Spirit of Freedom

Last night the owner of a local aircraft painting business messaged me and let me know that they had just restored the Spirit of Freedom. It is a 1945 C-54 that was used in the Berlin airlift. They said that if I would like to come see it and tour the museum inside it I could come out to the airport in the morning.

When I arrived at the hanger, Spirit of Freedom pilot Jason Capra was applying some final touches to the decals on the airplane.  He graciously allowed me to tour the inside of the plane.

For the last two weeks Crider Aircraft Painting at the Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport has been the home of the Spirit of America; a Douglas C-54 that was part of the great Berlin Airlift of 1948 and 1949.  The crew at Crider Aircraft did a beautiful job repainting the plane.

Before the Spirit of Freedom took off for her next destination, St. Louis, the crew that had worked such long hard hours for the last two weeks gathered in front of the plane for photo.  I was there photographing the plane so I was able to get their photo as well.  The pilots were very friendly and loved to talk about their plane.  You could tell that they really loved the Spirit of Freedom and were really excited about the new paint job.

The Spirit of America served in the U. S. military until 1975 when it entered the private sector.  In 1992 it was purchased by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation and restoration was begun.

The mission of the Foundation is to preserve the memory of the greatest humanitarian aviation event in history by preserving several aircraft used in the great event and creating "Flying Memorials and Classrooms" with the purpose of educating the public about this pivotal, yet forgotten, event in world history.  The Spirit of Freedom flies to airshows and events all around the U.S.  Inside the plane is a genuine museum dedicated to the Berlin Airlift, filled with artifacts, displays, and information explaining this all important event in history.

After World War II the city of Berlin was split into four sectors, with the Allies taking the western part of the city and the Soviets the eastern. In June 1948, The Soviets attempted to consolidate control of the city by cutting off all land and sea routes to West Berlin in order to pressure the Allies to evacuate. As a result the western section of Berlin and its 2 million people were deprived of food, heating fuel and other crucial supplies.  The Berlin Airlift was the Allies response to the crisis.

During the Berlin Airlift, an average of 2,500 tons of supplies were flown into the city every day. Planes landing at Tempelhof Airport every four minutes, round the clock.  More than 1.5 million tons of supplies were flown into Berlin during the airlift.

On their website, The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation extended "a sincere thank you to Roger Crider for taking on the job of painting the C-54 and for doing all he can to reduce the labor costs to help the Foundation".  When the Spirit of Freedom flies around the country educating thousands of people about the Berlin Airlift, it will be taking a little bit of Mena and our fine craftsmanship with her in the form of a beautiful new paint job.

On the flight from Mena to St. Louis this afternoon, pilot Jason Capra shot this amazing photo from the cockpit window.

If you are interested in learning more about this incredible plane and the story of the Berlin Airlift, you can go to the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation website.

Queen Wilhelmina

Queen Wilhelmina was queen of the Netherlands for 58 years, from 1890 to 1948. Because she was only 10 years old in 1890, her mother, Queen Emma, was the regent until Wilhelmina's 18th birthday in 1898.

She guided the Netherlands through World War I and was able to stay neutral.  She was always wary of a German attack, especially in the beginning. However, the chief violation of Dutch sovereignty was the Allied blockade. After the war, the popularity of the young Queen helped restore confidence in the government. Wilhelmina brought about a mass show of support by riding with her daughter through the crowds in an open carriage.

During World War II, the Germans invaded the Netherlands. Queen Wilhelmina and her family fled to Britain, planning to return as soon as possible.  She took charge of the Dutch government in exile, setting up a chain of command and immediately communicating a message to her people. Following the end of World War II, Queen Wilhelmina traveled through the countryside to motivate people, sometimes using a bicycle instead of a car.

 
In 1947, bad health caused her to considered abdication but her daughter Juliana pressed her to stay on for the stability of the nation, urging her to complete 60 years on the throne. Wilhelmina tried to comply, but exhaustion forced her to relinquish her monarchial duties to her daughter on May 12, 1948.  On September 4, 1948, she abdicated in favor of her daughter Juliana.  Throughout he reign, Queen Wilhelmina remained popular with her people.

Just a few miles from my hometown of Mena on the top of Rich Mountain is Queen Wilhelmina State Park.  The state park is located on the sight of the Wilhelmina Inn that was opened in 1898.  Because many of the investors were Dutch, the luxury hotel was named for the newly crowned Queen Wilhelmina.   A suite of rooms was located in the southeast corner of the second floor and named for Wilhelmina in the hope she would visit. Soon, Wilhelmina Inn became known as the "Castle in the Sky."  The mountaintop Inn with its breathtaking scenery, fine accommodations and exquisite service, only lasted a few years.  The inn closed in 1910.

The site was abandoned and the inn fell into disrepair.  In 1957 plans were made for a new state park on the site where Wilhelmina Inn had been.  Plans were made to construct a new lodge on the site of the original inn.  The new inn opened it doors on June 22, 1963.  The new building, which was not as grand as the original hotel, contained 17 guest rooms and a restaurant.  Occupying the same site as the first inn, the second structure was built with some of the rockwork still remaining from its predecessor.  Operated for 10 years by the State of Arkansas as an Arkansas State Parks lodge, the facility was a popular travel attraction until, on the evening of November 10, 1973, a fire that began in the kitchen area destroyed it.

To carry on the lodging tradition atop Rich Mountain, Arkansas State Parks replaced the inn with a $3 million lodge that opened in 1975. Today, this lodge is the crowning attraction of Queen Wilhelmina State Park. The lodge is currently closed while undergoing a major renovation.  It will reopen later this year.

Queen Wilhelmina State Park is one of our favorite places to visit. The views from the top of Rich Mountain are spectacular. Here are some photos I have taken at Queen Wilhelmina over the years.












One of our family's favorite things to do at Queen Wilhelmina State Park is to ride the miniature train. We have been riding the train for almost 30 years. Here is a picture taken in 1981 with my mother, my wife, and my daughter riding the train.


QUEEN WILHELMINA MINIATURE TRAIN 1981

This picture was taken in 2008 while my wife and I were riding the train with my daughter and our grand daughters


QUEEN WILHELMINA MINIATURE TRAIN 2008

With a spectacular mountaintop setting and breathtaking panoramic scenery, Queen Wilhelmina State Park is great place to visit.

The ABC Wednesday Meme is a fun way to see some great blogs.