Aviation museum's first aircraft gets face-lift
Macon Telegraph, The, March, 2006
The first aircraft acquired by the Museum of Aviation 23 years ago has undergone an extensive face-lift thanks to agencies at Robins Air Force Base and in the local community.
The HU-16B Albatross - a rescue workhorse during the Korean and Vietnam wars - proudly greeted a host of well-wishers Thursday afternoon - its corrosion problems cured, structural cracks fixed and sporting a bright, new paint job.
"A lot of broken fingernails and gallons of sweat went into this," said Dudley Bluhm, the museum's deputy director. "But it was a labor of love. It had spent years in the bright Georgia sun and badly needed a face-lift."
About 300 HU-16s were delivered to the Air Force beginning in the mid-1950s. The Coast Guard and Navy also flew the amphibious craft. It was retired from the active inventory in 1971.
Although it was officially called the Albatross, ...
