All of us were excited to learn of the first flight of the unique Brewster F3A-1A Corsair Bu.04634 back on July 4th, following a lengthy rebuild at Ezell Aviation. Yesterday we learned that the magnificently restored aircraft has finally arrived at her new home with the National Museum of WWII Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She will be a part of the museum’s permanent collection, and is now on display to the general public.
The Corsair will eventually take up residence in the Kaija Raven Shook Aeronautical Pavilion, a 40,000 square foot facility which is due for imminent construction. The new hangar is Phase I of three planned buildings for the nascent museum. Remarking on the new hangar in a July, 2018 interview with The Gazette, museum president Bill Klaers stated, “We are operating at capacity right now, and this will allow us to get all of our collection under one roof as well as give us some event and additional exhibit space. We will finally be able to do what we have said we would do when we opened the museum, which is to provide an economic catalyst for the community and further our educational mission.”
Interestingly, the museum will also become home to a school for airframe and engine mechanics, which is expected to begin operating next spring. Some of the graduates of this school will likely find jobs with the locally-based Westpac Restorations, also owned by Bill Klaers.
Many thanks indeed to National Museum of WWII Aviation volunteer Jack Humphrey and to Jay Miller for the photographs illustrating this article.
Do you like the mighty Corsair? Buy issue #77 of Warbird Digest featuring the Flying Heritage & Combat Armour’s FG-1D Corsair! Click the image below to buy this issue.
Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
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