Category: Modern Era (1945-Present)

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“Only Flyable” Grumman AF-2S Guardian 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.

Grumman AF-2S Guardian N9995Z has hit the market.

The airframe reportedly has a total time of 1,270 hrs while the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-48W engine has 200 hrs SMOH by Aero Union. The machine is said to have last flown in 2011 and is described as the “only flyable example of the first purpose-built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) carrier-based aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy.”

The aircraft (S/N 126792) has reportedly undergone an overhaul / IRAN which includes an overhauled propeller and propeller governor, an overhauled carburetor, recovered control surfaces, new glass, new main tires and tubes, new tail wheel, new service and hydraulic lines, new wing fuel tanks, airframe soda blasting and a new U.S. Navy livery.

The Guardian is located in Texas and is currently being offered for US$450,000. Click here to check out the complete listing.

(via Trade-a-Plane Photo: RuthAS via Wikimedia Commons)

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First F-100C Super Sabre, Once Flown By Neil Armstrong, To Be Renovated

Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California has reported that their F-100 Super Sabre has been relocated to their restoration hangar for renovation.

This particular aircraft (S/N 53-1709) was the first F-100C built and was reportedly flown at one point by famous Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong. It served with NASA at Moffett Field and Dryden as well as the Langley Research Center, being modified for variable stability and also seeing use testing direct-lift control for air-to-air-refueling. Following retirement in 1972, the F-100 was transferred to San Jose State College Aero School for instructional use before eventually arriving at Castle for display in 2004.

Additional details on the renovation have not yet been reported. Click below to check out photos of the recent move.

Continue reading First F-100C Super Sabre, Once Flown By Neil Armstrong, To Be Renovated

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Cold War-Era Hawker Hunter GA.11 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.

Hawker Hunter GA.11 XF301 has hit the market.

The aircraft is described as an ex-Royal Navy team “Rough Diamonds” machine with only 3,325 hrs in its logbook. The offering reportedly consists of the complete cockpit and fuselage which are currently in storage in the US. Logbooks are also said to be included, but no engine.

Check out the complete listing below. Continue reading Cold War-Era Hawker Hunter GA.11 Offered For Sale

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Restored, Original A-6E Intruder Cockpit 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.

A Grumman A-6E Intruder nose / cockpit section has hit the market.

The section is described as an original Vietnam War A-6A Intruder that was converted to a KA-6D before being cut up for use in the 1991 movie Flight of the Intruder. The current owner reportedly acquired it from Hollywood with no interior and some missing panels, and spent the last 20 years collecting missing parts to restore it for display. It is now said to be “complete with all the interior items.”

The cockpit has the correct GRU-7 pilot and BN ejection seats complete with seat kits, straps and parachute containers. The pilot’s side has all the instruments, throttle quadrant, VDI, Gunsight, control stick and rudder pedals, etc.. The Bombardier Navigator side is complete with a radar scope, radar control pedestal and all the console boxes that make up the weapons system. The BN side will also come with the radar scope big plastic cover to make it easier to see the radar. Sticking out the top of the nose is the correct inflight refueling probe. The boarding ladders fold out and can be used but they hit the ground. The canopy and windshield glass is good with no damage. It has the correct radome with no damage.The canopy can be opened and closed with a hand crank in the back of the cockpit.

The section is reportedly located in a San Diego museum and is currently being offered for $24,999.95. Click here to check out the complete listing on eBay.

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World’s Oldest Original Flying Jet to Return to the Air, Oshkosh Debut on Schedule

Glostor Meteor T7 “Queenie,” touted as the world’s oldest original flying jet, has reportedly completed all registration, inspection and final certification requirements following its arrival in the US, and is slated to return to the air.

As previously reported, the aircraft (WA591/G-BWMF) was delivered to the RAF in 1949 and served as a training machine at a number of bases before becoming a gate guard at RAF Woodvale. In 1995 Meteor Flight began restoring the aircraft and it returned to the air at Kemble in 2011. In recent years it operated with Classic Air Force at Coventry, which closed down in 2016 following the retirement of its founder. Last year, it was acquired by Detroit, Michigan-based World Heritage Air Museum (WHAM).

The museum has reported that the Meteor’s return to flight is expected to take place on June 18 out of Hampton Roads. Its debut at Oshkosh reportedly remains on schedule, and will appear along with the collection’s Vampire and Venom.

