Indiana National Guard to get training jet from Purdue, disassembly begins Tuesday (Aug. 4)

August 3, 2015  


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University’s Aviation Technology Department is donating its Boeing 727 aircraft to the Indiana National Guard for use as a training tool at the Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuk Center for Complex Operations training facility near Edinburg, Indiana.

The 727 was originally donated to the university by FedEx in August 2006 for use as a classroom laboratory.

“For the past nine years, this aircraft has been an important training tool for our aviation technology students. By donating the plane to the Indiana National Guard, the aircraft can continue to serve its purpose as a training tool, but now for military personnel” said John Wensveen, the Aviation Technology Department head. It will be used for crash site debris field training.

How do you move an airplane that cannot fly?

The aircraft, which was built in 1966, is no longer flyable, so it will be disassembled and trucked to Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuk. It will be cut into smaller pieces for transport.  The center of the aircraft (called the fuselage) is almost 12.5 feet wide, so drivers may notice it as it makes its way from West Lafayette to its new home at Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuk. The disassembly is scheduled to start on Tuesday (Aug 4), and will take about 10 days to complete. Anyone wanting to watch the disassembly may do so from the public areas next to the terminal building and the Niswonger Building, but the disassembly site itself will be restricted to authorized individuals only. 

Sources:

John Wensveen, Aviation Technology Department Head 765-4946-3136

John Mott, Aviation Technology Department Associate Head 765-494-2686

Betty Stansbury, Airport Director 765-743-3442 

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