Just a quick diary of my visit to the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, NY on Tuesday Jun 18. The 1941 Historical Aircraft Group was founded in 1994 when the National Warplane Museum (Wings of Eagles) moved to Elmira, NY and took most of the best planes (and funding) with them. Wings of Eagles is now focusing more on Aerospace Science and Engineering education, so they offered the NWPM name back to the Geneseo group. Now the NWPM needs some funding to get their collection into display condition.
C-119G Flying Boxcar (Being restored as static display)
More after the fold.
The Fairchild C-119 will be eye catching once the get it painted in the original Canadian Air Force colors. (Bright orange tail) Saw extensive use as a troop and cargo transport during the Korean war, and saw use as gunship during the Vietnam war. NASA used it to recover satellite capsules, and the Forest service and BLM used them for fire fighting.
There are two C-47s at the museum. The W7 is going back to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
The B-23 Dragon is the rarest plane at the museum. Only 38 were built (11 know to exist). It will cost them about $800,000 to restore it.
North American AT-6 Texan. This particular aircraft was originally a RAF/RCAF Harvard II.
PQ-17 Culver Cadet
Douglas A/B-26B Invader (Owned by Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation)
Douglas A-20 Havoc (Shortfinals featured this plane a while back)
Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor. This particular plane was used in the background of the Amelia Earhart. Originally part of the Wings of Eagles collection it was bought by two members of the 1941 group and flown from Elmira to Geneseo in 2006.
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (Two-seater version of F-80)
F6F Hellcat
There was only one plane out flying that day. A North American L-17 Navion.