(via World Heritage Air Museum and Ultimate Aviation Photo: By Paul Nelhams via Wikimedia Commons)

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Bell UH-1H/205 Huey Project 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.

A Bell UH-1H/205 Huey project described as “great for restoration” has hit the market.

The offering (S/N 71-20220) is said to consist of the airframe only (cabin, skids, pilot seats and tail boom) and lacks an engine, transmission, rotor, data plate and maintenance records.

The helicopter is currently located in Tampa, Florida and is being offered for $10,900. Click here to check out the complete listing on eBay.

Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Watch Newly Restored B-52 “Midnight Express” Arrive at New Home [Video]

On Sunday, the newly restored B-52G Stratofortress “Midnight Express” arrived at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. The Welcome Home ceremony saw the machine’s restored fuselage transported from Paine Field in Everett to Raisbeck Aviation High School, traveling down East Marginal Way South.

As previously reported, the bomber (S/N 59-2584) had been parked outdoors at the museum’s Paine Field facility for the past 26 years. A $2.2 million effort was launched to restore the machine for use as the centerpiece of a new Vietnam Air War Memorial Park, which will pay tribute to the aircraft of the Vietnam War and honor the service members who flew and supported them.

The fuselage was the largest and final piece of the restored aircraft to arrive the museum, where it will eventually be reassembled for display in the new park, which is set to open on November 11.

Click below to check out photos and video of the event.

Continue reading Watch Newly Restored B-52 “Midnight Express” Arrive at New Home [Video]

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Cold War Era CT-114 Tutor 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.

A CT-114 Tutor jet trainer has hit the market.

The aircraft is described as a complete airframe with “ejection seats, instruments, less engine and motor mounts.” All logs and tech manuals are also said to be included.

The seller states that the aircraft is available as flying example or gate guardian, noting that they can offer service and parts location. Engineering, prints, mount construction, full painting and on-site installation is also said to be available for those interested in gate guard display.

The machine is located in Campbellford, Ontario, Canada, and is being offered for US$35,000. Two examples of the type are said to be available with worldwide shipping. Click here to check out the complete listing on eBay.

Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Museum of Flight to Hold Welcome Ceremony for Newly Restored B-52 “Midnight Express”

The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington has announced a Welcome Ceremony for their newly restored B-52 Stratofortress “Midnight Express.”

As previously reported, the bomber (S/N 59-2584) had been parked outdoors at the museum’s Paine Field facility in Everett for the past 26 years. A $2.2 million effort was launched to restore the machine for use as the centerpiece of a new Vietnam Air War Memorial Park, which will pay tribute to the aircraft of the Vietnam War and honor the service members who flew and supported them.

The fuselage will be the largest and final piece of the restored aircraft to arrive the museum. It is currently scheduled to depart Paine Field in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, June 3, travelling south on I-405 to I-5, then towards the museum on East Marginal Way South. The public is invited to watch its arrival at Raisbeck Aviation High School parking lot, where it will eventually be reassembled for display in the new memorial park, which will reportedly begin construction this fall. Continue reading Museum of Flight to Hold Welcome Ceremony for Newly Restored B-52 “Midnight Express”

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XP-82 Twin Mustang Nears Completion, AirVenture 2018 Debut Planned

The decade-long restoration of the XP-82 Twin Mustang prototype (S/N 44-83887, seen above) is nearing completion, and the team behind the project is hoping that it will be ready in time for a planned debut at AirVenture 2018.

As previously reported, the F-82 long-range escort fighter was designed late in WW2 and became the last propeller-driven fighter produced in quantity for the U.S. Air Force. Tom Reilly of Douglas, Georgia acquired the XP-82 prototype from Walter and Margaret Soplata in 2008 and restoration to airworthy condition began that July at Douglas Municipal Airport. Additional F-82 parts were sourced from Alaska and Colorado and a rare, left-hand turning Allison V-12 was located in Mexico. Additional components, including full second cockpit controls and a second canopy (one that “is completely different from any P-51 type”) were sourced from San Francisco and Tampa, respectively.

Interest in the restoration of this exceedingly rare machine has been high, and Reilly states that “There is no better place than Oshkosh to make the first public flights of this aircraft, which is why it is our intent to complete the restoration and testing so we can be a part of AirVenture 2018.”

The AirVenture fly-in is scheduled to take place at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin from July 23-29.

(via EAA)