Plane filled with history gets a makeover at Forbes Field

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - An aged aircraft with lots of history got a fresh makeover Friday, July 7, at the Topeka Regional Airport.

The Combat Air Museum says years of fundraising and hard work came to fruition Friday as its 1952 Lockheed Morning star received a fresh coat of paint.

The museum obtained the plane in 1983. According to Kevin Drewelow, the Combat Air Museum director, the plane flew around many different places from 1952 to 1978.

“It was an airborne radar station and spent the first third of its life looking for soviet bombers off the east coast,” said Drewelow. “Second third of its life doing the same off the west coast. Then it went to Vietnam, it was used to coordinate air & sea rescue, warning American fighters of an incoming north Vietnamese fighters and then a number of other things. It ended its days in Florida, kind of flying around Cuba watching for things that needed to be watched apparently. Then they retired the airplane, sent it to the boneyard in Tucson and by 1983, we obtained it through state surplus, and they flew it, delivered it here to Forbes.”

Gray & Company was tasked with painting the Lockheed. The project cost about $27,000.

Drewelow says that once the project is complete, the public can start taking tours on the plane again.

“Once the painting is done, we have got some other work to do, but easily within two weeks’ time, it will be open for interior tours again and people can walk around and appreciate how the airplane looked when it arrived back in ‘83,” said Drewelow.

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