About the Alamo Liaison Squadron and our
fundraiser
My name is Ryan and I'm a pilot and board member of the Alamo
Liaison Squadron. The Alamo Liaison Squadron is a non-profit 501(C)3
organization recognized by the State of Texas as a “Flying Museum.”
As a museum, our mission is to preserve the aircraft, and the legacy
of the men who flew the “liaison” aircraft of World War Two. We
are located just south of San Antonio, TX and maintain our aircraft
at our home airport Cannon Field.
Our goal is to raise funds to repaint one of our “L-birds” -
the Stinson L-5 that we maintain. The aircraft is still in relatively
good condition, but the paint job is going to need some help in the
near future. We believe that sprucing the aircraft up will encourage
more people to join our squadron, will prove beneficial to it's
long-term health, and will help us better accomplish our mission.
About the aircraft
The Stinson L-5 “Sentinel” was one of the series of “L-birds”
or liaison aircraft that served in the US military during World War
Two. Liaison aircraft served in a variety of roles including, but not
limited to: Artillery observation, reconnaissance, aerial
photography, medical evacuation, search and rescue, primary flight
training, pilot proficiency, supply, mail runs, and more.
Our Stinson L-5 (serial number 44-17397) is unique in that it is
one of only a handful of Stinson L-5 aircraft to return from overseas
service during World War Two. It was one of a batch of aircraft that
were shipped out into the Pacific Theater for service. We know that
several of it's sister ships served with Liaison Squadrons in the
Philippine Islands during the war, but we think that this ship may
have been assigned to a group on Guam during the war, as it was
purchase on Guam in 1947 from the US military as surplus. Jim Gray of
the Sentinel Club has done some very helpful research on L-5
aircraft, and this is as much as we have been able to determine to
this point.
Why should you be interested in our repainting
efforts?
Besides the obvious need to maintain the aircraft, and keep it in
operational condition, we would like to return the aircraft to
authentic World War Two markings. You see, when this aircraft was
last restored, it was part of a group with what was then known as the
Confederate Air Force and it was painted in a very unique paint
scheme. From that time, it currently wears a pseudo-desert brown
paint scheme that was originally intended to honor veterans who
served in the Middle East during recent US involvements in the region
and the aircraft became known as “Warbug.” During the early part
of the last decade the Alamo Liaison Squadron acquired the aircraft,
and it is currently known as “Delfina” in honor of a lady who
helped us purchase the aircraft (We do intend to keep her name on the
aircraft after the repaint).
Of course, if we could find a photo of our aircraft during it's
wartime service, this would be our first choice of paint scheme. If
that is not possible, we would like to paint it either as one of it's
known sister ships in the Philippines, or in the representative
markings of another Liaison Squadron in either the Philippines,
Okinawa, or the CBI. We have been collecting a number of photographs
and information related to this in hopes of having an accurate paint
scheme, and will submit the paint scheme finally chosen for review to
various people in an effort to achieve good accuracy.
What We Need
Right now almost 75% or more of our squadron's annual funding
comes from members. We are not a wealthy group by any stretch, but
have managed to maintain our aircraft and keep the field operational
for a number of years on a shoestring budget with the volunteer
efforts of our members. We would like to raise at least $6500 in
order to get a basic repainting job done on the aircraft. Of course
recovering the aircraft would be even better, but it is not necessary
at this point and would likely cost us in the neighborhood of
$10,000. Assuming we do not reach enough funding to recover the
aircraft we would be sanding down the current paint scheme very
carefully, and repainting the aircraft. Aircraft paint is not cheap,
but the greatest expense is of course the time involved in removing
the old coat and repainting the aircraft. If we enough to simply
reach our goal, we will start to work on the new paint job as soon as
possible. If we receive enough funds to recover the aircraft, then we
would probably start on that effort right after our annual events in
the spring, with a goal of having the aircraft in display shape
before the next major Texas airshow season (usually fall). If we do
not reach our goal, we will set the money aside until we have reached
the goal, or can match the funds from local sources that we will be
seeking out. Of course, if any of you are in the San Antonio area, we
would love for you to come visit our field, and see the aircraft.
We would also like to offer a free copy of our book: Box Seat
Over Hell, written by our
founders Hardy Cannon and Bill Stratton and recently republished for
any donations over $50. We will mail the books out within a few weeks
of the campaign's ending. The book tells the story of some of the
“L-bird” pilots during World War Two.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you would like to donate paint, parts, or materials, we would
of course be happy to provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. We
are also always looking as a squadron for liaison pilot and aircraft
memorabilia for display in the museum that we are currently working
on as well. One other way you can help is to share this page with all
of your aviation-minded friends!!