Own your own Blue Box

Our Blue Boxes need to leave their current home in Riverside, Ohio. After 8 years of restoration efforts, our C-3 is 100% working (on most days), and our ANT-18 is very functional, although needs some additional work. If you love these old trainers (as we do), we hope you will consider giving them a home and TLC.

Link Trainer for sale

Model C-3  circa 1943; s/n S-W C-3 6979

C-3 restored and ready for flights.

              This is a fully restored and functional Link Trainer (aka Blue Box).  It consists of an articulated fuselage in roll, pitch, and yaw; and instructor’s desk with primary repeater instruments and communication radio; the desk also includes the “crab”.  Fuselage canopy is included.  This is a museum-quality display. It was one of the trainers used at Army Air Force Advanced Flight School, Frederick, OK.  All instruments are functional (on most days).  Radio and communication between instructor and pilot operate.  Turbine and Telegon Oscillator have been fully restored.    Pitch, roll bellows as well as the turning motor and all regulators have been restored with new pneumatic material.  Operates on 120 VAC via standard plug. 

Desk with repeater instruments, crab., et.al.

The system is available for pickup prior to January 7, 2025.  We will provide assistance loading into your box truck.  Please contact us (via contact form) with questions or for additional information and photos. 

              $2,000 OBO ; No reasonable offer refused!

Link Trainer for sale

Model ANT-18  circa 1944 S/N 4441

ANT-18 fuselage. Looking good.

This is a restored mostly functional Link Trainer (aka Blue Box).  It consists of an articulated fuselage in roll, pitch, and yaw; and the instructor’s desk with primary repeater instruments; the desk also includes the “crab”.  Fuselage canopy is included but not shown in photos.  This is a museum-quality display; it was formerly in the Arkansas Historical Society and Aerospace Education Center in Little Rock, AK.  The fuselage moves  in roll, pitch, and yaw via restored controls, valves, and bellows.  Some instruments are functional, radio and VOR and ILS instruments require additional restoration.  Turbine and Telegon Oscillator have been fully restored.    Pitch, roll bellows as well as the turning motor and all regulators have been restored with new pneumatic material and are functional.  Operates on 120 VAC via standard plug.  Restorations in 1995 AND 2022.

Desk is jumbled up now, but contains the full set of repeater instruments, crab, radio, etc.

The system is available for pickup Iin Riverside, OH 45431 prior to January 7, 2025.  We will provide assistance loading into your box truck.  Please contact us (via contact form) with questions or for additional information. 

              $1,500 OBO ; No reasonable offer refused.

It’s show time !

C-3 is looking sharp. Flies good too!

Our C-3 is ready for its first show.  It looks sharp and is flying good; all instruments in the cockpit and on the desk are working (on most days).  Rick is getting a kick out of being our instructor as he puts the pilot through grueling flight patterns.  His radio commands direct the pilot around Cincinnati, Ohio as he plots out the trainer’s course with the crab. 

Rick (left) and Rodney (right) make last minute tweeks.

Rick and Rodney fix and align the trainer.  Maintaining our C-3 in tip-top operating condition keeps ’em hustling. 

C-3 nose.

Blue light special

C-3 cockpit illumination with blue fluorescent & white moonbeam lights.

We got our C-3 cockpit lights working this week.  There are two 4” blue, fluorescent lamps each with adjustable ultraviolet filter; they are intended to improve instrument clarity.  We were amazed that the two fluorescent lamps and their associated starters still worked after all these years.  There are also two white “moonbeam” cockpit lights for general cockpit lighting.  The brightness of the moonbeam lights is adjusted with a pot located on the fuselage control panel.  Power for the 12 to 15 VAC left moonbeam light is routed through the top and bottom door hinge.  We were also lucky to find vintage GE #94 lamps for the moonbeam lights on ebay.