Restorations are currently underway on the following historic aircraft:

CG-4 Hadrian.  The only US-build glider to see combat action in World War II, the CG-4 was selected over three other designs.  The type holds the US record for most different manufacturers, as eventually 16 companies produced at least one CG-4.  Ironically, Waco, the company that designed the CG-4, built 1,075 examples of the production aircraft, which trailed Ford (4,190), Northwestern (1,510), Commonwealth (1,470), General (1,112), and Gibson (1,078).  The CG-4 first saw combat in the Sicily invasion in July 1943.  On March 5, 1944, US crews flew British Brig. Gen. Orde Wingate's Chindit commandos to a clearing 150 miles behind Japanese lines in Burma at night.  Several thousand CG-4s were towed behind C-46s and C-47s in Operation Overlord, the invasion of France on June 6, 1944.  The CG-4s, which, like all gliders, were considered expendable, were also used in landings in southern France, at Arnhem, and the Rhine River crossing.  The were also used in large numbers by Britain, and a few were transferred to the US Navy.  After the war, large numbers of CG-4s were sold, not for the aircraft but for the shipping boxes, which were converted to chicken coops and other civilian uses.  The last CG-4s received a new Navy-developed tow-bar in 1948 and were redesignated G-4Cs.  The type was removed from service shortly after that.

L-19 Bird Dog. Originally designated L-19, the Bird Dog was redesignated O-1 when the observation category was revived in 1962.  The O-1 is a two-place observation and liaison aircraft that was widely used by the Air Force in Vietnam for forward air control duties. It was developed from the Cessna commercial Model 170 for a joint Army and Air Force competition in 1950, although the Air Force did not buy any planes at that time.  All of the Air Force's O-1s were originally transferred from the Army.  Before pilots

T-33 Shooting Star.  The two-place T-33 was the world's first jet trainer.  It was developed from the the single seat F-80 fighter by lengthening the fuselage approximately three feet to accommodate a second cockpit.  Lockheed undertook the design of the T-33 with $1 million of its own money.  Entering service in 1948, the T-33 was the only Air Force jet trainer until the advent of the Cessna T-37 in 1957.  The T-33 then went from being an advanced trainer to a primary trainer.  The T-33 was eventually used by the navies and air forces of more than 20 countries.  Many are still in use today.  One modified T-33, designated NT-33, was used to simulate the handling characteristics of different aircraft; this particular aircraft was in use until the early 1990s, when it was replaced by the NF-16 Variable Stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft.  A number of T-33s for export were modified to carry light armament.  A number of T-33s were built under license in Canada.  Untold thousands of pilots earned their wings on the T-33.  The last Air National Guard T-33 was retired in 1987.

Bell UH-1D (IROQUOIS). The first UH-1A helicopter was delivered to service in June 1959 with a production run of 175 units. By 1963 production had progressed through Model B (1010 units) and Model C (749 units).  The First D model was delivered to the Army August 9, 1963. The D model became the major troop transport carrying version with 2561 units produced before it was succeeded by the even more prolific H Model. Production continued, with various models, through the twin engine version Model UH-1N . In all more than 26,000 Huey's were produced. The primary missions were the delivery of troops, equipment and supplies, as well as evacuation of the wounded. Its ability to deliver and recover troops on tactical missions drastically changed how modern infantry conducts its patrols and combat strategies.

The Huey on display at the YAF Museum in Oscoda is a UH-1D with the later addition of a few features of an H model.

Specification:

• Manufacturer - Bell
• Engine - Lycombing T53-L-11
• H.P. - 1100
• Accommodates - Up to 18
• Range - 293 Nautical Miles
• Gross Weight - 9500 Lbs.
• Main Rotor - 48 Ft.
• Rotor Cord - 21 In.
• Fuel Capacity - 220 Gal.

Stinson 10A. Mark VanZwoll, our crew chief on the Stinson 10A project has his own web site with a lot of interesting information on our Stinson. Click here to visit his web site.