wing top to the fuselage and they added a three-bladed propeller, with Abrams hoping the increased power would attract a buyer. World War II interrupted Abrams's work, and the single aircraft built was put into storage for the duration of the war. Obsolete by the end of the conflict, it was donated to the US National Air and Space Museum in 1948, where it remains awaiting restoration. Variants P-1: the initial design and prototype. PC-4: Abrams planned a pressurized version of the P-1, named the PC-4 that did not go into production. Operational history The P-1 was flown with a variety of camera gear. The Abrams Instrument Corporation C-3 camera was used to produce 650 nine by nine inch photos per flight. Restoration attempt In 1968, a group of aviation enthusiasts began a project to restore the Explorer, including Jim Linn, who worked at Abrams Aerial Survey, Ron Dietz, a student pilot and engineer at Oldsmobile Division of General Motors, and Ellis Hammond, President of the Michigan Aerospace Educational Association. They worked with Don Lopez, the Assistant Director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum to release the aircraft, and in January 1975 the Explorer was transported in a Michigan National Guard Lockheed C-130 Hercules to the Capital City Airport in Lansing, Michigan. The aircraft was moved to a state-owned hangar, where Dietz carried out careful photography before any disassembly was done, as well as detailed tracings of all the lettering so it could be recreated accurately at the end of the project. The wings were sent to Montcalm Community College, where they were stripped, cleaned, repainted and recovered with silver painted fabric. The instruments panels and controls were disassembled and restored by Dietz's colleagues at Oldsmobile. The aircraft was physically moved to the Lansing Community College aviation program. However, the restoration attempt was never completed; in 1981, the Lansing Community College truck driving school returned the plane to the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility of the Smithsonian, where it remains. Specifications See also References External links Smithsonian Institution www.youtube.com Forgotten aircraft: The Abrams Explorer (1930s documentary video) British Pathé 1938 Abrams P-1 Explorer, with many technical data and pictures at FliegerWeb.com, in German 1930s United States special-purpose aircraft Twin-boom aircraft Aircraft manufactured in the United States Single-engined pusher aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1937