I just wanted to let everyone know that the VFM is at it again - saving aviation history! We recently rescued an EA-3B Skywarrior from the boneyard with the help of the A-3 Skywarrior Association. The aircraft has been dismantled, trucked to Fort Worth and dedicated group of volunteers is working on reassambling her for static display.
When Buddy Chapman of Chapman Transportation dropped off the last load of A-3 wings, he mentioned that he was storing a Flying Banana (CH-21B) at his place. It's the one that was at the Pate Museum of Transportation. It seems that when Pate closed down, nobody wanted the CH-21B and the Navy (who owns it) didn't know what to do with it, so Buddy offered to store it at his place until the Navy found a home for it. I said "Hmmmmm.... I think I know a place for it" Right inside the VFM hangar! Last weekend a group of us from the museum drove out to Buddy's place to take a look at what we were potentially getting ourselves into. Overall I was impressed, all things considered. Everything was there - all the instruments except one, and alll the other parts where all there albeit dirty, and a little faded and a little corroded - but not majorly. The biggest issues are the fact that the rotor blades (which are steel tubing and wood covered in fabric) are rotted away as are the tires and there's a large hole in the LH lower chin bubble. Overall, nothing that can't be overcome.
So we returned to VFM and briefed Chuckie, the Director, on what we found and we all agreed to move forward with the project. The next step was to contact the Naval Museum and make a request to have it placed on loan to the Vintage Flying Museum. I made that phone call today to get the ball rolling and they will have our formal request letter by the end of the week. Once we officially get it placed on loan to us, we will have Buddy bring it to the VFM. Our current plans are to put it on display in the back of the hangar, parallel to the doors just about in the center of the doors. It will be a display that you can come out and watch (or better yet - help) the restoration in progress.
When it was moved from Pate it was necessary to remove the rotors, rotorheads, horizontal and vertical stabilizers and the main landing gear in order to get it low enough and narrow enough to travel down the highway. The main gear have been put back on so it can be parked and moved around where it's being stored, but they will come back off for the trip to VFM (3 bolts for each gear - no big deal). Where it's being stored is along a highway so they thought they would show a little Christmas spirit.
Rotor blades and tail feathers
Anyone know what size tires those are (and the nose tire)?
Close up of what's left of a rotor blade
Found some pictures of it on
http://www.1370th.org from it's time doing aerial surveying. They split in in half to fit it on a C-124. The ironic thing is that the name on the CH-21B at the time was "Shakey Magoo" with Mr. Magoo as the nose (rotor mast) art and it was being loaded on a C-124 which was known as "Old Shakey"!
This shows how we would like to paint it - as it was when it was "Shakey Magoo". Let the paint arguments begin!
Photo also from
http://www.1370th.org.
If anyone would like to help out either physically, financially or by donating parts or manuals (we need some!), or expertise please PM me.