Senator to museum: Gimme that old Air Force Thunderjet, a pal of mine wants it

Sen. James Inhofe apparently has introduced an amendment to order the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson to turn over a plane, an F-105, to someone else, an individual who wants to restore it and fly it around. The Air Force "loaned" the plane to the museum in 1984, but now, more than 25 years later, Inhofe is going to have a law passed ordering the Air Force to tell the museum to yield it to this "private entity."

Must be nice to be able to give orders like that. Or to have buddies in the U.S. Senate.

Hey senator, I’ll take a C-17 to go.

UPDATE: One of the people tracking this situation reports that amendment 1362 apparently has died or gone on hiatus. “It is not unlikely it will pop up again somewhere else,” this person predicts. “The background here is that Bob Collings has tried more than once to get an F-105 from the USAF. He succeeded a few years back and the USAF was forced to give him an F-4 Phantom. The USAF was hopping mad about it and remains so … They are not happy about logistically supporting his airplane collection either. (Also No. 1362 specified that Collings needs more engines and spares for the F-4 that the USAF was forced to give him years ago.)”