Hopes The Hangar Queen Can Begin To Pay Her Own Way

ANN April 1 Special Edition

The Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum hopes return the iconic Spruce Goose to flying status, and has applied for Part 135 certification for the airplane so that it can begin carrying passengers for hire, according to sources familiar with the plan.

"It flew once, so there's no reason that it should not be able to fly again," said the source, who requested anonymity but with inside knowledge of the plan. "And with the issues we've been having, we are hoping that the Spruce Goose can become a Cash Cow. Who wouldn't want to pay a hansom sum for the opportunity to fly in such an iconic aircraft."

The airplane would require significant modifications before it could be declared airworthy. ANN's source said the plan was to retrofit the airplane with upgraded engines and avionics so that it could operate in Class B airspace.

"Management says that, with a few tweaks and a fairly modest investment, we can get this old girl flying again," the source said. "They really want to keep this airplane, but it has to pay its own way."

The source said that Evergreen plans a crowdsourcing campaign to fund the upgrades to the airplane, as well as the legal fees for the mountains of paperwork that would be required to re-certify the airplane. "But this is one of a kind," the source said. "If people will pay Sir Richard Branson $250,000 for a half-hour ride on SpaceShipTwo, we think there's a significant market for the chance to fly aboard a piece of history."

Evergreen management had no comment on the plan.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.evergreenmuseum.org