Summer 2012 News and Notes

Hello "Lucy Gal" friends! Hope you have each had a great summer. It has been a busy one thus far for myself (Austin Hancock) and the "Lucy Gal" project in general. Here is the latest news to get you caught up to speed...

• 2012 Geneseo Airshow - Our museum, the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group, put on a wonderful airshow this year on July 13/14/15. Despite a few last-minute cancellations, attendees still had fun enjoying the "Greatest Show on Turf" for it's spirit and soul. This year was unique for the "Lucy Gal" project because it was the 1st year that I actually had my own tent and display during our show. This year, I sold t-shirts and decals as well as collected donations! In addition to selling and collecting, I was also able to claim the can/bottle returns from our show this year. As some of you know, I hold monthly can/bottle drives (ala WWII) and use the money earned toward "Lucy Gal's" construction. In summary, the project did very well this year at the show, earning around $1,000 USD between t-shirt/decal sales, donations, and recyclable redemptions! Thank you to all who contributed!

Yours Truly doing some fundraising at Geneseo 2012!

• Grant Writing - This past summer, in my free time, I made it my goal to write as many corporate grant applications as possible. I did just that, submitting to companies such as Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Northrup-Grumman, For Motors, Verizon, Wal-Mart, etc. I have heard back from a handful of corps thus far, none of which are able to contribute at this time. I will continue to pursue grants though! After all, it only takes one big chunk of change from one place to get "Lucy Gal" in the air. For every 100 that say "no," there's bound to be one the says "yes."
• Gennarino Fund - Last Sunday (Sept. 9th), the Pennington "Lucy Gal" project teamed-up with the Bernie Gennarino Memorial Fund to raise money toward F/O Pennington and "Lucy Gal's" recovery. The Gennarino fund is ran by 1941 HAG volunteer Jim Gennarino, and it was started as a means to raise money for a proper military burial for his father, Bernie. Jim was successful in his endeavor, and this year we teamed up to make the focus on Leland Pennington. This trend should continue for many years to come! The benefit itself was a success, raising $200 a piece for the "Lucy Gal" project and Missing Veteran recoveries.
• 2013 Rochester WINGS Aero Convention - Last year, yours truly volunteered with the Rochester WINGS convention to coordinate social media/apps. WINGS is a free aviation convention, open to the public, for anyone interest in flying or already flies. Since the conclusion of the 2012 show last June, there has been an interest by the group to make the 2013 theme all about the "Lucy Gal" project and the P-51! Meetings for WINGS 2013 will commence shortly, so stay tuned for details as the unfold.
• Cyrillia Pennington - Another one of my latest undertakings in the "Lucy Gal" project has been to build a relationship with Leland Pennington's daughter Cyrillia. Cyrillia was born while Leland was off at war. She grew up with her mother, Lucy (hence "Lucy Gal") in New Orleans. She still lives there today. My mother, Mary Anne, is very much into genealogy research and interviewing, so she volunteered to be my Cyrillia liaison. So far, they have had 2-3 wonderful phone conversations. Once my mother finishes compiling the results of these interviews, I will share them on here with you!
• "Lucy Gal" Items - Have you bought your "Lucy Gal" t-shirt or decal yet? If not, what are you waiting for? :-) All you need to show off your support for our project can be found right here>>>http://fighterfund.blogspot.com/p/store.html. If you wish, you can also send cash or check using the address found under "Contact Us." Thank You!

Welcome!

P-51B Mustang "Lucy Gal" Project from Aaron Gulian on Vimeo.

Get Your 'Lucy Gal' Decal

NEW! Available for purchase, P-51 "Lucy Gal" decals! They look great on your car, plane, or anywhere! (They measure 5.5"x5.5") 


Simply send $5 through PayPal (using the link in upper-right corner), or mail a check/cash to the museum to get YOUR decal!

The "Fighter Fund"

Our beloved P-51B "Lucy Gal" project has a history that goes a little further back than you may imagine. Though the actual effort began for me in the Summer of 2008, the origins of fund-raising for a fighter plane date all the way back to World War II.

The August 2008 dinner-meeting at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group, this was a day of destiny for me. Having always been a fan of WWII fighter planes, I had longed for our museum to get one since I began volunteering at age 11. It wasn't until said monthly museum dinner-meeting that I decided to speak my mind on this matter. Though I was still quite shy at the age of 17, museum president Austin Wadsworth was able to prod me to speak in front of the meeting attendees. To make a long story short, by the end of the night, I was in charge of acquiring a WWII fighter for our museum.

