For pilots, spring break happens whenever the winter weather gives way to sunny days and warmer temperatures. We don't have to wait for schools to let out, so for some of us our spring break happens the day that spring has sprung. On a fine, warm, first day of spring this year I found myself a little north and a little west of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania perusing the memorabilia, planes, and hangars of the Air Heritage Museum in Beaver Falls (KBVI). The weather was great and the museum full of surprises, including one aircraft which bridges the gap between aviation heritage and the modern USAF arsenal.

When you pull up to the Air Heritage Museum, the signage holds a surprise for any newcomer. Air Heritage, Inc., Museum and Aircraft Restoration Facility, the sign proclaims. Through a series of events and chance acquaintances, the organization gained a hangar, changed their name, and started restoring aircraft for their one-time benefactor. The results of the agreement have led to an ever-changing collection of aircraft throughout the years, along with a wealth of knowledge, experience, and skills among those who volunteer their time to the museum. That tradition of restoring and displaying aircraft continues today, with several restorations in progress in the main hangar.

Upon entering the main hangar there was an imposing presence on this day. Front and center was the C-47 of Air Heritage, Inc. Considering the visit came just three days after St. Patrick's Day, it was fitting that the old transport is called "Luck of the Irish." The folks at Air Heritage have no problem with visitors taking a peek in and around the airplanes. And the view of the front office in the old transport is your reward after quite a climb, but it's worth the hike. The nose of a C-47 sits nearly a full story in the sky when it's sitting on the tarmac! Another tidbit about the C-47 is that composite airframes are no new idea. Okay, it's not fiberglass or carbon fiber, but hey, composite just means "made up of various parts or elements" or materials. Such is the case of the Douglas Aircraft C-47, with aluminum used extensively in the airframe and skin, but with fabric covering the control surfaces. In the photo you can just see the transition from rivets on the aluminum seams to the stitching on the fabric seams of the aileron.

Luck of the Irish got airborne in 2019 for the first airshow season after a six-year restoration. During a flight at one of the airshows, the right engine suffered a loss of power and noticeable vibration. Upon landing, the aircrew found that one of the piston rods had broken. The cylinder cracked at its base and the piston inside failed catastrophically and came out in several pieces. It is a testament to the redundancy and strength of the engines on this plane that such damage did not cause the engine to fail completely, luck of the Irish indeed. Thankfully, the big Gooney Bird will fly again. The engine has already been repaired and reinstalled and the restoration continues. Provided the museum gleans enough support and donations, they should be able to complete the repairs and updates in time for the next airshow season.

Another interesting restoration going on in the hangar is a Fairchild 24, Maggies Pride. Looking somewhat like the Notre Dame cathedral, the Fairchild sits on a wide landing gear that brings to mind Notre Dame's flying buttresses. The wider stance probably helps avoid a tipsy feeling during landing and taxiing. And having plenty of room outside of the airframe, there is ample space for some rather formidable struts on these planes. The long travel oleos and tall tires will make this plane a dream on the sod strips once the restoration is complete!

Up in Darwin Australia there is a museum that houses a full-scale Spitfire model, which you can read about in a previous eFlyer article. Though called a replica, it is missing one thing... it will never fly. Over in Beaver County Pennsylvania, however, there is a full-scale flying replica in the works. In one corner of the Air Heritage museum hangar, a copy of that most British of aircraft is coming into existence. One of the Air Heritage members has been working on the plans built Supermarine Spitfire replica for a few years now. But long hours of painstaking work are all part of the joy of a labor of love like this. This is not to be a display model, though. This Spitfire will one day be an impressive sight at and above airshows and airfields. And that thanks to the help and expertise available at the Air Heritage Museum.

In addition to the Fairchild 24 and the Spitfire replica, there is a T-28 Trojan in the hangar. The colors are once again those of a Navy trainer and the engine cowling was open for inspection and work. The fuel bladders in the wings may need replaced, which will take a fair amount of donations. And on the other side of the hangar resides the stripped airframe of the much smaller, civilian aircraft, the Funk Model B. This airplane is also going to take some time, as well as a new engine. But diligence and patience will most certainly result in this rare Funk aircraft taking to the sky again.

Outside of the hangar on the tarmac sits the museum's movie star, the "Thunder Pig." This C-123 has found its way into movies and television, starring (aeronautically speaking) in "American Made," the television series "Believe," and making an appearance in "X-men Days of Future Past." Where this aircraft really shines, though, is at the airshows. It's a source of both wonder and shade on a hot summer's day. There are more ways into and out of this aircraft than you can shake a stick at. A cargo ramp gives direct access to the belly from behind, there are two side doors behind the wings for Airborne jumpers, and of course, there's a side entrance for the crew up front. The Pratt and Whitney Double Wasp engines of the big Fairchild Provider were recently fired up in a test run. The remnants of soot and oil down the nacelles speaks of working engines and bodes well for a return to the airshow circuit once airshows start up again.

Across the tarmac was a slightly newer looking army transport. And this one wasn't "American Made." The C-23 in U.S. Army colors is none other than the Short Brothers Sherpa. Short Brothers out of Belfast Ireland have been making boxy planes for decades, and this one is no different. But who's complaining?! None of the passengers can bump their noggins on the ceiling, and if you load this baby with boxes, you can stack them front to back and floor to ceiling without wasting any cabin space. A brilliant design that'd make an ideal pilot's RV... let's face it, it's basically a camper with wings already.

Along the western side of the museum's tarmac you'll find several pieces of ground support equipment, a handful of Huey helicopter airframes, and another offering from the British Isles. This BAC Jet Provost used to sit in the yard of a businessman from Latrobe Pennsylvania. Now it sits flanked by a few American military veterans. On one side sat one of the Bell UH-1 airframes. On the opposite side and a little down the way sat the jungle camouflaged F-4C Phantom. With a long history of service from Vietnam to Operation Desert Storm, the F-4 is also the only aircraft which has been flown by both the Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration teams. But F-4s have been out of active service for nearly thirty years. So what aircraft does the Air Heritage Museum have that bridges the gap between historical and present day, between aviation heritage and the modern USAF arsenal?

Out there to the west of the hangar sits one amazing find. In the middle of the Pennsylvania countryside, there is an F-15 on display where you can get up close and personal. That's saying something, since this aircraft is still on active duty. No, not this particular aircraft. This F-15A retired around thirty years ago after serving with the 36th Fighter Wing in Germany and later in Desert Storm. The first F-15EX, however, was delivered to Eglin Air Force Base just nine days before the visit to the Air Heritage Museum. The first F-15A flew in July of 1972, the first F-15EX arrived on the scene just shy of 49 years later, and the military is planning to utilize this new design for another ten years. Now that's bridging the gap from history to the future, and you can walk up and pat the side of this aircraft at the Air Heritage Museum at KBVI!

Typically I try to point out that you can find the aircraft you read about here on barnstormers.com. But I'm sorry to say, you probably aren't going to purchase an F-15 on the site anytime soon... at least not a functional one. There is, however, a non-flying Fairchild C-123, a couple of working Short Brothers planes, some Huey helicopters (whole and in pieces), a T-28 Trojan that's out of annual, a DC-3 (civilian C-47), and there are even pieces of a Funk aircraft available! Regardless of the planes not available from the article, there are plenty available that bridge the gap from historic to modern, and all out there waiting to take you skyward. Who knows, one of those planes might even be the one to take you to visit KBVI and the Air Heritage Museum yourself.