The Air Combat Museum is trying to restore its Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan back to airworthiness. To help afford the expenses, the museum recently put up a non-functioning Continental A65 engine display for sale on Bring a Trailer, where it fetched $1,500.

Located in hangars at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois, the Air Combat Museum has been in operation since 1990. Although small compared to other aviation museums, it prides itself in having planes that are still capable of flying. Naturally, its proximity to the airport means there’s prime location to do so.

Also in the museum are World War II planes like the P-51D Mustang, which serves as the centerpiece of the collection, the F4U Corsair that flew in the Pacific War, and a 1928 Stearman C3B. The Kansan isn’t the only trainer either as the museum also has a Ryan PT-22 Recruit.

The Beech AT-11, including the one at the museum, was used to train bombardiers during the Second World War. It was derived from the civilian Beechcraft Model 18, with changes being made to suit its military role such as a transparent nose, slots for gunners, and accommodations typical for bomber aircraft. The United States Army Air Forces ordered 1,582 Kansans during the war and 36 were converted into AT-11A trainers.

However, it’s been a long time since the Kansan flew. Besides giving it a fresh coat of paint, the museum staff has to work on applying the original parts and ensuring they function.

“We last flew it about 10 years ago,” explained the engine’s seller. “Since then we have put the original wingtips, propellors, and exhaust back on. We have the original nose and turret for it but we need to raise about 100,000 for the labor to finish.”

To afford the restoration, merchandise and pieces like the Continental engine have been sold. The museum had also auctioned off a kinetic display of a radial engine in August, which was bought for $7,251 by the DFW Car and Toy Museum.

The Continental engine was acquired by the seller in 2024 after years of display in a museum. As a static display, the propeller attached to it does not move but can be unbolted and rotated. It also comes with a crankshaft.

Continental A65 motors were primarily built for planes like the Piper J-3 Cub, which was where this particular engine came from.

Currently, the museum has raised over $40,000 for the AT-11. The seller particularly credited Bring a Trailer for helping as “sales from here have generated half of that money so far.”

Featured image credit: Air Combat Museum