Air Classics Where History Flies March 2023

WOOLAROC: WINNING DOLE’S DERBY OF DEATH

MARCH 2023 • Vol. 59/No.3

SAVE THE
DEVASTATORS!
PLAN TO RECOVER AMERICA’S
RAREST WARBIRDS

Where History Flies
LEND-LEASE
SPITFIRE
RECOVERING A CLASSIC
FROM THE RUSSIAN TUNDRA
WINGS OF GOLD
NAVY’S FIRST AVIATOR
LESSONS FROM
TANKER 15
YOUNG COPILOT GRAPPLES WITH A B-17
U.S./CANADA $9.99
“In the pursuit of authenticity, of
accurate history and undeniable
courage, no words matter more
than, ‘I was there.’”
TOM HANKS
Captain Frank Murphy was a navigator aboard B-17s of

the 100th Bomb Group — The Bloody Hundredth. Murphy
survived one of the greatest air battles of WWII — the
“Double Strike” mission to Regensburg and Schweinfurt
on 17 August 1943, a mission on which he saw dozens
of his friends shot down. How did a young man from
Georgia wind up in the flak-filled skies of Europe facing
a seemingly invincible enemy? Luck of the Draw tells of
the transition from a young military cadet into a battle-
hardened veteran in remarkable, searing prose that
remains fresh despite the passing of decades
Murphy knew that after 25 Fortress combat missions,
he could “go home.” On Mission 21 to Munster, he
watched as the 100th BG was devastated by enemy flak
and fighters. Then, his Fort was fatally hit by aggressive
Luftwaffe fighters. He managed to free himself from the
doomed bomber and parachute to earth and a greeting
by Germans — he knew there would be no “going home”
Luck of the Draw tells of Frank Murphy’s air war over
Europe and of his imprisonment in Stalag Luft III. Then
came the deadly winter march to Moosburg that killed so
many of his fellow POWs and then eventual liberation by
Gen. George Patton’s 3rd Army
“Murphy has eloquently described the
harrowing experiences of a B-17 crew”
RICK PERRY, 14th Governor of Texas
Included in MASTERS OF
THE AIR television series Published by St. Martin’s * ISBN 976-1-250-88437-4 *
by Tom Hanks and Steven Available at www.amazon.com and fine bookstores everywhere
Spielberg on Apple TV+
2 AIR CLASSICS/March 2023
airclassicsnow.com 3
Contents
Features
MARCH 2023
VOLUME 59 / NUMBER 3
Departments
22 BY TRAVEL AIR TO HAWAII 8 WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT
The 1927 Dole Air Race to Hawaii quickly became All the latest vintage and veteran aircraft news along with
known as the “Pineapple Derby” and “Death Derby.” a report on the new Masters of the Air nine-part TV series /
For most of the pilots and aircraft entered, the event by Doug Fisher
was a disaster yet a clever Walter Beech had three
of his Travel Air 5000 monoplanes attempting to fly 18 SHORT FINAL
the Pacific / by Mal Halcombe A young copilot learns about fire-bombing with a B-17
tanker / by Mike Heiny
38 SAVE THE DEVASTATORS!
An ambitious plan is underway to raise one of 34 FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES
America’s rarest early WWII aircraft from the depths of Rare Kodachromes of surplus military aircraft / by Doug Fisher
the Pacific — the TBD Devastator / by Taras Lyssenko
62 LOG ENTRIES
46 LEND-LEASE SPITFIRE The story of the Navy’s first aviator / by Mark Bingham
Recovered from the Russian tundra where it has lain
since crashing in 1945, this Mk. IX Spitfire has been 70 THE WILLIAM T. LARKINS COLLECTION
restored back to flying condition / by Darren Harbar US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft from the late 1950s/
early 1960s / by Nicholas Veronico
66 SPREADING THE WORD
In order to carry out its religious mission, this group 90 DOWN MEMORY’S RUNWAY
operated a surplus C-46 Commando and Boeing B-17G More planes from aviation’s glorious past / by Norm Taylor
Flying Fortress / by Howard Carter
94 AIRLINES
News and views from the readers of Air Classics
COVER: Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX that was recovered
from the Russian tundra. Photography by Darren Harbar
THIS PAGE: Royal Canadian Air Force Dakota during Operation Musk Ox in 1946, which was the start of the Cold War.
The brutal exercise saw a group of Canadian solders travel on 4.5-ton Canadian-designed Penguin snowmobiles
along with three American observers in an American-made Weasel cover 4000 miles in an attempt to see if a Soviet
land invasion of North America was feasible. The RCAF provided air drops and other duties. Several troopers died in
the exercise, which concluded that such an operation was not feasible for the Soviets.
Editorial & Production Staff Advertising Staff AIR CLASSICS (ISSN 0002-2241) is published
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4 AIR CLASSICS/March
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK2023
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s we have noted in past issues, the amount of flying has series Masters of the Air we have been able to run some photos in
A decreased in the USA. Included are the specialized types of

