POLAR LUSCOMBE

Flight Journal, Apr 2005 by Jones, Geoffrey P

NEAR COSTA RICA'S INTERNATIONAL airport in its capital of San José, one of the city's main shopping malls has an attention-grabber in the form of a Luscombe 8A Silvaire. This bare-metal eye-catcher is mounted on top of a 30-foot roadside pole near the entrance to Mall Internacional at Alajuela. It was here that the country's hero, Juan Santamaria, lived in the 19th century; the airport is named for him. The identity of the Luscombe is unknown; any clues would be greatly appreciated.

-Text and photo by Geoffrey P. Jones