Beech 18 Dl8S N9887A has been transported from Malmsliitt to Optand airfield in Sweden recently for restoration and static display at the Jämtlands Flyg-och Lottamuseum.
N9887A is on long-term loan from the Swedish Air Force Museum and will be refinished with the colors and markings of Beech 18R registration number TP 4. The original TP 4 was delivered in March 1940, and eventually assigned to the F4 Wing on Frösön Island. ln 1941, TP 4 was transferred to F 21 at Lulea-Kallax airfield, before joining the Swedish civil register as SE-BTX; it returned to military service after being used on an Antarctic expedition, but met its end when it folded and crashed during take-off from its home airfield on Frösön Island due to incorrect flaps on January 9, 1953, resulting in the death of her pilot.
N9887A was obtained by Swedish Air Force Museum during 1984 in an exchange deal with Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation. The aircraft had been stored outside at Malaga, Spain for years, having last been operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force. Following restoration to airworthiness, N9887A arrived at Malmslatt, but was placed into unprotected storage where its condition deteriorated.
Returning this Beech 18 to a level acceptable for static display is expected to take between two and three years.
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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