aircraft featured in the pages of Air Classics. General aviation has
also seen a steep decline while the world of business jets skyrockets
this issue. This follows on to the very successful Band of Brothers
and The Pacific series and we are sure that a great deal of historically
accurate information is being included in the new series, which will
along with airline flights (if and when the system is working). have a partial focus around the 100th Bomb Group. So, when I saw
Why is this? There are a number of reasons. First, we have seen that two of the England-based Mustangs had been given a coat of
a dramatic drop in airshows. These events give the owners of “Hollywood” paint representing the Red Tails, I asked a leading
Warbirds and vintage aircraft a reason to pull their aircraft out of 100th BG historian if the Red Tails had ever escorted the 100th BG.
the hangars and go flying. Then there are other factors including the The answer came back in a single word: “Never!” That is the type
overall cost of flying and this means we have to factor in items such of woke environment we are currently operating in where history is
as insurance (always increasing), fuel, and maintenance. A recent molded to fit the particular feelings of the moment.
visit to Chino Airport saw very little action in the air but activity in That leads me to the proposal to recover the TBD Devastators
the hangars was booming. Matt Nightingale has numerous projects and F4F-3 Wildcat. The recovery is an incredibly difficult project
going on including bringing a couple more OV-10s back to life and but it is being led by an experienced crew that knows what they
work on an historic Stinson L-5 that holds particular significance are doing. They have to get approval from the US Navy to recover
for Matt and his family. The L-5 had been under the ownership of the planes. As we have always mandated, these aircraft are not
David Tallichet and Matt’s father Bob worked and flew on the plane the property of the US Navy or any other organization. They are
when he was employed by David. The Stinson had been stored for “owned” by you and I — the American taxpayers. Simply put,
many years and was obtained by Matt just before the historic WWII these warriors need to be pulled off the seabed and placed in
hangar in which it was housed burned to the ground. Today, Bob is museums to remind us all of the incredible American sacrifices and
busily working on the plane once again along with the many young victories from the early days of WWII. Each and every Air Classics
people Matt is mentoring to bring the L-5 back into fine flying reader needs to get behind this project and support Taras and the
shape. As we have always said, Warbirds have long organizations involved. Taras will use these responses
and interesting histories. to present to officials in order to show overall interest
Aero Trader is busy and Kermit Weeks’ Douglas
A-26 Invader is ready for its test flights and that A in recovering these important aircraft and this must
be done before nature reclaims these battle-proven
might even be done today (25 January) as this is
being written. We had a chance to spend some time
with Kermit and listen to his plans for Fantasy of
MESSAGE artifacts. Please send a message of support to Taras
Lyssenko at [email protected]. Remember,
this is just like an election — every vote counts.
Flight and the many historic aircraft contained
within the museum. Kermit is always on the
forefront of considering how aviation museums
FROM The failure to recover these aircraft will just give
a mandate to those that believe American WWII
history is not worth preserving. Act now!
of the future will be functioning and his insight
on how the preservation of history combined with THE I tried to put myself back into 1927 and the Dole
Air Race to Hawaii and found that the span of less
using the aircraft for the personal growth of the
visitor is always illuminating. We will be having a
complete article on the Invader in an upcoming
PUBLISHER than 100 years would bring us into a world where
most of what we today take for granted simply did
not exist. That dusty plain of Oakland Airport was
issue along with a “look back” on when it was owned the gathering point for ill-fated aircraft and crews
by Air Classics. Within the Aero Trader hangars, work is beginning that would try to grab glory by becoming the first civilians to fly
on bringing Trent Latshaw’s Mitchell back to life. Trent is a great from Oakland to Wheeler Field in Hawaii. Much of the wind
fellow with a long history in Warbirds and this Mitchell will be a was taken out of the sails of this event when the Air Corps flew a
fine addition to the Warbird Movement. Work is also continuing on Fokker tri-motor to Wheeler Field, but that was a heavily-backed
the Will Hearst B-25C that was formerly owned by Howard Hughes military exercise and the pilots leaving Oakland had just pretty
and this plane will also be extremely significant since it is being much themselves to rely upon as they faced that huge expanse of
restored to the exact configuration when owned by Hughes in the the Pacific. Again prior to the race, a Travel Air 5000 monoplane
early 1950s. had made the flight but did not achieve Wheeler Field and crash-
As can be seen in “Warbird & Classic Report,” Yanks Air landed on one of the nearby islands. Still, it was the first civilian
Museum is busy on a variety of projects and their Kingcobra should flight from California to Hawaii. In the actual Dole Air Race, two
be flying by the time this appears in print. The Kingcobra project other Travel Air 5000s were entered and these aircraft comprised
has been a major effort on the part of the Yanks restoration crew the talents of Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Lloyd Stearman —
since all the vital components needed to make such a rare fighter an incredible grouping of American aeronautical creativity. The fact
airworthy are now quite difficult to come by. It was really something that the winning Travel Air has survived until today and is available
to see Chuck Gardner bring the Joe Yancey Allison to life and listen for all to see is another minor miracle. The Dole Air Race saw a
not only to the beautiful sound of the V-12 but also the curious combination of bravery and foolhardiness as a band of aviators set
noise made by the long driveshaft. out to gain the prize. The fact that only two of the aircraft made it to
Stopping by several of the smaller hangars, we saw work Wheeler Field is a reminder that progress comes at a heavy price.
progressing on a number of projects including a Travel Air biplane I have decided to extend the Aviation Book Club sale for an
and several T-6s while other hangars had a few rare aircraft that additional month since response has been heavy. Some of the out-
have not moved in decades and we will be having more on those in of-print titles are now completely gone so this is a final chance to get
upcoming issues. So, as we battle the myriad of problems of daily great books at a discount. We are also pushing our gift subscriptions
life we are also blessed by the fact that a number of new historic because what makes a better gift than getting the best in aviation
aircraft are returning to the sky courtesy of the owners and the history every month? Both these endeavors aid in keeping Air
talented individuals restoring them. Classics alive and well. We appreciate all the support of each and
That brings me to a statement made elsewhere in this issue — every reader and look forward to a better future for all of us.
“history really isn’t history until we have changed it.” As we know,
in today’s culture history has become a subject that can be molded MICHAEL O’LEARY/PUBLISHER
to the particular whims of the moment. Even though a great deal of CHALLENGE PUBLICATIONS
secrecy has surrounded the making the Spielberg/Hanks nine-part [email protected]

