Planes on display at Legacy Flight Museum are historic, but it’s ‘the guys who flew them’ that make them memorable
Published at | Updated at
Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series highlighting the stories behind local museum artifacts.
REXBURG – Since 2006, the Legacy Flight Museum in Rexburg has given patrons an up close look at some of the aircraft used by military veterans over the years.
Local pilot and museum founder John Bagley has accrued quite a collection of historic aircraft, many of which still fly. At least 14 aircraft are on display, some of which date back to World War II. One of the main attractions is the P-51 Mormon Mustang, named by its original owner Roland Wright. He shot down three German fighters with this plane.
There are several other aircraft that are just as historic but aren’t as well-known. One is the P-63 King Cobra and the other is the Grumman S-2 Tracker.
King Cobra
This WWII fighter plane was the first to begin production after the war had started. Bell Aircraft Corporation started manufacturing them as a larger, heavier version of the P-39 Aircobra, but it was never used for combat in the U.S. A placard at the museum explains the bulk of these planes were sent to Russia to fight against the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and to destroy German tanks.
Museum volunteer Joseph Law describes it as a “forward thinking” plane at the time because it had several innovations that made it different from the typical aircraft.
“One of the first things it has is the tricycle-type landing gear, which is a lot more stable and gives the pilot a lot better sight line for takeoff and landing,” Law tells EastIdahoNews.com. “The main claim to fame of this airplane is the placement of the two gun systems.”
A 37 millimeter cannon, along with two .50 caliber guns, are placed in the front of the airplane with the engine behind the pilot in the middle of the aircraft. At the time, the engine was typically in front and the guns were on the wings.
The one on display at the museum was originally owned by Frank Borman, the NASA astronaut who led the Apollo 8 mission that orbited the moon. Borman, who died in November at age 95, was too young to fight in the war. He bought this plane after the war was over.
During the postwar era, many of the P-63s ended up on the air racing circuit and that’s where Borman found this one.
“This plane was meticulously restored to its precise state as manufactured in 1943 by Square One Aviation in Chino, California for Frank Borman,” a display at the museum reads.
Borman reportedly bought a cattle ranch in southern Montana in 1998. Building and modeling aircraft was a hobby that kept him busy during his retirement and the King Cobra earned the Grand Champion Warbird Award at the AirVenture Oshkosh aviation convention in Wisconsin that year.
Borman eventually sold the plane to Bagley. Included in the sale was the original parachute that was used in the aircraft, which Borman signed. It sits behind a glass case with a note that says, “Enjoy the cobra. Fly safe. Frank Borman, Apollo 8.”
Grumman S-2 Tracker
The Grumman S-2 Tracker was developed after World War II in 1952. It was the U.S. Navy’s first anti-submarine warfare aircraft. It led to the production of two offshoot models — the C-1A Trader and the W2F-1 Tracer.
The Grumman and its derivatives mainly functioned as cargo planes, according to the museum, and eight S-2 squadrons flew in the Vietnam War.
“In 1962, with newer versions of the Tracker coming online, (the Grumman) was converted … to a … utility aircraft and served with two Naval Air Stations in Italy,” a museum display says. “A highly successful design, the Tracker series of aircraft flew over 22 years in the active U.S. Navy.”
The S-2 Tracker was retired in 1981. Merle Maine of Ontario, Oregon donated it to Bagley and the flight museum in 2013.
During a tour of the museum, Law referenced retired Air Force Colonel Jack Layton, whose photo and flight uniform are on display in one of the rooms. The Arizona native made Rexburg his home after a long career as a test pilot.
One of the planes he flew during his career was the A-12 Blackbird, a supersonic jet that could fly above 75,000 feet at speeds up to Mach 3.3.
“A-12 flies from Rexburg to Salt Lake in 1.5 minutes. It covers 1 mile every two seconds … That’s fast!” a display says.
The A-12 was eventually replaced by the SR-71.
Law says it’s people like Layton and Borman that put a face to the aircraft on display and make them memorable.
“This museum exists not just as a tribute to the machines alone, but to the guys who flew them,” Law says.
Each of the planes are highlighted in an air show hosted by the flight museum every summer. The free event attracts pilots from around the world and is highly attended by members of the community. This year’s air show is happening June 15.
The Legacy Flight Museum is open Monday through Friday from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
It’s open Saturdays year-round.
RELATED LINKS
Local museum puts Idaho’s largest export on display, including its appearance on license plates
Traveling doctor’s bike and wreath made of human hair are two overlooked items at Museum of Idaho