For the love of aviation

The National Naval Aviation Museum is a place thatmuseum.
brings together different people who have one thing in"It's a wonderful moment when the guy who actually
common: a love of aviation.flew the plane comes and checks it out," said
Located at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida, theEckhouse. "We try to restore them as close to the
museum has a flight simulator that depicts a jet fighterfactory specs as we can."
swooping into battle during the first Iraq war, aVolunteer Jeff Peyronnin, 62, who served in the Coast
seven-story atrium that features a collection of BlueGuard, has spent the last two years working on the
Angels jets hanging from the ceiling, an IMAX theaterCoronado's tail section.
that shows a film about the acrobatic fliers, and a"Every time you mess with it you feel like you are
café that is a recreation of the Cubi Pointtouching history," he said. "I like to picture this old lady at
officer's club in the Philippines.Tokyo Bay."
However, the main attractions of the National NavalWorld War II veteran Les Schnyder, 82, has logged
Aviation Museum, which opened in 1963 and has beenmore than 18,000 hours as a volunteer. His specialty is
expanded three times, are its restored aircraft. Amongrestoring the blimplike airships that escorted convoys in
them is the Navy's S-3B Viking that President BushWWII, and many of his restoration projects are already
flew when he landed on the carrier Abraham Lincolnon display inside the museum.
and made his "Mission Accomplished" speech aboutSome of the planes were brought back to life after
the Iraq war.being pulled from the water years later, including an
The PB2Y Coronado, the first US plane that landed inearly World War II era Brewster Buccaneer that was
Tokyo after World War II, is the latest restorationat Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. It later
project of the museum. Restorations are undertakenflew in the Battle of Midway before becoming a
by mostly volunteers composing of hundreds oftraining aircraft for pilots practicing carrier landings in
military retirees.Lake Michigan, where it sank after a crash. It was only
The volunteers often draw on their own militarysalvaged from the lake six decades later.
experience to make the restorations authentic.Wally Farrand, after 22 years in the Navy, now
Thousands of hours in labor are contributed each yearrestores the museum's vintage aircraft engines,
to the museum, making the volunteer program a modelincluding the Brewster's. He joked that his best work is
for other museums.never seen by visitors because it is inside the aircraft.
Former Navy pilot Mort Eckhouse, 79, has logged"But everything I do here, I just love it," he said.
thousands of volunteer hours over almost 20 years ofAnd it is that kind of tireless dedication from the
working in the restoration area's machine shop. Hevolunteers that keeps the museum running smoothly.
meticulously recreates rusted and broken aircraft partsFor operation hours, activities and other information
on donated 1950s era milling machines. His work is thenabout the National Naval Aviation Museum, visit
tested whenever a pilot or crew member of aSource: community.warplanes.
restored aircraft sees the finished product in the