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WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLA
R
COMPILED BY DOUG FISHE
The two replica Forts on their hardstands.
MASTERS OF THE AIR
The nine-part series Masters of the Air will soon be on Apple TV+. It is the
third in the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks produced series that includes Band
of Brothers and The Pacific. The show is being adapted from Donald Miller’s
book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War
Against Nazi Germany while several other works such as The Luck of the Draw
have also been utilized. The producers are known for attention to detail so a
USAAF base was recreated at the ex-RAF Abingdon and two static but relatively
accurate B-17s were built for the production along with numerous sections
of B-17s that were utilized for studio interior work. Sets for a bombed-out
German town, POW camp, London, etc., were also built. The static replica
Forts were parked on wartime hardstands and lifted into the air for filming.
Hopefully, Britain’s airworthy B-17G Sally B will be able to make some vitally
Dirt and sand spread on the hardstand, indicating the series may show needed income by being used in the filming. At least two British civil registered
when the 100th BG flew to North Africa.
P-51s were used in the film along with what English spotters had noted as a
“Russian-marked Spitfire” (see this issue’s cover story). However, “history
really isn’t history until we have changed it” has the two Mustangs painted in
Red Tails markings. If these aircraft are being used in conjunction with the
100th Bomb Group, then it should be noted that the Red Tails never escorted
that unit. The first two WWII series by Spielberg/Hanks were hugely popular
and we are sure Masters of the Air will follow in their footsteps.
One of the Forts being suspended for aerial filming.
The Mustangs painted with Red Tail markings. The 100th BG never
was escorted by the Red Tails
Detail of an air raid shelter