After some though and planning, I came up with the name "'41 Fighter Fund" for my effort to obtain a P-51 Mustang. It was a unique name, and it caught on very quick with my fellow HAG volunteers and members. As the effort evolved into the "Lucy Gal" project we know (and hopefully love) today, the title stuck. In our circle at the museum, it still goes by the "Fighter Fund." The unique aspect about the name I picked back in 2008 is that, during World War II, the British actually had fighter's funds as well! They were known as "Spitfire Funds."

 

In WWII Great Britain, every small town wanted to do their part to help their boys "fight the good fight," against Nazi Germany. Though these townships didn't have enough manpower to build Supermarine Spitfire aircraft one after another, they found that if they pulled together, they could buy Spits to support the RAF. As the link after this paragraph mentions, piece-by-piece, these communities pulled together to buy a fighter plane. An engine for 2000.00, a compass for a mere 5.00, every citizen was paying what they could to support the war effort. Eventually, the towns found success in their fund-raising efforts by completely purchasing a full Spitfire!

http://www.stmgrts.org.uk/archives/2010/11/ill_fly_it_if_youll_buy_it.html

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/spitfire_funds.htm

All told, the "Spitfire Funds" accounted for %17 of all Spits manufactured for the RAF during World War II. In my mind, if a small town could pay to build a fully-functional fighter for War, then we can certainly raise enough to get "Lucy Gal" in the air. Our community must band together to help honor or MIA Tuskegee hero, Leland Pennington.

So, with all that background now in mind, I am excited to relay that message from WWII Great Britain..."If you buy it, I'll fly it!"

Donate Today!

Red Jugs for the Red Tail

ATTENTION "LUCY GAL" FANS!

I am pleased to announce the "Red Jugs 4 the Red Tail" fundraising campaign! 

At the 2012 Geneseo Airshow, be on the lookout for red jugs (see picture) on the show grounds. If you find one of them, donate! You just put the money right in the slot (cut into the lid.) It's as simple as that!

"Red Jug for the Red Tail"

  
All donations go directly to the P-51B "Lucy Gal" project, and will get our tribute to local MIA Tuskegee Airman Leland H. Pennington flying that much sooner!

Stop the Presses!

Hey "Lucy Gal" fans! I have some pretty exciting news to share. About a month ago, I was asked by Michael O'Leary, editor for Challenge Publications, if I would be interested in writing an article about my project to be published. I most definitely said "yes" to this, and a few days later I sent a write-up off to him.

Well, it seems that my article has officially been published in the latest issue of "Air Classics," a monthly WWII aircraft focused magazine. If you are out and about shopping and happen to be near the periodicals section, look for Volume 48 - Issue #5. This is the issue with my article in it.

I would like to personally thank Mr. O'Leary for his help in getting this project out there to the broader market. Also, I thank all of YOU for the continued support!

 All smiles here!

March/Early April News and Notes

Hello all you "Lucy Gal" followers! The last month and a half have been a whirlwind of activity for the project. I am just now able to sit down and post the latest "happenings" for you to read. Here's the rundown of the latest news!...

1.) Letters - As I mentioned in previous posts, I took on a massive letter-writing campaign to gain support and donations for the project. I targeted people of fame and fortune with said mailings. I have heard back from quite a few! No donations were received, however the support that I gained from the letters made the effort worth it in the end. Check out what I got back in the mail!

 I got back a letter of support from Mr. George Lucas (Red Tails) via his Secretary!

 Another letter of support that I received was from Mr. Jack Roush - Avid P-51/Ford "Mustang" fan and NASCAR boss!

If these letters weren't enough, I also received a personal note of encouragement from Warbird collector Kermit Weeks. This was followed shortly by yet another support letter from former President Mr. George H.W. Bush! So, even though no money was raised from this effort, at least the word got out to the "higher ups," plus, we have some really cool letters to hang on the wall now.

2.) Solidworks - Last year, the Dassault Systemes Corp. was very generous to our project, and they donated Solidworks 3D modelling software. This program allows us to design P-51 parts along with the original blueprints. I have recently taken on the task of learning how to use Solidworks. I have some experience from a CAD class I took in high school, and also there are tutorials to work through to familiarise me with the program. Luckily for me, at the end of the month, I will be attending a Solidworks "basics" seminar at CADimensions in nearby Rochester. This event will give me a stronger background to work with.

3.) 2012 Geneseo Airshow - This will be my first year of actually promoting the "Lucy Gal" project at our own airshow! I will have a tent set-up right on the flightline. Stay tuned to hear about what else I have planned for the "Greatest Show on Turf 2012."

2012 Geneseo Airshow Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/events/234612336623719/

4.) RR-Merlin V-1650 Engine - I just recently got a lead on a fellow NY'er who has a collection of V-1650 engines. I have been in contact with said gentleman, and these Merlins do indeed exist! Stay tuned for more information on this exciting contact.

So there! What do you all think? Isn't this exciting? 

Best,

Austin Hancock