|
USA 1980s - WARBIRDS - HEAVY
A selection of my photographs of larger warbird category aircraft seen on visits to USA during the decade
|
|
Very rare Douglas B-23 Dragon on long final arriving at a warbird fly-in at Madera California in August 1989
|
|
The 1939 model B-23 N747M was then owned by warbird enthusiast Mike Bogue of Oakland CA
|
|
Wally McDonell's Grumman C-1A Trader N475AM made a carrier style approach to the Madera event
|
|
North American B-25 Mitchell Executive Sweet making a low pass over Madera CA August 1989
|
|
N30801 Executive Sweet was built as a B-25J and modified in post-war USAF service to TB-25J, VB-25J and VB-25N
|
|
B-25J N9856C Pacific Princess taxies at Chino CA in August 1989 painted in US Navy markings
|
|
Like most flying B-25 warbirds, Pacific Princess had been a civilian forest fire bomber before restored to military configuration
|
|
TB-25N N3155G Bronco Bustin Bomber was parked at Chino CA in August 1989
|
|
TB-25N N201L at Chino in August 1989 retrofitted with a 6 gun nose and being repainted as USAAF Bat Out of Hell.
This was a former oil company corporate aircraft, flying in executive paint scheme with the registration as "N2OIL".
|
|
TB-25J N3675G Betty Grable at Planes of Fame, Chino CA August 1989, being used as shade for the cars of museum staff.
This Mitchell featured in movies including Forever Young and flew off the deck of USS Constellation for Pearl Harbor.
|
|
TB-25N N9117Z In The Mood at Chino August 1989 had earlier been fire tanker #C30 with Aircraft Specialties, Mesa AZ
|
|
|
TB-25N N9455Z Big Bad Bonnie at the March AFB Museum CA in August 1989. It had been flown to England in 1978 with
four other B-25s for the movie Hanover Street and was the only one to be flown back to USA. Owner David Tallichet loaned
it to March AFB before ferrying it back to his Chino base for restoration and resale.
|
|
B-25H N10V City of Burlington in gleaming polished metal finish at Oshkosh WI in July 1989
|
|
Early model B-25D N88972 at Fairbanks Alaska in September 1981, having fire retardant tank and river sanding gear removed
for restoration to military standard by owner Merrill Wien. It later spent 15 years at Duxford flying as RAF "KL161 Grumpy".
|
|
Restoring
a military aircraft like a B-25 to airworthy condition can be a long
and painful task. This ex-insecticide spraying
B-25J had just been ferried to Confederate Air Force Arizona Wing at Mesa AZ when photographed in November 1981.
Hand-painted on the nose I see a problem, a light-hearted reference to another flying B-25 named I see no Problem.
The name was prophetic because N9552Z did not complete its rebuild at Mesa for over 25 years, flying again in May 2009.
|
|
|
Douglas A-26 Invaders were still in use as fire bombers during the 1980s. N4060A tanker #01 is seen at Billings, Montana in
October 1981 where it was based with Lynch Air Tankers.
|
|
A-26 N74833 was held as a spare airframe by Lynch Air Tankers and not tanked. Seen at Billings in August 1989 after owner
Denny Lynch used his spare parts stock to restore the Invader to military stadard for resale as a warbird.
|
|
On Mark B-26K Counter-Invader N4988N at Billings MT in October 1981 waiting restoration by Denny Lynch to be his own
ultimate warbird. He had ferried it to Billings from Macon GA where it was badly damaged and a sale to Canada abandoned.
|
|
The same B-26K N4988N at Billings MT in August 1989 after it had been flying for four years
|
|
A-26 N81797 Rude Invader at Oshkosh July 1989 in polished metal finish, flown by warbird dealer Mark Clark
|
|
A-26 N917Y was on the sales ramp at Mark Clark's Courtesy Aircraft Inc base at Rockford Illinois in August 1989.
The sleek lines and window reveal On Mark executive modifications from her earlier days as a business transport.
|
|
This A-26 N26RP received the full On Mark Marketeer treatment in 1958 to become a high performance corporate aircraft.
It was parked at Oklahoma City-Wiley Post Airport in November 1981 as a warbird with a comfortable interior.
|
|
A-26 N550 had been parked outside at Opa Locka Florida for some years by August 1989, showing weather-beaten paintwork
|
|
One of the many pleasures of Oshkosh is never knowing what will taxy past. Confederate Air Force Junkers Ju 52 N352JU
arrives in the warbird park from Texas in July 1989. This aircraft is in fact a Spanish licence-built CASA 352 version.
|
|
|
|
Douglas DC-3s restored as WWII military transports make effective warbirds which can carry supporters to events.
Mid Atlantic Air Museum's N229GB at Oshkosh 1989 was painted in its original US Navy markings R4D-6 Bu50819.
|
|
|
|
Confederate Air Force's N227GB was one of a number of DC-3s similarly painted in USAAF WWII camouflage schemes
|
|
Bob Pond's DC-3 N132BB Miss Angela was a 1939 USAAC C-41A model which became a civilian corporate transport.
Along the way it had the DC-3 Maximiser upgrade modifications. Oshkosh July 1989.
|
|
DC-3 N14MA at Madera CA in August 1989 repainted in US Marines markings with bogus identity R4D-1 09177
|
|
The quite wonderful sight and sound of Canadian Warplane Heritage's Avro Lancaster C-GVRA at Oshkosh July 1989.
The former RCAF maritime reconnaissance Lancaster Mk.10 FM213 had been displayed on poles in the weather for 15 years
before saved by CWH to commence a nine year restoration to airworthy at Hamilton Ontario that many believed not possible.
|
|
|
|
Now the really heavy metal. Confederate Air Force Boeing B-29A N529B FiFi arrives at Oshkosh 1989 from CAF HQ in Texas
|
|
FiFi later gave a memorable flying display. The CAF salvaged the B-29A from a remote desert weapons target range at
NAS China Lake California in 1971 and at massive cost have kept the big bomber flying. We thank them.
|
|
Back to the Photographs
Menu
|
|
|