History Reborn: Columbine II Retakes To The Skies | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.13.24

Airborne-NextGen-05.07.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.08.24 Airborne-FlightTraining-05.09.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.10.24

Mon, Mar 21, 2016

History Reborn: Columbine II Retakes To The Skies

Columbine II Executes 29 Minute Test Flight

Recently, we reported that the team working in Marana, Arizona to restore the Lockheed Constellation, ‘Columbine Two’, to airworthy condition was nearly ready to ferry the plane to its new home in Bridgewater, Virginia, where the restoration will be completed. President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s, ‘Columbine Two’, was the first presidential airplane to use the call sign, ‘Air Force One’.

Things must be progressing well because it’s reported the Connie just made a baby hop of 29 minutes on Sunday in preparations for its flight to Virginia. The Columbine II was the third airplane in a line of special service military versions of standard airliners to be used for presidential transportation.
 
The first airplane assigned by the military for President Roosevelt was a custom version of the militarized DC-4 that did not have an official name, but it was commonly referred to as the ‘Sacred Cow’. President Truman’s customized version of a DC-6 was named ‘Independence’, but neither of these aircraft carried the call sign of ‘Air Force One’.

According to the company's founder, Karl D. Stoltzfus Sr., this was only possible because of the on-site leadership of Dynamic's Brian Miklos and the generous contribution of others, in particular Scott Glover and his Mid-America Flight Museum, of Mt. Pleasant, TX.
  
"The team has not only prepared the aircraft for a ferry flight, they have gone to the effort of bringing it back to airworthy status and will fly it to their home base, Bridgewater Airpark, Bridgewater, VA, as a certificated aircraft. All systems have been thoroughly gone through; brakes overhauled and new tires installed; many engine accessories overhauled, and much more. At Bridgewater it will be restored to its former glory and prepared for the air show circuit."

Columbine II was mostly intact including its 2500-HP, Wright R-3350 engines and much of the original interior, instruments, avionics, and other important historical details, but was at risk of being scrapped because of the complexity and cost of preparing it for flight.

The ferry flight to its future home seems imminent... According to the Mid-America Flight Museum Facebook page, "Post flight inspection of Columbine II just completed including check of 4 engine oil screens and all looks good! It is a go for us to depart Mount Pleasant at 8:00 AM tomorrow Sunday the 20th in our B-25 "God and Country" with myself, Frank Glover Jr, Matt Bongers, Tommy May, (and) Erik Johnson, for the flight to Marana. We will leave Marana around 9:00 AZ time for the flight back to Mount Pleasant on Monday the 21st. (The) B-25 will be (t)he lead ship carrying a great team of talented photographers.... My best guess is we will land in Mount Pleasant on Monday between 3:00-4:00 PM... I Hope we can have a large welcoming party for Columbine II and its crew plus the Dynamic aviation team when we arrive in Mount Pleasant TX..... Columbine II will remain overnight in Mount Pleasant and depart for Bridgewater VA Tuesday Morning..."

We at ANN are pleased to see this important piece of aviation history take to the sky again.

FMI: www.john2031.com/columbine/main.html, www.facebook.com/midamericaflightmuseum/

 


Advertisement

More News

Airborne 05.10.24: Icon Auction, Drunk MedEvac Pilot, Bell ALFA

Also: SkyReach Parts Support, Piper Service Ctr, Airliner Near-Miss, Airshow London The Judge overseeing Icon's convoluted Chapter 11 process has approved $9 million in Chapter 11 >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.13.24): ILS PRM Approach

ILS PRM Approach An instrument landing system (ILS) approach conducted to parallel runways whose extended centerlines are separated by less than 4,300 feet and at least 3,000 feet >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.13.24)

Aero Linx: FlyPups FlyPups transports dogs from desperate situations to fosters, no-kill shelters, and fur-ever homes. We deliver trained dogs to veterans for service and companion>[...]

Airborne-NextGen 05.07.24: AI-Piloted F-16, AgEagle, 1st 2 WorldView Sats

Also: Skydio Chief, Uncle Sam Sues, Dash 7 magniX, OR UAS Accelerator US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall was given a turn around the patch in the 'X-62A Variable In-flight>[...]

Airborne 05.08.24: Denali Update, Dad-Daughter Gyro, Lake SAIB

Also: NBAA on FAA Reauth, DJI AG Drones, HI Insurance Bill Defeated, SPSA Airtankers The Beechcraft Denali continues moving forward towards certification, having received its FAA T>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC