COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
| JULY 9, 2020 | 11A
PHOTOS BY DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
The 1928 Stearman C3B is being housed in the OAHS museum and is slated to remain on display through July as restoration work on other aircraft continues.
Stearman
from A10
mail and passenger ser-
vice in the 1920s and
was also the type of
plane Charles Lindbergh
flew to survey air routes
for Transcontinental and
Western Airways.
The OAHS’s Stear-
man, given identifica-
tion number C6487, was
completed on October
12, 1928, and sold to
National Parks Airways,
for which it flew a north-
south route between
Great Falls, Mont. And
Salt Lake City, Utah for
several years.
“That was Montana’s
first airline,” explained
Talen. “They carried
both passengers and
mail. … And if there was
a mailbag to go along
with a passenger, it got
thrown in.”
The Stearman C3B
model had two open
cockpits with the pilot in
the rear and two side-by-
side passenger seats in
the front as it contribut-
ed to the humble start of
the nation’s commercial
passenger airline indus-
try.
Following the bank-
ruptcy of National Park
Airways in 1937, the
Stearman plane changed The museum is selling commemorative license plates as part of its fundraising.
ownership over the
years, at one point serv- able to retain its original and tail surfaces. The a back burner to a spot-
ing as a crop duster in identification and serial front two-thirds of the light project, a new paint
fuselage were welded up scheme carefully repli-
California. After an ac- number.
Since 1995, Talen has anew, as were the gear cated the craft’s original
cident in 1947, however,
1928 look.
the craft’s registration worked to restore the and struts.
The mailplane will be
New wings were slow-
was canceled and it lay plane from what was
dormant until Talen ac- originally just the “rusty ly built and, as the resto- displayed prominently
quired it in 1991 and was bones” of the fuselage ration transitioned from at the museum through
W I L D F I R E
July.
On top of the Stear-
man, OAHS’s volunteers
have been busy restoring
several antique aircraft
for the year of commem-
orations and travelling
museum.
By fall, the museum
hopes to have on display
world-renowned aero-
batic pilot John Gilbert
“Tex” Rankin’s famed
Great Lakes Biplane.
Due to the public
health threats related to
COVID-19, OAHS asks
that visitors wear protec-
tive face masks and fol-
low the suggested proce-
dures to remain safe and
ensure the health and
safety of the museum
visitors, staff and volun-
teers.
S A F E T Y
TIPS & COLORING ACTIVITY
Fire Prevention with Campfire Safety
I
n the United States, nearly nine out of 10 wildfires are caused by
people not being careful. Help Smokey prevent these types of fires by
learning to be careful and helping others do the same. Make sure that
the grownups building your next campfire follow all the rules below, and
tell them to check out Campfire Safety to learn even more. Make sure
you are at a site that allows campfires Make sure there are no burn bans
and it’s not too windy Dig a pit away from overhanging branches Circle
the pit with rocks Clear a 10-foot area around the pit
down to the dirt, removing anything that could catch
on fire Stack extra wood upwind and away from fire
After lighting, throw the match into the fire Never leave
a campfire unattended; an adult should supervise the
campfire at all times Keep a bucket of water and shovel
nearby Never put anything but wood into the fire Do
not pull sticks out of the fire Do not sit on the fire ring
or rocks around the campfire. They will heat up quickly
and they’ll stay hot for a long time When it’s time to
put the fire out, dump lots of water on it, stir it with a
This message brought to you by these sponsors:
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shovel, then dump more water on it. Make sure it is COLD before leaving
the campsite. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave! And remember,
Smokey’s friends never play with matches, lighters, lighter fluid or other
flammable liquids. If you find any of these items, tell a grownup where
they are. If you see younger children playing with them, tell them to
stop, and then tell a grownup. Kids who help prevent wildfires deserve a
Smokey Bear Hug.