C-97 "Angel of Deliverance" Engine Needed. (Fundraising)

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 737

The C-97 "Angel of Deliverance" Needs Your Help!

On Tuesday, June 4, the C-97 Angel of Deliverance was returning to Reading, PA from Hagerstown, MD to participate in the annual Mid Atlantic Air Museum World War II Weekend event.

At a point 20 miles southwest of Reading, the number two engine suffered a catastrophic internal failure and had to be shut down and feathered.

While a routine 3 engine landing was made at Reading, we are now left in need of a replacement engine.

There are a few out there, finding a airworthy replacement may be difficult.

We are looking at a cost of around $300,000 dollars!

This amount will not only help us obtain a replacement R-4360-59B engine, but a meaningful supply of spares which will secure the airplane’s future for a long time to come.

If you can help, please send a donation to:

Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation
PO Box 782
Farmingdale, NJ 07727.

You can also donate directly via PayPal to Airlift48@aol.com.

The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax exempt charitable organization.

TAdan · **Posted:** Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:56 am

Good luck getting her back in the air. It's been a pleasure seeing her in Reading the past two years. My daughter and I enjoyed walking through it this year.

exhaustgases · **Joined:** Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:26 pm **Posts:** 239

Curious of how the project is going? Have you all been working on it?

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 737

No, we haven't really. We have been looking after the airplane and its systems, but there is nothing we can do with #2 until we source a new (or usable) engine. The airplane is (was) a flyer until the #2 failure. We know what's wrong, we need the funding to get the replacements.

KK

exhaustgases · **Joined:** Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:26 pm **Posts:** 239

So about what would one replacement cost?

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 737

That is an unkown as the party who owns the package deal will not break it up.

Several years ago, though.. I visited Precision Engines and they told me that it would cost upwards of 250K just to try to overhaul one.

(I know they're out of business now, but it was still a staggering number)

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11309

Might be worth consulting with Dennis Sanders if you haven't already.

exhaustgases · **Joined:** Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:26 pm **Posts:** 239

What is a packaged deal? Lots of spare parts other than engine?

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 737

Yes. Several known engines and a whole lot of spare parts.

lucky52 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 07, 2019 9:30 pm

Just a thought, would an engine (or parts of) off the Spruce Goose work on your C-97 if a trade could be worked out? They must be the lowest time 4360s around.

exhaustgases · **Joined:** Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:26 pm **Posts:** 239

An older series / version of the engine. It has 7 high tension magneto's and the C97 4 low tension mag's. Then fitting the exhaust system, and other things that maybe different, like possibly the nose case etc.

lucky52 · **Posted:** Fri Nov 08, 2019 8:07 pm

OK,thanks.

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11309

Any leftover Super Corsair engines in Chino?

Mike Banks · **Posted:** Mon Nov 18, 2019 10:01 pm

Kevin, Connecticut Corsair has a running, low time 4360 mounted on a semi trailer set up in a test stand configuration with a club DC-3 prop. We hung out with some of your Skymaster guys at the Stratford, CT Corsair event years ago, great group. We've been thinking of donating the entire rig to a group that can use it. We haven't run the motor in a couple years, but it gets pre oiled and cranked over regularly. We don't have the logs for it unfortunately.

Heres an old video of that event. Oil clears out around 2 minute mark. Craig McBurney (owner) walks by at 3:12.

https://youtu.be/DDCxgCyy16w

I don't remember the dash of the top of my head but I believe this came off a C119 and it has the seven mags. I believe you guys are running later dashes than that, but perhaps there's parts commonality. I cant imagine what ray is charging to overhaul these big boys now.

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 737

Thanks for the heads up. Ill let Tim know.

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C-97 "Angel of Deliverance" Engine Needed. (Fundraising)

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