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Selfridge Military Air Museum to Restore Old Plane

Volunteers will spend several months restoring F-89 Scorpion fighter-interceptor.

 

Old planes never die. They just find their way to the Selfridge Military Air Museum.

That’s the case for a F-89 Scorpion fighter-interceptor, which arrived at the museum this week.

Volunteers will spend several months restoring the F-89, which was used by the Michigan Air National Guard in the 1950s and ‘60s. According to a press release, it will be the only known restored F-89 in the “C” model configuration.

“This is a rare bird indeed,” Gerry Ridener said in the press release. Ridener is a retired Air Force master sergeant who is one of eight volunteers who will be working on the restoration.

Volunteers said the plane’s restoration will be complete in “late summer.”

If you go

Selfridge Military Air Museum

  • What: Museum features more than 30 aircraft, along with informational displays, simulators and historic paintings and uniforms.
  • Where: Selfridge Air National Guard Base, M-59 at Jefferson, Harrison Township.
  • When: Noon-4:30 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and patriotic holidays through Oct. 30.
  • What to bring: Driver’s license and vehicle registration required to enter the base.
  • Admission: $4 adults, $3 ages 4-12.
  • More info: www.selfridgeairmuseum.org or 686-239-5035.
Related Topics: F-89 Scorpion, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, and Selfridge Military Air Museum

John Hetzler

8:54 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Do you plan to visit the museum this summer?

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Jeffery Berz

10:04 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Absolutely! They have some wonderful airplanes on display.

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Mike

5:00 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012

Wow! Looks like they have a lot of work ahead of them. If you hadn't told me that was a plane, I don't believe I would have been able to guess what it was.

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Jeffery Berz

11:47 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012

I've seen some hulks of aircraft come out of junk yards and turned into beautiful flying airplanes. A favorite was a Fairey Swordfish biplane that was restored in Ontario. The Swordfish was responsible for putting it's single torpedo into the rudder of the Bismarck and disabling it so the Allied ships could finish it off.

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