In 1989 several volunteers at the Commemorative Air Force museum at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona, realized they shared a mutual interest in restoring helicopters for static display.
Since the CAF primarily restored World War II-era aircraft to airworthy condition, these individuals — many of whom also worked at the adjacent McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company, formerly Hughes Aircraft — decided to form their own organization. Led by K. B. “Doc” Smith, they began the Valley Aircraft Restoration Society in May 1989.
Soon VARS members were busy restoring a 1967 OH-6A Cayuse, originally built by Hughes Aircraft and much used during the Vietnam War as a Light Observation Helicopter — hence its nickname, the “Loach”. The club eventually donated this aircraft to the St. Louis Science Center in Missouri, where over two million annual visitors viewed its work. VARS then went to work restoring two Brantly helicopters and an experimental one-man jet.
By the late 1990s, as the original members left VARS, newer members expressed interest in turning VARS into a flying club. Soon a 1979 Cessna 152, N47930, graced the floor of the club’s hangar at Falcon Field. Well flown but limited in capacity, the club sold that airplane in 2003 and acquired a 1976 Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah. With seating for four and a larger engine, the Cheetah offered members the opportunity to expand their cross-country adventures. Unfortunately a hard landing in 2007 severely damaged the Cheetah and it was no longer flyable.
Shortly afterward a 1977 Piper Archer II, N4098Q, replaced the Cheetah. Over the next nine years the members of VARS flew the Archer for hundreds of enjoyable hours to locations far and near. By late 2016 it had been flown more than 2,200 hours on the original engine, and club members faced a difficult decision: spend money overhauling the engine, upgrading the avionics to include the FAA-mandated ADS-B Out equipment, and making other needed repairs — or acquire another aircraft. It was not an easy decision.
Ultimately the club opted to sell the Archer and upgrade. In May 2017 VARS took possession of a pristine 1972 Piper Cherokee 235F, an aircraft with much greater capacity and performance. Well equipped with a Garmin 530W GPS unit, a Garmin 345 ADS-B In/Out transponder, an autopilot slaved to the 530W, long-range fuel tanks and an engine with less than 500 hours, the Cherokee 235 lends itself equally to a quick hop for that “$100 hamburger” and to long cross-country trips.
Written by Edward F. Murphy. Special thanks to DJ Vegh and Pat Butler for their input.
Archival & vintage pictures
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