RE: Ike's plane,...

Thank you..Lets hope they will Save it....Meanwhile ,the "COLUMBINE " Still fly's in our FS world...






 
They have been making some really great progress on "Columbine II". Back in November, they were able to run all four engines and taxi the aircraft under its own power - getting closer and closer to having it flying again (which will be the first time since 2003).

Speaking of Constellations...General Douglas MacArthur's Constellation "Bataan", which had been displayed static outdoors at the Planes of Fame Valle, AZ location, was purchased by Rod Lewis last year and was just recently flown (on a ferry permit) to the Planes of Fame Chino, CA location on January 14, where it will now be restored to like-new, full airworthy condition by POF/Fighter Rebuilders for Rod Lewis (Lewis Air Legends).

(You can keep up-to-date on Connie projects around the world, via this site: http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-connie_news.htm#AUG06)

Here are some photos of "Bataan" on its arrival to Chino on January 14:





 
Had the great pleasure of seeing Columbine II when I visited the Pima Air and Space Museum a few years ago. Glad to see that this historic plane is getting the attention it needs.
 

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Actually NOT the first Air Force One. The first aircraft specifically designated for Presidential service was a Douglas VC-54C Serial No. 42-107451. It was often called the "Sacred Cow" and was specially configured with a wheelchair lift and other amenities for President Roosevelt. President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 onboard the aircraft making the U.S. Air Force a separate service. The Sacred Cow was retired in 1961 and is now displayed in the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio.
:ernaehrung004:
The Old MSgt
 

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oldmsgt said:
Actually NOT the first Air Force One. The first aircraft specifically designated for Presidential service was a Douglas VC-54C Serial No. 42-107451. It was often called the "Sacred Cow" and was specially configured with a wheelchair lift and other amenities for President Roosevelt. President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 onboard the aircraft making the U.S. Air Force a separate service. The Sacred Cow was retired in 1961 and is now displayed in the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio.
:ernaehrung004:
The Old MSgt
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Old MSgt,...you're correct,..."The Sacred Cow" was the first presidential aircraft used by FDR. However, Ike's plane was the first aircraft designated as AIR FORCE ONE.
Some years ago I had the opportunity to walk through the "Sacred Cow" and the Air Force One aircraft which brought back JFK's body back to Washington D.C. A humbling experience.
 
And she's flying again! Following over a year of restoration work, the aircraft flew again, for about an hour, for the first time since 2003, yesterday, March 19th, from Marana, AZ. No oil or hydraulic leaks at all.





 
Nice! Thanks for the update John. Hopefully they can find the resources to keep it flying.

Cheers,
Huub
 
The next step is to fly the aircraft across the country back to Dynamic Aviation's headquarters in Bridgewater, Virginia. The plan is to fly out of Marana tomorrow, and they will be stopping over in Mount Pleasant, TX (home of the Mid America Flight Museum - which is escorting the Constellation with their B-25, while also having some professional photographers shoot air-to-air photos of the Constellation during the flight). On Tuesday, the Constellation will be flown to Virginia. When the full restoration is completed, it will be looking brand new.

At this time, there has only been two Constellations that have been regularly flying in recent years, those being the Breitling Super Constellation HB-RSC and the HARS Super Constellation VH-EAG. In addition to "Columbine II" being restored to fly, there is also the Lewis Air Legend's Constellation "Bataan" under restoration to fly, as I mentioned earlier in this thread (was ferried/flown to Chino in January for complete restoration), and the Lufthansa Starliner project which has been under extensive ground-up restoration to fly in the US (could potentially be completed/flying in 2-3 years).
 
Lockheed Constellation Columbine II - Pitstop In Texas

The VC121A is being ferried up to Virginia for a full restoration. Great to see her flying!

 
Mount Pleasant, TX is the home of the Mid America Flight Museum, which has lent its support to the project. The Mid America Flight Museum, a rapidly growing museum, owns and operates a B-25, P-51, Corsair, A-26, L-18 Lodestar, Howard 250 tri-gear, Albatross, C-47, Ford Trimotor, and a number of vintage trainers and classic aircraft. When "Columbine II" was flown from Marana, AZ to Mount Pleasant on Monday, the MAFM's B-25 served as escort.

The Constellation arrived safely in Virgina on Wednesday (some fuel leaks were found when it arrived in Texas on Monday, which were then sorted on Tuesday). Now that it is at Dynamic Aviation's headquarters, the rest of the restoration will be carried out, and once that is completed, the aircraft will be flown to airshows.

The effort to get this plane flying again was covered in this thread as well: http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?98664-RE-Ike-s-plane
 
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