1935 Waco YOC airplane donated

Famed aviation artist Matt Jeffries, of Santa Paula Airport, recently donated his pristine 1935 Waco YOC, N540Y, to the Virginia State Aviation Museum in Richmond, Virginia. Bought in 1967 at Reno, Nevada in sad shape, it was flown to Santa Paula by renowned aviation illustrator Bob O’Hara and Matt. He started an immediate restoration with much help from his friends. First flight was 10 years later in April 1977.Growing up in Richmond, Matt had admired the beautiful high gloss black and white Waco cabin biplane of Joseph Cannon, producer of Cannon towels. That was the paint scheme Matt chose to duplicate on his Waco.The YOC is powered with a 225 horsepower Jacobs. It was purchased new in 1935 by the Adjutant General for the state of Indiana.Arriving in California during 1952 with his wife Mary Ann, Matt became a technical illustrator and artist for Air Progress magazine until 1962. He became an art director for Desilu studios, and in 1963 he designed the starship “Enterprise” for the famed Star Trek series. Matt remained there through 1967 and the first 79 episodes. He often says that the “Enterprise” paid for his Waco.