The Brussels Aircraft Museum Restoration Society is nearing completion on the restoration project of de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide R5922. The aircraft is being returned to the 1947 configuration and mint green livery it wore when it flew for the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation (LAC) as G-AKNV.
Originally built in 1939 for the RAF, this plane was first delivered to the Electrical and Wireless School at Yatesbury, Wiltshire, and later served with several other British military units.
The plane was released from military service in 1947 and was sold to LAC, before briefly flying in Ireland under the registration of El AGK. It then went to Fairey Aviation in 1955, and was stripped down and rebuilt with numerous modifications in 1958 by Avions Fairey Belgium. The plane was re-registered as 00 CNP in 1964, and was then used as a parachuting plane, but its flying career was ended by a forced landing in August, 1970. The craft then spent several years stored out in the open before being donated to the museum in 1973.
This restoration project, which started in 1992 is expected to restore this historically significant and unusually constructed plane to pristine condition.
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
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