Mission accomplished: Museum, volunteers celebrate Charlie 119 dedication

Jana Wiersema | The Republic The restored Charlie 119 aircraft is shown at its display site at the Columbus Municipal Airport Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.

Columbus Municipal Airport Brian Payne emailed Jim Sellars, then-president of Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum, in October 2018, to tell him about a retired C-119 aircraft in Wyoming — the same type of plane that had once been stationed at the local airport during its days as an Air Force base.

“ ‘I think we can get it. Isn’t this the plane we’ve always wanted?’ ” Payne recalls saying. “ ‘I have no idea how we’ll get it back to Columbus.’ And literally, that’s all I ever said. And I never heard the end of it after that.”

Now, nearly four years later, the reassembled and restored C-119 “Flying Boxcar” stands on permanent display next to the museum and south of the airport’s long-exhibited McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II aircraft.

Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum had a ceremony Friday to dedicate the plane, also known as “Charlie 119.” About 100 guests attended, including volunteers who worked to restore the aircraft, community leaders and veterans.

The museum will also have a free open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, with members of the public invited to come and see the inside of the C-119.

“Charlie now stands as a dedication on this airpark to the visitors and the community alike, to marvel at the craftsmanship that these volunteers have put themselves through, as well as the soldiers who bravely fought in aircraft just like this for our country,” said Payne.

The museum purchased the plane, which is not airworthy, for $15,000 in 2019. It was disassembled over several months at an airport in Greybull, Wyoming, and transported to Columbus in several hundred pieces. Volunteers then worked to reassemble and restore the plane.

Museum president Nick Firestone commended the work of these individuals, including project co-leaders Skip Taylor and Pat Billey.

“No one on this team had prior experience in restoring aircraft, but everyone brought a special set of skills that blended well with others,” he said. “As the saying goes, we didn’t know what we couldn’t do, so we just went ahead and did it.”

“This is a team that put together 15,000 hours of working on this plane, and they did it for donut holes and shop coffee,” said Taylor.

Firestone noted that while the plane’s exterior is finished, there is still more work to do on its interior.

“And just like restoring a classic car, there will always be improvements to be made,” he said.

Charlie 119 will be able to house displays about the history of C-119 aircraft and serve as a location for small meetings.

This type of aircraft will also be featured in an upcoming event called “Boxcar Cinema 119.”

At 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 1, Columbus Municipal Airport will present a free, outdoor showing of two films: “Planes: Fire and Rescue” and “Jurassic World: Dominion.” Both films feature C-119 planes.

C-119 aircraft played a major role in Bartholomew County history during the era when Bakalar Air Force Base (1942-1970) was located where Columbus Municipal Airport now stands. During the 12 years before it closed, there were three dozen C-119s stationed at the U.S. air base. At that time, Columbus residents saw more Flying Boxcars flying above their heads than any other aircraft. Pilots referred to the planes as the “Dollar Nineteens,” according to museum records.

“I recall seeing these planes flying above town when I was young,” said Mayor Jim Lienhoop during his address at the ceremony. “To a child, Bakalar Air Force Base was a rather forbidding affair. There were guards, fences and signs warning of dire consequences if somebody wandered inside. But even to a kid … there was something reassuring about having the United States Air Force nearby. Even here, in the middle of the country, we have a role to play in our nation’s defense.”

Charlie 119 is a reminder of that role, he said.

It is also a reminder of a local spirit of collaboration, said Master of Ceremonies John Foster.

“If anyone ever asks you, ‘What is the Columbus Way,’ you bring them here to the airport and you show them the C-119, Charlie 119,” he said. “It’s the best example we have in this community.”