Visited the Pima Air and Space Museum and saw something odd in a cockpit display

I was checking out the old 707 cockpit they have open to walk through, and the overhead panel had a bunch of circuit breakers labeled with masking tape. The tape was yellowed and peeling, with handwritten numbers that didn't match any manual I know. It made me wonder about the history of that specific plane and its last fixes. Has anyone else seen a museum piece with clear signs of a field repair like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_perez14d agoMost Upvoted

That masking tape is the best part of the whole display. It shows the real work of keeping a plane flying, not some polished fantasy. I have to disagree with @tylermurray's idea of perfect restorations. Wiping that history clean would be a shame. Those handwritten numbers are a direct link to a mechanic, probably tired and under a deadline, who made it work. That's the true story, not a factory fresh panel.

tylermurray14d ago

Always figured museum planes were perfect restorations, but that's proof they're just frozen in time.

jordanl8211d ago

Makes you wonder what else is still on there. Could be a coffee stain from 1972 or a doodle under the seat. That tape is just the part they didn't bother to hide.