USA 1990s - WARBIRDS

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

By the 1990s Chino Airport California was still a warbird haven. Among the delights to be found around every corner was
this Lockheed P-38J Lightning N38BP "Joltin' Josie" owned by Bob Pond.

Joltin Josie was taxying from Planes of Fame for a local flight by museum Director Steve Hinton.

Bell P-39Q Airacobra N139DP "Brooklyn Bum" owned by David Price was at his Museum of Flying, Santa Monica CA
in April 1993. It had just completed an airworthy restoration after being salvaged from a New Guinea wartime aistrip.

Curtiss P-40K Warhawk N293FR "Burma Rascal"at Marana AZ December 1991 with the Evergreen Heritage Collection.

Republic P-47G Thunderbolt N3395G at Chino CA in October 1991 was flown by Planes of Fame Museum.

Damaged P-47D N47DF in David Tallichet's Military Aircraft Restoration Corp storage yard at Chino in November 1990.
It had arrived by road after a gear-up forced landing near Flagstaff AZ the previous month, but was flying again 5 years later.
It was surrounded by a group of Hindustan Ajeets (licence built Folland Gnats) acquired by Tallichet from Indian Air Force.

North American P-51D N551MR "Old Crow" at Fort Pierce Florida in November 1991, flown by its owner Micky Rupp.
This was a former Bolivian Air Force aircraft with a number of Cavalier Aircraft Corp upgrades.

Former Indonesian Air Force P-51D N327DB "Lady Jo" at Chino CA in February 1995, flown by owner Darryl Bond.
It had been rebuilt with Australian CAC Mustang mainplanes salvaged from the Emu atomic test target aircraft.

CAC CA-18 Mustang N7496W visiting a fly-in at Fort Pierce FL in November 1991, flown by owner Selby Burch.
This was formerly RAAF A68-175 acquired by Col Pay and parked at Narromine NSW until shipped to Canada in 1967.

P-51D N991R "Miss America" at Santa Monica CA in March 1993 is a veteran Reno air racer.

Bell P-63A Kingcobra N163BP "Pretty Polly"at Chino CA in March 1993 was another from the Bob Pond stable.

Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat N4994V at Chino CA in September 1991 was flown by Planes of Fame Air Museum.

Grumman F7F-3 Tigercat N7235C at Chino CA in October 1991 with David Tallichet's Military Aircraft Restiration Corp.

Commemorative Air Force Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat N7825C had its rudder removed for maintenance at the CAF California
base Camarillo in March 1995. The Confederate Air Force made this name change as part of a 1990 reorganisation.

Grumman F9F-8T Cougar N24WJ at Chino CA in October 1991 was owned by Don Whittington's World Jet Inc in Florida.
This superb restoration was sadly lost later that month when it crashed in the sea off the Louisiana coastline.
 

Just north of the USA border at Fredericton, New Brunswick was Forest Protection Ltd's fleet of Grumman TBM Avenger
sprayers.  Seen in October 1991 at the end of their spraying seasons and prepared for winter storage.
 

TBM-3E C-GFPM tanker #21 heads this row of FPL Avengers at Frederiction in October 1991 as a winter storm closes in.

Retired Grumman Avenger tankers on the airport dump at Twin Falls, Idaho in October 1992.
In the foreground is the hulk of Hillcrest Aircraft Co's TBM-3E N7000C.

Also in the Twin Falls ID airport dump was TBM-3E N4169A, previously a Reeder Flying Service tanker.
 

Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless N670AM ready for a flight in February 1995 at Planes of Fame Air Museum, Chino CA.
This was a Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft in the 1944 Bougainville campaign before return to US Marines.

Douglas AD-4NA Skyraider N2088V at Chino in November 1990 was former French Air Force salvaged from Chad.

Douglas A-1H Skyraider N39606 parked between hangar rows at Santa Monica CA in September 1992 was formerly with
South Vietnam Air Force, flown to Bangkok by a defecting pilot with his family during the fall of South Vietnam April 1975.
David Tallichet's Military Aircraft Restoration Corp shipped four similar A-1Hs from Bangkok to Chino for restoration.

Two more Skyraider warbird projects had just arrived in Pacific Fighter's storage yard at Chino CA in November 1990.
G-BMFB & G-BMFC were former Royal Navy Skyraider AEW.1s sold to Sweden as military target tugs.

Martin AM-1 Mauler N7163M at Medford OR October 1992 waiting for restoration for display with the Jack Erickson collection.
The carrier attack aircaft had ended its US Navy career as ground target at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

FG-1D Corsair N3466G on the Tallichet ramp at Chino CA in November 1990 was stored following a filming contract
flying for the TV series Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Early model F4U-1A N83782 at Chino CA in September 1992 was flown by Planes of Fame Air Museum.

Planes of Fame built up a derelict F4U-1D airframe into their Super Corsair Reno air racer, powered by a massive 3,500hp
P&W R-4360 Wasp Major. Photographed at Chino CA in September 1992.  

Hawker Sea Fury T.Mk.20 N281L "Dragon of Cymru"at Santa Monica CA in March 1993. Following Royal Navy service
it was a West German military target tug for 10 years before becoming a warbird with British and US warbird operators.

Sea Fury T.Mk.20 N924G at Chino CA October 1991 had the same pedegree as N281L above.

Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero N46770 about to be flown by John Maloney at Planes of Fame Air Museum, Chino CA in March 1993.
This aircaft had been captured by US forces on Saipan in June 1944 and shipped to US for evaluation.

In contrast to the genuine Zero above, almost all Japanese wartime aircraft seen at airshows are replicas modified from
North American Texans or Vultee Valiants.  This Aichi Val N56657 seen at Chino in March 1993 was a Vultee BT-13.

A significant warbird event was the 1985 salvage of 41 retired Egyptian Air Force Yak-11 trainers by a French syndicate.
Most were Czechoslovakian-built LET C-11s and a number were on-sold to US owners, including this unidentified
"White 11" in the Planes of Fame Air Museum restoration compound at Chino CA in October 1991.

Many of the Egyptian Air Force Yak-11 cache went on to be restored in USA as warbirds or highly-modified air racers.
Here's highly-polished LET C-11 N2124X, rebuilt as a racer with a P&W R-2000, at Santa Monica CA in October 1991.

North American Texans continued to be popular US warbirds most painted in military schemes, and air racers.
AT-6A N77TX race #42 Blizzard came from Portuguese Air Force disposals, seen at Palo Alto CA December 1990.






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