 12 aircraft present for a fly-in and homecoming event, which honored the first women in American history to fly military aircraft, paving the way for women to serve equally in the U.S. Air Force.

The Vultee was the basic trainer flown by most American pilots during WWII.

Granite Falls Fagen Fighters' BT-13 was flown to the event by Ron Fagen, who participated in formation flights that were scheduled during reopening weekend.

A BT-13 restored and donated in 2017 by Blaine-based American Aviation Heritage Foundation, Inc. also participated in the reopening event.

The American Aviation Heritage Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in Minnesota to educate the public on the history and heritage of aviation that is uniquely American in nature.

"The idea was to bring history to life," said AAHF President Terry Baker. "People get really excited when they see something tangible that's connected to the WASP program."

Baker said the restoration effort took over 5 years and involved more than 20,000 volunteer hours.

He added that the AAHF restoration was inspired by WASP Elizabeth (Betty) Wall Strohfus, from Faribault, Minnesota, who saw the aircraft during its restoration before her death in March 2016.

"She was a very close personal friend," Baker said. "The WASP story is so compelling. We just wanted to keep that legacy preserved, and we thought a good way to do that was by providing a flightworthy airplane."

Fagen was wheels-up from Granite Falls the Thursday before the May 8 reopening.

He wanted to take advantage of good tailwinds and to beat potential weather across Kansas.

Fagen climbed to 10,500 feet and picked up a 30kt tailwind. "I was doing about 165kt, roughly," he said. "I've never taken this airplane on a long flight before. I wanted to try and do this trip with only one stop."

Fagen touched down in Pratt, Kansas. Two other BT-13s had previously landed there for fuel. It was about a 3-hour flight from Pratt to Sweetwater.

"It was so cool to see so many BT-13s there," Fagen added. "I've never seen that many BT-13s in one spot in my life. They are a rare airplane."

Lisa Taylor, president and CEO of the National WASP WWII Museum, said attendance at the May 8 event topped more than 1,000 people. She added the gathering of 12 BT-13s on a single field was the largest such event since 1995.

That year, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force [Wright Patterson Museum] also welcomed a group of the WWII-era basic trainers.

"We were so excited about the number of aircraft that showed up," she said. "We were just honored to have them on our field," Taylor said. "We had aircraft fly-in from Nebraska and Minnesota, and that's not a real comfortable ride in a BT-13."

Taylor also had continued praise for the AAHF's contribution to aviation history. "It's such a great group," she said. "We take the BT-13 they donated to airshows all over, and it draws a lot of attention to our museum and the mission of the WASPs."