Unusual Trio of Aircraft Briefly Converges on St. Louis Tuesday Evening

By Carmelo Turdo

Three unique aircraft found their way to Creve Coeur Airport Tuesday evening, two of which were tied down on the apron while the other sailed blissfully overhead towards St. Louis Regional Airport. Known for its collection of flying vintage aircraft at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum and a wide variety of other types scattered among private owners, Creve Coeur Airport attracts intrepid flyers from around the country as they make their way across the Midwest. The Aero Experience was on site to capture some photos of each as another beautiful spring sunset painted the skies.

This very late model Navion cabin cruiser is one of the very few H Model Rangemasters produced and last of the new-build Navions. The Rangemaster has cabin doors instead of the military-style sliding canopy, and a 285hp Continental IO-520 engine, but retains the classic Navion wings, tail and retractable landing gear. This very nice example is based in St. Paul, MN.

Another distinguishable shape parked on the apron was this beautiful Bucker Jungmann (CASA) 1.131 being flown by Andrew King from California to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York. The Aerodrome's Museum and weekend airshows attract visitors from all over the world, and the fundraising gala is being held May 20. We caught the little trainer just as the sun was setting.

Last, but not least, floating overhead in the distance, was the Goodyear Zeppelin, Wingfoot 3, the third of the new generation of airships deployed between 2014 and 2018. These semi-rigid airships are nearly 250 feet long and 65 feet in diameter and are powered by three vectored 200hp engines. These state-of-the-art airships seat up to 14 people and can stay airborne for nearly three days. The Aero Experience flew in Wingfoot 1 during her appearance at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015.