- Jun 13, 2005
- 565
- 6
What would you say if your Uncle gave you the keys to a rusty old '62 Corvette and said, "it's mine but you can do whatever you want with it."
Being a Corvette enthusiast, you wanted to restore it to "factory new" condition. You spent years stripping the old paint, repairing damaged panels, even creating some of the needed parts from scratch. Now, while in the process of building a new garage to safely store and display the vehicle, your Uncle says, "wow! What a nice car. I want it back so I can park it in my neighbor's back yard."
That's almost as bad as the scenario being played out in Ft. Worth, Texas right now. The last B-36 Peacemaker, named City of Ft. Worth has been in North Texas ever since it's last flight in 1959. It sat for years, abandoned, at the Amon Carter Airport in Ft. Worth (later renamed Greater Southwest).
Deterioriating and in great disrepair, a group of former Convair employees -- the very people who built the aircraft in Ft. Worth in the 1940's -- took on the challenge of restoring the last B-36. They have spent a lot of effort and money bringing the ol' bird back. The ultimate goal -- to give this major part of North Texas' aviation history a respectable and proper place to be displayed. A new facility, fully enclosed and air conditioned, has been drawn up for construction at Ft. Worth's Meacham Airport.
As a final step, the members of the "B-36 Peacemaker Museum" applied to the United States Air Force to become an officially sanctioned museum location. Instead of the traditional "nice job, here's your certificate", they were stunned to learn that the Air Force wants to take possession of the aircraft and move it to an outdoor display at the Pima Air Museum in Arizona! There is will become just one of a multitude of WWII bombers with no special significance to it's curator, residents, or visitors. (The USAF says it has been in negotiations with Pima for over 18 months ... but they never said anything to the Ft. Worth folks who continued to work tirelessly to restore the aircraft.)
There are only four B-36 aircraft remaining in the world. One is in California at Castle AFB. Another is at the Strategic Air & Space Museum near Offut AFB, Omaha, the former Strategic Air Command headquarters. The massive Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio contains the third. The repossession and reassignment of the City of Ft. Worth to a location void of a historical link to the aircraft is a terrible act of disrespect toward the people who literally gave their lives work to create the first element of the Cold War's Nuclear Deterrent force.
Please help keep the last B-36 in Ft. Worth where it rightfully belongs. This aircraft was created in Ft. Worth. When it was retired from active service the US Air Force returned it to Ft. Worth. It was fully restored through the efforts and funding of Ft. Worth residents. It is here, in Ft. Worth, that the significance of the aircraft and the related B-36 artifacts are most appropriately displayed, commemorated, and appreciated.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT! In July, 2005 he USAF intends to cut up the City of Ft. Worth and place it on trucks to be shipped to the Pima Air Museum. This needs to be stopped NOW!!!
We need everyone to please contact your US Representatives and Senators urging them to help prevent the moving of this Ft. Worth and North Texas treasure.
Please follow this link for more information about the B-36 and why it's location is so important:
www.b-36peacemakermuseum.org
Being a Corvette enthusiast, you wanted to restore it to "factory new" condition. You spent years stripping the old paint, repairing damaged panels, even creating some of the needed parts from scratch. Now, while in the process of building a new garage to safely store and display the vehicle, your Uncle says, "wow! What a nice car. I want it back so I can park it in my neighbor's back yard."
That's almost as bad as the scenario being played out in Ft. Worth, Texas right now. The last B-36 Peacemaker, named City of Ft. Worth has been in North Texas ever since it's last flight in 1959. It sat for years, abandoned, at the Amon Carter Airport in Ft. Worth (later renamed Greater Southwest).
Deterioriating and in great disrepair, a group of former Convair employees -- the very people who built the aircraft in Ft. Worth in the 1940's -- took on the challenge of restoring the last B-36. They have spent a lot of effort and money bringing the ol' bird back. The ultimate goal -- to give this major part of North Texas' aviation history a respectable and proper place to be displayed. A new facility, fully enclosed and air conditioned, has been drawn up for construction at Ft. Worth's Meacham Airport.
As a final step, the members of the "B-36 Peacemaker Museum" applied to the United States Air Force to become an officially sanctioned museum location. Instead of the traditional "nice job, here's your certificate", they were stunned to learn that the Air Force wants to take possession of the aircraft and move it to an outdoor display at the Pima Air Museum in Arizona! There is will become just one of a multitude of WWII bombers with no special significance to it's curator, residents, or visitors. (The USAF says it has been in negotiations with Pima for over 18 months ... but they never said anything to the Ft. Worth folks who continued to work tirelessly to restore the aircraft.)
There are only four B-36 aircraft remaining in the world. One is in California at Castle AFB. Another is at the Strategic Air & Space Museum near Offut AFB, Omaha, the former Strategic Air Command headquarters. The massive Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio contains the third. The repossession and reassignment of the City of Ft. Worth to a location void of a historical link to the aircraft is a terrible act of disrespect toward the people who literally gave their lives work to create the first element of the Cold War's Nuclear Deterrent force.
Please help keep the last B-36 in Ft. Worth where it rightfully belongs. This aircraft was created in Ft. Worth. When it was retired from active service the US Air Force returned it to Ft. Worth. It was fully restored through the efforts and funding of Ft. Worth residents. It is here, in Ft. Worth, that the significance of the aircraft and the related B-36 artifacts are most appropriately displayed, commemorated, and appreciated.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT! In July, 2005 he USAF intends to cut up the City of Ft. Worth and place it on trucks to be shipped to the Pima Air Museum. This needs to be stopped NOW!!!
We need everyone to please contact your US Representatives and Senators urging them to help prevent the moving of this Ft. Worth and North Texas treasure.
Please follow this link for more information about the B-36 and why it's location is so important:
www.b-36peacemakermuseum.org