AirVenture Attendees Get Their Hands On History in Redbird P-40 Simulator

To commemorate the 75^th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Redbird has built a custom P-40 motion simulator. 

Redbird Flight has built a custom, full-motion simulator of a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The simulator, based on Redbird’s MX2 platform, will be displayed during AirVenture at the Pacific Aviation Museum exhibit (Main Aircraft Display Space 445). Attendees can take part in history as they fly over Pearl Harbor. The project was a result of a partnership between Redbird Flight, A2A Simulations, FLYING, and the Pacific Aviation Museum.

While the P-40 squadrons based in Hawaii suffered crippling loses that day, several pilots did manage to get their Warhawks into the fight. Redbird used one of these aircraft, flown by Major George Welch, as the model for its one-of-a-kind simulator. Welch, who was a 2^nd Lieutenant at the time, was one of the few pilots that managed to get a fighter airborne while under fire and shot down multiple Japanese aircraft. He was later awarded the Distinguish Service Cross for his notable actions.

“The Pacific Aviation Museum’s theme for the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor is ‘Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future’ and we’re proud to be able to bring this simulator to AirVenture and do just that,” said Redbird Flight CEO, Todd Willinger. “It is an honor to commemorate this event and help tell the story of this important date in world history.”

This is not the first time Redbird has brought a custom simulator to AirVenture. In 2012, Redbird brought a yellow J-3 Piper Cub simulator to AirVenture to celebrate the 75^th birthday of the aircraft. AirVenture 2013 saw Redbird develop a Yak-52 simulator for the Aerostar flight team and the 2014 edition of the annual airshow played host to a custom Dusty Crophopper that Redbird designed and built for Disney.