GENESEO – In middle school, Philadelphia kid Stephen Skeel made a short film on a church acquaintance, an articulate local WWII veteran by the name of Leslie Cruise. Skeel, now in his early twenties, says the original film wasn't great. However, it fanned a spark that would build to be 7 Wonders Cinema, the production company Skeel founded with his business partner and peer, Michael Ayjian. This Veterans Day, they released a 'second take,' … [Read more...]
Jumpers Video Flight from National Warplane Museum’s Whiskey-7
GENESEO – A member of the Liberty Jump team captured the moment that he jumped from the National Warplane Museum's flying historical treasure, Whiskey-7, just as paratroopers did over Normandy on D-Day, 1944. The team performed a demonstration at the Westfield International Airshow, held at Barnes Air National Guard Base. Whiskey-7 will continue to be busy this airshow season. She will be a prized guest at Thunder Over Michigan, one of the … [Read more...]
SUN VIDEO: We Fly with Geneseo’s Most Historic Plane to Niagara Falls Air Force Base
NIAGARA FALLS – The GeneseeSun.com was aboard Whiskey 7, the National Warplane Museum's most historic aircraft, when she made an appearance at the 914th Air Refueling Wing on Saturday. The Wing had a ceremony to celebrate their transition from an airlift wing to a refueling wing and welcomed Whiskey 7 presence as a flyover and static display. "The C-47 Skytrain were our first aircraft when we were the 3rd Combat Cargo Group which started … [Read more...]
Afghanistan Vet and Triple IED Survivor on Top of the World after Whiskey 7 Jump
GENESEO – A Marine with his roots in Canadice jumped at the opportunity to honor the legacy of American veterans by leaping from the very aircraft that dropped troops over France on D-Day, 1944. The All Veteran Parachute Team, stars of the National Warplane Museum's airshow, the Greatest Show on Turf, took Purple Heart recipient PFC David Olin Coon up with them to jump from Whiskey 7, a historic crown jewel of the museum. The team has now … [Read more...]
WWII Reenactors Tie Together National Warplane Museum’s Year of Growth
WATCH BELOW: Maj. Clark and Cpl. Heath Marchand demonstrate the paratroopers' 'Static Line' jump system, which is still used by the military today. They give a similar (though more detailed) walkthrough to the civilian crews on Fly Days. GENESEO – On an incredibly hot afternoon, one might spy a Kelly green canvas tent behind the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo. This is the temporary home for the nine men of H Company, 505th Parachute … [Read more...]
D-Day Hero Les Cruise Rallies for Whiskey 7 Restoration at National Warplane Museum Airshow
GENESEO – Whiskey 7's unmistakable purr tells a mechanical and historical success story. At the National Warplane Museums's airshow, generations of delighted onlookers have closed their eyes and tried to imagine the roar of massive formations sweeping over the English Channel to Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Leslie Palmer Cruise Jr., 92, Ret. U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne, does not have to imagine. He remembers. He remembers the cold … [Read more...]
National Warplane Museum Crowdfunding for Full Interior Restoration of Whiskey 7
GENESEO – The National Warplane Museum is looking for the public's help to fully restore the interior of Whiskey 7, the legendary flightworthy C-47 to the configuration that it had when it dropped American troops over Normandy on D-Day, 1944. The National Warplane Muserum is rolling out a 30-day Indiegogo campaign, 'Let's Do a Little More for Les', accessible here, with a campaign goal of $35,000 install the original 'pan-style' aluminum seats … [Read more...]
National Warplane Museum Clears the Air about Whiskey 7’s Coincidental Presence at Trump Rally
GENESEO – According to National Warplane Museum representatives, there is no political message behind the presence one of their aircrafts at a Rochester hangar during a political rally for Donald Trump. The National Warplane Museum said that they and their beautifully restored Douglass C-47 , 'Whiskey 7,' have no political affiliation with any candidate or party and their plane was outside a JetSmart Aviation hangar in Rochester as part of … [Read more...]
Whiskey 7 Soares into National Spotlight for Veterans with CNN Story
GENESEO — One of the National Warplane Museuem's most treasured aircraft shone in national news as part of a story on Veteran paratroops featured by CNN. The restored a Douglas C-47, affectionately named ‘Whiskey-7,’ is one of the few fully operational planes that dropped soldiers behind German lines the night before the Allied invasion. National Warplane Museum received national recognition from the Daughters of the American Revolution … [Read more...]
National Warplane Museum Honored for Iconic ‘Whiskey 7’ Restoration
GENESEO — The beloved National Warplane Museum has received national recognition from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for restoring a U.S. transport plane that dropped paratroopers over Normandy during the D-Day invasion 71 years ago last week. According to news partner 13WHAM, the National Warplane Museum received the DAR's National Historic Preservation Recognition Award during the museum's board meeting Thursday night. The … [Read more...]