Jumbo on the Move
After nearly 20 years’ exposure to the Pacific
Northwest weather, prototype Boeing 747
N7470 (RA001) has been put under cover in
the Museum of Flight’s new Aviation Pavilion
at Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington state.
The jumbo was moved on March 5
without public announcement or fanfare,
a stark contrast to the placement of 787
Dreamliner ZA003 last October.
Though tolerances were not as tight
as the 787’s move, it did take a little while
for RA001 to fit into its final spot within the
building, which is still under construction.
The new Aviation Pavilion is scheduled to
open this summer. Joe G WalkerDove Heads North
De Havilland Dove 6 D-IFSB arrived at Fishburn Airfield in County Durham on February 2 for the
newly formed Fishburn Historic Aviation Centre. It was previously at the de Havilland Aircraft
Museum and arrived by road along with another former London Colney exhibit, Venom FB.
J-1790. Ian TateCessna O-1E I-BDOG (61-2987) returned to
the air for the first time in February following
a six-year restoration. Painted as O-1G
51-11952 Mekong Mauler, it made the flight
from Montagnana airfield in northern Italy.
Every component has been stripped
and overhauled and the engine removed
and zero-timed. Meanwhile all the panels,
radios and the antenna were refitted to be
as close to the 1960s original as possible.
Mekong Mauler was noteworthy for
being the first Bird Dog in Southeast Asia to
wear a ‘shark mouth’ on the nose, and wasthe personal mount of WO Rick Shoup who
was based at Vinh Long, South Vietnam,
between 1967 and 1968 as part of the 199th
Reconnaissance Aviation Company.
Built in 1963, the aircraft is in fact 61-
2987, one of 44 Bird Dogs delivered to
Italy under the US Government’s Military
Assistance Defense Program. It was coded
E.I.-20 and flew with the Italian Army until
1992 when it was sold to the Italian Aero
Club and converted to a Cessna 306C at
the OMA Factory near Perugia.While operating as a glider tug at
Foligno, near Perugia, in 2001, and
registered I-EIAI, the aircraft was badly
damaged in a ground loop. Andrea
Rossetto, the President of the Historical
Aircraft Group (HAG) in Italy, acquired and
took it to his workshop near Montagnana for
the restoration.
He will debut the Bird Dog at HAG’s
2016 annual Fly Party at Montagnana on
June 25/26. His next project is to restore a
Procaer F.15 Picchio. Geoff JonesA-10 Returning
to Bentwaters
Bentwaters Cold War Museum has acquired Fairchild Republic
A-10 Thunderbolt II 80-0219 for display at the Suffolk attraction.
The jet, which once flew from the base, is on loan from the
National Museum of the USAF (NMUSAF) and has been at RAF
Alconbury, Cambridgeshire, since 1988.
The NMUSAF has given the team at Bentwaters permission to
dismantle and relocate the aircraft with the support of Alconbury’s
423rd Civil Engineer Squadron. It is expected to arrive at
Bentwaters in April. http://www.bcwm.org.ukBack to School
An Essex primary school has found a novel way to increase its
teaching space – by using Cessna 550 Citation II G-DWJM (c/n
550-0296). Milton Hall Primary School in Westcliff-on-Sea acquired
the jet, which had been in store at nearby Southend Airport, and has
installed it on the school site.
Moved on March 5, it will have a complete makeover to turn it into
a space pupils can use for ICT (information and communications
Technology), media and creative writing and reading lessons. The
school is aiming the jet to generate its own energy using solar
panels and wind turbines. It was last registered to TL Aviation
Instrad and cancelled by the CAA on February 26, 2014.http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 17Bird Dog I-BDOG (61-2987) flew for the first time in February after a six-year restoration.Restored Bird Dog
16-17_preservation.JRDC.indd 17 06/04/2016 16: