Carl Snyder of Butler Township works on Maggie's Pride, a Fairchild 24 Forwarder that was used as a submarine chaser during World WarII. Snyder also often helps with work on a drone.

BEAVER FALLS — The doors to the hangar are open wide, letting the last of summer spill in.

A C-123K Provider idles on the tarmac, but workers inside ignore the commotion. Most have seen their share of planes.

"I'm a pilot: I pile it here and pile it there," said Ed Schmidt, 86, a military aviator from World War II.

Schmidt of Patterson Township, Beaver County, is part of Air Heritage, which runs a museum at the Beaver County Airport. The museum adjoins a hangar, which houses a varied assortment of planes. Most are military relics.

According to Air Heritage vice president Ralph Zinkham of Brighton Township, Beaver County, the nonprofit group includes about 250 members from Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Allegheny counties as well as several states.

Some members serve as pilots and crew, helping to showcase three of the planes at various air shows each year. A handful of other men frequent the hangar to work on seven others.

Although they focus on tiny tasks, the men share a larger vision: to return the hodgepodge of derelict planes back to their pristine youth.

"Before 9-11 there were a good six or seven of those," Schmidt said, pointing to the C-123K: a 17-ton-plus cargo carrier his peers have nicknamed "Thunder Pig."Although C-123Ks originally were built in the 1950s, Thunder Pig was a later model. It likely spent time in Vietnam, where it resupplied troops, evacuated soldiers or defoliated jungles with Agent Orange.Just as Thunder Pig is among three Air Heritage planes currently flying, it is rumored to be among the last three operational planes of its kind."We haven't been able to know for sure where the third one is," said Schmidt. "But we know there's two of them. That's why it's so important."

Just as each plane has a story, so do the men who donate their time.Schmidt, a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Force, was flying when he witnessed the first atomic bomb detonate over Hiroshima, Japan, from about 80 miles away.Across the hangar is Paul Luehring, who started flying planes in 1949 for the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps. As a reconnaissance pilot, Luehring flew behind enemy lines to take pictures and gather intelligence."I still hold my pilot's license and I still hold my medical certificate for flying," said Luehring, 79, of Beaver Falls.But despite his skill as a pilot, Luehring's recent projects included rewiring a 1954 Willys jeep.And such diversity is not uncommon.Frank Phillips, 73, served in the Air Force as a jet engine technician, then worked for 35 years as an agent for Eastern Airlines. A longtime interest in woodworking has led the Aliquippa man to steam-bend new spruce wing frames for Maggie's Pride, a Fairchild 24 Forwarder used to chase submarines in World War II.Dave Otterson served in the Navy from 1957 to 1963, working as a metal smith. But Otterson also is content to paint airplanes or clean up around the hangar."(We do) nothing in particular. Everything in general," said Otterson, 70, of Butler. "We drink a lot of coffee, do a lot of lying."Although many stories relate to the military, not all volunteers were in the service.Carl Snyder, 71, tried to enlist, but was ineligible due to a heart murmur. But that doesn't stop the Butler Township resident from helping with restoration.On most Wednesdays for about three years, Snyder has teamed up with Russell Wood of Center Township to carpool to the hangar.Snyder often assists Phillips on Maggie's Pride and helps with odd restoration jobs on a drone, or remotely operated military aircraft, used for target practice in World War II."Mostly I just clean stuff and get something ready for them to use," said Snyder, whose volunteering stems from a lifelong interest in planes."I like to be around them and work on them and listen to the World War II stories. I've come up with questions down there and they always have an answer. They've taught me a lot about the airplanes," Snyder said."They're a good bunch of guys — and very smart."All of the men at the hangar say camaraderie plays a role in their regular attendance.Virgil Wyke of Raccoon Township, Beaver County, occupies the front corner of the building, where tool boxes and work benches are partitioned into a neat cubicle. A dry-erase board hangs by Wyke's "office" entryway, where someone has drawn a chart and labeled it Virgil's Mood Meter.Referring to his time there as therapy, the longtime crew chief on Thunder Pig is quick to tell how volunteering became second to friendship after he suffered a stroke three years ago."It's a good bunch: a lot of great people," said Wyke, now using a walker to make his way around the shop.Dan Cumberledge also points to companionship as a reason to keep returning."When I retired, my wife died, and I was too lonesome to sit at home," said Cumberledge, 84, of Aliquippa."I came up here for the fellowship — the enjoyment. It's therapy for me to be around airplanes."Having done sheet metal work in the Air Force and later as a civilian, Cumberledge has spent the past year refurbishing the drone's exterior.Unlike some aircraft at the hangar, the drone will be used as a museum piece instead of restored for flying. Still, the engine was reconditioned to look, if not perform, like new.That work was done by Horace Pendleton, 94, of Bridgeville."I became an aircraft mechanic in 1939. I never retired," said Pendleton, who works in the hangar six days a week. "I come down when I feel like it."One of two existing charter members, Pendleton can describe how the group formed in the late 1980s with a shared interest in aviation and dreams of someday owning planes.They ended up with the 14,400-square-foot hangar first, after Pendleton offered to fix the broken tail wheel tire on a B-17 at an air show. The plane was owned by the late David Tallichet, a Florida pilot and aircraft collector."He offered to build a hangar if we would work on his airplanes, which we did," said Pendleton, explaining how the arrangement continued for 20 years.Sporting a well-worn bomber jacket, Pendleton said he still prefers working on airplanes to exploring untried pastimes."That's the only thing I know. I don't know anything else," Pendleton said. "That's all I want to know, too.""I've done this all my life," agreed Cumberledge, citing 26 years of sheet metal work in the Air Force before using those skills in civilian life."It's exactly what I like to do. Anything metal I make."In most instances at the hangar, his skills are well used, since parts must be custom made for the long outdated aircraft.In the case of the drone, Cumberledge said the plane had been shot down multiple times, then left outdoors before ending up at Air Heritage."It would have been destroyed. It would have went to the junkyard, but someone gave it to us," he said."It was my challenge to fix it."

