Retired Learjet takes on new life at Richland’s Willow Springs Dive Park

Scuba divers and onlookers convened at Willow Springs Dive Park in Jackson Township on Thursday for the sinking of a historic Learjet aircraft, N3VJ, that now serves as an underwater attraction for divers to train on and explore.

In the more than 6 million miles it traveled over 20 years, the aircraft primarily served as an organ donor transport plane, delivering life-saving organs to people in need. N3VJ averaged four to five organ donor flights a month, with 20 organ donation missions in its busiest month.

The aircraft also carried numerous political figures and public personalities, including former president George H. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Mick Jagger, and Oliver North.

Willow Springs Dive Park is part of Dive Peer, operated by Lancaster Scuba founder John Walker, his wife Gina, and their son Zach. The Walkers found out from a friend who works at Lancaster Airport that the aircraft was being decommissioned, and decided to utilize it for training purposes rather than see it scrapped. 

“We paid them the amount they would have gotten for scrap metal,” said Gini Walker. “Someone told us they are so glad it’s going to have a home after all that it has done for people.”

Engineer Frank Pudlo and carpenter Ken Wilson – fellow divers and friends of the Walkers – poured countless hours into preparing the 44-foot aircraft to be properly submerged into Willow Springs and guiding the volunteers who made it happen.

The aircraft joins an already impressive selection of underwater attractions, including the Quest, a 72-foot-long fishing trawler with a claim to fame from its appearance in the original “Rocky” movie during a background shot of the Philadelphia harbor. This clip from late Lancaster filmmaker and scuba diver William “Smokey” Roberts talks more about the process of sinking the Quest at Willow Springs in 1977. 

At that time, the lake was under the ownership of Nathan King, who purchased it in the late 1950s. A working quarry until the early 1900s, King turned it into a recreational facility with areas roped off for public swimming, fishing, and scuba diving. Visits from the legendary Jacques Cousteau and action adventure television series “Sea Hunt” helped to propel the success of Willow Springs.

A fire truck, a caboose, a steam shovel, a torpedo, Volkswagen ruins, a school bus, and an old Pennsy cement truck are a few of the many features for divers to explore today in the 28 acres of spring-fed water at Willow Springs. 

Owner Tom Morrissey explained that with a maximum depth of 55 feet, the waters are ideal for training purposes as beginner divers learn to manage air consumption and advance their skills. The lake is also used for practicing rescue diving and forensic underwater investigation.

Since the aircraft is suspended rather than resting on the bottom of the lake like other features, divers – whether out for training or sport – have more options for maneuvering around and inside of it. 

“Besides that, the truth is it’s just fun,” said Zach Walker. “You can have fun diving in Pennsylvania. A lot of people think it’s just for the Caribbean, but it’s not.”