As I arrived at the hangar for my initial flight on the N3N-3, its floats hadn’t yet arrived; therefore we performed the A2A photo mission thinking it would mark an endpoint for this year and project/article. Once the floats arrived, the thrill of restoring, attaching and flying with them was back on. Forty days after arriving home to Arizona the N3N-3 flew for its inaugural flight with floats. Pemberton & Son’s Aviation allowed me the honor of working closely with them until this gorgeous aircraft took flight and lifted off of the water. Two years of effort were documented through thousands of photographs taken throughout this project and now in an eight page spread thanks to Jim at EAA, with nearly four thousand words included for an eight page spread that’s hitting newsstands now. Not all projects end as originally anticipated – that’s part of life. These guys’ motto, “we fly the old stuff,” tells an inspiring tale with amazing history, skill, passion and success stories that should not be missed! New projects are already underway – two years have gone quickly by!
