Vintage Flying Museum is saving another one!

[CrewDawg]

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.

[Zachary]

OUTSTANDING!!!

[Fouga23]

Nice! Looks like a very restorable airframe. And I like the Magoo paint

[DH82EH]

Hey good luck with the project!

I always say that the only dumb question, is the one you didn't ask when you had the chance, so, here goes.

How come the Navy owns a helicopter that says U.S. Air Force on it?

Andy Scott

[Pat Carry]

Excellant & way to go!

[bdk]

Hope you guys get it. It would be a great save!

[Ztex]

Great news! This poor helo looked like it was going from bad to worse in the last days of the Pate Museum.

It's interesting that the photo shows the helicopter in British Guiana in 1962. The US denied any involvement in Guiana for many many years. If airframes could talk...what stories they would have to tell! Coolio!

[cooper9411]

Best of luck and keep us all posted! Really does not look all that bad from what we can see in the pictures, definitely have seen worse!!!

[JohnB]

Great news!

I was worried aboutthe Pate H-21. If I still lived in texas, i would have given it a home in Abilene.

Just a suggestion....you might be able to find a home for it at Goodfellow AFB.
I was PAO ther in the 80s and was asked by the general to draw up a list of aiframes the base wanted to display.
Over the years they've gotten many reflecting the intel and crypto training missions of the base.
But what isn't known is in the 50s-early 60s, H-21s were based there to recover "weather" packages from baloons.

Perhaps the base is in the market for another static.

[K5DH]

Assuming the Navy does put the H-21 on loan to VFM (and we have no reason to think they won't), we will need to raise about $5,000 to get the 'copter transported to the Museum and to procure needed things like a new set of tires and the erection and maintenance manuals. Restoration expenses are another matter entirely. We'll need a lot more than $5K for that! Your donations will be greatly appreciated (and, of course, tax deductible since we're a 501(c)(3) organization). When you donate, be sure to let us know that the money should be earmarked for the H-21 fund.

Thanks, y'all!

[alang]

The Museum of Flight Restoration Center at Paine Field has one stored behind thier hangar and it looks like it's in pretty good shape, maybe they can give you some info.

[CrewDawg]

I just received an email today from the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola saying that CH-21B 53-04324 is now officially on loan to the Vintage Flying Museum! I've already spoken to Chapman Transportation and it should be arriving at the museum on Tuesday the 22nd. If there are any WIX'ers in the local area who would like to get involved in the restoration, please PM me or better yet, come by the museum any weekend and sign up!

Thanks everyone for your support!

[RMAllnutt]

Many congratulations!!!

Cheers,
Richard

[LadyO2Pilot]

Congrats !!!!!!

[TXCOMT]

So, sitrep on the move or did I miss it in another thread?

TXCOMT