COCKPIT RESTORATION

 

One of the more interesting projects we finished was the meticulous restoration of a historically significant C-131 Cockpit for a movie. Every gauge and switch had to be perfect and match the original photos.

 

This particular C-131 could trace its history back to Dwight Eisenhower who used the airplane as his personal transport aircraft. It was "Air Force One" before that  became the standard for Presidential Air Travel.

 

The airplane was eventually scrapped by the US Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB, but the forward section of the airplane was saved. Unfortunately, it was left outside in a midwest field for many years. The weather and animals took their toll on old bird so what was left was a mess. The teams job was to restore the cockpit to original condition including period correct gauges and instruments.

 

The restoration took about 3 months and the results were amazing.