USA 1990s - DOUGLAS A-26 INVADERS
A selection of my photos of surviving Invaders seen on US visits in the 1990s
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N202R at Jerome, Idaho October 1992 had just completed warbird restoration as "44-35601 Miss Murphy"in the hangar behind.
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A-26C N39401 "Whistler's Mother"(ex 41-39401) flew with Kermit Weeks' Weeks Air Musem at Tamiami FL November 1991
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A-26C N8026E flown by Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino CA had revised USAF markings in March 1995
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A-26B N34538 (ex 44-34538) was being restored as a warbird at Van Nuys CA in November 1990 on Ascher Ward's ramp.
An A-26C transparency nose was being installed along with a luxury executive cabin to the owner's specifications.
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A-26C N7705C at Chino CA November 1990 moved to the Tallichet maintenance hangar after 15 years parked on the airport.
The former executive transport's On Mark extended nose mod. was removed during rebuild as warbird Hard To Get.
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Texas oil man John MacGuire's excellent War Eagles Air Musem at Santa Teresa, New Mexico had this anonymous A-26C
under restoration outside the building when I visited in November 1992. It is believed to be N4815E.
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Among the many aircraft displayed inside War Eagles Air Museum was this complete but unpainted A-26C N576JB.
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The On Mark Marksman was the ultimate A-26 business aircraft development. Marksman N26AB was also at Santa Teresa NM
in November 1992, but had no connection with War Eagles Air Museum. It had been parked here unmoved for some years
and its once glossy grey psuedo military paint scheme with nose art "Intimate Invader" was fading.
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At Billings Montana, Lynch Air Tankers' fleet of A-26 fire tankers were the last Invaders in fire bomber service in USA.
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"Tanker 58" at Billings in October 1992. The Lynch Air Tankers aircraft had wing modifications to "Lynch STOL 26" standard.
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A-26C N9425Z was "Tanker 57"with Lynch Air Tankers and flown by Denny Lynch in the Steven Speilberg movie Always.
After restoration back to military standard it was sold to Bob Pond's Pond Warbirds. Seen at Chino CA in June 1992.
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"Fire Eaters"nose art on N9425Z
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BEFORE: On Mark Marketeer A-26 executive conversion N600WB at Opa Locka, Florida back in October 1979.
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AFTER: N600WB in the workshop area at Hill AFB Museum, Utah in October 1992. It had been impounded for drug running
and acquired by the USAF Museum program and was being reverse-engineered back to wartime military configuration.
The large cabin windows were faired over and wingtip tanks removed. The P-40 behind was a fibreglass replica.
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This view of N600WB at Hill AFB shows the sleek extended On Mark nose replaced by a newly constructed 8 gun nose.
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ANOTHER BEFORE: Canadian operator Conair's A-26 C-GHCE in fire bomber service at Kamloops BC back in 1977.
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AFTER: C-GHCE is in the foreground of these two Invaders on display at Travis AFB Museum, California in October 1992.
Both were acquired from Conair in an exchange deal for ex US Navy Trackers to be rebuilt by Conair as Firecat tankers.
C-GHCE was restored to represent a Vietnam-era B-26K Counter Invader with bogus USAF markings 43-652 code TA-652,
fitted with an 8-gun nose; also paddle-bladed props and wingtip tanks from an On Mark Marketeer held by Conair.
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The other Invader at Travis AFB Museum was C-FMSB displayed as a WWII A-26B USAAF "435440/BG-O".
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