Tipped off by aerospace historian Jay Miller, who photographed the V-173 at the facility in 1970, a Vought executive toured the site in 2002 and saw the aircraft waiting its turn for restoration.

Along with 180 F7U-3s, Vought built 98 -3Ms, the first aircraft in Navy inventory capable of carrying the Sparrow air-to-air missile. Vought also built a dozen -3P photo-reconnaissance Cutlasses ...