One overcast and blustery day a few weeks ago, the kids and I were looking for something to do. We had exhausted all of the usual diversions and didn’t want to travel too far in the rain. Like the proverbial New Yorkers who have never visited the Statue of Liberty, we had never visited Wing’s Castle even though the idea had come up many times.

As we drove up the driveway I made scary haunted house noises to everyone’s delight (my children are 2, 6, and 9 years old) as the outline of the castle appeared in the mist. Peter Wing drove by on his tractor carrying a load of stones and Toni Wing met us at the path and began the fascinating narrative of their life’s work.

The Castle sits on property that was once part of the Wing family farm. When Peter returned from military service in 1969, Toni and he began to build Wing’s Castle. Peter had no formal training as an architect, artist or builder, but that didn’t even slow him down. He learned as he built and let nothing stand in his way. Toni has an innate sense of design and a love of the antique which informs her work.

It is hard to describe the artistry, craftsmanship and beauty everywhere you look while waking through their home. There is nothing which has not been thought about carefully and detailed with loving care. Wing’s Castle does not fit in any neat category of art or architecture. The nearest I can come to a description is a cross between a design by the Spanish architect, Antonio Gaudi, and a wild artistic interpretation of a medieval castle.

I returned to visit the Castle and found Peter continuing his work on the groin vault above the passageway to the soon to be completed bed and breakfast annex.

In the upcoming year we will be celebrating the quad centennial of Henry Hudson’s voyage to our neighborhood. In our back yard we have one of the best examples of the early settlers’ tradition of owner built homes: Wing’s Castle. http://www.crisparchitects.com/ James M. Crisp, AIA is an architect working in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Article Source: Wing’s Castle

Rune Mysteries Manhattan Legend of Corn Hair

Reider Serwin, who wrote “The Viking Red Man” traced more than 1,000 words in the Mohawk, Iroquois and Algonquin language to old Norse. Long before the Dutch infused their language on the Indians. The Dutch only arrived in 1626 to buy the Island of Manhattan for approximately $24.00!

The Legend of Corn Hair

When Henry Hudson, in September 1609, sailed north he encountered a peaceful tribe know to History as the “Stockbridge Indians.”

The Dutch built a profitable trade with the Indians using watered rum in return for beaver pelts. One of the traders was Jacob Van Mord. He recorded some of the legends of the Indians.

He was especially interested in the tale of Warriors in Long Boats an old Indian legend. The fiercest of whom was their leader called “Corn Hair,” by the Indians.

In 1743, when the Dutch tried to convert the tribe to Christianity, they refused. He reported to his superiors that the Pagan beliefs of the tribe, which was called the “Tribe of the Long Boat” were still very strong. They were afraid that the Vikings would return again and punish them if they left the Norse Pagan Gods for Christianity.

Little is know about the fierce Viking Warriors who so impressed the Indians. Only a few Rune Mysteries were found on the rocks, but no official authorities have tried to look into the rock inscriptions to find the true source of the Legends. But you can on the Net. I am leaving you good key words so you can do your own research.

Rune Mysteries New Jersey

In Pemberton, New Jersey, an inscribed stone axehead was found. A literal translation of the runes found on it would be “The Swedes took out Charter.” Again there was no investigation.

Rune Mysteries Rhode Island

Rhode Island has a tower in Newport that has been the object of controversy for years. The official finding from the politically correct is that it is a flour mill.

But the Runic Inscription and the fact that it resembles no other structure in America, but resemble structures in Norway, lends proof that it is probably a small fortress lighthouse built by the Vikings.

Ellis Peterson AKA Ragnar Storyteller is a retired math professor and electronics engineer. He has been studying astrology, runes, radionics, metaphysics and alternate healing treatments for over 30 years. He is 70+, in very good health and lives in the boonies of the Pocono mountains with his wife Lory. His writings are unique and refreshing. To see more of his writings visit his websites. http://www.olevikingshop.com/ and http://www.runes-for-health-wealth-love-now.com/

Or go to Google and type in his pen name RAGNAR STORYTELLER for his listings. He is also a ghost writer and will write and article for you. Email Ragnar for his FREE 10 PART MINI-COURSE, “How-To use Quantum Physics in Your Every Day Life to Attract More Wealth, Health and Love, Now.” You can contact him by email.

Article Source: Indian Legend of Corn Hair, a Viking Who Came to Manhattan

Cape May is a great shore town located at the southernmost point in New Jersey. The town is filled with attractive Victorian era homes, bed and breakfasts, shopping, hotels, and of course…the beach. But every now and then people need a break from the beach. So what to do? Depending what your interests are, there is shopping, golfing, fishing, sight-seeing, the boardwalk, and much more. But one attraction is very popular and will allow you to take a boat ride and go into another state. What is it you ask? It’s the Cape May Lewes Ferry!

The Cape May Lewes Ferry (pronounced like Lewis) is a ferry ride that takes people across the Delaware Bay from Cape May, New Jersey to Lewes, Delaware and visa-versa. It is a nice, easy ride that both kids and adults enjoy. You’ll definitely take a half-day doing this and most likely almost a full day. The ferry ride is a little over an hour each way.

Lewes, Delaware is a small shore town that borders the Delaware Bay. The town offers good restaurants and shopping, perfect for a day trip! And once you get to Lewes, you have access to all the other shore points along the Delaware coastline.

You have two options to get on the ferry:

1. Walk on.
2. Take the car on.

There are different fares for each option. If you walk on, the fare for an adult is approximately $9.50, one way. That includes ages 14 and up. If you are between the ages of 7 and 13 that fare is cut in half. And the return fares are generally discounted by a couple of dollars. And all kids under the age of 6 are free! So if you have little ones, they don’t have to pay.

