Restoration Project: A 1950’s Cessna 180 Floatplane

Updates on Project

November 2020:

Help us preserve the memory of F/O Raymond Gran DFC and Saskatchewan Conversation officer Harold Thompson. Help us tell the story of their downed Cessna 180 CF-JDO, which was recovered after 59 years in Peter Pond Lake, which awaits a final resting place. The family located both souls and their aircraft in 2018, starting a year’s journey towards their recovery. The Museum was proudly able to provide assistance in the recovery of the aircraft in 2019.

June 2020:

Stay tuned! We’re have made progress but it’s slow motion. With Covid-19 social distancing guidelines, it may well be sometime before multiple volunteers can work together on this project.

March to May 2020:

With the Covid-19 pandemic upon us in March, the museum was temporarily closed. This as well suspended the work on this project. However, our AME (Bud) being bored at home after a while returned to the restoration workshop off and on, and worked alone to help the project move forward.

February 2020:

Good progress made! Doors have been fitted, side windows installed as well the former paint scheme stripped with the nose cowling.

January 2020:

After many volunteer hours the replica build slowly starts to resemble an aircraft, but still has a long way to go. At this stage it has taken parts of five different fuselages to get to this stage. Progress is slow going as the parts volunteers work with, for the most part, if not all need some kind of repair prior being fitted to the aircraft.

November 2019:

With 2 wrecked fuselages and other used/damaged parts to build a replica Cessna 180 model plane, the project begins! Tom Coates and Dorrin Wallace were instrumental in obtaining repurposed/damaged parts. As well, an experienced (retired) Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME), Bud Mowery having a long work history in Northern Saskatchewan of all types of aircraft volunteered to work on this project. Dismantled portions of the 2 wrecks salvaging parts of the fuselage to use toward building one.