Greetings -
Al, you are so right about St. Louis - it sucks we don't have anywhere to call our own for a museum to reflect on some significant locally based aviation history.
As for the Vought gang, I have been going down for the past 6 or so years to do volunteer work in the summer. They are a GREAT bunch of people to be around and I doubt that there's anyone under 65 in the group today - that does not bode well for the future. Having said that, Dick Atkins and others down there recognize that and have and are making arrangements to see to it that the archives and artifacts are taken care of when or if that time comes. They have a great reputation within the company and amongst the employees and retirees - they see a lot of stuff dropped off from retirees and others that would likely just go into the trash can elsewhere. I remember my first visit down there inventorying some boxes that were dropped off which contained aircraft anf flight manuals dating back to WWII that were in excellent shape. Nothing quite like looking thru manuals in mint shape for British Corsairs, the F6U Pirate and the F7U-1 and -3 Cutlasses. Priceless....
They have two F7U-3 Cutlasses down there - the first one came from Fred Weisbrod Aviation Museum in Pueblo, CO and I'm not sure where the second airframe came from. The first airframe (BuNo 128451 - the first production F7U-3) had no landing gear and is missing some other bits and peices whereas the second airframe is considerably more whole. As noted by Airedales, the Regulus II (technically a MQM-15A serial # GM-3048) and F6U (BuNo. 122479) are from NEAM. It's great to hear that the NEAM Regulus I is being restored, too bad the Regulus I at the museum in Charlotte, NC isn't getting some attention as it is in fading shape. The Regulus I interests me a lot as my Father flew these as a drone controller with VU-1 back in the early '60s out of NAS Barber's Point, Oahu, Hawaii. These were used as target drones for fleet exercises with DF-8As which he flew along with the F-8B & C) being used as the drone control aircraft.
And here's a few pics of the Vought resotrations over the past few years and before some went to the new Frontiers of Flight Museum...
Enjoy the Day! Mark
F6U-1 Pirate -
F7U-3 Cutlass - 1st production airframe -
A-7B Corsair II -
YF-8C Crusader (rebuilt F-8A) -
RF-8G Crusader -
MQM-15A Regulus II -
F4U Corsair -
VE-7 Replica (1st production aircraft for Vought)
And I'll finish with an interesting find. The photo was found in a photo album my Father-in-Law had which came from his parents. He does not why it was in the album as no one in the family served in the Navy at that time. I did a bit of research and found this to be VE-7G A5693 and is likely in San Diego Harbor in early 1923 where the USS Oklahoma was participating in Pacfic Fleet exercises. This aircraft was lost later on October 26, 1923 while being launched off of the USS California.
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