The National Museum of the Air Force board of directors has rejected an offer from the Commemorative Air Force to drop its lawsuit concerning the ownership rights of an F-82 in exchange for allowing the airplane to remain on static display at the CAF Airpower Museum in Midland, Texas.
In its proposal, the CAF proposed to drop its appeal and let the ruling in the trial court stand, in exchange for allowing the CAF to retain physical possession of the F-82 in the museum’s loan program. In that program, Air Force-owned aircraft are loaned to aviation museums around the country.
The basis of the disagreement is the Air Force’s prohibition against allowing vintage warbirds to fly.
“I had great hopes that this would be an amicable way to agree-to-disagree, yet still concede to the USAFM’s policy to not fly the F-82, which has supposedly been their concern. This decision to reject our proposal is confusing and disappointing,” said Stephan Brown, president and CEO of the CAF. “Our mission is to honor American military aviation, through the flight of these historic aircraft, but we felt it was better to keep this important piece of our history on static display, rather than lose it altogether.”
The F-82, which has been a part of the CAF history for 40 years, must be shipped back to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, immediately, CAF officials said.
“It will be a sad day for 9,000 active CAF members and those before them, who have poured tens of thousands of dollars and man-hours into saving this airplane,” Brown said. “How ironic that our founders Lloyd Nolen and Marvin “Lefty” Gardner saved this airplane (and many more) from the Air Force’s destruction, just to have the Air Force Museum repossess it in order to ‘preserve’ it.”
The CAF’s appeal continues, he added, explaining it is a “de novo review, in which the Appellate Court is not bound by the trial court, but reviews the entire case. We are hopeful that the Appellate authority will see things differently,” Brown concluded.
For more information: CommemorativeAirForce.org or NationalMuseum.af.mil.
Fidel Castro still have some good legacies despite his not so good repuation.`’*
Fidel Castro still have some good legacies despite his not so good repuation.;;`
I love it. Our government is simply OUT OF CONTROL. Since when did a “DONATION” mean a “LOAN”??????
Hey you idiots at the Air Force Musuem… It’s called “english” and you should look it up in something called a “dictionary.”
I will be writing my Senator.
This is unbelievable. For the government to seize property that is not theirs… That’s Fidel Castro territory there folks.
The word thrown around is donation, in fact, they are always loans. You know all those Navy museums like the USS Midway in San Diego, or the USS Intrepid in Manhatten, guess who retains ultimate ownership? An entity called the US Navy, aka US Government. Know what you’re talking about before shooting off your mouth and comparing our government to the Castro regime! BTW, as one the last one of its kind, FIFI should be shut down before the CAF hucksters lose her like they almost did last year!