Hagerstown Aviation History To Be Auctioned, Museum Working to Save Last Flying Hagerstown-Made Fairchild C-82

Media Release

Contact: Kurtis Meyers or John Seburn, Hagerstown Aviation Museum,
717-377-3030


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


HAGERSTOWN AVIATION HISTORY TO BE AUCTIONED
Help Urgently Needed to Save and Bring Home the Last Flying C-82
Hagerstown Aviation Museum Working to Secure Aviation History Before
August 23rd Auction of World-Famous "Flying Boxcar"


(Hagerstown, MD) -- The Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown, MD.
is racing against the clock to save the last available Fairchild C-82
"Flying Boxcar." The museum is actively seeking donations to bid on
and purchase the rare Hagerstown-built aircraft to ensure it avoids the
scrap yard. The auction date is August 23, 2006 in Grey Bull, WY.

With a 106-foot wingspan, 75-foot length and 26-foot height, the 1945
C-82 Packet is to be the centerpiece in the museum's planned exhibit
hall. According to museum organizers, a significant amount of money has
already been raised. "The auction goal of $200,000 is in sight, and we
know that if enough money is raised, we can save an important piece of
aviation history," according to Hagerstown Aviation Museum President
Kurtis Meyers.

Of the 223 C-82 Packet cargo and troop transport planes manufactured
during the late 1940's, the to-be-auctioned Wyoming plane is the last
remaining in flyable condition. Once purchased, it would be flown to
Hagerstown for display. The C-82 was the first of a radical new design,
and gave birth to the more powerful C-119, also made in Hagerstown.
When first tested, the C-82 Packet aircraft earned the nickname "Flying
Boxcar," which was also later used as the nickname for the newer C-119.
The C-82 is well-known for being featured in the 1966 film with Jimmy
Stewart called "Flight of the Phoenix."

The museum's collection currently includes a restored 1928
Kreider-Reisner C-2 Challenger biplane donated by Richard "Dick"
Henson and Charles Shue. Henson is credited with being the father of
community air service, and a world-famous test pilot. The museum has
also acquired a 1939 Fairchild F-24/UC61C once assigned to Howard
Hughes, a restored Fairchild SM-72 "Goose" strategic missile and
most recently the very first production model Gulfstream II Business
Jet. "We will also be attempting to acquire a Fairchild C-119 and F-27.
These aircraft are needed for the museum collection," said Meyers.

"HAGERSTOWN, HOME OF THE FLYING BOXCAR" was a well-known phrase
heard for over three decades from the 1940s through the 1960s. At peak
employment of over 10,000 employees in the early 1950s, Fairchild
Aircraft manufactured over 1,300 C-82 and C-119 Flying Boxcar's for
the USAF. The twin-engine, twin tail boom design and the sound of its
radial engines filled the skies above Western Maryland. According to
Aviation Museum Treasurer John Seburn. "The A-10 was made here, along
with the C-119, and many other important advances in aviation.
Hagerstown was the first place where planes were made in Maryland."

Museum organizers say that the C-82 purchase is a significant
undertaking. John Seburn said, "The story of Hagerstown's aviation
heritage is not complete without the historic aircraft. These will
become permanent monuments to the thousands of men and women who
designed, built, flew and maintained them. We're asking for donations,
because this is the last chance for this famous military cargo plane.
We're asking people to become a part of bringing these aircraft home to
Hagerstown to be preserved for future generations."

The contact information for the Hagerstown Aviation Museum, Inc. is
717-377-3030. Donations are being accepted until Friday, Aug. 18. For
more information or to make a donation, contact John Seburn, Treasurer,
at 717-597-9695.

For more Information and Photos visit the museum's Website
www.hagerstownaviationmuseum.org.

# # # #

The Hagerstown Aviation Museum is currently housed in the Discovery
Station, in Downtown Hagerstown at 101 West Washington Street. For
more information see: www.discoverystation.org. The Hagerstown
Aviation Museum and the Discovery Station are members of the
Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. See:
www.marylandmemories.com. The Hagerstown Aviation Museum, in
conjunction with Vintage Video Productions, produced the documentary
"Hagerstown, Remembering Our Aviation Heritage." That documentary
film, which premiered on PBS prime time television last year, presents
the unique and previously untold story of Hagerstown's aviation
history. It features never-before released images and rare local film
footage of interest to young and old alike.
The 8th Annual Hagerstown Fly-In is set for Oct. 7 and 8, admission is
free, with all types of aircraft on display...including (with your
help) a Fairchild C-82. The Fly-In includes a Fairchild Family Reunion,
various warbird-aircraft on display, free EAA Young Eagle Flights for
children (ages 8-17), and historic aviation displays from the
collection of the Hagerstown Aviation Museum. The Fly-In takes place at
the Hagerstown Regional Airport (at Hagerstown Aircraft Services), for
event information call: 301-733-7604.

wrote:

(Hagerstown, MD) -- The Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown, MD.
is racing against the clock to save the last available Fairchild C-82
"Flying Boxcar." The museum is actively seeking donations to bid on
and purchase the rare Hagerstown-built aircraft to ensure it avoids the
scrap yard. The auction date is August 23, 2006 in Grey Bull, WY.

I thought the C-119 was the "Flying Boxcar"? Both acft are similar
looking...

I thought the C-119 was the "Flying Boxcar"? Both acft are similar
looking...


The C-119 was the replacement C-82. Lou Martin, a former pilot of both
talks about them in his book "Close Encounters with the Pilot's Grim
Reaeper." There is more info on the book at
http://www.trafford.com/4dcgi/view-i...45228-11167aaa.

Al