2023 Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s World War II Weekend Night-Engine-Run Photo Shoot

Story and photos by Corey Beitler
The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum held the 32nd annual World War II Weekend living history event and airshow on June 2, 3, and 4 at the Reading Regional Airport in Reading, Pennsylvania. World War II Weekend captures the essence of these pivotal years in world history with an event that has grown into one of the largest living history reenactments in the country and also one of the largest airshows featuring restored World War II Aircraft. The event features hundreds of restored military vehicles on display and over 1,500 reenactors from all over the United States portraying all aspects of life during the war. World War II Weekend also features live entertainment with an appropriate theme to the time period, special guest speakers, and World War II veterans in attendance as special honored guests. The event is a wonderful tribute to the “Greatest Generation” and honors not only those who served in the armed forces but also all those who worked on the home front to help the United States and its allies achieve victory.

This year, World War II Weekend featured over 30 restored aircraft including examples of fighters, bombers, trainers, and transports. For the first time ever, the Tunison Foundation’s D-Day and Battle of the Bulge veteran Douglas C-47 Skytrain “Placid Lassie” attended the event. Also attending the event were returning favorites such as the Delaware Aviation Musuem’s North American B-25J Mitchell “Panchito”, the Commemorative Air Force’s restored Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Fifi”, and their North American P-51D Mustang “Red Nose”. Rides were available in many of the historic aircraft present at the event, and several of the airplanes flew as part of an afternoon airshow on Saturday and Sunday.

For the third consecutive year, an exclusive “Night-Engine-Run Photo Shoot” was offered on Saturday evening for professional photographers. Aviation night photo shoots have become popular with aviation enthusiasts in recent years and the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum decided to capitalize on that popularity by having a night photo shoot of their own at World War II Weekend. First held in 2021, the World War II Weekend “Night-Engine-Run Photo Shoot” was seen as an additional fundraising opportunity for the museum and a way to offer an exclusive event for professional photographers. The event is held under the guidance of the World War II Weekend Media Coordinators Dave and Christina Brown and participation is limited to approximately 50 photographers. Lighting for the event was provided by Pete Lerro from Lerro Photography. Lerro Photography has done many special night photo shoots throughout the country at lighthouses, railroads, and other airshows. The lighting expertise provided by Pete and his assistants greatly enhances the success of this night photo shoot. For this year’s photo shoot, the three aircraft chosen were the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Georgia’s Bell-P-63 Kingcobra, a Boeing VN2S-4 Stearman Kaydent owned by Christian Kappler, and the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s most recent addition to its extensive collection of aircraft, an Aichi D3A1 “Val” replica used in the 1970 film “Tora!, Tora!, Tora!”.

The “Night-Engine-Run” shoot was nearly canceled because of a thunderstorm that moved through the airport a few hours prior. Fortunately, the weather cleared and the night shoot went off without a problem. As the three aircraft were positioned for the shoot and Pete Lerro set up his lighting equipment, photographers checked in with Dave and Christina Brown. Supporting the event were members of the Greenfields Fire Company, who wet down the ramp prior to each aircraft being run to provide light reflection for photographers, and members of the Bern Township Police Department, who were providing security for the event. The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum ramp team also had the task of moving each aircraft into position for the shoot. Each aircraft would be run for approximately 10 minutes, allowing photographers ample opportunity to take several shots.

The first aircraft run was the Bell P-63 Kingcobra from the Commemorative Air Force Air Base Georgia. Running up the P-63 was CAF Airbase Georgia pilot John Currenti. The P-63 Kingcobra was built by Bell Aircraft during World War II and was a significant redesign of the company’s earlier P-39 Airacobra. The P-63, like the preceding P-39, is known for having a mid-engine layout, with the engine located behind the pilot. The P-63 is also distinctive for having a cockpit entered through doors that look like doors found on an automobile. By the time the P-63 was introduced in 1943, the U.S. Army Air Corps already had capable fighter aircraft such as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the North American P-51 Mustang. As a result, the P-63 was not accepted for service with the U.S. Army Air Corps. Most of the over 3,300 P-63s built were sent to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. The CAF Airbase Georgia’s P-63 was one of the few P-63s kept in the United States for testing and evaluation purposes and is one of the few remaining examples of a P-63 in airworthy condition.

The second aircraft run was the Boeing VN2S-4 Stearman owned by Christian Kappler, who was also at the controls of the aircraft for the engine run. The Stearman is one of the most recognizable classic American biplanes and was one of the most important training aircraft used during World War II. The Stearman was used by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Air Corps, and the Royal Canadian Air Force throughout World War II as a trainer. The Stearman was also used as a trainer in smaller numbers by many other military operators in the years following World War II. After World War II ended, thousands of Stearmans became available as surplus and were bought by civilians for use as banner towing aircraft, crop dusters, sport aircraft, and to perform aerobatics in airshows. The Stearman remains a popular vintage warbird today. Kappler’s Stearman is a beautifully restored example painted in U.S. Navy World War II colors. The bright yellow color scheme, used during wartime to easily identify the aircraft as a trainer, really popped under Pete Lerro’s lighting and was a welcome addition to the night shoot. As an added bonus, Christian Kappler was dressed in a period-style flight outfit and posed for some pictures in front of the Stearman after he shut the aircraft down.

The final aircraft run during the photo shoot was the Aichi D31A “Val” replica with Mid-Atlantic Air Museum pilot Betsey Carlisle at the controls. The “Val” is a recent addition to the museum’s collection, donated to the museum by its longtime owner Ken Laird, who flew it at airshows throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for many years. This aircraft along with several others was constructed for use in the 1970 film “Tora!, Tora!, Tora!”. Since no surviving World War II Japanese aircraft were available when the movie was made, the movie special effects team converted North American T-6 and Vultee BT-13/15 Valiant trainers to look like Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” fighters, Aichi D3A1 “Val” dive bombers and Nakajima B5N “Kate” torpedo bombers. The “Val” seen here started life as a BT-13 Valiant trainer. The conversion process to a “Val” included a fuselage plug to lengthen the aircraft 26 inches and major fiberglass modifications made to the wing fillets, dorsal fin, and undercarriage to give the “Val” its distinctive wheel spats. The “Val” conversions also received fake dive brakes, cowl flaps, and a working arrestor hook and bomb rack. In total, 30 Japanese World War II aircraft were created for the film, including nine “Vals”. A number of these fake Japanese aircraft survived the filming process and were sold by the production company after filming was completed. Many of these reproduction Japanese aircraft survive today in museums or with private owners, some still flying in airshows. The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s new “Val” was an interesting addition to the photo shoot and hopefully, the museum will be able to keep this unique piece of aviation and movie history airworthy and visit airshows with it.

After the “Val” was shut down, the 3rd Mid-Atlantic Air Museum World War II Weekend Night-Engine-Run Photo Shoot concluded for the evening. The event was once again a success, with the photographers getting some great shots of the three aircraft under the lights and the weather clearing in time for the shoot to take place. Special thanks go to the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, Dave and Christina Brown, the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum World War II Weekend Ramp Crew, Pete Lerro from Lerro Photography, Greenfields Fire Company, and Bern Township Police Department for helping to make the event a success. A word of thanks also goes out to John Currenti from CAF Airbase Georgia, Christian Kappler, and Betsey Carlisle from the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum for volunteering their time on a Saturday evening to run the aircraft for the photographers at the night shoot.