Warbird Information Exchange

Imagine driving down a road minding your own business when a large-as-life U.S. Air Force plane joins traffic.

“When people saw the plane they just stopped. Some took photos and video,” said Bob Catalano, who works in the collections department of the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport.

The journey for the F-86L began Tuesday morning at the MIAT College of Technology, 2955 S. Haggerty in Canton. The college with it’s large warehouse-like facility has been home to the vintage 1950-1960s long-range interceptor for more than the past six months.

At least 180 students, who are studying aviation technology, rolled up their sleeves and breathed new life into the F-86L, which had been housed at the Yankee Air Museum for some time.

“They were assigned specific tasks. They did the research on how to repair the plane,” said MIAT instructor Craig Vassell.

The students were required to follow Federal Aviation Administration and structural repair guidelines for the single-seat military jet, which on its belly once carried a set of 20 missiles that would be fire simultaneously. “When it came in it was pretty damaged,” Vassell said.

Panels on the plane were caved in, for example, and students had to repair or build new metal panels for the jet’s skin, which on military aircraft is double-thick. Most of the work was on the exterior.

“One group drew engineering drawings while another followed them,” Vassell said.

MIAT instructor Neal Perkins supervised students in the jet’s electrical components, including navigational lights on the wingtips.

As the F-86L was pulled out of the former Lazy Boy factory, it was missing one important component — an engine. But according to rules and regulations under which the museum operates, the F-86L won’t be allowed to fly so an engine isn’t necessary for display.

“I hope they will be careful with it,” Perkins said, as he watched the F-86L gently pulled out of the warehouse by an old airport tractor that was once used at Detroit Metro Airport.

The F-86L made its to the Yankee Air Museum in procession. The route and the rules of the journey were established by the Wayne County Weighmaster. “He comes in with a route and when and how we are doing this,” Catalano said.

The plane made its way down the MIAT driveway and turned left on Haggerty. It then crossed Michigan Avenue and headed down Tyler to the museum. It took about 11/2-hours for the the plane to make it safely to the museum.

The next step for the F-86L is a paint job, which will be completed at the museum. “It won’t be painted with the original configuration,” Catalano said. “We found colors online.”

Because of the F-86L’s association with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics — NASA’s predecessor — it will be placed in a new section of the Yankee Air Museum dedicated to the space program.

Meanwhile, MIAT students are rolling up their sleeves on yet another Yankee Air Museum project — refurbishing a T-33 Shooting Star, a Lockheed jet trainer aircraft. It has already been delivered to the MIAT facility.

“We are able to give our students hands-on practical experience,” said Kevin Burchett, MIAT president and CEO. “This will be part of the legacy of their lives.”