built in London and
covering a modern-day
Fort on its hardstand minus propellers. Note the very early style top turret. Detail of a wrecked B-17F. tattoo parlor.
ASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT
KINGCOBRA CLOSE TO
FLIGHT
On 20 January, Bell P-63A-7-BE Kingcobra
N94501 had its Joe Yancey Allison V-1710-111
engine run-up prior to a first flight, which will
probably have taken place by press time. The
fighter has been completely restored by the team at
Yanks Air Museum and is shortly to become one of
only four airworthy Kingcobras. “Restoration of the
P-63A has had its challenges,” states Yanks’ Frank
Wright. “Some of the parts are really rare to come
by and we had to do a lot of searching.” Veteran
Warbird pilot Chuck Gardner was on hand to run
the P-63A and also fly Yanks’ Curtiss P-40E. The
museum is in the process of bringing a number
of their aircraft back to full flight status including
the rare Lockheed C-40, Beech Staggerwing, and
others. Look for a full report on the P-63 in a
future issue. Chuck Gardner brings the Kingcobra to life on 20 January.
Veteran Warbird pilot Chuck Gardner relaxes

after this P-40E flight and before running the
P-63A. Allison engine builder Joe Yancey with the Kingcobra.
The Bf 108/Nord N-1000 G-OTME after restoration. The Bf 108 was

one of the most advanced pre-war civilian aircraft.
TAIFUN BACK IN THE AIR

Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun (Typhoon) G-OTME is back up and flying.
During January, Clive Denny took the classic 108 up for its first post-
restoration test flight in England. The aircraft is actually a French-built Nord
N-1000 Pingouin (Penguin) and it had been completed during 1945 as one
of a number of German designs built by the French. It went on the French
civil register as F-TEUC and then F-BAUL. In 1994, it received the American
civil registration of N108E with Richard Rooney of Hawaii and Texas and was
reengined with an American flat-six, thus losing some of that classic look
when fitted with the original Argus powerplant. In 2014, that registration
was cancelled and the plane was shipped to Britain where it was eventually Clive Denny in the cockpit of the plane. Note how the canopy folds
restored back to flight. forward to allow easy access to the cabin.
Work continues on completing Tsunami.

The nose of N3333E after hitting the Malibu.
TSUNAMI MOVES FORWARD
MUSTANG MEETS MALIBU As Matt Jackson recently explained, the Reno Air Races as we knew it are
Taxi accidents are a fact of life and during WWII they were extremely now a thing of the past. Will this change and will we once again see a ramp
common. On 27 December 2022, North American P-51D N3333E was taxiing full of highly-modified, fire-breathing Unlimited racers? That is hard to say
for takeoff at Houston Executive Airport in Texas and heading to the runup but if the recent trend of a parade of basically stock aircraft flying in an oval
area. The pilot was s-turning to keep traffic in sight as two other aircraft were continues, then those days of fabulous speed are well and truly over. Work
ahead of him and preparing for takeoff. Unaware that the pilot of a Piper continues, however, on rebuilding the wreck of the Sandberg Tsunami racer
Malibu had stopped short of the run-up area, the Mustang hit the Piper, and significant progress has been made as can be seen in recent photos. If
destroying a good portion of the tail section. Immediately shutting down the completed, if made flyable, and if entered at Reno, then there is probably little
Merlin, the pilot of the Mustang exited the cockpit and waved down the Malibu doubt that this pure racing machine would come in first. Currently, its only real
to make sure the pilot would not try to takeoff. competition is Dreadnought.