Ahhh, taking the car on! Obviously, this fare is going to be a bit more expensive. This fare is about $41 in peak season and $30 for the return fare. Plus, the cost per person as mentioned above. This is fun and if you have kids, they generally get a kick out of doing this.

If you want to do exploring in Lewes, Delaware…you may want to bring your car. Otherwise, if you walk on, you can get shuttles when you get over to Lewes that will take you around the area.

Either way you choose, people always seem to enjoy this attraction!

The author writes about Cape May. Please visit his website to read more about the Cape May Lewes Ferry or Cape May.

Article Source: Cape May Lewes Ferry – What to Do Besides Hitting the Beach in Cape May, NJ

The Jersey Shore boasts some of the most crowded vacation destinations going. However, one popular resort, The Wildwoods, is truly a happening place and well worth the trip despite the crowds.

Much of this venerable beach community took off in the 1950s with the opening up of the Garden State Parkway and the Atlantic City Expressway. Many of the hotels still gracing the area still reflect that fifties look: tail fins, big hair, Elvis, and more. Old hotels with a bit of tackiness to be sure, but still a fun place to check out.

The boardwalk is a two mile trek laced with all kinds of stores selling saltwater taffy, t-shirts, trinkets, games, rides, junk food, you name it. If you don’t like to walk, tram cars will take you to the end or to any point in between. Soon, you will hear the familiar “watch the tram car” recording emanating from the cars and all you have to do is flag one down, hop on, and you’re off.

The beach is free, by the way. And, it is very wide particularly by NJ standards. Most people familiar with the Jersey Shore know that many beaches are razor thin. This beach has sand added to it constantly and naturally by compliant tidal waters; it is at least 1/4 mile from boardwalk to surf [in low tide, that is].

Certain airline credit cards feature reward programs or bonus points for stays at particular hotels. Be sure to ask your credit card provider for travel benefits before making reservations.

Wildwood now boasts a convention center built on the beach and new rides jutting out from its piers. Historic Cape May, home to more than 600 Victorian houses, is only four miles to the South and a great place to visit when you tire of the boardwalk scene. Atlantic City is one hour to the north and is a frequent side trip destination, especially on rainy days. Alternatively, you can also escape to the county zoo for the day in the town of Cape  May Court House.

The best time to go to the Wildwoods is during July and August as the water temperatures can be too cold before that time. Still, most hotels have outdoor heated pools which you may prefer to salt water.

The resort is changing as many old buildings are being torn down and replaced by condos. Preservationists are attempting to maintain the family welcoming theme of the resort, so it remains to be seen what the resort’s future will be. In the meantime, grab a beach towel and your sunblock and head over to wonderful, Wildwood, NJ!

Born and raised in New Jersey, Matt is no stranger to the Jersey Shore having spent summer weeks on Long Beach Island as a child. Later in life, with a family of his own, the Keegans added Wildwood to their itinerary. This summer he hopes to return to Wildwood despite relocating to North Carolina.

Article Source: Wonderful Wildwood, New Jersey

Ahhhh….Cape May beach. When many people start planning vacations, many lean towards sticking their feet in the sand. And why not, it is so relaxing. If you don’t like sitting and relaxing on a beach, just being in the ‘beach’ atmosphere is worth the price. The laid back style, flip flops, people out and about. You gotta love it! This is why so many people love vacation and a big reason for Cape May, NJ too.

Cape May, New Jersey is a small and charming shore town. It offers many things to do including the beach, shopping, golf, fishing, bird watching, fine restaurants, great sunsets, and sightseeing. Within the town you’ll get the ‘old world’ charm with friendly people and all sorts of amenities.

As you may know, Cape May is located at the southernmost tip of New Jersey. It is the tip of that peninsula along New Jersey’s southern point. Thus, its beaches practically wrap around that tip.

On the easterly side of the peninsula is the Atlantic Ocean. This provides a beach with sand that slides between your toes, waves that crash, and kids that laugh. The enjoyable sand makes it a great place for all sorts of activities including paddle-ball, wiffle-ball, having a catch with a football or baseball, or just plain relaxing.

Dolphins generally frequent the waters close to the shoreline. It is likely that you’ll see them swimming most days. It’s a great spectacle when they swim by, sometimes a few or sometimes a whole school. But they always seem to make you smile. There are various tours throughout the area that will take you on a boat-ride in search of them.

On the westerly side of the peninsula is the Delaware Bay. This area offers more tame water and somewhat rocky sand. But, you can’t beat the sunsets. Sunset Beach is the name. Head on over when the sun is setting and you’ll get an unobstructed view of the sun melting into the water.

Once the sun has set, get up, and head out to one of Cape May’s great restaurants. Then go to bed and wait until morning so you can do it all over again.

The author writes about Cape May, New Jersey. Please visit this website to read more about Cape May or Cape May Beach.

Article Source: Cape May Beach – A Nice and Relaxing Vacation

I. Naval Air Station Wildwood

Southern New Jersey, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware River, had been inextricably tied to naval aviation with several air stations during World War II. The largest, and therefore most important, had been Naval Air Station Wildwood.

Tracing its origins to President Roosevelt, who had used New Deal funds to construct civilian airports under the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) for military conversion in the event of war, Naval Air Station Wildwood had been sparked by the emerging need for a pilot training base to protect the Atlantic seaboard from German submarines which had targeted US supply ships traveling to Britain. Nazi Germany, having already captured France in June of 1942, had become an increasing threat.

