Spirit of Flight Foundation acquires rare 1937 Waco biplane, raises money for restoration

The Spirit of Flight Foundation acquired a rare 1937 Waco bi-plane after it was donated to the museum collection. Following a long drive from Arizona to Nampa, Idaho through snowstorms for the restoration process to begin. Now, the foundation is asking the public for help to fund the restoration process.The museum was contacted in 2023 about the historic 1937 Waco EGC-7 cabin-class biplane. The new addition to the museum's collection was a 16-hour drive away and a GoFundMe was launched for the trucking costs. The new addition comes in about 18 months after the foundation relocated from Colorado. Mike and Sherrie Walton of Cave Creek, Arizona bought the Waco in 2020 to restore it to flying condition. After transporting the plane to Arizona, Mike Walton began the restoration process immediately, disassembling the plane down to the steel tube fuselage frame. The fuselage underwent repairs while the landing gear and other components were overhauled. The couple had a goal to restore the plane to fly it to airshows and gatherings across the country. "The Waco was ahead of its time," Mike Walton said. "It was like a business jet is used today, hauling executives and celebrities, just a lot slower." After a few years, the couple was ready to donate the plane to a new home where the restoration could be completed. Mike Walton said he knew the SOF had the Waco on its wish list and contacted the museum in 2023. "We really like what the Spirit of Flight Foundation is doing to save history and felt like the Waco would be a great addition to their collection," Walton said. The museum eagerly accepted the donation.Donate to the Spirit of Flight Foundation GoFundMe to raise money for the restoration "I think every pilot or aviation enthusiast who has ever seen a Waco Cabin biplane falls in love with them," founder Gordon Page said. "I never thought we would be able to add one to the Spirit of Flight museum, but thankfully Mike and Sherrie made a wish list item come true." The newly acquired Waco was ordered in 1937 by Glover Ruckstell, inventor of the Ruckstell Axle used in the Ford Model T and Model T Truck. Ruckstell ordered the plane when he was the President and General Manager of the Grand Canyon Boulder Dam Tours in Boulder City, Nevada. The custom cabin biplane was produced in the late 1930s and buyers could specify most available engines to power the plane. The Custom Cabin series was known as a sesquiplane, which means the lower wings were significantly smaller than the upper wings. SOF said the plane was impressed into WWII and later owned by Charles Babb, the signer of Amelia Earhart's pilot's license. "The Waco Aircraft Company in Troy, Ohio only built 38 EGC-7 biplanes in 1937 and 30 of those went to Brazil," Page said. "None of the Brazilian aircraft are known to still exist and only seven other examples are known to have survived." The plane survived the snowy trek from Arizona to Idaho and the team is eager to begin the restoration process. In a YouTube video covering the journey, Page said the foundation has had the Waco on its wish list for many years and is excited about the opportunity to restore the plane to its original condition. The 1937 Waco EGC-7 (N17749) is one of seven known to exist in the U.S. The plane was put into storage in the 1960s and by 2020, was in rough condition. In a YouTube video, Page asked his friend Walton his reasoning for buying the Waco in 2020. Walton described the plane as the business jet or business airplane of the late 30s. "There was nothing like it," Walton told Page. "It was a custom-made airplane. Comfortable, seated five people, fairly fast, easy to fly." The video shows the snowy journey from Arizona to Idaho, with three days of bad weather. After making it to its new home, the team begins the restoration process. The fundraiser is still active, asking for $8,000 in contributions to help with trucking costs and the restoration. Local station KTVB7 shared the news and information about the GoFundMe. "We got really fortunate to find one of the few airplanes that survived," Page told KTVB7. "it got taken into WWII. It was part of Lockheed for a while, which is weird. They didn't fly Lockheed airplanes. They flew this airplane around with their executives. It was probably smart; so, the bad guys didn't know there was somebody [important] in the Lockheed airplane." Page told the station he believes the Waco could be in the air in one year to 18 months. "It's like a big, wooden jigsaw puzzle, but we have all of the plans and some skilled restorers on our team to help get it back in the air," Page said. "I am looking forward to flying it and thinking about the aviation pioneers who flew it before me."