An appeal for US Technical Colleges or Aviation Research Establishments which contain retired ex civilian 'airframes'.
I have recently purchased the Guide to over 900 Aircraft Museums US & Canada (27th Edition) by M A Blaugher and although excellent, when combined with the other publication 'Out of Service listings of ex US Military aircraft' by an English author Andy Marden, I have always tried to find a 'listing' of the many ex civilian airframes, that are then used, at the many US Technical Colleges or Aviation Student School type training establishments. These airframes are certainly then used for a 'new' purpose, from what they were originally intended. I must not forget the Bob Ogden's book but again only US & Canadian museums, seem to be covered within it's covers.
Here in the UK we have a Wrecks and Relics book now in its 22nd Edition which covers both all the retired ex civilian and the ex military airframes and their locations, but to my knowledge, there has never been an attempt to cover the retired civilian aircraft in the USA.
The aircraft I am appealing for details of, are the ones that generally stick and then do not ever fly off 'almost' ever again. Civilian airliners in storage airports are too complex and so are aircraft scrapyards, are certainly covered elsewhere.
Can any fellow Cactus wings readers offer help ? As a large UK company nearly says in their advertising 'Any little bit 'of info' helps'.
I would like readers to offer any details of these retired civilian airframes that may have ended their days in any premises and could have been used in a variety of purposes and are certainly scattered all over the US States and possibly Canada. These airframes can be, many varied types of both big and smaller aircraft, that the next generation of aircraft engineers or avionics students, can learn their future professional job qualifications and maybe pass for their hard worked for diploma's or certificates.
Seeing the damage after the horrific Tornado that struck Oklahoma and its suburbs on the 31 May, in particularly at the Canadian Valley Technology Center's small collection of retired training airframes, I ask is there anymore second 'use' airframes out there, which maybe located in other US 'tech' schools, that may contain such former flying machines ?
Damaged by the recent tornado aircraft, at the Canadian Valley Technical Center situated at 6505 East Highway 66 El Reno OK Zip 73036, shown 1st June in 2 press photos, include a Cessna 172 formerly N5185F and a Piper Comanche (type TBC) but possibly formerly registered N2115 but its certainly a single engine Piper aircraft but now sadly, shown completely inverted.
Going onto Google Earth, satellite view, this establishment clearly shows in addition to the two previous airframes, what seems to be a early Apache with a round top tail and another Piper but certainly a twin type.
Then can I throw in, at a technology training building, situated south of Atlanta GA, with me on route, to the Atlanta Speedway, way back in 1996, I remember seeing a training college, that contained at least 5 ex civilian airframes from what seemed to be from mixed US manufacturers. What was their location details and any no longer valid but ex US civilian registrations worn please. I only sadly saw them by chance as a side big 'access' door was open, to give presumably the students air temperature 'relief', as it was an extremely hot day, but sadly because of family commitments I was never able to return there.
Then finally wasn't there a ex civilian Grumman Albatross at the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University at the Daytona Beach IAP, way back in time, so what's been used since to train the ERAU students and what's there now please ?
In one recent book even the ex American Airlines MD 80 N234AA, that arrived way back in May 2010, is unfortunately not listed at the Baker Aviation School in Miami, so hopefully any Cactus Wings contributors can add both up to date info and possibly any historical knowledge, of these now ground training airframes, that ended up at any commercially run or educational US & Canadian technical training school or lets say colleges with ''aviation 'metal' contents''.
Hopefully my appeal here, other fellow aviation enthusiasts can add to these second ''use'' civilian airframes with their locations, so the contents of any future 'airframe numbers listing' aircraft book, they can be rightfully claim their right as a second 'USE'.
In the ever evolving Aircraft Airframe History World that we seem to enjoy and can certainly spend a lot of money on, chasing both flying and now static machines, wearing letters or numbers (but don't tell the wife/partner or bank manager !), so maybe we can add to others, in the future 'the knowledge' with a similar interest.
Thanks in advance Paul (Heathrow UK)
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