These aircraft are owned and maintained by Air Heritage, a nonprofit preservation group headquartered on Piper Street at the Beaver County Airport.<B>CURRENTLY FLYING</B>• OV-1D MohawkWing span: 48 feetLength: 41-plus feetWeight: 12,054 poundsMid-wing metal mono-plane first made by Grumman in the late 1950s. Used by the U.S. Army in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm for light attacks and observation. Removed from service in 1996.Air Heritage acquired the plane in flying condition from the state surplus program after submitting a request in 1996, when it was learned that many would be removed from service.• L-21B Piper Super CubWing span: 35 feet, 3 inchesLength: 22 feet, 5 inchesWeight: 1,015 poundsTwo-seat, single-engine monoplane first built in 1949 by Piper Aircraft. Super Cubs commonly are used for bush travel and towing banners and gliders, but also by military groups in multiple countries.The L-21B was the first airplane acquired and restored by Air Heritage. It was built in 1954 in Lock Haven, Pa., and used by the Italian Army from the 1950s to the mid-70s. Air Heritage acquired the plane in 1987 through the state surplus system and rebuilt it from the ground up, completing the project in 1994.• C-123K ProviderWing span: 110 feetLength: 75 feet, 9 inchesWeight: 35,366 poundsMilitary cargo carrier designed in the 1950s by Chase Aircraft, later manufactured by Fairchild. Providers were used by the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Coast Guard and various air forces in Southeast Asia. Providers were used in Vietnam to resupply troops, evacuate the wounded or as part of Operation Ranch Hand, which used Agent Orange and other pesticides to defoliate the jungle. By the late 1990s, all of were retired.The C-123 was acquired in the early 1990s from a private owner, who had acquired five C-123Ks from the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Air Heritage volunteers spent a year getting the plane in flying condition. As well as attending many airshows, in 1997 it appeared in two movies: The "Naked Man" and "Universal Soldier 2" for a cable station.Air Heritage obtained permission to nickname the aircraft Thunder Pig after a National Guard unit that was stationed at the Greater Pitt Airport.under restoration for flight• T-28 TrojanWing span: 40 feet, 6 inchesLength: 34 feet, 3 inchesWeight: Not availableThe North American Aviation T-28 Trojan was a piston-engine trainer aircraft used in the 1950s by the U.S. Air Force and Navy. It also was used as a counter-insurgency aircraft in Vietnam.The Trojan was acquired in 2004 through the state-run surplus program. The engine has been overhauled and the plane has been stripped and is ready to repaint and fly.

