Warplanes preserved in Maine
Auburn, Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport
Lockheed L-1649A-98 Starliner (Serial No. 1018), Reg. No. N7316C, being restored at LEW for Lufthansa, with first post restoration flight planned for late 2011. Registered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Lockheed L-1649A-98 Starliner (Serial No. 1038), Reg. No. N8083H, also being restored at LEW, with first flight planned for 2011. Registered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation Photo)
Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe (Serial No. TE356), Reg. No. N346TE, Affordable Mid-Coast Housing LLC. (LF is the designation for “Low Altitude Fighter”).
TE356 was built at the Supermarine division of Vickers-Armstrong Limited in C Block at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, England (now a Jaguar car factory) and delivered to No. 29 MU High Ercall (Maintenance Unit) on 23 June 1945. On 11 July 1945 it was issued to No. 695 Squadron RAF. While serving with that squadron, including up through 14 Feb 1949 when the squadron was renumbered as No. 34 Squadron, it bore the codes 4M-M (4M being the 695th squadron code) and 8Q-Z (8Q being the 34th Squadron code), and then along with several other Mk. XVI’s served between 20 Aug 1951 and 1 September 1952 with No. 2 CAACU (Civilian Anti Aircraft Co-Operation Unit) at RAF Little Snoring as a ground instructional trainer.
It then stood on the parade ground at RAF Bicester until 1967, then RAF Henlow, where it was repaired to taxiing status with a built-up rear fuselage (and some other modifications of of which I cannot specify) to make it appear as an earlier mark and appeared as a taxiing aircraft in the 1969 film “Battle of Britain.” After the filming, it was restored to its standard configuration and assigned to No. 4 Squadron at RAF Kemble where restoration to flying condition was discontinued.
In December 1970 it was mounted on a concrete plinth at CFS (Central Flying School) Headquarters Little Rissington then to CFS Cranwell in 1976 and then Leeming in 1978. In 1986 it was exchanged for a P-47 Thunderbolt from the collection of Doug Arnold and Warbirds of GB Ltd. and shipped to RAF Bitteswell and put into storage. It was rebuilt by Trent Aero Engineering in East Midlands and had its first flight on December 16, 1987 (at the time of these photos at least, the aircraft was fitted with a single electrical-firing button on the spade grip of earlier Spitfire versions rather than the 3-way rocker button).
In January 1990, it was acquired by Evergreen Ventures, Inc., to be part of the collection at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum (“Evergreen”) in McMinnville, Oregon. On April 26, 1996 it was damaged when the landing gear collapsed on landing during the El Toro airshow in California and was repaired. It remained part of the Evergreen collection during the 1990’s through 2017 where it was flown until essentially all flights of Evergreen aircraft were suspended following the 1995 death of Captain Michael K. Smith (son of Delbert Smith, founder of the Evergreen companies and this museum). While at Evergreen, it was painted with the nose art “Carolyn” in honor of the widow of Captain Smith; Capt. Smith flew this and other aircraft in the Evergreen collection. In 2018, it was shipped to Biggin Hill for further restoration work.
TE356 may be back in the UK, TBC.
Augusta, Camp Keyes
The Maine Army National Guard headquarters is located at Camp Keyes in Augusta, as is the Maine Military Historical Museum. Named for General Erasmus Darwin Keyes, a notable Civil War Union Army Corps Commander, Camp Keyes has been an integral part of Maine’s rich military heritage since the 1860’s and before. Camp Keyes, up to WWII, was also unofficially known to local central Maine residents as “the Muster Ground”.
(Jeff Nelson Photos)
Bell UH-1H Iroquois (Serial No.), 112th Medical Company, Camp Keyes.
Bangor
The 112th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), Maine Army National Guard (ME ARNG), is based in Bangor, Maine. The 112th is supported with the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
Cole Land Transportation Museum, 405 Perry Road, Bangor, ME 04401. Telephone: (207) 990-3600, (207) 990-3600, Fax: (207) 990-2653. The Cole Land Transportation Museum collects, preserves, and displays a cross section of Maine’s land transportation equipment from which this and future generations will gain knowledge of the past. The Museum records and displays American military memorabilia with the aim of inspiring and challenging the young people of today to continue on in the footsteps of pioneers who have built this state and country.
(Author Photos)
Bell UH-1D Iroquois (Serial No. 65-9915), Vietnam Memorial. This Huey Helicopter was found at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida and served in Vietnam during the war. At one time it suffered a crash landing but was recovered and placed back into service. It was placed on 12 September 2003.
Bangor, Maine Air Museum, Maine Aviation Historical Society, PO Box 2641, 98 Maine Ave., Bangor, ME 04402.
