Category: Modern Era (1945-Present)

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Cold War KC-97G Stratofreighter to be Reborn as Restaurant/Lounge

The International Exposition (IX) Center in Cleveland, Ohio is working to add a unique eatery/lounge to the south side of the convention and exhibition hall that will be housed in a Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter.

The IX Center’s aircraft operated as a tanker with the Ohio Air National Guard from 1963-1968 before being sent to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona, where it remained for nearly four decades. It was acquired last year and work is now underway to convert it into a 50-seat restaurant and lounge by 2020.

The machine was dismantled and transported to Cleveland via flatbed truck, where it was reassembled over a 3.5 week period and positioned behind the Center. Although the refueling tanks were removed, almost all of the machine’s original equipment is said to be intact. Deterioration was also found to be minimal due to the dry desert conditions in which it was stored. Continue reading Cold War KC-97G Stratofreighter to be Reborn as Restaurant/Lounge

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Lockheed T-33A N533CB Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

Lockheed T-33A 51-17463/N533CB is available for sale.

The airframe has reportedly amassed a total time of 4,906 hrs since new, while the Allison J-33A engine has 340 Hrs SMOH by Aero Turbine and 0 hrs since IRAN by Aero Turbine (the engine is currently ready for reinstallation).

The machine last flew in 2011 and is equipped with a nose compartment baggage modification, three battery self-start system and avionics package. The logbooks are missing, although the seller can reportedly recreate to enable a return to service.

The T-33 is currently based in Tennessee and is being offered for $49,000. Click here to check out the complete listing.

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F-86F Sabre N86F4 Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

F-86F Sabre N86FR S/N 52-4959 has hit the market.

The aircraft was originally manufactured in 1952 and delivered to FA Argentina as C-109 in 1960. It was recovered and assembled in Coleman, Texas in 1989 and received its airworthiness certification a year later. The machine is currently flown as FU-201/S/N 31201.

The airframe has reportedly amassed 4417.4 total hrs, while the GE J-47-GE-2 engine has 402 hrs since major overhaul. The aircraft is equipped with two 120 gallon wing aux tanks, a smoke system, strobe lights, ELT, as well as an avionics package.

The F-86 is currently located at the Valiant Air Command Museum in Titusville, Florida and is being offered for $475,000. Click here to check out the full listing.

(Top Photo: Valder137 via Wikimedia Commons Additional Information via Warbird Registry)

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Airworthy Jet Provost Mk.4 / T.5A Trainers Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

North Weald Heritage Aviation is offering Jet Provost Mk. 4 (G-BXLO / PAC/W 19986) and Jet Provost T.5A (G-JPTV / EEP/JP/1002) cold war-era trainers for sale.

The Mk.4 (pictured above) is described as “an increasingly rare marque of Jet Provost” and “one of the most well maintained, and visually striking jets on the UK circuit.”

The ex-military Mk T.5A is also operating on the UK circuit and is touted as one of the best examples of the type in the country in terms of looks and condition. It has reportedly been maintained to a “truly high standard” and wears a livery intended as a “respectful nod” to the Jet Provost aerobatic and display team known as “The Poachers.”

Both machines are powered by Bristol Siddeley Viper turbojet engines and are said to have benefited from indoor parking for at least the last decade. Click below for additional details.

Continue reading Airworthy Jet Provost Mk.4 / T.5A Trainers Offered For Sale

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Aviation Book, Model Donations Sought to Help Fund Refurbishment of Hawker Hunter F.2

The Sywell Aviation Museum at Sywell Aerodrome in Northampton is seeking donations of military/aviation books, models and model kits in order to raise funds for the restoration of the collection’s Hawker Hunter F.2.

The aircraft, WN904, was constructed by Armstrong Whitworth in 1953/54 and performed its maiden flight on July 27, 1954 before being delivered to 257 (Burma) Squadron, RAF. However, its service with the squadron was cut short in January 1956, when it was reported as damaged and in need of manufacturer/contractor repair. Documentation suggests that the incident may have been an emergency landing at RAF Kenley that saw it go through two hedges and over a public road.

Gloster carried out the repairs on the machine, but by this time, 257 Squadron was upgrading to the F.5, which resulted in WN904 being struck off charge in November 1957. Continue reading Aviation Book, Model Donations Sought to Help Fund Refurbishment of Hawker Hunter F.2

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Rare Bristol Freighter Arrives at New Home Following 11,000 Mile Journey

Earlier today, one of the last remaining Bristol Type 170 Freighters was transported to Filton where it will become part of the new Aerospace Bristol museum.

Designed and built by Bristol in 1944, the type served as a both a freighter and as a passenger airliner. Although 214 were built, only 11 remain and, until now, none of them were in Europe.

The arrival of NZ5911 (a Mark 31M military variant of the type) caps off an 11,000-mile journey that began at Ardmore Airport in New Zealand back in October. Its journey took it to Singapore, Jordan and Athens before it arrived in the UK on December 28th (its first return since 1954).

The journey to Filton began at Portbury Dock aboard a Kings Heavy Haulage truck, traveling the M5 and A38 to the Brabazon Hangar where it will be stored and assessed by the Aerospace Bristol team. A timeframe for restoration and public display has not yet been established, as fundraising is still ongoing for its hangar.

Click below to check out a video of today’s journey, as well as photos of the fuselage following its arrival.

Continue reading Rare Bristol Freighter Arrives at New Home Following 11,000 Mile Journey