In Southern New Jersey, the US Coast Guard transferred its station, which had been originally built as a World War I naval base in 1917, to the Navy, which had then commissioned it Naval Air Station Cape May in September of 1940 and from which observation and scout squadron training had subsequently been conducted.

But the urgency for additional facilities had heightened the following year when the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, alerting of the need for naval aircraft and proficient dive-bomber pilots. The Cape May base had been pitifully inadequate for this purpose, prompting a series of surveys in Lower Township for additional land.

An initial 500 acres, leased for $1.00 from Cape May County for later conversion to civilian use, had resulted in March, 1942 governmental construction bids, and workmen, under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers, commenced the arduous deforestation process by clearing trees and filling in swamps to prepare land for a fighting squadron training base in Rio Grande. Although the construction effort had been successful, its purpose had not been: the Army ultimately elected to establish a similar facility some 40 miles north, in Millville, abandoning the project.

he cleared, 500-acre area, with potential application as an auxiliary field for the inadequately-sized Cape May Naval Air Station, had still been 400 acres short of the Navy’s stipulated 900-acre requirement, and this had only been remedied by the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders’ emergency resolution authorizing an additional $15,000 for land acquisition. The win-win expenditure had been perceived as providing both the Navy with the needed land for its base and the county with the needed employment to arrest it from its economic fall into Depression’s quicksand, although the need for such a facility had been clearly demonstrated by the concurrent Battle of the Coral Sea in May and the Battle of Midway in June, victories only sustainable with the qualified bases where pilots could be trained. In fact, the number of such pilots had been estimated as 20,000. The proposed Rio Grande base, it had been argued, would be crucial to sustaining naval aviation’s imprint in the Pacific.

Resultantly, the Navy, leasing the land from the county and appropriating $500,000 for the new airfield, commenced construction in October of 1942, subsequently completing one 4,000-foot runway, three 5,000-foot runways, a control tower, hangars, barracks, an operations building, a mess hall, a water supply station, a steam heating plant, a sewage system, and roads, providing employment for 362 local civilians.

The base, adopting its name from the nearest post office, had been commissioned “Naval Air Station Rio Grande” on April 1, 1943, and Lieutenant Commander Morris Ruggles Brownell, Jr. had assumed command of it, but early confusion with the identically-named city in Texas had resulted in its redesignation as “Naval Air Station Wildwood” on June 17, a name hitherto only associated with a southern New Jersey beach resort. Supplemented by Woodbine Auxiliary Airfield, which had opened two months later, in August, and a facility in Delaware, the new naval air station met the Navy’s capacity needs and enabled it to concentrate dive-bombing pilot training at the new field. It had also operated in conjunction with Naval Air Stations Cape May and Atlantic City.

Composite Squadron Thirty (VC-30) of Carrier Air Group 30 (CAG30) had been the first to have been commissioned by the Navy at its new facility in April of 1943 for the USS Monterey, although the squadron’s size had initially necessitated the use of eight Westward huts and tents and hotels in Wildwood for 150 of its pilots until base facility construction had been completed.

The initially-combined Bombing Squadron Fourteen and Fifteen (VB-14 and VB-15), training under the “Fleet Air Detachment Wildwood Operation Plan for the Defense of the Eastern Sea Frontier” in Douglas SDB Dauntless aircraft, practiced squadron flying, individual bombing practice, diving, navigation, glide bombing, fixed gunnery, free gunnery, instrument night flying, and anti-submarine surface strafing.

II. Naval Air Station Wildwood Aircraft

Instrumental to Naval Air Station Wildwood and the Navy’s combat strategy in the Pacific had been the dive-bomber aircraft, which provided precision attacks of rapidly moving targets at steep descent angles. Such designs, of the low-wing, metal airframe type usually powered by a single piston engine, had been capable of operating from aircraft carriers with arrester hook provision and had been equipped with dive brakes, such as split flaps, to prohibit excessive, unrecoverable profiles, limit airframe stress, and increase the maneuver’s duration to improve the accuracy, aim, and trajectory of the bomb itself, which had typically been carried on a hinged bomb rack. After its release, it had to be projected downward, with sufficient clearance from the propeller arc to avoid interference.

The Douglas SBD Dauntless, the first such dive-bomber to be deployed at the station, had been the Navy’s standard, ship-borne aircraft responsible for several decisive victories in the Pacific. Based upon the Northrop BT-1, a scout and dive-bomber, it had been given life as the XBT-1 when the Navy had ordered a single prototype. First flying in this form on August 19, 1935, the aircraft, powered by a 700-hp Pratt and Whitney R-1535-66 Twin Wasp Junior two-row radial engine, had featured a low wing; split flaps; aftward, semi-retractable main wheels stored in underwing fairings; and a fixed tailwheel, but the airframe, considered underpowered, had subsequently been refitted with uprated, 825-hp R-1535-94 engines in December, and the split flaps had been replaced with the holed type to rectify handling characteristics.

The subsequent XBT-2, significantly modified after Douglas had acquired Northrop, featured a tandemly arranged, forward-facing pilot and rearward-facing, gunner/radio operator; fabric-covered ailerons, elevators, and rudders; two.50-caliber Browning machine guns installed in the nose cowling and synchronized to fire through the propeller arc; an under-fuselage, swinging cradle release-mounted, 1,600-pound bomb; and two underwing, 100-pound bomb pylons. Powered by a 1,000-hp, nine-cylinder, air-cooled Wright Cyclone R-1820-32 radial engine which drove a three-bladed, adjustable-pitch, spinner-equipped propeller, the aircraft stored fuel in two 90-gallon, wing integral tanks, four wing center section tanks totaling 210 gallons; and a single, 15-gallon auxiliary fuel tank.

The design, redesignated SBD-1 under the Douglas model scheme, had entered service with the Marines’ VMB-2 Squadron in 1940 and the Navy had equally operated 57 of the type.

Despite its extensive improvement program, it had still lacked sufficient range and had been devoid of armor protection, resulting in the SBD-2, which had featured a 100-gallon fuel capacity increase and revised ammunition. It had entered service with the Navy with the 58th airframe.

The succeeding SBD-3 had addressed several earlier deficiencies by introducing a still larger fuel capacity, self-sealing fuel tanks, crew and armor protection, a bullet-proof windshield, a Wright Cyclone R-1820-52 engine, and modified cowling.

The SBD-4 had featured a hydromatic propeller and replaced the previous 12-volt electrical system with a 24-volt one, while the SBD-5, the most numerically produced version, had been built at Douglas’ new Tulsa, Oklahoma, factory. Featuring a 33-foot overall length and a 41.6-foot wingspan, the 1,200-hp Pratt and Whitney R-1820-66-powered aircraft had a 10,855-pound maximum take off weight and a 255-mph maximum speed. It had had a 770-mile range.

The final version, the SBD-6, had featured the most capable powerplant, at a 1,350-hp rating, and the largest fuel capacity.

The Douglas SBD Dauntless had been instrumental in numerous Pacific theatre victories. In the Battle of Midway, for example, which had occurred on June 4, 1942, the type had destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers, sank a heavy cruiser, and severely damaged another, while it sank the Ryugo in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. In the Battle of Guadalcanal, which had taken place between November 12 and 15 of that year, it had destroyed nine transports and sank the cruiser Kinugasa, ending its career as a carrier-borne aircraft two years later on June 20, 1944 with victories against the Japanese Mobile Fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

During initial Douglas Dauntless training at Naval Air Station Wildwood, however, it had not been so victorious, with mounting casualties of the very pilots who had trained in them because of poor handling characteristic-created accidents, prompting a replacement trainer.

That replacement appeared in the form of the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, whose instability, structural weakness, and inferior design had hardly been synonymous with “improvement.”

Based upon the antiquated biplane design of the 1930s intended for dive-bombing maneuvers, the aircraft had been considerably modernized when the Navy had submitted specifications in 1938 for a carrier-based scout bomber accommodating two crew members and able to internally carry 1,000 pounds of bombs over long ranges.

The resultant prototype, designated XSBC2C-1, had first taken to the skies on December 18, 1940, but had been structurally weak and had demonstrated poor handling characteristics, sustaining engine failure two months later on February 8 during an approach and crashing. The US military, intending to target performance deficiencies on production aircraft, had already ordered the type, and an initial series of redesigns, entailing a longer fuselage, a larger tail, increased armor, installation of an autopilot, and self-sealing fuel tanks, had resulted in an airplane which bore little resemblance to its earlier iteration.

The new version, first flying on October 20, 1941, sustained in-flight structural failure during a test flight two months later, on December 21, forcing its pilot to parachute to safety, and during demonstrations of the first six production aircraft, it had been determined that the 40-percent gross weight increase, from the 7,122 pounds of the initial version to the 10,220 pounds of the current one, had been dangerously excessive.

The aircraft, appearing in its initial SB2C-1 guise, had been an all-metal, mid-wing monoplane powered by a single, 14-cylinder, air-cooled, two-row, Double Wasp, 1,700-hp Wright R-2600-8 piston engine which drove a three-bladed propeller. The wings, which folded to facilitate aircraft carrier storage, featured inboard, split flaps for dive-bombing profiles and outboard ailerons and their fuel tanks had been self-sealing. Crew had been accommodated in fore and aft, greenhouse-style canopy cockpits, and the tail-dragging configuration had sported an under-fuselage, stinger-type-arresting hook. Armament had included four 12.7-mm, wing-installed Browning machine guns, a 1,000-pound bomb bay-stored bomb, and a flexible mount in the rear cockpit.

All of the 200 SB2C-1s built had been used for pilot training.

The succeeding SB2C-1C, of which 778 had been produced, had featured additional fuel tankage and had been the first to enter combat, its initial raid targeting the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul on November 11, but the design had been woefully underpowered.

The singularly-produced SB2C-2 had been intended for amphibian operation with floats, while the SB2C-3, attempting to rectify the basic design’s power deficiency had been equipped with a four-bladed Curtiss Electric propeller run by a 1,900-hp R-2600-20 engine. Entering service in 1944, the type had enjoyed a considerable production run, of 1,112.

The SB2C-4, the most extensively produced variant with 2,045 airframes, had featured a 36.8-foot overall length and a 49.9-foot wingspan, whose perforated flaps had minimized dive-induced buffeting. Powered by the previous version’s R-2600-20 engine, the 16,616-pound fighter, armed with two wing-mounted, 20-mm cannons; two aft cockpit-installed, 7.62-mm machine guns; and fuselage bay and underwing rack-carried, 2,000-pound bombs; could achieve a maximum speed of 295 mph and cover up to 1,165 miles.

The SB2C-5, the last major variant to have been built, had introduced a fuel capacity increase. Nine hundred seventy had been produced.

Navy Squadron VB-17, based on the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill, had been the first to successfully operate the SB2C Helldiver, launching 23 aircraft, divided into six, four-unit divisions, in its first major combat campaign in November of 1943.

During the subsequent four-month period, the type conducted dive-bombing missions to Tarawaya, Nauru, New Zealand, Truk, and the Marshall Islands, and by June of the following year, Helldiver fleets had been based on the five aircraft carriers of Bunker Hill, Essex, Hornet, Wasp, and Yorktown. Four months later this number had increased to eight.

Operating with TBM Avengers, the SB2Cs had succeeded in sinking the super battleship, Musashi, and later claimed 44 air-to-air victories, having achieved more shipping kills than any other aircraft type.

Although the Helldiver had initially been plagued with an antiquated heritage and numerous design deficiencies, progressively introduced modifications had rendered it an effective dive-bomber which had been instrumental in many Pacific theatre victories.

As a solution for Naval Air Station Wildwood’s accident rate, however, it had only served to produce the opposite effect: with the introduction of the aircraft to the training program, the number of pilot training fatalities had increased!

The Combined Bombing Squadron Fifty-Two (VC-52), arriving at the station in September of 1943, commenced gunnery and torpedo training with the base’s third major carrier-based fighter, the Grumman TBF-1 Avenger.

Sparked by the Navy’s requirements for a powerful torpedo bomber with a 300-mph speed, a 1,000-mile range with a maximum 2,000-pound payload, a 30,000-foot service ceiling, and an internal weapons bay, the aircraft, designated XTBF-1 and designed by Grumman’s Iron Works, had appeared with a rugged fuselage and a Wright 14-cylinder, 1,700-hp, double row radial R-2600-8 engine. Its wings, whose large area had resulted in simplistic flying characteristics, had folded flat against the airframe in order to reduce required carrier storage space, and its armament had consisted of three.30-caliber machine guns, one of which had been mounted on the nose and fired through the propeller arc, one of which had been located in the belly and fired rearward, and one of which had been installed as a rear gunner turret. Because of its mid-wing mounting, sufficient internal space had been created to store a 2,000-pound torpedo, four 500-pound bombs, or additional fuel, and the three-person crew had encompassed the pilot, the rear gunner, and the bombardier/belly gunner.

The first production aircraft, designated TBF-1, had first flown on August 1, 1941, and the insatiable need for this very capable fighter had required additional manufacturing capability in the form of a General Motors production line. So manufactured, it had been designated TBM-1, and had first appeared in this guise in late-1942.

The modified TBF-1C, with fuel tank provision in the bomb bay, as well as two wing integral tanks, had increased capacity from 335 to 726 gallons, resulting in a coincident range increase, and the single,.30-caliber machine gun had been replaced by two,.50-caliber, wing-mounted units, as well as an additional one for the turret. The General Motors-manufactured counterpart had been designated TBM-1C.

The ultimate, and numerically most produced, variant, the TBM-3, had featured a 40-foot, 11.5-inch overall length and a 54.2-foot wingspan. Powered by a 1,900-hp Wright R-2600-20 engine, the aircraft, used for reconnaissance, scouting, and torpedo and glide bombing, had been equipped with a forward-facing, dorsal and ventral machine gun, as well as wing hard points for rockets or drop tanks. With a 17,895-pound gross weight, it could climb at 2,060 feet-per-minute, cruise at a maximum, 276-mph speed, and fly 1,000-mile sorties. Some 4,657 had been produced.

Although only six Grumman TBF Avengers had been delivered in time for the June 4, 1942 Battle of Midway, five had been destroyed in two separate missions, while the sixth had succeeded in dropping its torpedo before returning to base with little more than its trim tab to provide longitudinal control.

Two months later, on August 24, 26 aircraft had been launched from the Saratoga and Enterprise carriers near the Solomon Islands, sinking the light carrier Ryugo on the second of four strikes with a torpedo.

And yet three months later, in November, the 37,000-ton Hiei, leading Japanese naval forces, had been destroyed after multiple strikes by Avengers in the Battle of Guadalcanal.

In the North Atlantic, the type, operating from the USS Bogue, had destroyed some 30 submarines and ripped a cavernous hole in the Japanese transport, I-52.

One of the most famous Avenger pilots, George H. W. Bush, had been shot down on September 2, 1944 over Chichi Jima after take off from the USS San Jacinto, although he had successfully parachuted to safety.

Two months later, the aircraft had been instrumental in sinking the Japanese battleship, Musashi, in the Battle of the Subuyan Sea.

The final testament to the type’s ruggedness and torpedo-launching capability had occurred on April 7, 1945 when a fleet of Avengers had destroyed the battleship Yamato and the cruiser Yahagi during their journey to Okinawa.

Of the 9,836 Avengers produced, 7,546 had been built by General Motors.

The fourth major aircraft to be used at Naval Air Station Wildwood, perhaps attempting to rectify the earlier SB2C’s flaws, had offered diametrically opposed efficiency and performance. Its speed and capability, unduplicated by any present fighter, had enabled it to outrun and outclimb any propeller-driven enemy aircraft. That aircraft had been the Chance-Vought F4U Corsair.

Based upon the US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics requirement for a high-performance, carrier-based fighter submitted to the Vought-Sikorsky Division of the United Aircraft Corporation, the proposed design, designated the V-166-A, had projected use of the air-cooled, Pratt and Whitney R-1830 Wasp radial engine because of its service reliability, but speed targets could only be met with the much larger XR-2800-4 Double Wasp. Hitherto the world’s most powerful piston powerplant, it had developed more than 100 hp per cylinder, of which there had been 18, requiring a 13.4-foot diameter, three-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller. Although it had required considerable ground clearance because of its size, the very purpose for which a carrier-based fighter had been designed had dictated short, robust landing gear struts to withstand the rapid, often deck-pounding contact and almost instantaneous deceleration required of such an operation. As a result, these parameters had dictated conflictive design solutions, and engineers had only been able to ensure both sufficient propeller clearance and short enough undercarriage linkage by introducing a gull wing configuration, which had coincidentally improved the aircraft’s aerodynamic characteristics, thereby augmenting higher operational speeds. It had been the first to feature flushly stored wheels in the retracted mode.

