Friday, June 28, 2013

The A-12 Avenger II Program: The End is Near

It's hard to believe that it has been more than two years since I last updated the status of the A-12 Avenger II program and its termination is still not yet complete from a financial standpoint. See http://thanlont.blogspot.com/2011/05/12-it-aint-over-until-its-over.html

For a prior post and links to four (!) more on the A-12 in this blog, see http://thanlont.blogspot.com/2011/01/gift-that-keeps-on-giving-final-chapter.html

The program was, of course, canceled back in 1991, but like Jarndyce v. Jarndyce in Dickens' Bleak House, it has lingered on as a lawyer's dream.

However, according to an online Aviation Week note dated 21 May 2013:

In a sign of movement in the epic legal battle over the A-12 Avenger II, the Obama administration is asking Congress to allow the Navy to accept a settlement in the case.

In a letter outlining amendments to the administration’s fiscal 2014 request for appropriations, the Pentagon is seeking legislation that would “authorize the Secretary of the Navy to accept and retain in-kind goods and services in lieu of monetary payment, for the purposes of a settlement of the A-12 aircraft litigation.”

More importantly for aviation history, the A-12 mockup has finally been moved to the Veterans Memorial Air Park in Fort Worth, Texas.
 Bill Spidle Photo

The Air Park is a nice little (and growing) aviation museum north of town and just south of Meacham Field with several aircraft on display outdoors. It's well worth a visit. See http://www.veteransmemorialairpark.com/home1.aspx

The full-scale mockup was displayed at an open house in 1996 at Carswell Air Force Base.
The mockup looks a lot better than I thought it would after more than two decades of storage, mostly outside, and hopefully the museum can refurbish it and provide a suitable venue for its display.
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2 comments:

  1. Txavi8orJune 28, 2013 at 9:28 PM

    Thanks for the push Tommy. A lot of people were involved in finally getting this piece of history out in the open where the public can see it. We understand it caused quite a stir along I-820 today. Our immediate plans are to put the wings back on a begin a slow refurbishing. At present we have no funding to do much more. Since it has no useable landing gear, it will ultimately need to be on a pedestal of some sort. For now it makes a great sun shade.
    Jim Hodgson
    Veterans Memorial Air Park
    Executive Director

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  2. AnonymousJuly 13, 2013 at 2:05 PM

    Great post. Would have been amazing to see this bird flying, but I guess it was not to be.

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