ended

[Project Warbird]

Inspector
The plan is to put the aft section back on the front. That way it will stay square and plumb. Thanks for the help.

1/5_UC-78
The car is not for sale. None of the items in the background of the pics are for sale. I tried to get them also.

We have been doing some work.
Fitted the nose cone frame work back into place.



Opening panels to see what we have.


Looks really good so far.

And for the big news. We have purchased AT-11 42-37620, c/n 4616, now known as CF-JNW
Pic from the 50's


Pic from 2006.


History of AT-11 c/n 4616

4616 AT-11 42-37620 USAAF del 2Dec43 Bomb Tr Sch Childress, TX. Reclam Hill AFB Oct54 with 4,714 hrs TT. To Johnson Flying Service, Missoula, MT as N8070H (CAA Index & USCAR Nov61). Sold to Aerial Photography Co (later company name changed to La Cie de Photographie Aerienne Ltee & then La Cie Photo-Air Laurentide), Laval, PQ BS Jul57, reg’d 26Aug57 as CF-JNW. Ferried from Montana to Grand-Mere, PQ on 2Aug57. Accid on 6Mar59 when snowmobile hit the tail. Accid 25Jun63 at Grand-Mere, PQ when l/g collapsed on landing—repaired & Hartzell three-bladed props installed. Fitted with long range fuel tank in cabin. Cameras installed. Reportedly last flown 15May65 then stored in hangar. Seen in the background of a ramp shot in the 1969 film “Don’t Drink The Water” in red & black paint with arrow trim. Reg canx 25Jan73. To Mr. Houle, Drummondville in ‘81. To Richard, Robert & Antoine Lesage, Laval, PQ in Nov83 w/o engines & stored outside in Laval. For sale there for $3,500. To Frontiers Antiques & Military Aviation Museum, Naperville, PQ by ‘88. To Charles-Henri Lavallee, St Chrysostome, PQ BS 5Nov88. To Gaston “Gus” Gossellin, Barre, VT BS 22Nov90 (incl deliv to VT) for parts & scrap without engines & instruments. Displayed in Olive Drab finish at Camp Meade, in Middlesex, VT ‘90-’06. In Jul08 being restored to flying condition for display at Heartland of America Museum, Weatherford, OK. 2011 sold to Project Warbird Mueseum in Asheville NC to be restored to flying condition.
Compiled by Bob Parmerter, Historian Twin Beech 18 Society, div of Beechcraft Heritage Museum, Tullahoma, TN

I will be making a trip up at the end of August to see the plane and I will take a lot of good pics to share.
Later

[JOHN MILLER]

Great work Eric, will be superb when you are done with them.

[Rajay]

So, IIRC, that's three airframes you've bought and at least two are intended for restoration to full flight status. What about the third - to be restored or just used for spare parts? You're way past "hobby" status now. How long until you turn it into a full-fledged business and become the official east coast Beech 18 guru counterpart to Taigh Raimey?

Keep up the good work!!!!

[Project Warbird]

Rajay,

The plan is to restore the SNB-5 back to flying condition. Then restore the AT-11 back to flying. The C-45 is to become a cockpit display and used for parts. We will use the cockpit to raise funds for the other projects. Take it places and have people donate $ to play in it, and use it for pictures and filming. As for becoming a Beech 18 guru and being up to Taigh Raimey status. I could only dream that!

Later

[Rajay]

Eric,
It may be news to you, but you're not just "dreaming" it - you are DOING it! That fact alone is worthy of a certain amount of respect! So what if Taigh has a head start on you. You don't have to catch up to him to still be ahead of most of us.

They say that "where there's a will, there's a way" but I've always found that it takes a certain amount of "cash" as well. I know that through my will (and countless hours of research) I have become quite an expert on the subject of Grumman and more particularly McKinnon turbine G-21 series aircraft in the last 5-6 years, but the lack of "part number 1" (i.e. money) is still holding me back.

Regardless of that, you are making your dreams happen. Keep at it!

[Django]

Very cool on your AT-11 purchase!

[Pogmusic]

Will the AT-11 be restored back to "Full" AT-11 standard?

[Fouga23]

Love it!

[AviationArtist]

Eric,

Roll on the end of August so we can see how she looks now.

Well done, now you need to come up with a name for your airforce!

Dom

[N3Njeff]

I know gus well. I have pics of your new at-11 while it's time in VT!

[K5DH]

Eric,

Good job so far, and congratulations on acquiring the AT-11.

Take plenty of written notes and document EVERYTHING with photographs. As you may know, VFM owns TC-45J BuNo 4725 (an unrestored, never-civilianized time capsure). We may want to restore it some day, and your SNB-5 restoration will provide lots of good background for us!

[Project Warbird]

Pogmusic,
Yes, the plan is to restore the AT-11 back to full military standards. As time goes I will have more info about what needs to be done.

Rajay,
I love the dream and it is so much fun doing it.

N3NJeff.
I would love to see the pics you have and any info. If you want to post them here that would be great. That way everyone can see them.

K5dh,
I'm taking probably way to many pics. I would be happy to send you them and help in any way I can. Hope you guy's don't wait to long on restoring the TC-45J. We need it to fly formation with us.

Been working on small parts off the SNB and working on the new web site for Project Warbird. Hope to have it finished in a couple weeks or so.
http://www.projectwarbird.com/

[The Inspector]

Too many pictures!!?!! Is there such a thing?? document and share everything with all of us, plus when you put your 'brag book' together (like every Hot Rodder does) the detail shots of smaller items will help A) explain to those who may not have any idea how an airplane goes together, and B) gives you positive documentation that "we done that, see", including 'before and after' shots of stuff 'it went from nasty to nice and was a lot of work, as you can see'.

I had a buddy who did a huge, thick photo book dealing with a 108E he restored (including silly hand written captions of things like a guy in the background scratching his neck 'itch'). It went pages and pages but it was a joy to look at and he could answer a question by flipping the album open to the particular page.

So far, lookin' good!!

[Project Warbird]

Hi everyone,

OK, what do you do on Labor day weekend when you are on call for the airlines and can't be more then 30 minutes from the airport and can't have a beer? Well, work on the SNB.











This past weekend I made a trip up to Leon,s to get more parts. Leon is such a great guy. He is doing so much to support the museum.





I also made it to NY to start working on getting the AT-11 home.









Now it is time to clean up the hanger.

[The Inspector]

Nice panel work!!