The Air Heritage Museum’s Douglas C-47B
Skytrain 43-48716 Luck Of The Irish is being
restored to y in the colours it wore on its last
World War Two mission on May 28, 1945.
The Skytrain arrived at the Beaver Falls,
Pennsylvania attraction in January 2013 but it
wasn’t until staff made contact with its wartime
pilot, Capt Edward ‘Elmo’ Frome, that its full
military history came to light. With the help of
the 95-year-old veteran and his daughter, the
museum compiled a complete combat record
for the aircraft, which undertook 96 missions.
The C-47 was delivered to the Ninth Air
Force’s 75th Troop Carrier Squadron on
September 30, 1944. It ew twice over the
Battle of the Bulge on December 24 andDecember 26 of that year, dropping vital
supplies to troops in Bastogne. It also towed
Waco CG-4A gliders during Operation Varsity
on March 24, 1945, the largest airdrop of
troops and supplies ever undertaken in a
single day.The museum hopes to raise $150,
(£97,000) to repaint the aircraft and return it to
the air. Any money raised beyond its goal will
go towards the machine’s future maintenance,
and will allow it to attend airshows well into
the future. http://www.airheritage.orgPRESERVATION
16 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft February 2016Californian Phantom Restoration
Work to return the Wings and Rotors Air
Museum’s McDonnell F4H-1F Phantom
II 145310 to airworthy status continues at
French Valley Airport in Murrieta, California.
Patrick Rodgers, the museum’s director of
maintenance and restoration, anticipates that
this long-term and very ambitious project should
take to the sky after a few more years of work.The jet is the 11th pre-production F-
Phantom II and was on static display during
the airport’s airshow in November. Delivered
to the US Navy in August 1959, it was own
for almost 1,000 hours on various ight testsand weapons trials before being retired in
September 1964. After spending more than
three decades at various storage facilities
across the US, the jet was nally sold off
as surplus in 2000. The aircraft was saved
from the scrapman by museum staff who
have been working on it ever since. http://www.
wingsandrotors.org Frank B MormilloThe Wings and Rotors Air Museum’s Phantom
II on display at French Valley Airport on
November 7. Frank B MormilloShackleton on the Move
Avro Shackleton MR.2C WL795 has been
moved from RAF St Mawgan to its new
home as the gate guardian for the Newquay
Aerohub.
Known as Rosalie, the aircraft was retired
from service in 1981 and had been on display
at RAF St Mawgan for the past 25 years.
When the MOD announced it was
disposing of the aircraft, the ‘Save Our
Shackleton’ group stepped in. It has worked
tirelessly alongside volunteers and manyCornish companies to prepare the aircraft for
its nal move. Having been stripped of its
wings, engines, tail ns and tail surfaces, the
Shackleton was towed the three-quarters of
a mile down the road to its new home.
After restoration Rosalie will be used as
an educational tool to help teach science,
technology, engineering and mathematics.
Wg Cdr Guy Bazalgette, RAF St
Mawgan’s Station Commander, said:
“We had no say in how Rosalie would bedisposed of, the process being that she
went simply to the highest bidder. Therefore,
I am delighted that she is both staying in
one piece and staying in Cornwall. I look
forward to seeing Rosalie returned to her
former glory at the Aerohub next to RAF
St Mawgan, where she will delight aviation
enthusiasts and should prove to be a
valuable aid to enthuse students about the
vital importance of science, technology,
engineering and maths.”Skytrain to Fly
Once More
Douglas C-47B Skytrain 43-48716 is being repainted into its wartime livery. Tony Sacketos16-18_preservation.JR.mfJR.mfJR.mfDC.indd 16 08/01/2016 13: