Thanks, Hal, for doing that research that I was too lazy to do. That does indeed seem like a stretch. I seem to remember lots of stories of important flying or display aircraft that had been converted and subsequently rescued from commercial, cargo or even firefighting service, and then restored to their former glory. To put an asterisk next to their original designation seems unfair.

However, let's not complain. The Collings Foundation does really good stuff. So does the CAF, EAA, lots of others, including many dedicated and generous individuals, who keep them flying. We need them all.