The Pratt and Whitney engine, whose air inlet had been located in the wing root, closely conformed to the fuselage’s circular shape.

First flying on May 29, 1940 in prototype form, the aircraft, designated XF4U-1, had been powered by the 1,850-hp R-2800-4 engine and had featured a greenhouse-type cockpit and four.50-caliber Colt-Browning machine guns, two of which had been installed in the nose and two of which had been located in the wings.

The first production standard version, the F4U-1, had been powered by the 2,000-hp R-2800-8 and had featured exclusively wing-mounted armament. Taking to the skies on July 31, 1942, it had been the first fighter to exceed 400 mph in level flight.

Several subsequent versions had been offered. The F4U-2, for example, had been intended for night missions, while the F4U-3 had been designed for high-altitude operations coupling its 2,000-hp R-2800-16 Double Wasp engine with two Bierman model 1009A turbo-superchargers. Because of its mechanical difficulties, it had eroded its performance and the variant had been quickly discontinued.

The F4U-4, a fighter-bomber version, had featured a 33.8-foot overall length and a 41-foot wingspan, which had rendered a 314-square-foot area. Its 2,100-hp R-2800-18W engine, driving a four-bladed propeller, had been equipped with methanol-water injection, thus producing a five-minute, war-emergency rating of 2,450 hp and resulting in a maximum, 446-mph airspeed. Its service ceiling had been 41,500 feet.

The F4U-5, the definitive version, had featured a five-inch longer fuselage; a two-degree, downward-angled engine to increase stability; duralumin outer wing panels and control surfaces to cater to its higher speeds; and a 2,350-hp, dual supercharger-equipped Pratt and Whitney R-2800-32W engine. The type had a 45,000-foot service ceiling.

In January of 1945, an additional $500,000 appropriation had enabled Naval Air Station Wildwood to expand and acquire new equipment, including weapons, tactics, link trainers, a 20-mm gunnery school, and a catapult and arresting gear to foster carrier landing practice at its Georgetown Auxiliary Field. Part of this appropriation had been used to acquire rocket-equipped F4U Corsairs.

Although the station had originally been designed for 108 officers, 1,200 enlisted men, and 72 aircraft, these numbers had swelled to 443, 2,497, and 154, respectively, and by October of 1944, take offs and landings had peaked at 16,994. Dive bombing target practice had occurred along the Atlantic and Delaware Bay coasts, while a lighting system at an affiliated field had enabled pilots to perfect night carrier landings.

When the respective training had been completed, the pilots, now arranges in air groups, had transferred to their assigned aircraft carriers.

III. Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum

When victory had closed the doors on World War II’s theaters in 1945, the Navy had discontinued its training programs at Naval Air Station Wildwood and by December of the following year, it had been deactivated, its 109 buildings having been declared surplus. Of these, 79 had been offered by the War Assets Administration, which had intermittently acquired the property, for off-site use, while several larger structures had been given to Cape May County, which had resumed operation of the station. Hanger Number One, which had been designed by architect Albert Kahn and whose construction had commenced as far back as October of 1942, had been one of them.

Formed by bolted wood Pratt trusses subdivided into ten-foot panels at the roof level, the cavernous, 2,558,000-cubic-foot structure had been 290 feet long, 219 feet wide, and 51 feet high, and had been completed with cross-braced vertical supports at its north and south elevations and a center support, which had once provided the division between its two internal bays. Its east and west elevations had been created by 12 full-height telescoping doors. Aside from once housing the air station’s aircraft fleet, it had also featured offices, workrooms, and maintenance facilities.

The hangar, having been used for several post-war purposes, had headquartered United States Overseas Airlines (USOA) between 1949 and 1964, which had provided a global route system with its own fleet and in-flight crews, and it had also briefly housed a banner-towing aircraft company.

The subsequently abandoned structure, having fallen into a state of disrepair with rotting wood and cracked windows, had been resurrected by Dr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Salvatore in 1997, who had formed the not-for-profit Naval Air Station Wildwood Foundation to save and preserve it as a memorial to the 42 pilots who had lost their lives during their training here between 1943 and 1945, and had subsequently been listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places at the National Significance Level. That hangar now houses the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum, which features some 30 aircraft, engines, interactive exhibits provided by the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, films, a library, and a gift shop.

Of the aircraft, the Grumman F4F Wildcat, featuring a three-bladed propeller, folding wings, self-sealing fuel tanks, and six machine guns, had served at the station, and had been the first US-designed fighter capable of downing a German aircraft.

The Consolidated PBY Catalina, a high-wing, twin-engined, hull-shaped airframe for amphibian operations, had been a patrol bomber armed with.50-caliber Browning machine guns, torpedoes, and depth charges, and had performed multi-role missions, including submarine scouting, search and rescue, and escorting.

The Boeing-Stearman PT-17 Kaydet, built in 1943, had been the most prevalently used World War II primary trainer. The two-person, single-engine, open cockpit biplane had served as the initial step before pilot transition to heavier, more complex equipment.

The Vultee BT-13, often the “next step,” had featured tandem controls and instruments, and had also been extensively used.

