"Miss Pittsburgh" plane, once displayed in old terminal, to be restored
"Miss Pittsburgh," the plane that hung for years above the security gates at Pittsburgh International Airport, may finally have a safe landing place.
The historic plane didn't make move to the new terminal, and aviation enthusiasts expressed alarmed there was no plan to find her a new home.
"Miss Pittsburgh" made the first mail flight from Pittsburgh to Cleveland and back a century ago. It was displayed at the Pittsburgh International Airport for decades, but after it didn't make the move to the new terminal, aviation enthusiasts like Chris Henry raised the alarm about how there was no plan to find her a new home.
"My personal hope, being a Pittsburgh native, was that a place would be found for it to be displayed to the public in a proper setting in Pittsburgh," Henry said.
At 23 feet long with a 31-foot wingspan, the airport said it could not a find a suitable space for the plane in the new landslide terminal and the Heinz History Center could only say it was exploring other options. But now, history center director Andy Masich sent KDKA a statement saying the plane will be preserved as part of its collection and restored for the mail flight's centennial next year.
"Miss Pittsburgh is an important piece of aviation history and a treasured part of the Heinz History Center's permanent collection," Masich said. "In preparation for the 100th anniversary of Miss Pittsburgh's historic airmail flight on April 21, 1927, the plane will undergo conservation work later this year."
The history center is adding a 92,000-foot addition and Masich also held out the possibility "Miss Pittsburgh" will be displayed at the center.
"The History Center is engaged in a major expansion project and is exploring several options for exhibiting the aircraft here in Pittsburgh," Masich said. "The History Center will share updates as plans develop."
Henry said it's good news.
"It sounds like they plan on putting it in an expansion that's happening there and that's just really great to hear," Henry said. "It's such an important piece of history there. "
Henry said his museum would have taken in "Miss Pittsburgh" if it couldn't find a home.
"If it had to come to that, we were willing to do it," Henry said. "It's a great airplane, it's a great asset, but deep down in our hearts, we all knew it belonged to Pittsburgh."
It's likely Miss Pittsburgh will find a new home here, but even if she doesn't, it appears the commitment is firm. She'll be touching down somewhere in the Pittsburgh region for people to see.
