Operation Airlift

[Avantict]

The theme for the AOAI's International Meet in Dayton Ohio will be Operation Airlift. The National Air Force Museum has on display a Fairchild C82-A Packet Plane and John Kennedys Air Force One. While not the original airlift plane it will be representative of the plane used to ferry two Studebaker Avanti Prototypes to Hanger displays for dealers and important customers.

I am working on a new book about this event which will include copies of the actual flight logs, Egberts involvement in planning and execution, as well as Studebaker documents uncovered in the last few years. It will have over 43 factory photos and 20 or so Newspaper articles about the event.

I am reaching out to see if anyone has any remembrances of attending the event in your area, any unpublished photos, or stories you've been told about the event which you are willing to share.

I hope to have the book available for purchase this summer.

Please contact me directly if you can or would like to contribute to this project.

John Hull
727-656-2868
avantifromct@aol.com

[Studebaker Wheel]

John; Did all attendees receive a seat cushion and the small Avanti flag? Were there any other complimentary handouts?

[StudeRich]

There were little 6-7 Inch cardboard "Firecrackers" that you open up to answer the Quiz questions inside about the Avanti and drop in a Box to Win a new Avanti.

One was: "what is the name of the new Floor Shift Automatic Transmission in the Avanti?"
Maybe?: What is the name of the new High Performance Avanti Engine?

Yes small 4X5 Inch Avanti Flags on a stick and that Avanti Cushion (without the "Richard Quinn Collection") were just "Some" of the handouts on the Bleachers.

I was at the Burbank Airport for the Los Angeles Showing.

[8E45E]

I am working on a new book about this event which will include copies of the actual flight logs, Egberts involvement in planning and execution, as well as Studebaker documents uncovered in the last few years. It will have over 43 factory photos and 20 or so Newspaper articles about the event.

I am reaching out to see if anyone has any remembrances of attending the event in your area, any unpublished photos, or stories you've been told about the event which you are willing to share.

I hope to have the book available for purchase this summer.

Please contact me directly if you can or would like to contribute to this project.

John Hull
727-656-2868
avantifromct@aol.com

Should be a good book. http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...hlight=airlift

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?78076-Avanti-Operation-Air-Lift

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?79339-Lost-Avanti-Found-Reborn-Story-in-This-Sunday-s-NYT

Craig

[(S)]

Was that one of the 'mules' and Avanti 1001 ? Thanks.

[StudeRich]

No Mike, talking to John Hull today it appears that there were other Prototypes/Engineering "EX" Cars etc. besides the R1001 First Production Avanti, and the Airlift R2 4 Speed, was Gold not White.

I recall (to be verified) that the Second Car at the Burbank Airport, Los Angeles, Avanti Airlift was a White R1 with a Standard, perforated Tangerine Vinyl Interior. MAYBE a Power Shift, not sure about the Trans.

[53k]

Before the Dover SDC International Meet in 2014, Forum member and long time Avanti owner Gunslinger arranged to hold a "reenactment" of the Avanti Airlift. Avanti owners passing through Hagerstown, MD or local Avanti owners were invited to attend. The reenactment was held at the Fairchild Museum at the old Fairchild plant in Hagerstown. While the Fairchild museum has a C-82 Packet, their C-119 Flying Boxcar was used for the reenactment. Of the Avantis attending the reenactment, only one was a '63. The '63 belonged to long time owner, Greg Cone, so he was tasked with backing into the C-119 just as one of the original Avantis would have been loaded and unloaded.

Story with some hearsay- it seems that one Avanti was shown in the area local to Hagerstown and Martinsburg, WV during the Airlift. The car was stored over night at Porterfield Studebaker in Martinsburg. Supposedly the car went for an unauthorized drive late that night. The last picture below is of Jimmy Porterfield, on the left, son of the former dealer who attended the reenactment. Supposedly Jimmy and his friend, also in the picture, knew something about the unauthorized drive. Both were teenagers when the car was in the area. Unfortunately Jimmy passed away two years ago.

After the reenactment all Avanti participants drove a short distance from the Museum to a fine restaurant for a great lunch. Made for a nice opening for driving on to Dover.

[Rerun]

While the Fairchild museum has a C-82 Packet, their C-119 Flying Boxcar was used for the reenactment.

The meet at Hagerstown certainly was a lot of fun. Unless I am mistaken, the aircraft we used on the ramp was, in fact, a C-82, not a C-119. The tail number was N7901F. http://www.c82packet.com/n9701f.html

The museum does own the actual C-82A used in the Studebaker airlift, but it is in poor condition, located in Wyoming. There was some discussion of them restoring it to a "static display" condition.

[53k]

The meet at Hagerstown certainly was a lot of fun. Unless I am mistaken, the aircraft we used on the ramp was, in fact, a C-82, not a C-119. The tail number was N7901F. http://www.c82packet.com/n9701f.html

The museum does own the actual C-82A used in the Studebaker airlift, but it is in poor condition, located in Wyoming. There was some discussion of them restoring it to a "static display" condition.

Thanks Jim. My rapidly fading memory needed a kick.
In 2012 we toured the Fairchild Museum as part of an orphan car tour. Most of us climbed around in the C-119, took pictures of each other in the cockpit. I don't remember if both planes were out that day or if it was only the C-119. Anyhow, I should have known that the airlift plane was not the C-119.