The Spirit of Flight Center in Erie, Colorado took delivery of a rare Lockheed Model 12A Electra Junior in June, 2017. The iconic aircraft rolled off the production line as serial #1205 and soon became an executive transport with the Continental Oil Company, registered as NC16079. The aircraft was impressed into military service during WWII, heading up to Canada as part of the Lend-Lease Program. At one point in the aircraft’s history, it was owned by the legendary aircraft broker, Charles Babb. Interestingly, it was Babb who signed Amelia Earhart’s pilot’s license, and we all know her close connection to the Lockheed Electra!
The museum has already begun restoring their Electra Junior back to flying condition, but needs to raise funds to help with the effort. Towards this end, the museum received the generous gift of a pristine 1957 Ford Thunderbird which they will be giving away via a lottery. Please see their recent press release for further details on how you can enter to win this amazing car and help restore a rare Lockheed beauty!
The Spirit of Flight Center recently received the gift of a fully restored 1957 Ford Thunderbird. The museum now plans to give it away to a lucky winner.
“We are incredibly grateful that a 1957 Thunderbird was gifted to the museum,” said Gordon Page, President of the Spirit of Flight Center. “The donor saw our Lockheed 12A aircraft project and wanted to do something to help get it back into the air. We had no idea they would give us a collector car to raffle off to help the process.”
The Starmist Blue Thunderbird has only 35,000 miles and was fully restored in 2006. It has a 312 cubic inch V-8 engine and automatic transmission, and it is loaded with features including hard and soft tops.
“We plan to hand over the keys to the car at our 10th Annual Spirit of Flight Day event on July 14th, 2018,” said Gordon Page. “I can’t wait to see the look on the winners face,” added Page.
People can enter to win the car by making a donation to the non-profit Spirit of Flight Foundation at www.spiritofflight.com. All proceeds will help fund the restoration of a 1936 Lockheed 12A Electra Jr. that the museum acquired earlier this year.
“My wife has wanted a ’57 Thunderbird since we started dating, so you can bet I will be making a donation,” said museum supporter, Mike Castro. Castro added, “It’s even the right color.”
Click the image below to buy your ticket to win!
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About the Spirit of Flight Center: Founded in 1998, the non-profit Spirit of Flight Center facility features over 1000 aviation artifacts at its Erie (CO) Municipal Airport facility. Aircraft including a rare German Messerschmitt Bf-109, L-19 Bird Dog, and a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fighter jet are among the collection.
The Spirit of Flight Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and uses tax deductible donations to support its mission to save aviation history.
Contact the Spirit of Flight Center at [email protected] for more information.
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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