A Bridgewater, Virginia, company is exploring the possibility of returning President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Columbine II” to the air. The 1948 USAF Lockheed C-121A Constellation — the first presidential aircraft to be called “Air Force One” — is presently languishing in the Arizona desert.
Dynamic Aviation, which offers a variety of aviation services to government and commercial customers, is exploring the viability of purchasing and preserving Columbine II.
Several key questions remain unanswered, according to company officials, including the availability of certain Constellation parts and the specific engines and propellers that Columbine II requires.
Officials with the company are conducting a worldwide search in the hope that these items can be located and acquired, otherwise they say they “see no way to pursue the preservation of this national treasure.”
Columbine II was retired by the USAF in 1968 and sold surplus in 1970. It then sat in salvage yards in Arizona until 1990, when it was made airworthy again. After flying a few hours, it was parked in Marana, Arizona, in 2003 and has not been aloft since.
I took my son to see this beautiful aircraft in 1990 when it it landed at Manhattan Airport in Kansas enroute to AZ. What a plane! We toured the cabin. I was hopeful of someday seeing it fly again looking as it did when Ike was aboard.The roar of it’s engines was something to hear! Sad that it is not flying.
While in the AirForce I worked.on many of these RC121’s at Otis AirForce Base Mass. I didn’t work on this one.However I did on Pres. Kennedy’s 121.
I was stationed in Kindley AFB, Bermuda and would do the transit maintenance and turn arounds on your RCs when they were weathered out of Otis, needed refueling and crew rest.
Replace the compound radials with equiv hp turbines – you might be able to keep it airborne,
HARS near Wollongong NSW would be the one’s to check with regarding Connies – as they got the Qantas Connie back in the air, and reportedly have C-121’s also down at Albion Park..