• T-34 MentorWing span: 32 feet, 10 inchesLength: 25 feet, 10 inchesWeight: Not availableThe Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, single-engine military trainer first produced in the 1950s. Although no longer used as a trainer, the T-34 remains in use.Although the Mentor was mechanically sound when it was acquired in 2005 through the state surplus program, it needs some work to attain flying status.• Funk BWing span: 35 feetLength: 20 feet, 5 inchesWeight: 890 poundsA 1930s American two-seat cabin monoplane designed for recreational use by Howard and Joe Funk. It originally was built by the Akron Aircraft Company, later renamed Funk Aircraft Company.The Funk B was donated to Air Heritage by a private party. Restoration is incomplete.• Fairchild 24 ForwarderLength: 23 feet, 10 inchesWing span: 36 feet, 4 inchesWeight: 1,813 poundsA 1930s four-seat, single-engine light transport aircraft used as a submarine chaser in World War II.Named Maggie's Pride, the Fairchild 24 was donated several years ago by a private party. Frame and wings have been refurbished. Completion will include reskinning, rewiring and overhauling the engine.under restoration for static display

• Jet Provost T3Wing span: 35 feet, 4 inchesLength: 34 feetWeight: 4,888 poundsA British jet-powered trainer aircraft used in the 1950s by the Royal Air Force.Acquired last year from a private party. Repainting is under way.• F-15A EagleWing span: 42 feet, 10 inchesLength: 63 feet, 9 inchesWeight: 28,000 poundsTwin-engine combat aircraft first used by the U.S. Air Force and Navy in the 1970s. F-15s are still in use.Air Heritage acquired the Eagle this year from Robbins Air Force Base in Georgia through the state surplus program. Body restoration is under way.• DroneWing span: 10 feetLength: Not availableWeight: Not availableA remote-controlled aircraft used for target practice in World War II.The drone was donated three years ago by a private party. It is 50 percent restored.

<B>WHAT: </B>Air Heritage Museum and Gift Shop<B>WHERE: </B>Beaver County Airport, 35 Piper St., Beaver Falls<B>HOURS: </B>10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Group tours and Sunday visits available by appointment.<B>COST: </B>Donation<B>INFORMATION: </B>Call 724-843-2820 or go to www.airheritage.org.<BR></BR><BR></BR><BR></BR><BR></BR>

photography by JUSTIN GUIDO/butler eagleAbove, the hangar at the Beaver County Airport where Air Museum volunteers work to restore the aircraft. The hangar, though large, 120 feet by 120 feet, is so filled with aircraft, parts and equipment that is still doesn't offer much room to maneuver. At right, above, is an aircraft instrument cluster.

Volunteers fire up the C-123K Provider at the Air Heritage Museum at the Beaver County Airport. On this mid-October day, a film crew was on hand to capture some footage of the military cargo carrier for a documentary they were making. Members of the museum say this Provider, nicknamed Thunder Pig, is one of only three still flying.

Dan Cumberledge of Aliquippa is spied through the cockpit of the drone as he hammers out a part. Cumberledge did sheet metal work while serving 26 years in the Air Force, and the skills he learned still come in handy today.

Frank Phillips of Aliquippa does some woodworking for Maggie's Pride. Since the planes have been out of production for decades, many of the parts must be custom made.

Dave Otterson, right, of Butler shares a laughwith Paul Luehring of Beaver Falls. While thevolunteers enjoy working on the aircraft, thecamaraderie plays a big role in their involvement.