MAPS Museum

[cooper9411]

Spent the day at MAPS at the Akron/Canton airport. Very nice place and everyone I met was extremely friendly and eager to show off the collection. I was even taken to the restoration building ( I was a kid in a candy store ) and they have a great selection of aircraft. I was even told that they are going to be acquiring a certain B-17 sometime in the near future! Unfortunately the aircraft outside were not open due to all the rain that's still coming down, only the C-47 was open. It's to bad that all the aircraft that came from the museum in Florida that closed down had to indur sitting out in the elements before being transferred to MAPS! But from what I witnessed the restoration crew can/will return them to their former glory! 3 cheers to everyone involved at MAPS.

[Mike]

Are we allowed to know what 'a certain B-17' means? Or is it top secret?

[cooper9411]

According to the MAPS representatives I spoke with say its " the movie Memphis Belle". I asked where are they going to put it and they said a lot of stuff in the hangar would be moved. I don't know if what I was told is 100% accurate but they seemed adamantly sure of what they were saying. And supposedly they are wanting/trying to get some of the Chanute aircraft.

[flightsimer]

According to the MAPS representatives I spoke with say its " the movie Memphis Belle". I asked where are they going to put it and they said a lot of stuff in the hangar would be moved. I don't know if what I was told is 100% accurate but they seemed adamantly sure of what they were saying. And supposedly they are wanting/trying to get some of the Chanute aircraft.

They may get a B-17, but I highly doubt it is that B-17 as it is under a lease agreement with the Liberty Foundation and is a flyer, which MAPS has never operated a plane as a part of the museum and I don't see MARC parking the plane if it can fly...

[oscardeuce]

MAPS did own a couple of flyers. L-2 and something else I can't remember.
Did they "operate" them? Debatable, but right now no plans for any flying restorations

[Warbirdnerd]

The Liberty Foundation does not have ANY tour dates on their website for the "Movie Memphis Belle" and the only appearance I've seen listed elsewhere is at Thunder over Michigan. http://www.libertyfoundation.org/schedule.html
One of the Facebook groups I am part of showed someone repairing/rebuilding a turbo for the MMB. Has anyone seen this B-17 out and about this year?

[Tim Savage]

I spoke to one of their pilots who lives locally and I think he told me they were waiting on their exemption letter to be renewed by the FAA. Can't say whether that is fact or just his opinion...

[Warbird Kid]

No offense to MAPS but, I hope the MMB doesn't wind up there. I may be a bit biased, but I think she needs to go back to Geneseo. That airfield needs a B-17 based up there again. Its just not the same without one!

[Robbie Stuart]

The Liberty Foundation does not have ANY tour dates on their website for the "Movie Memphis Belle" and the only appearance I've seen listed elsewhere is at Thunder over Michigan. http://www.libertyfoundation.org/schedule.html
One of the Facebook groups I am part of showed someone repairing/rebuilding a turbo for the MMB. Has anyone seen this B-17 out and about this year?

MMB, was here at KPDK May 28th for the EPPS Aviation 50th anniversary celebration party, they flew a V.I.P. flight, & then flew again that evening before dark.
The aircraft stayed over for our annual Good Neighbor Day airshow on Saturday the 30th, with the aircraft on static display.
I didn't think to ask what their plans for the rest of the Spring/Summer were.
Robbie

[bdk]

MARC recently transferred their C-123 to Yanks, so they may be actively excessing some airframes.

[kmiles]

I spoke to one of their pilots who lives locally and I think he told me they were waiting on their exemption letter to be renewed by the FAA. Can't say whether that is fact or just his opinion...

Is pretty easy to confirm as all of the exemption letter applications/renewals are public knowledge, and easy to find online if you know where/how to look.

Liberty Foundation renewal in late 2014/early 2015 was denied, so they now would have to appeal that decision. Not sure what that process is, but every submission seems to come with a 120 day response window from the FAA, so nothing is fast.

[Pat Carry]

When I read early on in this post about them getting a B-17, I was hoping it was going to be one of the static B-17's on display at various locations. Seeing the one in Indiana is going to Georgia, one of the other B-17 airframes would have to travel a long ways to get to MAPS so that probably wont happen.

[Steve Nelson]

MAPS has a long history with MARC. That's where their B-26 came from, although I don't know if it's still owned by MARC or by MAPS. The first time I visited in 2002 MAPS also had a Tallichet-owned B-25 in a hangar..it appeared more or less airworthy, but very tired. They also had a couple of P-39 hulks at one time that I think may have been MARC-owned (I believe one is now restored and on display at Pima.)

I wonder if MMB's appearance at Thunder is a stopover on the way to Akron?

SN

[flightsimer]

MAPS has a long history with MARC. That's where their B-26 came from, although I don't know if it's still owned by MARC or by MAPS. The first time I visited in 2002 MAPS also had a Tallichet-owned B-25 in a hangar..it appeared more or less airworthy, but very tired. They also had a couple of P-39 hulks at one time that I think may have been MARC-owned (I believe one is now restored and on display at Pima.)

I wonder if MMB's appearance at Thunder is a stopover on the way to Akron?

SN

MARC still owns the 26 as far as I am aware. If it ever goes up for sale, I doubt MAPS would ever be able to afford to buy it from MARC. Any P-39 through there was MARC's and as I said on Facebook, as far as I am aware, the PIMA P-39 that came from marc went straight from us at Air Heritage to PIMA. If it was at MAPS, it was probably there while just on its way. I believe the other P-39 we had was the one that went to MAPs.

A lot of MARC's aircraft that MAPS has or had all came straight out of our hangar at Air Heritage, the B-26 included. It was a shame, as all of the MARC aircraft we ever had was being restored to flight. MARC, unfortunately for us, single handily destroyed the membership at our museum from the constant removal of aircraft in the mid/late 90's.

MARC recently transferred their C-123 to Yanks, so they may be actively excessing some airframes.

It was not a flyer nor was it (presumably) making any money for them though. We have the only operating C-123, with Ponderous Polly on her way back to flying status (Both of which are/were MARC aircraft). There are quite a few available if anyone wanted one, but nobody does. A B-17 is considerably more valuable and is always in demand. I just don't see it being that plane and if it is, then I will be shocked...

[mustangdriver]

There are a lot of things that went in to destroying the membership of that place.