PlaneTags コレクターの紹介: Jim Emerson

Few aircraft define an era quite like the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. Sleek, powerful, and unmistakably iconic, the Tomcat was the Navy’s premier fleet defense fighter for more than three decades. From Cold War missions to pop culture stardom, the F-14 remains one of the most recognizable and beloved aircraft ever built. Today, MotoArt is proud to introduce the F-14 Tomcat Coaster Set, created from authentic F-14 aircraft material.

Every airplane has a story, and some travel farther than others before their flying days are over. PR-AJB was one of those well-traveled aircraft. This Airbus A320 started its life flying British families on long-awaited holidays, then later crossed the Atlantic to join the growing fleet of Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras. Over nearly nineteen years it picked up new registrations, new paint, new routes and a new home, carrying thousands of passengers along the way.

Its journey reflects how widely the A320 family has spread around the world and how easily these aircraft adapt to whatever their next chapter requires. PR-AJB also arrived at Azul during an important period of expansion as the airline worked to connect more cities across Brazil. In this blog we will explore where the aircraft came from, what it did during its short time with Azul, and how it eventually came to rest in Florida. We will also share how MotoArt recovered material from the retired airframe and created PlaneTags so its story can continue in a new way.

Before the Flying Boxcar became a military workhorse, Fairchild’s engineers built an ambitious twin-boom transport that paved the way for it. The Fairchild C-82 Packet was a postwar cargo aircraft that promised big things but struggled to live up to them. Although it served for only a few short years, it played an important role in shaping the aircraft that would follow. Today, the legacy of one particular Packet, serial number 44-22991, lives on through MotoArt PlaneTags, preserved from the legendary Soplata Collection.