Stinson Vultee V-77 'Gullwing' Aircraft Given To The National Museum Of World War II Aviation

Frank Macon had always wanted to be a fighter pilot, and had been accepted into pilot training with the Tuskegee Airmen. But while on a training flight while suffering from a head cold, he ruptured both of his eardrums pulling out of a power dive. By the time he had recovered, WWII was over.

But Macon went on to have a 23-year career in the Air Force, retiring as the head of aircraft maintenance at Fort Carson, Colorado.  

According to a story from the Colorado Springs Gazette relayed by Zook Aviation on its blog, Macon had learned to fly with the Civil Air Patrol, and continued flying throughout his life. Along the way, he and some friends acquired a 1944 Stinson Vultee V-77 “Gullwing” in the early 1950s for $500 and restored the airplane. On Veterans Day, he donated the airplane to the National Museum Of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs.

Macon, who turned 96 in August, is a life-long resident of Colorado Springs. Retired Air Force Col. James Stewart, co-chairman of the Springs’ National Museum of World War II Aviation, said Macon's donation is something special. "This is a piece of American history that talks about the civilian side of what was going on in World War II. And it ties in directly to a Tuskegee Airman — a Tuskegee Airman from Colorado Springs who’s lived here, essentially, his whole life," he said.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report