OV-10 2213 seems to be maintained in decent

condition but it certainly would find a better home
at Chino Airport with the OV-10 Squadron.
Bronco 2213 while in operational service with the Colombian Air

The unusual sight of a Bronco parked in a grassy field. Force during 2008.
FORLORN BRONCO
The Colombian Air Force operated a small number of North American OV-10 Broncos, often flown by American pilots, as interceptors of illegal aircraft entering
Colombian air space. In 2003, the US and Colombian governments began Operation Air Bridge Denial, which was an elaborate program to stop the illegal flights. Using a
network of radars, aircraft, and people, Air Bridge Denial detected, intercepted, and either forced or shot down such aircraft. These planes were often bringing in money
and weapons for communist rebels and then flying out massive amounts of drugs. In the first 3.5-years of operation, Air Bridge Denial reduced illegal flights by 70%
while also seizing 15 tons of cocaine. Radar would identify an unauthorized entry, then a Cessna Citation with radar and other specialized gear would be launched to check
out the plane and determine if it was illegal. If it was illegal, armed OV-10s would be scrambled to intercept the aircraft. If the planes refused to land, the OV-10s would
shoot them down. Although the program did not produce any aces, a number of these smuggling flights were destroyed in the air by the Bronco pilots. Since that time,
the Bronco fleet has pretty much faded away. Colombian Air Force Bronco 2213 was recently spotted in a field in Tocaima, Colombia. As can be seen, the plane is resting
on old tires rather than its landing gear but otherwise it appears complete and cared for.
Colt RA-71165 in happier days. Note the partially cannibalized An 2 to the left.
ANOTHER COLT
DESTROYED
Although rarely seen in the West, the Antonov
An 2 Colt is heavily utilized in Russia by numerous
small airlines that service really remote areas.
As we have noted in past issues, this massive
vintage biplane has a poor safety record and the
latest statistic is An 2R registration RA-71165. The
aircraft was operated by Naryan-Mar Air Enterprise
on a passenger flight from Ust-Kara airstrip in
Russia to Karatayka Airport. However, bad weather
prevented the biplane from landing at Karatayka so
a decision was made to attempt a landing at nearby
Varandey Airport. A short time later, the Colt
slammed into the ground in extremely low visibility
and severe icing conditions. The captain and one
passenger were killed while ten others survived. The Colt after impacting the ground while flying in poor weather.
Skywarrior BuNo 142251 is gently off-

loaded from USS Midway.
The Skywarrior was replaced by F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 129565.

CUTLASS FOR MIDWAY MUSEUM
During January 2023, Pacific Maritime Group was tasked by the USS
Midway Museum to move some rare aircraft. The huge floating crane from
DB Pacific offloaded a Douglas A-3 Skywarrior from the Midway’s flight deck
and replaced it with Chance Vought F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 129565, one of the
rarest early jet fighters. The Cutlass is on loan from the National Naval Aviation
F7U-3 129565 will be painted as one of the prototype Cutlasses (and
Museum in Pensacola. The plan is to repaint the Cutlass to represent one of a far different looking aircraft than the -3 variant) operated from the
the prototype aircraft used to carrier qualify the type aboard the Midway. USS Midway during carrier qualification trials in 1951.
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Vought F4U-4P under restoration in France with the identity of BuNo 122179 but at least one American Corsair carries the same identity.
FRENCH CORSAIR
In Jura, France, work is progressing on the restoration of ex-USN, ex-Honduran Air Force Vought F4U-4P Corsair BuNo 122179. However, as we have noted
in the past, there is some controversy as to the actual identity of this machine. Numerous Corsair hulks were returned from Honduras and it seems at least two
ex-Honduras machines have this bureau number identity. Parts were swapped around through various projects so who knows what is really what?
OFF FOR OVERHAUL

During January, Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV
MV293 was loaded onto a trailer for a road trip
to Sywell where it will receive a major overhaul.
Completed in late 1944, the aircraft went into
storage at RAF Lyneham before being supplied
to the Indian Air Force. After operational use, it
was used as a training aid at a technical college in
Jalahali where it was found by Doug Arnold and
exported to Blackbushe, England, in 1978 for his
growing Warbirds of Great Britain. The fighter
arrived in a crate on 26 May and was registered as
G-BGHB. Eventually purchased by Stephen Grey’s
The Fighter Collection, the plane was moved to
Duxford for restoration as G-SPIT and made its
Spitfire MV293/G-
first post-restoration flight on 14 August 1992. It SPIT shortly after
was initially painted in a post-war overall aluminum restoration in its
scheme and was repainted in the markings seen in overall sprayed
aluminum finish.
the photos during 2000.
As one of the founding aircraft of The Fighter Collection, MV293

has seen a lot of hard use and restoration standards have changed
The Mk. XIV being loaded at Duxford for the trip to Sywell. considerably since its first post-restoration flight in 1992.
Texan EAN 795 on display as a memorial.

MEXICO TEXAN
In Mexico, a volunteer group is being formed to restore a North
American Texan to its former glory. Over the years, the Mexican Air
Force operated a large selection of the famous advanced trainer. EAN
795 was flown for many years before being placed as a monument
to the Mexican Air Force pilots. The airframe has extensive corrosion
so lots of work will be required. Fortunately, several businesses hold
Texan EAN 795 when operational with the Mexican Air Force. large inventories of Texan airframe spares.
The C-47 makes for an odd sight against the picturesque

The unidentified C-47 is completely covered in “art work.” scenery.
ABANDONED GOONEY
BIRD
Croatia and Bosnia are very remote countries
and little is known about abandoned historic
aircraft within those nations. Plitvice, Croatia, is
home to a magnificent 33,000-acre national park
that holds many natural wonders. Plitvice also
shares the border with Bosnia and it is also the
final resting place for a completely unidentified
Douglas C-47 near the equally abandoned Zeljava
Aerial view shows that the Gooney Bird is basically intact. Air Base, which dates from the time the area was
ruled by Yugoslavia (there were two Republic
F-84s parked nearby as recently as 2012). The
base had an advanced communications center
that served as a Cold War ballistic missile
early warning system but what made the base
interesting is that it was built inside a hollowed-
out mountain in an effort to render it safe from
enemy attack. During what is locally called the
Croatian War of Independence, the area saw
heavy fighting and Yugoslav forces drew back but
not before planting explosives and destroying the
base and its runways. Basically intact, the C-47
has suffered heavily from vandals and tourists
that feel the need to leave their “mark.” The air
base has a dark and evil feeling and numerous
signs warn the traveler that the area is full of
armed mines. Further information is welcome.
Classic view of N2520B when operated by Braniff Airlines. The aircraft was photographed at
Love Field on 10 March 1957. (Art Carter)
The “Pirate Airplane” has been kept in good conditions and over the years it has received a
variety of paint schemes.
CONNIE IN BOLIVIA
A well-maintained Lockheed L.049 Constellation is in a public park off Avenue Uruguay in central
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. It is known by locals as the “Pirate Airplane.” Registered N2520B, the
aircraft entered Bolivian air space on 30 July 1961 while on a smuggling
flight (the interior was packed with cigarettes and whiskey). Four Bolivian
Air Force P-51D Mustangs were scrambled to intercept the intruder.
Finding their target, the Mustangs made passes directly in front of the
triple-tail classic and then fired machine guns to convince the pilots to
land, which they did at Santa Cruz. So, for over six decades the Connie
has been a local attraction.
MAPS Corsair heading towards completion.

