YUMA, Ariz. — At 9:52 a.m. last Friday morning, the City of Yuma historic plane began lifting off to its final resting place above the lobby in City Hall.
"It finally has a home," said Perry Pensky as he surveyed the plane that now perches on a column placed in the lobby to hold the historic aircraft in mid-air. The plane stretches across the lobby, with its back wheel balanced on a support beam over the building's front entry doors and the nose up against the rail of the lobby's second floor.
Friday morning several volunteers gathered to deliver the Aeronca Sedan AC-15 to City Hall and install it in the lobby, where it will be on permanent display.
Before that point, Pensky, owner of Penn Neon Signs Co., and his employees spent numerous hours measuring the lobby and the plane, doing some test lifts, working out the logistics and building the attachment parts. Even so, there were a couple of little details that to be worked out on the spot as lifts hoisted the aircraft into place several feet in the air.
The final resting place isn't far from the aircraft's first home at Marsh Aviation, which in the 1940s was located off Giss Parkway just down the street from City Hall.
On Aug. 24, 1949, pilots Woody Jongeward and co-pilot Bob Woodhouse launched their record 47-day, 90,000-mile, nonstop flight aboard the aircraft. The endurance flight was organized by the Yuma Jaycees to bring attention to the area's near-perfect flying weather in hopes of convincing the military to reopen the air base that had been closed after World War II. Today, the airfield is home to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma as well as Yuma International Airport.
Lost for a time, the plane was later relocated in another state, brought back to Yuma and restored through the efforts of Yuman Jim Gillaspie and other Jaycees. However, it had languished in storage for lack of a permanent home. Then last year, the council approved placing the aircraft in City Hall.
"It's such an important piece of Yuma's history" said Pensky, who has devoted hours to the project. And it's with a feeling of accomplishment that the plane is now in a protected environment where the public can see it, he added.
For Pensky, as it was for several other volunteers, the project was personal. His father was a member of the crew that drove the refueling car for the historic flight.
Mike Taylor was the last one to pilot the plane. His father had seen the Endurance Flight and Taylor was able to give him a ride in the plane before he died.
Watching the plane be hoisted into place at City Hall was bittersweet, Taylor said. He would like to see it still be flown, but "now it has a home ... and it's a good thing that it's available to the public like that."
The project was accomplished at no cost to the city, with all the funds and labor donated by community members, noted Albert Gardner, a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association who was among those who lent a hand Friday. He also had been part of a team of volunteers who polished up the aircraft in preparation for its public display.
Pensky noted that in addition to the many volunteers, several contractors provided their services and materials. Along with his own business, others included structural engineer Rob Campbell, BLT, David's Welding, Evans Concrete, Sergio's House of Carpets and Reddy Rents.
Friday was an "awesome day" as well for Mayor Al Krieger, who since 2004 had pushed for displaying the plane in City Hall and was on hand to help with the installation.
That it finally came to fruition in 2012 was fitting, being the state's centennial year with its focus on history and the vision of its founders, he said. "It shows pride in what others accomplished and stands as an inspiration to people to think big."
Information from: The Sun, http://www.yumasun.com