The Grumman TBM-3E Avenger, one of the main aircraft based at Naval Air Station Wildwood, is one of only eight designs, like the very hangar which houses it, included on the National Register of Historic Places.

The T-28C Trojan, which had replaced the AT-6 Texan in Asia and Africa, had provided carrier landing practice, and is equipped with an arresting hook. It had been used for close air support against enemy ground forces.

The OE-2 Bird Dog, the military version of the four-seat, twin-bladed, high-wing, tailwheel Cessna 170, had carried white phosphorous target-marking rockets under its wings during the Vietnam War and had also been used as an observation aircraft.

Several rotary-wing designs are also represented by the museum. The HH-52A Seaguard amphibious search-and-rescue helicopter, for example, features a hull-like fuselage and outrigger floats and had been stationed on a US Coast Guard ice breaker.

The AH-1 Cobra, backbone of the US Army’s attack helicopter fleet and a type still in use today, had been equipped with rocket mounts and machine guns. Formerly part of a Vietnam “Kill Team,” it had trailed a LOACH, which had drawn ground fire.

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois Huey, the most widely used military helicopter with more than 16,000 having been produced, had been instrumental in numerous missions, such as air assault, command and control, medical evacuation, search-and-rescue, gunship, and transport, particularly during the Vietnam War, although it is still used by the Air Force and the Marines today.

Jet fighters are also represented. The Lockheed T-33 Thunderbird, a low-wing, single-engine, dual-seat trainer with a bubble canopy, had progressed from drawing board to airplane in 150 days. Its F-80C Shooting Star counterpart had served for some 40 years in more than 20 world air forces. The museum’s example itself had served in the Yugoslavian Air Force.

The single-engined, delta-winged McDonnell-Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, which had first entered service with the Navy in 1956, could operate from an aircraft carrier, yet deliver nuclear weapons.

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat features dual engines and vertical tails. The museum’s F-14A, which had entered service in 1982, had later been upgraded to F-14B standard and had been the first to exceed 7,000 takes offs and landings from the USS John F. Kennedy.

The Northrop F-5E Tiger II, a lightweight supersonic fighter deployed during the Cold War, had been designed as a response to the Soviet MiG-21.

Aside from the actual fixed and rotary wing aircraft, the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum often hosts fly-ins, veterans’ ceremonies, historical lectures, and school field trips.

The 1,000-acre Cape May Airport, the museum’s location, is itself of historic value, having evolved from the naval air station. Sporting two 4,998-foot runways (1-19 and 10-28), six taxiways, and three parking ramps, the general aviation facility annually fields 39,000 movements primarily comprised of corporate, recreational, and charter aircraft, and stands as a testament to the location where fields, once cultivating corn, had later cultivated pilots whose dive-bombing skills had been instrumental in Pacific theatre and ultimate World War II victory.

A graduate of Long Island University-C.W. Post Campus with a summa-cum-laude BA Degree in Comparative Languages and Journalism, I have subsequently earned the Continuing Community Education Teaching Certificate from the Nassau Association for Continuing Community Education (NACCE) at Molloy College, the Travel Career Development Certificate from the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA) at LIU, and the AAS Degree in Aerospace Technology at the State University of New York – College of Technology at Farmingdale. Having amassed almost three decades in the airline industry, I managed the New York-JFK and Washington-Dulles stations at Austrian Airlines, created the North American Station Training Program, served as an Aviation Advisor to Farmingdale State University of New York, and devised and taught the Airline Management Certificate Program at the Long Island Educational Opportunity Center. A freelance author, I have written some 70 books of the short story, novel, nonfiction, essay, poetry, article, log, curriculum, training manual, and textbook genre in English, German, and Spanish, having principally focused on aviation and travel, and I have been published in book, magazine, newsletter, and electronic Web site form. I am a writer for Cole Palen’s Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York. I have made some 350 lifetime trips by air, sea, rail, and road.

Article Source: The History of Naval Air Station Wildwood

A Cape May, NJ bed and breakfast is a wonderful getaway idea for most individuals that are seeking relaxation. Cape May, New Jersey is certainly an ideal spot for individuals who want a nice and relaxing beach vacation. This shore town is situated at the southern tip of New Jersey and famous for its abundance of bed and breakfast inns. Cape May is a small and fascinating shore town. There are several things you can do in this place including golf, fishing, bird watching, watching great sunsets, and of course sightseeing along the beach. You will surely get the old world charm with friendly people and all sorts of facilities and services available.

New Jersey bed and breakfast accommodations are situated around the town. It differs in sizes and location. Some are very close to the beach while others are close to shopping malls and some are private. So, there is no need for you to worry because no matter what your need is, you will surely find bed and breakfast accommodations that will suit you. In addition, you could use a bed and breakfast getaway as an escape for couples that are seeking for a little privacy together. Cape May is a very good destination whether you wanted to have your vacation with your love one, your family or even if you want to be alone on a vacation.

Most of Cape May’s accommodations are Victorian style buildings that were constructed more than a hundred years ago. You will get the allure that comes with older architecture, quality, and the details that lack with modern day construction. But some of these accommodations have been somewhat modernized in order to have room for a better living style. Hence, the primary thing that you should do in finding bed and breakfast accommodation is to check out for amenities that it offers. It could be better to look for inns that can provide all of the necessary things that you will need during your stay. Cape May, NJ bed and breakfast inns offer everything you will need – food, great rooms and the all-encompassing knowledge that a local innkeeper has to offer.

