After years of treating the place like their own private good ol boys flying club, the Milestones (millstones) of Flight Museum at Fox Field in Lancaster Ca has been given 10 days to vacate effective June 14th.
There are several issues that bought this about:
1, Haven’t filed Form 990 for 3 years (necessary for 501c3 charities to keep their tax exempt status)
2, Had their 501c3 revoked in 2012.
3, Decided the best use of the large hangar (donated by Kermit Weeks in exchange for Howard Hughes A20) was to keep their own private aircraft in, rent free. Hard to justify a Cessna C182 as a “milestone”.
4, Not paid any rent since the place opened in the ’70’s & now the County who owns the land has said “You can start paying effective now, so pay up”. This is impossible as the money from the 3 or 4 visitors every month that gets dropped in the donation box probably doesn’t even pay to keep the lights on.
5, Turning away donors who might be interested in actually doing something worthwhile at the museum. They were offered pretty much a complete sheet metal resto/fabrication shop set up over a year ago for free & couldn’t even be bothered to bring it up for discussion at the board meetings.
So, if anyone is looking for an Argosy, C119, KC97, CH19 or CH34 (Whirlwind & Wessex)….. they also have a B25 that is so badly corroded that it’s held together with chicken wire…..
By: Zac Yates - 17th June 2015 at 22:03
Argosies: (…) One in New Zealand
Although not in a museum it is still in a kind of active service: http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/68665913/argosy-cafe-takes-off-with-new-pilot, http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/10565152/Big-plans-for-Argosy-Restaurant-soon-to-take-flight
By: David Burke - 17th June 2015 at 20:40
Hi Heli -can you send me a PM as email account is dormant!
By: heli1 - 5th June 2015 at 18:11
David Burke….sent you e mail….
By: David Burke - 5th June 2015 at 16:49
Argosies are definately on the ‘endangered’ list now !
By: TwinOtter23 - 5th June 2015 at 15:37
Flight deck from XN819, set-up as procedures trainer at RAF Finningley and is now being run on a regular basis at NAM.
By: markb - 5th June 2015 at 15:30
Argosies: Three in the UK – Cosford, East Midlands AirPark, MAM Coventry. One in New Zealand, two ex-RAF examples in the US, of which this is one. The prototype was destroyed by the Willow Run museum a couple of years ago.
By: David Burke - 4th June 2015 at 19:39
Heli -it would be easier to acquire this machine in France https://www.flickr.com/photos/23274138@N05/7767734550
and get parts from boneyards in the U.S to fix it
By: J Boyle - 3rd June 2015 at 23:40
How many Argosys are in safe museums?
I have one in my garage…albeit a 1/72 (or larger) a factory desk model with a plate on the base saying it was presented to the FAA Paris office. I bought it off ebay years ago.
By: J Boyle - 3rd June 2015 at 23:37
There’s an H21 sat in a yard in Rosamond though.
The International Helicopter Museum might be interested in it.
Any chance you could send them (or me, I can forward it) the contact info for the owners?
Who ones the 2 Sikorskys?
If private, again the IHM might be interested.
By: SADSACK - 3rd June 2015 at 22:57
How many Argosys are in safe museums?
By: ZRX61 - 3rd June 2015 at 19:48
No Cobra or H-21 thenZRX?!
Nope, but they have a T53 engine sat on a pallet in the hangar. There’s an H21 sat in a yard in Rosamond though.
By: heli1 - 3rd June 2015 at 19:43
No Cobra or H-21 thenZRX?!
By: Arabella-Cox - 3rd June 2015 at 19:32
The Argosy would be a nice addition for Pima!
Is the Argosy still a (potential) flyer? I think the engines were removed ?
It is a shame never got out yo fox field but hopefully everything will find a new home.
Curlyboy
By: David Burke - 3rd June 2015 at 19:28
The Argosy would be a nice addition for Pima!
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June 3, 2015 at 7:09 pm