Photo by James Short.
Calling it a “labor of love” that took two-and-a-half years to culminate, representatives of the Horsham-based Harold F. Pitcairn Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum on Tuesday dedicated a replica of the aircraft used to fly President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 in honor of Major General Ronald Nelson, the museum’s chairman emeritus.
Nelson, 94, of Lower Moreland Township, attended the event with his daughter, Suzie Nelson. “That’s an amazing piece of work,” Mr. Nelson said to the volunteer restoration team in attendance. “I can’t really thank you enough.”
He was the co-pilot of the Marine One aircraft used to transport President Eisenhower. He and his pilot, the late Col. Virgil Olson, have their names inscribed on the side of the aircraft where they would have been seated during flights some 68 years ago, according to Mark Hurwitz,
Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum board president. In his remarks, Hurwitz detailed the laborious tasks needed to restore the aircraft, including 5,000 hours of volunteer man hours, which he estimated would have cost $150,000. Using old photographs as their guide, the restoration team undertook much of the labor – such as sanding and applying the various markings – by hand.
Hurwitz and Board of Trustee member Mike Olenick noted that museum representatives eagerly anticipate the transfer of 13.1 acres of land formerly part of the Willow Grove air base. The land acquisition would allow for the expansion of Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum to more than three times its current size and would help “make our vision a reality,” Olenick said.
Museum Historian Virginia Brooke read a letter from Gov. Josh Shapiro, who acknowledged Major General Nelson for his 36 years of service in the Marine Corps. Shapiro said Nelson has a “commitment that continues to inspire” and said the aircraft dedication is a “true testament to his life and legacy.”
The museum obtained the Seabat in pieces, in 1988. Volunteers assembled it and repainted it in the mid-90s. In April 2023, a volunteer restoration team began undertaking a much larger project – converting the aircraft to replicate the helicopter that Olson and Nelson used to transport President Eisenhower.
The Marine One replica is on display in a portion of the outside property at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum and can be viewed anytime the museum is open.
