by William Crum
At the airshow held at the New Century airport in Gardner, Kansas, both the Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds performed at the same location. This has not happened in seven years.
Vintage World War II aircraft were on display at the airshow, including the B-25 airplane. The North American Aviation bomber plant in the Fairfax area of Kansas City, Kansas, made B-25s. Later the bomber plant became the first General Motors plant in KCK. My father was a flight engineer on a B-17 before he got shot down.
For more information, see https://kcairshow.org/.
During the Korean War the former B25 plant and the then General Motors BOP plant in Fairfax built a fighter jet. They were built at the same time the cars were built. I have forgotten the jets designated number the F…..? Can anyone recall that number? Thanks.
Here is the info for you!!
F-84F Thunderflash fighters
1944 B-25 Mitchell assembly line in Air Force Plant NC: In 1953, the facility was the Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Plant adjacent to Fairfax Field and unveiled the assembly line for F-84F Thunderflash fighters (General Motors produced 599 F-84Fs at Fairfax.)