The Maine Aviation Historical Society was founded to collect, document and preserve the rich aviation history of the State of Maine. Civil, commercial, military and recreational flying have always been an important part of Maine history. The Societies goal is to preserve the history of the people and events of the past. From the earliest balloon flights, to barn storming pilots to space travel, Maine has been an active player. The society’s collection of artifacts and memorabilia are displayed at the Maine Air Museum at 98 Maine Avenue, Bangor, Maine. The museum is located at Bangor International Airport and as a point of interest, the museum building is a former cold war era missile assembly and maintenance facility.
(Author Photos)
Bell UH-1H-BF Iroquois helicopter (Serial No. 66-0941).
Link Trainer.
J-57 Jet Engine.
(Author Photos)
Scorpion homebuilt helicopter.
Luscombe 8A.
Aircraft models.
Aircraft artifacts.
Bangor, Maine Air National Guard, Bangor International Airport, Bangor, ME 04401-3099. The base is the home of the 101st Air Refueling Wing (101st ARW), providing air refueling and airlift under Air Mobility Command. Since 1994, the 101st has operated the Northeast Tanker Task Force together with Pease AFB. The wing currently flies the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker.
Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Serial No.), mounted on a pylon.
(Author Photos)
McDonnell F-101B Voodoo (Serial No. 57-0374). This aircraft was presented to the 101st Air Refueling Wing by Canadian Forces (now RCAF) No. 416 All Weather Fighter Squadron, CFB Chatham, New Brunswick where it was flown as CF-101B (Serial No. 101041). It is currently painted as (Serial No. 57-0377), 04. It was mounted on a pylon on 3 March 1987.
(Author Photos)
Northrop F-89J Scorpion (Serial No. 52-1856). This aircraft was built as an F-89D in California in 1954, and converted to F-89J in 1957.it served with other units until being transferred along with 27 other Scorpions to the 132nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Maine Air National Guard at Dow AFB in Bangor. Last flown on 16 July 1969, it was on display at Waterville for many years.
Brunswick
Naval Air Station Brunswick, 1251 Orion Street, Brunswick, ME 04011. Phone: (207) 921-2000, (207) 921-2000.
Naval Air Station Brunswick is the last, active-duty Department of Defense airfield remaining in the northeast, and is home to five active duty and two reserve squadrons. Flying Lockheed P-3C Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft tasked by Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Five. NAS Brunswick has 29 tenant commands, including a Reserve Lockheed P-3 Orion Squadron and a Reserve Fleet Logistics Support Squadron flying Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports. In addition, over 1,600 Naval Reservists travel from throughout New England to drill at Naval Air Reserve Brunswick, SeaBee Battalion and numerous other reserve commands.
(Jeff Nelson Photo)
Lockheed P2V7-5 Neptune (BuNo. 131427), VP-21, located near the Main Gate.
(Jeff Nelson Photos)
(ochs-4 Photo)
Lockheed P-3A Orion (BuNo. 152156), located near the Main Gate.
Eliot
Curtiss Wright Jr CW1 (Serial No. 1225), Reg. No. N11818, John E. Hardy, Littlebrook Airport, Eliot, ME 03903.
Greenville
Douglas DC-3 (Serial No. 11761), Reg. No. N130Q, HBF Inc, PO Box 507, Greenville, ME 04441-0507.
Holden
(Author Photos, 5 Oct 2018)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21H Fishbed (Serial No. 2213), c/n 94R22213, 1971 entered service with the Polish Air Force, in service to 2001. Now with Maine Military Supply Inc., Gun Store, 179 Main Rd, Holden, Maine 04429.
Limestone
On 22 September 1950, the first nonstop transatlantic jet flight was carried out by Colonel David C. Schilling (USAF), when he flew 3,300 miles from England to Limestone, Maine, in 10 hr., 1 min.
Mars Hill
North American AGM-28B Hound Dog Missile (Serial No. 61-2213), Mars Hill Town Park.
Millinocket
(Author Photos)
Bell UH-1H Iroquois (Serial No. 64-13678), mounted on a pylon above an M60A3 Tank, American Legion Post No. 80.
Owls Head
Warplanes preserved in the Owls Head Transportation Museum, are presented on a separate page on this website.
Presque Isle
North American AGM-28 Hound Dog Missile (Serial No.), Presque Isle, ME 04769.
Sanford
(Alain Rioux Photo)
Canadian Vickers (Consolidated) PBV-1A Canso A (28), ex-C-GFFC, Tanker No. 6, Flying Cat Aviation, Reg. No. N483CV.
Sugarloaf Mountain
The first transatlantic hot-air balloon flight was accomplished by Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand. They flew 2,789.6 miles from Sugarloaf Mountain, Maine, to Ireland in the hot-air balloon Virgin Atlantic Flyer from 2-4 July 1987.