MAPS CORSAIR
More progress has been made on completing the static display replica of
a Goodyear FG-1D Corsair at the Military Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS)
Museum. Using an original center section and other original parts, numerous
other components have been obtained through trading or by simply making
replica replacements. Once finished, the FG-1D will be displayed as a tribute
to the Rosie and Ralph the Riveters that built the fighters during the war.
WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT • WARBIRD & CLASSIC REPORT
Fairey Battle Mk. I L5156 of the Royal Australian Air Force over the
Gippsland coast of Victoria during WWII.
FAIREY BATTLE RESTORATION

During the early days of WWII, the Fairey Battle light bombers operated
by the Royal Air Force and Belgium Air Force were shot out of the sky by the
Luftwaffe. Totally unsuited for combat over Europe, the Battles were withdrawn
and sent to training units as far away as South Africa. Many Battles found their
way to Canada where they were used as gunnery trainers. With the end of the
war, surviving examples were sold off for a few dollars. Today, the Battle is a
very rare item so we are pleased to learn that an example of the type is under
restoration at the South Australian Aviation Museum.
The aircraft is Battle Mk. I that carried the RAF serial N2188 and was one of
189 such variants built by Fairey at its Stockport factory in Greater Manchester
and delivered to the RAF in the first half of 1939. It saw some RAF service Corroded wing sections of N2188 recovered from the mangrove
with an Operational Training Unit but was later crated for shipment to Australia, swamp.
arriving by ship at Geelong on 27 June 1941. Assembled, it was mainly used for
air gunnery training.
However, on 31 August 1942 the Battle force-landed in the sea off Port
Pirie. This was in salt water but the plane was pulled out and rebuilt and
returned to service. On 7 May 1943, there was another forced-landing near
Port Pirie and the plane came down in a mangrove swamp, tearing off the
landing gear in the process. The pilot Charles Sadler stated that “the cause was
a broken connecting rod that cut through the sump, causing oil to cover the
windscreen and resultant loss of power.” There were no injuries and whatever
that was useful was removed and the hulk was abandoned until 1973 when
early Warbird collector Pearce Dunn of the Warbirds Aviation Museum at
Mildura was looking for aircraft hulks in the area and this led to a search that
eventually, and through a lot of difficulty, found N2188.
This started a lengthy recovery of the hulk, which began in earnest on There are components from probably two dozen Battles that have
28/31 March 1975 with the cutting down of the many mangrove trees that gone into the static restoration of N2188.
surrounded the plane. It was no easy task and parts were often floated out on 55-gallon drums through the swamp. The final pieces were not recovered until the
early 1980s. The project became the property of Stephen Nitschke and it was traded to the Museum (along with a Merlin for a Battle) in exchange for a Winjeel
trainer. In the meantime, Nitschke had discovered ten Battle cockpit sections that had been dumped in swamps around Port Pirie and these went with the project.
Battle parts were obtained from collectors around the world and progress is finally being made on completing the aircraft.
As can be seen, there is little in value remaining with the Skymaster

