A Cessna, a Lightning and an Aero Commander – Our Shannon Road Trip

We're back on the road again! The Vintage Art crew of John Furlong, Philip Darling and Kevin Reid are once again hunting for unusual pieces to add to our growing collection of transport themed art and, more importantly, finding new purposes for old parts with a story to tell.

This time we were invited to Shannon Aviation Museum in County Clare by Chairperson Jane Magill, who co-founded the museum with Eddie Ryan in 2007. Travelling west from Dublin with the trailer in tow, we managed to avoid the traffic disruption surrounding President Trump's visit. A few roadworks slowed us down, but after two and a half hours we arrived in Shannon to a warm welcome from Jane and three rather special pieces of aviation history: the fuselage of a Cessna, the tail of an Aero Commander and the vertical fin from an English Electric Lightning.

Jane fondly remembers Cessna 150 G-BAHI because it was the first aircraft to join the museum's collection. Donated by Andre Faehndrick, it was quite literally dragged backwards out of a bush in Bedford, England. Jane and her team spent a week dismantling the aircraft before bringing it home to Shannon in a curtain sider in 2011.

G-BAHI is a Cessna F150H, built under licence in France by Reims Aviation in 1968. Serial number 0330, it was powered by a 100 hp Continental O 200 A four cylinder engine and had accumulated an impressive 6,721 flying hours by the end of 2004.

Possibly the second item to enter the museum's inventory, in 2008, was the distinctive yellow and white Aero Commander tail. Gifted by the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Limerick, it consists of the empennage with the horizontal stabiliser and elevator still attached. Its exact identity remains a mystery. The tail appears to come from the Aero Commander 500/560/680 family, but we have yet to find an aircraft carrying the distinctive yellow and white colour scheme.

Our third piece is the vertical fin from an English Electric Lightning, the legendary British supersonic fighter capable of speeds exceeding Mach 2. The fin was acquired by the museum in 2015 after being salvaged from a scrapyard in England by Neil Airey. Unfortunately, the identity of the individual Lightning has been lost to history.

Then came the interesting part. Back in Dublin later that evening, we faced the challenge of getting everything unloaded. Each item was heavy and unwieldy, but the enormous Aero Commander tail presented a challenge all of its own. Eventually, everything made it safely into the workshop, ready for the next stage of its story.

Over the coming weeks we will start designing and reimagining these pieces, giving them a completely new purpose. The Cessna fuselage has an even bigger adventure ahead, with plans to transform it into a stylish teardrop camper ready to take to the road in time for Electric Picnic next year.

At Vintage Art, our aim is simple: to give old transport parts a new purpose while preserving the history and character they carry. Rather than allowing these pieces to disappear into storage or scrap, we reimagine them as something new, ensuring that a little of their story lives on.

Visit our Products page to see a selection of Vintage Art available now, or talk to us about your own space. Whether you're looking for a statement piece, something bespoke or a truly unique gift, we'd love to help bring your idea to life.