/reeve.gif)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pULp1F0RLPY
https://commemorativeairforce.org/news/ ... seum-fleet
/
https://www.monroenc.org/Community/Abou ... ion-Museum
https://warbirdsnews.com/aviation-museu ... useum.htmlCity of Monroe’s C-46 ‘The Tinker Belle’ finds new home at Military Aviation Museum
7/11/2023 9:48:00 AM
Monroe City Council approved the sale of the City of Monroe’s C-46 plane “The Tinker Belle”
to the non-profit Military Aviation Museum at its June 13 meeting.
The City’s Tourism Development Authority purchased the Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando from Commemorative Air Force in 2011
through the expenditure of capital funds
raised through hotel occupancy collections to showcase the City’s commitment to the aerospace industry.
Over the City’s 12-year ownership,
The Tinker Belle has traveled to countless air shows across the country and internationally in Canada,
including the special honor of being placed at show center
during the 2016 Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)’s AirVenture Air Show in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin which is widely regarded as the largest air show in the world.
“I have travelled with this aircraft to numerous shows
and everywhere we go people are in line all day just to step up and catch a glimpse
of this living piece of US history,”
said Communications and Tourism Director Pete Hovanec.
“It was always fun to educate the younger generations of the role Tinker Belle, and similar aircraft, played in shaping our future.”
The aircraft has been owned and operated by the City in partnership with the non-profit organization Warriors and Warbirds ever since then.
“Over the many years Tinker Belle has been in our care,
we have valued the esprit de corps that’s bonded our members together
in our mission to preserve the memories of military aviation history,”
said Warriors and Warbirds President Tim Beckerman.
The Tinker Belle has been a centerpiece of the Warbirds Over Monroe Air Show every November
at the Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport, where it has been housed when not in operation.
It has also served as a piece of living history for school groups, civic organizations and industries who are given tours by request.
Tinker Belle Warbirds Over Monroe
“We had a really great run,
but in recent years it has become increasingly difficult
to maintain and acquire parts specific to the aircraft
due to its unique designation,” said Hovanec.
The City has also experienced hardship in finding a steady group of certified pilots due to the uniqueness of the aircraft.
City staff spoke with representatives from the Military Aviation Museum last year
regarding the potential sale of the aircraft to their organization.
The Military Aviation Museum (MAM) is located in Virginia Beach
and displays more than 60 aircraft on a 130-acre site
specifically designed for the care and operation of vintage aircraft.
“As a museum, we see ourselves as caretakers of history,
and it is a great honor to continue the tradition of preservation and heritage interpretation
that was established by Warriors and Warbirds,” said MAM Director Keegan Chetwynd.
“While this is a very bittersweet time for us,
we couldn’t be more excited to see Tinker Belle go
to an amazing organization dedicated to the preservation and operation of historic aircraft,” said Hovanec.
“We have no doubt they will do whatever is needed to showcase this rare bird for years to come.”
“The Warriors and Warbirds Executive Board and dedicated members wish nothing but success and appreciation to Tinker Belle’s new owners,” said Beckerman.
City Council approved the sale of the aircraft at its regular meeting on June 13, 2023.
The proceeds of the sale will be returned to the Tourism Development Authority Capital Fund
since the original purchase was made out of that account.
Tinker Belle is expected to take flight to its new home in Virginia Beach later this month.
15 July , 2023
The Military Aviation Museum achieved a significant milestone over the weekend with the arrival of their latest acquisition,
Curtiss C-46F Commando 44-78774, better known as The Tinker Belle.
After a significant effort by maintenance staff from the Fighter Factory and local personnel in Monroe, North Carolina,
The Tinker Belle made the flight to her new home successfully on Saturday,
arriving a little after 6pm.
Now that the aircraft is safely home,
it will need to undergo a period of TLC before it can begin flying
at Museum events and air shows further afield.
Once the aircraft is ready, Museum pilots will then undergo type-rating training with help from Everts,
although the team hasn’t yet decided whether that will take place in Alaska or Virginia yet.
In the meantime, the C-46 will serve as a marvelous exhibit,
helping retell the oft-overlooked story of the C-46 pilots and aircrew who flew often perilous missions “Over the Hump”
to transport precious war materiel from India over the Himalayan mountain range
to where it was desperately needed in China to combat the Japanese.