USA 1990s - MORE WARBIRDS

A selection of my photos of other warbirds seen on USA visits during the 1990s

Fomer Soviet Air Force Antonov An-2 CCCP-32933 was at Palomar-Carlsbad Airport California in November 1992. The following year it
was at Chino CA painted with US registration N61488.  A number of these big biplanes were imported by US dealers around that time.


An-2 N4301U seen at Chino CA in October 1991 was a Chinese production Yunshuyi Y5. Former serial "8331" was still under the port wing.
It went to the Kermit Weeks Collection at Fantasy of Flight, Polk City Florida

Former US military Beech T-34 Mentors were stll popular warbirds in the United States by the 1990s.
This highly polished ex USAF T-34A N74032 was parked at DeLand, Florida in November 1991

The Japanese military built their own variants of the T-34 under licence, this being a Fuji LM-2 Nikko four-seater.
N2098V was with a group of military disposals LM-2s imported for the US warbird market. Santa Monica CA, March 1993.

This WWII Japanese Aichi Val replica N63163 was tied down among Cessnas at Chino CA in March 1993.
It was one of number rebuiit from Vultee BT-13s for movie work.
This former Swedish Air Force SAAB 91D Safir N91SB was basking in the sun at Watsonville California in December 1990.

Also at Watsonville abandoned in a corner was Percival Pembroke C.51 N51972 ex Belgian Air Force RM12, still in faded military scheme.
It was one of 10 acquired from Belgium in 1978 by a clandestine US operator for extensive illegal drug runs to Central America.  


Former French Army trainer Nord 3202 N2255B was part of a bulk purchase of 30 from French military disposals by Californian
warbird entrepreneur David Tallichet's Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation. Seen at Santa Monica CA in October 1991


Santa Monica September 1992: ex RAF Percival Prentice N1041P was tucked under a former RAF Argosy freighter for an aircraft auction

British wartime production De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth N7158N flew with RAF as T6102 (no hyphen), later civil owners in Britain and
France before joining the War Eagles Air Museum at Santa Teresa NM where it was flown regularly.  November 1992.


During WWII, Stinson AT-19s were supplied to Britain under Lend Lease as communications aircraft for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.
After the war the survivors were shipped back to USA when war disposals classified them as having a high surplus price for resale on
the civil market. This nicely restored AT-19 N1141 was at Vacaville-Nut Tree Airport CA in October 1992.    


Large numbers of Stinson L-5 Sentinels were supplied to RAF, mainly for use in India and Burma.
L-5B N7971A at Watsonville CA December 1990 had been restored in RAF markings with SE Asian blue and white roundels.

During the 1950s, some American agricultural operators modified Stinson L-5 Sentinels for ag work with extra performance by adding
Piper Cub lower wings and a radial engine. N66881 was one of a matching pair at Riverside-Flabob CA in November 1990.

N4236K was one of the few survivors of the 300 Convair L-13 observation and utility aircraft used by the US Air Force and Army.
It was parked at an aircraft paint shop at Tehachapi CA in November 1990 after completing a lengthy restoration at Van Nuys.
This was a civilianised model marketed as a Caribbean Traders Husky with a P&W R-985 replacing the original Franklin in-line engine.

1943 production Cessna T-50 Bobcat "bamboo bomber" N100VW seen at Watsonville in December 1990. The owner had painted
his frustrations over a long-running political dispute with his Congressman on the side of the fuselage.

North American T-28 Trojans continued to be popular mounts for the more well-heeled warbird owners.
Here's a pair of T-28Bs N28AF (above) and N28DE (below) at Medford, Oregon in October 1992 in original US Navy markings.



T-28B N9671N was parked at Camarillo CA in March 1993

T-28B N7044L had pulled in for engine maintenance at warbird specialists Aero Trader at Chino CA in February 1995.

Early "small engine" T-28A trainer models are now rare. Most USAF disposals were acquired by North American Aviation during the Vietnam
era for production-line rebuilding as tactical T-28Ds and AT-28Ds. This ex-Mexican Air Force T-28A was at Hayward CA in December 1990.


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