Real Lockheed Airplane
the Morton Family
doing restoration of Airplane.
Coloring Book:
"Los Gatos Our Parks" by Elaine McIntosh
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| Driving From San Jose Towards Santa Cruz on Highway #17... Take the Right Hand Exit onto Highway #9 Towards Saratoga. Turn Right on University Ave. Turn Right on Blossom Hill Road. Oak Meadow Park is On Your Left at the Bottom Of The Hill... |
The following information is from the City of Los Gatos...
The T-33 in Oak Meadow Park is on loan to the Town of Los Gatos by the United States Air Force, where it has been in the playground area since July, 1974. It was manufactured by Lockheed Aircraft, Burbank, California and delivered to the USAF in December, 1954.
The two-seat T-33 jet was designed for training pilots already qualifies to fly propeller-driven aircraft. As one of the best-known aircraft world-wide, it has served with the armed forces of more than 20 different countries for almost 40 years. Production of T-33’s was from March 1948 through August 1959. 5,691 T-33’s were built.
The Story of How the Airplane got to the Park. Told by my dad, Justin Vanderlaan.
Dear Greg:
Nothing long lasting is told quickly. A short time after I was appointed to the Park Commission the Park Superintendent, the Mayor (Ruth Cannon), and the Town Manager (Russ Cooney) decided that the town needed more parks. We only had Oak Meadow. So they and the Town Council decided to build some more. This took a lot or money, because we had to buy most of the land also. The smart manager, decided to go for a straight property tax increase (which only needed 50.1 percent of the votes to pass), instead of a bond issue, (which took 66 2/3rds of the votes to pass). Harder to pass because the voters start paying a lot more sooner; but easier to pass because it needs less votes.
We ran a spirited election, and we won by 75 votes! They then decided which parks to build and when, after we acquired the land. Included in the plans was the upgrading of Oak Meadow. I was on the Park Commission 12 or 16 years, and we were building these parks all the time I was serving. A few years after we won the tax election, Ruth Cannon was again Mayor, and we were in the process of upgrading Oak Meadow. At this time Ruth Cannon's husband, I forget his first name, was a big shot in the management of Lockheed in Sunnyvale. Many of the airplanes from World War 2 were retired to a huge Airforce base in Arizona. Lockheed either owned them, because they still had not been paid in full, or was hired to manage the property on the base. Anyway, the Cannons had the proper connections to get one of the planes donated to the Town of Los Gatos. However, the U.S. Government was not going to deliver the plane, and it could no longer fly
The Town Council allocated some of the Park Tax funds to hiring some company that could transport it to Los Gatos, which was done. They even installed it properly. It was decided that to avoid any possible law suits; because some kid got hurt fooling with the engine, that the engine would be removed and the front part filled with concrete to a level for kids to enjoy; which was done. The plane is still there, and I just went down and looked at, and there were kids sitting in it, and pretending to fly. A series of happy coincidences. Any more questions, e-mail me. Dad
A different Jet In New Jersey
Fundamentally, a great idea...
Photo by Eric Dumigan
Wall Township New Jersey "Airplane Park"
Youtube video of airplane fully restored
on Aircraft Carrier.
Newspaper Article:
Lions Park Costa Mesa, California
Airplane Park in Monroe, New York
Palmview Park, West Covina California
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