Trying to do a noble cause, a tribute to my late grandfather.

[AP AVM]

When I was in grade 1 to 4 back in Lahore in early 80's I used to see this very different twin tail aircraft in red and white color flying over Lahore, Pakistan. At that time I had no clue what it was but it's was very different and unique aircraft. I asked my grandfather as I knew he was a pilot and used to fly out off a flying club in Lahore called "Walton flying club". I asked him what is that aircraft I see with 2 tails in red and white color that fly over the city. He said: Son that's my aircraft, it's a Cessna Skymaster!. The name "Skymaster" was permanently saved in my mind and after that any time I saw that aircraft, I knew it was my grandfather who flew it back then. In early 90's my family and I moved to Canada and life restarted here from the scratch. I always had this urge to know whatever happened to the aircraft after my grandfather stopped flying it back in 1995!. In 2006 I remember asking uncle/cousin about the Cessna Skymaster and he told me, in 1999 it was sold to some aircraft dealer in Canada and it's registration number was AP AVM!. Since that time I have been searching for this particular aircraft whenever life allowed me, I have called many flying clubs across Ontario to see if anyone would know about it over the years, every time I used to spot or see a 337 Skymaster, I would approach the owner/pilot and ask if he/she would know anything about AP AVM but no one could help in any way, I used to search on A.net and JP.net sites and some others to find it or get any leads or pictures but nothing ever came out of the searches. I tried all the avenues I could have think off but no success over the years since I began my quest.

In between I was suggested an option in case I would not find actual AVM to buy any other C337 aircraft that is non airworthy but a complete aircraft, paint it in the colors of AVM to do a tribute for my late grandfather out of which I sided and kind off chose to do it with RC flying model in 1/6th scale. It was not enough and I still had that urge in me to find the fate of actual C337 AP AVM!

Earlier this year, I found these forums and this site and decided to give my one last try before I would call a quit. I come on here and made a post "That I'm here to find this particular C337 bearing registration number AP AVM that once my late grandfather owned and flew in Lahore with all the details I knew about it!" To my surprise another member of this site "Frank" responded within few hours that "AP AVM C/N 377-0754 is sitting in his backyard!" I was shocked at first and couldn't believe AVM was still intact and still around....My late grandfather's actual Cessna Skymaster is still alive!!! Frank was kind enough to post it's pictures with original Pakistani registration number still painted on it's tail and wings. From that moment on I knew I have to get this particular aircraft to restore it as static airplane to do this noble cause as well as do the tribute and preserve his and Pakistan's general aviation history. http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ead.php?t=3854

I asked if Frank would sell the Cessna to me, he said yes he would, we started talking about it and I asked for more pictures to see it's condition and state this airframe is in, to my surprise it's there but all flight control surfaces are missing except for one inboard flap. All interior has been stripped out, no instruments, no avionics, no engines and aircraft has been taken apart and has been sitting outside for last 10 to 15 years. If anyone on here would like to assist by donating any or some of the parts needed for it's restoration including all the windows, both front windshields and both wingtips. I would highly appreciate if others can help out in this noble cause and a tribute to make it happen as that would be a great start! Another way to use this airframe is through educational purposes for college and university students or anyone else who wants to learn how aircraft are restored.

Sameer