Thursday 28 February 2013

Young pilot earns his wings restoring vintage aeroplane

A 1948 Luscombe Silvaire 8E, similar to Koerner's 8C
source


A story I've been looking forward to featuring ever since it made its way into my Drafts folder, this is a welcome tale of an established family aviation business whose future seems assured - as is evidenced by the splendid restoration of a beautiful 1940s light aircraft by a father and son team.

The history of this particular rara avis is remarkable, and the Koerner's arduous effort to restore it to its former glory even more so.  Like so many restoration projects it sounds like it was more difficult than it first appeared, but well done to the chaps for sticking with it and successfully putting this wonderful aeroplane back in the air.

In particular it is heartening to see a young man take such interest in so vintage a piece of machinery and the history behind it.  He's certainly got a gorgeous aircraft out of it and I'm glad to see he appreciates it so much.
  
source

Thanks to the hard work of these enthusiasts another rare aeroplane has been saved and returned to the skies where it belongs, flying (very well, by the sounds of it) for the first time in over six decades.  It is to be hoped that the likes of Koerner Aviation can continue their worthy work restoring and rebuilding vintage aircraft, so preserving them for the enjoyment of future generations.  Future generations who, like the son in this story, could go on to rescue historic machines themselves.  Well done, you fellows!

3 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous plane! I love hearing restoration stories.

    P x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I learned to fly in a 1953 Luscombe Silvaire. As beautiful as it looks, it flies even better. Keeping that fuselage shined up is a full-time job.

    Thank you for posting this. It really brings back good memories.

    ReplyDelete

Don't just sit there, type something! I enjoy reading all friendly and positive comments.

Followers

Popular Posts