http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6036750
Finally after a lots of work and a long struggle with an Atlanta museum, ship # 3 nose section has left KACY this past Tuesday and now is at the Teterboro Aviation Museum!
Records show this aircraft operated out of EWR at one time. This added to the nostalga of keeping it in NJ.
Howard Hughes is believed to be at the controls of this very ship as well.
Ship 3 is one of the original three used for certifications program and is spotted many times in General Dynamics ads in house colors.
N801AJ was TWA's N803TW.
TWA removed her from service 1/74, thanks to the fuel crisis. Later sold, ferried to Harlingen TX, then to Mojave for storage in 1980. Finally came out of storage in 91 and ferried to KACY 9/91 to the FAA test facility for fire/cabin smoke testing. The past two years produced this Convair plenty of heartache. Various buyers/collectors and museums attempted to keep her intact, but the cost of logistics was overwhelming. The soring scrap alloy pricing market fueled the scrapping of all but the front half-with the great hope it could be saved, and now is.
The nose section will be restored and will be the museums flagship.
Bookmarks