Summary

Footage Information

CONUS Archive
347296
ONLY FLYING FAIREY GANNET LEFT IN THE WORLD (2015)
NEW RICHMOND, WI
PKG/VO
3/19/2015
1:00:00
3:59
ORIGINALLY TAKEN IN A 16X9 FORMAT
(PHOTOS CONTAINED WITHIN THIS REPORTER PACKAGE ARE NOT LICENSABLE) MS PLANE IN HANGER, SHOTS OF PLANE, PHOTO OF PLANE IN FLIGHT MS OF PLANE, ENGINES, COCKPIT, INTERIOR OF COCKPIT, WS PLANE, PHOTO OF PLANE ON FLATBED TRUCK (NOT LICENSABLE), PLANE IN HANGER, HARRY ODONE (PILOT, FAIREY GANNET), PHOTO OF PLANE (NOT LICENSABLE), PHOTO OF PILOT (NOT LICENSABLE), PHOTO OF PLANE BEING TRANSPORTED (NOT LICENSABLE), RUSSIAN TRANSPORT PLANE TAKING OFF, FILE OF PLANE IN FLIGHT (NOT LICENSABLE), PHOTO OF PLANE (NOT LICENSABLE), PLANE IN HANGER
The first British plane with nuclear capabilities flew during The Cold War; it’s called the Fairey Gannet and was used to fight the Russians. Western Wisconsin is now home to one of those planes and it is the only one in the world that still flies. The Fairey Gannet, called Janet, is one of eight that flew during The Cold War. It is an impressive sight with a wing span nearly 60 feet long. When the wings fold up, the span is 22 feet long. "She's quite unique," Pilot Harry Odone said. "Out of all of them, she's the granddaddy. She's the longest serving Gannet in the world. Quite an amazing article to have. I'm very proud of her." Shannan Hendricks, who is now Odone 's wife, bought the plane after the museum it was in closed. Figuring out how to get it from Canada to Minnesota and then to New Richmond was a chore. The plane sat in Canada for years. Then, others wanted it and stole the plane’s parts. "We had to use the FBI, Canadian Police, CID (Criminal Investigation Department) in England, to try and track down what was going on because it was organized crime," Odone said. Eventually, the Canadian government called saying the aircraft was illegally parked. The couple had to move fast. "It was too big to go onto the road and be trucked back to the United States," Odone said. "It couldn't be hauled, and couldn't be taken apart in any significant manner because it was too big to go on the road." Ironically, they found a Russian company that makes massive cargo planes to fly it to Minnesota. "To move the airplane alone, we're talking about $200,000," Odone said. That price was even discounted. Once inside the hangar, Odone had to restore it. "I have over five and a half thousand hours myself on the maintenance on the aircraft," Odone said. "I spent six months soda blasting the airplane, taking every inch of paint off the aircraft." Despite the man hours and a lot of money, Odone says it has all been worth it. "If it was your own home, or own family, you wouldn't give up, and that's how we looked at it," Odone said. Janet the Gannet is part of their family, and the hope is that your family will see her too. "It's about sharing it," Odone said. "It's not about having an aircraft and keeping it to ourselves. It's an amazing piece of history and everybody should be a part of it."
Not everything listed in the CONUS Archive is necessarily licensable. Reporter sound/image is not licensable
}