Free 727's

727 will make its final descent at Bolton Field
FedEx donating plane to Columbus State, which will keep it to use as a
learning tool
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Tim Doulin
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A special delivery is planned at Bolton Field.

And this time, it won¹t be arriving unannounced.

A Boeing 727 is scheduled to land June 26 at Bolton. The airplane is
being donated by FedEx to Columbus State Community College¹s
aviation-maintenance technology department.

It will be the largest aircraft to land at Bolton since a 727 mistakenly
landed there in 1986.

"They were a little confused," Angie Tabor, a spokeswoman for the
Columbus Regional Airport Authority, said of the Flying Tiger crew that
thought it was landing at Rickenbacker Airport.

Smaller business jets and private aircraft generally use Bolton, on the
Far West Side.

Columbus State has a hangar at the airport, where aviationmaintenance
students work on everything from turbo props to jet engines.

Last year, the college bought a Learjet that was being retired by AirNet
Systems, a small-package shipper, for $50,000. The aircraft once was
owned by country singer Willie Nelson.

"That bumped the program up a few notches in stature," said Matt Kelly,
executive director of the Columbus State Development Foundation.

"The 727 will bump it up even more."

The 727 is valued at about $1 million, the college said.

A former student who now works for FedEx told the school about the
company¹s donation program. The college submitted a two-page letter
making a pitch for a plane.

FedEx has been phasing out its fleet of 727s, donating some of the
aircraft to schools.

"It is a good way to give back to the community, "said David P. Sutton,
FedEx¹s managing director of aircraft acquisitions and sales.

Though it will be operational, the 727 will not be registered to fly.

"It is all for students to tear apart and put back parts of the plane,"
Kelly said.

After the plane lands about 10 a.m., the aircraft will be towed to the
college¹s hangar and pad at the airport.

Moving the aircraft should prove a bit of a challenge. Steel plates will
be placed on the ground to help tow the plane along the edge of the
asphalt. "It is going to be a tight fit, but it will fit," Tabor said.