Have you ever been to a bed and breakfast in New Jersey? Cape May NJ bed and breakfasts offer a great variety of accommodations and you are sure to enjoy your trip! You can find more information on bed and breakfasts by visiting my site at http://www.bedandbreakfastnook.com. Don’t waste time in a stuffy hotel– get the real feel of being a local by staying at a bed and breakfast.

Article Source: Cape May, NJ Bed and Breakfast Getaway

In Cape May, New Jersey, at Sunset Beach on the shore of Delaware Bay you can see the sunken wreck of the World War One concrete ship, Atlantus. She lies there, half submerged, a few hundred feet offshore. The weather worn wreck is all that remains of an experimental World War I concrete freighter. She was towed there in 1926 to be intentionally sunk as a breakwater and protection for the entrance to the then new, Cape May Canal. During a sudden storm on Delaware Bay, she broke free of the towboats and was washed into the shallow water a mile or more west of her intended resting place near the Canal.

As it happens, this un-natural, man-made barrier is the happy accident that makes Cape May Diamonds available to you. Here is what we believe to be the origin of these unique Cape May Diamonds.

It has been estimated the journey of a Cape May Diamond begins when some quartz rocks fall from a Pennsylvania mountain into the Delaware River. This is thought to happen at or near Delaware Water Gap, in the upper reaches of Delaware River. Over time, the pebbles are washed, ever so slowly, past: Trenton, Palmyra, Camden and Philadelphia and finally to the broad reaches of the shallow, muddy Delaware Bay.

Here, on the pebble-filled shoreline of Sunset Beach, you can search for Cape May Diamonds. What you will find are clear quartz crystals that, after being polished, look like diamonds to the untrained eye. It is believed that the sunken ship has become a barrier that diverts the tides and currents carrying the Cape May Diamonds from the mountains of Pennsylvania toward the Atlantic Ocean. In this way, the journey of the quartz pebbles is changed and they are washed ashore here instead of flowing into the nearby ocean. Scientists estimate it can take over 1,000 years for a pebble to move approximately 200 miles, from the mountains of Pennsylvania to its final resting place on Sunset Beach, in Cape May New Jersey.

The largest Cape May Diamond ever found weighed almost eight ounces. Nearby gift shops sell polished Cape May Diamonds, but it’s more fun to search the beaches around Cape May for your own “diamonds.” Buff them to a shine and you’ll dupe your friends at home into thinking you’ve hit the mother lode.

About the Author: Terry Weber is a retired advertising/direct mail sales letter copywriter and inventor of several useful items. Terry and his wife Doris are Habitat For Humanity, RV Care-A- Vanners who, for the past eight years have volunteered to help build more than 39 houses all over the USA. They travel to and from the 2-week long builds in their RV. The money they make on their website, originalsbyweber.com, helps them pay their expenses to and from those volunteer Habitat builds.

Article Source: The Story Of Cape May Diamonds

Located at the southern most tip of the state of New Jersey, Cape May is a historic seashore town, a bird lover’s dream come true, and a fisherman’s paradise all wrapped up into a popular vacation destination. Let’s take a look at this noted community located at the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay.

Named for the Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey [spelling later changed to May}, the town became America's first seashore resort in 1761. During the 1800s the community rose to fame as it quickly became one of the country's top vacation destinations. Indeed, hundreds of "Victorian style" homes were built in the town and most of these homes still stand today. In fact, no other locale in the USA boasts as many Victorian homes as does Cape May.

To appreciate the history of the area, visitors are encouraged to stop by the Greater Cape May Historical Society, which is located at the Colonial House Museum on Washington Street, right behind City Hall. The historical society features varying exhibits of local historical interest; a visit to the society will rouse your appetite to explore the resort in detail.

The resort is best traversed on foot, which will allow you to take in all the bed and breakfast establishments [which consist of some of the most charming of the Victorian homes], inns, shops and restaurants, as well as taking a stroll on the boardwalk and beaches. In the height of the summer tourist season, foot traffic oftentimes goes faster than automobile traffic so go ahead and get into your walking shoes and prepare to take in the sites and the salty air on foot.

Birders flock to the cape at all times of the year as the area boasts a phenomenal and varied bird population. During the Spring and again in the Fall, members of the National Audubon Society gather together for workshops, boat trips, field trips, bird viewing, and more. Because of its unique position on the east coast, Cape May attracts a stunning variety of migratory birds including hawks, owls, and peregrine falcons. Without a doubt there are few places on earth as popular for bird enthusiasts. When not viewing birds you can take in Cape May’s Lighthouse which still features an operating beacon!

Fishermen are attracted to the area because of the variety of species you can catch. Striped bass, bluefish, and weakfish are all in abundance while white perch, sea trout, herring, croakers, and sea bass are plentiful too. There are ample amounts of tidal creeks and rivers offering access to avid fishermen as well as jetties, inlets, docks and bridges, back bays, sod banks, the ocean, and the Delaware Bay. You can charter a boat for some good quality deep sea fishing as well.

Nearby attractions to Cape May include historic Cold Spring Village, a remake of communities that existed in the area during the 1800s; Cape May County Park and Zoo, featuring over one hundred species of wildlife; the Wildwoods, a thriving resort community just four miles north of the cape; and Avalon and Stone Harbor, fine resort communities between the Wildwoods and Ocean City.

Cape May, New Jersey is located just south of where the Garden State Parkway begins. Visit the Cape May Times’ website for up to the moment resort information and links: http://www.capemaytimes.com/.

Matt enjoys the sea as well as the mountains. When not traveling to either, Matt looks heavenward and manages busy aviation websites including his popular Corporate Flight Attendant Community located at http://www.corporateflyer.net.

Article Source: Charming and Historic Cape May, New Jersey