Addison Pemberton's restored Boeing 40C is the only flying example on earth.

Interior shots of the 40C's large cockpit and interior cabin, which seats four.

EAA AirVenture 2008 attendees will have an opportunity to view an airplane that's been resurrected after 80 years, and a aircraft model that has not graced the sky for 65 years, when a fully restored Boeing 40C arrives at Wittman Regional Airport for the annual summer gathering. Addison Pemberton, EAA 154948, Spokane, Washington, restored the aircraft that had been lost in an accident in October 1928, using parts from that airplane and another obtained from Alaska. The restored airplane made its maiden flight in February 2008 and is now being prepared for the 1,400-mile trip to Oshkosh. It is the only flying Boeing Model 40 in the world.

"While EAA AirVenture is always a showcase for aviation innovation, we also take tremendous pride at Oshkosh in celebrating our aviation heritage and those who are dedicated to keeping that history alive," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president and AirVenture chairman. "The Boeing Model 40 was a state-of-the-art aircraft went it debuted in the 1920s and helped establish commercial aviation in North America."

The Boeing 40C was part of the line of Model 40 aircraft built between 1925 and 1931, with a total of 54 Model 40C aircraft built in 1928-1929. The Model 40 was originally designed to be an air mail carrier and was later converted to passenger use.

Pemberton began his drive to restore a Boeing 40 when he first saw one on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., in the early 1980s. He eventually acquired two Boeing 40C aircraft that had been involved in accidents more than 60 years earlier, and also acquired priceless drawings that detailed many of the 33,000 specific parts of the aircraft.

"There is still a lot of original DNA left in this airplane from its last flight in 1928," Pemberton told EAA Sport Aviation magazine in its April 2008 issue. "One of our main goals in restoring this treasure was not to place it in a museum or keep it tucked away in a hangar.

"It is my intention, as the custodian of this airplane, to share it with as many people as possible. Our plan is to fly the 1,400 miles from Spokane to Oshkosh this summer and place the Boeing 40 on flying display."

Look for the airplane in the Vintage aircraft parking area across from the Vintage Aircraft Association's Red Barn Headquarters.

This unique airplane restoration project is featured In the current (April 2008) edition of Sport Aviation on pages 100-107, or click here to read the story.