Dispersal of airframes at Former Chanute

Clifford Bossie · **Posted:** Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:13 am

I would have loved to pick up parts for some of our projects at War Eagles Air Museum, but insanity rules in the USAF today when it comes to preservation. Pylons, tanks, J65 for our F-84F, but I might as well wish for the moon. We would have been happy to provide a home for any of those Thuds.

peter · **Posted:** Mon Feb 11, 2019 10:36 am

Wish that C133 could be saved

FlyingsCool · **Joined:** Sat Dec 29, 2018 9:52 pm **Posts:** 3

JohnB wrote:

I'm not sure why the C-47 and T-39 would legally required to be shredded, they are not "weapons" since they're civil types.

Just the laziness and CYA paranoia of our civil servants I suppose.

Good to see that the NMUSAF got a lot of parts off the Albatross. I hate to see that one go.
It's serial number, 17200, was the one on the old Monogram kit I had as a kid (explained by this example being the prototype for the long-wing "B" conversion) and looked at for many years.

I think some of the "paranoia" is due to our wonderful legal system. Seems to me I remember a story about the Navy getting sued because somebody died in a restored Navy bird, a T-34 I think, which the Navy had nothing to do with after it left their registers....

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:59 pm

Nothing new in the Rantoul Press; anyone been down there lately? It'd be interesting to see inside the C-133 while all the wasp nests are frozen...

kalamazookid · **Posted:** Sun Aug 25, 2019 8:47 pm

I drove through on the way home from visiting friends in Champaign today. There was a huge farm show going on, so it was kind of difficult to navigate around.

I did drive by the old museum ramp and saw no evidence of aircraft or parts anywhere. If the C-133 still exists, I didn't see it. The only evidence I saw of the museum was the old sign above the entrance.

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Sun Aug 25, 2019 10:36 pm

Thanks for letting us know - I've still been checking the Rantoul Press but it hasn't been mentioned lately. Wonder who got to cut it up and clean up the mess the other guy left?

R.I.P. 56-2009.

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Mon Oct 21, 2019 5:16 pm

Stopped by Chanute yesterday on the way home from Paducah, and sure enough:

So... The End.

kalamazookid · **Posted:** Mon Oct 21, 2019 6:15 pm

I meant to follow up with a couple pics from my last visit as well. I couldn't get very close to the ramp due to the farm and tractor show, but I did find this small display in what I assume used to be a park on base. I'm not sure whether it is intended to be a memorial or what it's purpose is, but it seems to be sliding into disrepair. I hope an organization can get involved to either relocate or preserve it where it is.

The inscription reads:

"We will have turned the corner when we reach the point where others turn and regard us as pacesetters."

IMG_0030 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/, on Flickr

IMG_0029 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/, on Flickr

IMG_0026 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/, on Flickr

ZRX61 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:16 am **Posts:** 2308

That hangar & attached shops are over 200,000 sq ft, did the museum occupy all of it?

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:28 am

Kind of. There were missile training setups including a mockup control room with a concrete sliding hatch built into the hangar, so that took up a chunk of the space. The B-58 was the largest plane they had inside.

sandiego89 · **Joined:** Mon May 21, 2012 12:28 pm **Posts:** 1199

Dang, that sure does look like the end. I guess the chances of my next beer can having a few C-133 molecules in it just went up a bit....

Scott Rose · **Posted:** Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:56 pm

Well at least one of the air frames found a new home.

F-111 AARDVARK/63-9767

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:18 pm

Another little victory. Thanks Scott!

VCS1 · **Posted:** Sun Aug 01, 2021 7:46 am

FlyingsCool wrote:

JohnB wrote:

I'm not sure why the C-47 and T-39 would legally required to be shredded, they are not "weapons" since they're civil types.

Just the laziness and CYA paranoia of our civil servants I suppose.

Good to see that the NMUSAF got a lot of parts off the Albatross. I hate to see that one go.
It's serial number, 17200, was the one on the old Monogram kit I had as a kid (explained by this example being the prototype for the long-wing "B" conversion) and looked at for many years.

I think some of the "paranoia" is due to our wonderful legal system. Seems to me I remember a story about the Navy getting sued because somebody died in a restored Navy bird, a T-34 I think, which the Navy had nothing to do with after it left their registers....

Does anyone know the case law associated with this? I researched online and couldn’t find anything. I am working on a book about my involvement (and now restoration of a replica) with SNJ-2 BuNo 2549 which was also scrapped by the NHHC. I could never determine why, this may explain it.

Thank you in advance for the assistance.

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Sun Aug 01, 2021 9:12 am

Scott Rose wrote:

Well at least one of the air frames found a new home.

F-111 AARDVARK/63-9767

www.lakecountyveteransmemorial.com Hi Scott, Actually quite a few of the airframes found new homes. Off the top of my head the B-52 nose piece went to the Valiant Air Command Museum in Florida and one of the airframes went to the Yankee Air Museum but I can't remember which one. The Connie maybe? Someone here on the WIX awhile back posted a list of where other airframes went.

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Dispersal of airframes at Former Chanute

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