and another piece of aviation history is lost forever.
The former North American/Temco/Vought factory disappears in a
JUST WHAT YOU NEED firestorm.
As reported in past issues, the Propliners stored at Marana Northwest MORE HISTORY LOST
Regional Airport are being scrapped since airport management views them On 26 December 2022, a raging blaze destroyed much of the former
as “unsightly.” Douglas C-54B that was built as USAAF 44-9006 before going North American Aviation/Temco/Vought factory at Grand Prairie, Texas.
to the Navy as R5D BuNo 90392 and then operated in civilian use as Tanker Thousands of the world’s most important combat aircraft had been built at this
147 has been partially scrapped. An intact Skymaster has value but the owner location. The historic factory had been listed as “condemned” with no thought
of the aircraft is now offering the remains for sale but they are probably not of preserving any portion of this once-important piece of the “Arsenal of
worth any more than scrap. Democracy.” It is thought that a homeless encampment set the fire. AC
1944 Chance Vought F4U-1D 1944 Chance Vought 1955 F4U-1D Douglas AD
Bu No. 82640 VH-QW Bu No. 82640 VH-QWBu. No. 135178
Price Reduced $3,500,000 Price Reduced $3,500,000 $1,250,0
(For a limited time only due to(For
USD/
a limited time only due to USD/
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©Aviation
©Aviation
©Aviation Photocrew
Photocrew
Photocrew
©Keith Charlot
©Keith Charlot
1944 Chance Vought F4U-1D 1955 Douglas AD-5 Skyraider
1944 Chance Vought F4U-1D 1955
1944Bu No.
BuChance
82640
No. 82640VoughtVH-QW
F4U-1D
VH-QW Bu.Douglas AD-5 N62466
No. 135178 Skyraider
Price Reduced $3,500,000 1955 Douglas AD-5
Bu. No.$1,250,000 Skyraider
135178 N62466
Bu No. 82640 VH-QW
Price Reduced $3,500,000 Bu. No.$1,250,000
135178 N62466
(For 1950 Fairey Firefly AS-6
a limited time only due to USD/
Price Reduced $3,500,000 1945 Goodyear FG
(For a limited time only due
AUD Exchange Rates) to USD/ 1950 $1,250,000
Fairey Firefly AS-6
(For a limited
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time onlyRates) s/n 135129 N518WB Bu No. 92106
due to USD/ s/n 135129 N518WB Damaged in
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1950 Fairey Firefly AS-6 1945 Goodyear FG-1D Corsair

1950
s/n Fairey
135129Firefly
N518WB AS-6 1945
BuGoodyear
No. 92106FG-1D Corsair
C-GVWC
1950
1955 s/n Fairey
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Douglas
1955Multiple
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Damaged in 2019Corsair
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1945 Goodyear FG-1D Corsair
ADVENTURES WITH
TANKER 15
A YOUNG COPILOT LEARNS

THE ROPES ABOARD A
FLYING FORTRESS
BY MIKE HEINY Tanker 15 unloads on a fire. The
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE WHITBY retardant tank was equipped with four
doors and the pilot could chose to use
from one to four doors on his drop.
o begin, let’s get some of Tanker 15’s retardant. This brought Tanker 15 to It was February 1974, when I talked
T historical information out of the
way. This Flying Fortress was built by
64,000 pounds, and on a hot day she
would not climb out of ground affect
to an ag operator in Colusa, California,
by the name of Davis Aviation who said
Douglas as B-17G USAAF 44-83868, (50/60 feet) until the landing gear was if I would start as a flagger and loader
making its first flight on 4 July 1945 up, which takes about 20+ seconds to for one year (at $1.25 per hour) he
as one of the last Forts built. It was retract. You will find this information would put me in a seat the next year. I
transferred to the US Navy, ferried to to be pertinent as our story unfolds. should have taken notice that his lips
NAS Johnsville, and converted to PB- Our tale starts in the early 1970s were moving, therefore he was lying.
1W BuNo 77233. It was retired to NAS when the family and I were living in What he was really saying is “I need an
Litchfield Park on 2 December 1957 Montara, California (Half Moon Bay). idiot to do all the grunt work around
with a total of 3484 flying hours and I had made up my mind to quit the the hangar and then, when the season
placed for surplus sale. The first owner hard-hat diving business and get into starts, to stand all day in the fields
was American Compressed Steel and crop dusting. At that time, I had a waving a row flag while getting sprayed
the plane was registered as N5237V. It Comm/Inst/CFI/Multi certificate and with God only knows what.” All of
was then flown to Love Field in Dallas had accumulated about 750 hours with this was to be completed as the sun
and parked with a number of other maybe 200 of that in tailwheel aircraft. baked your brain in 105-degree temps.
PB-1Ws and offered for sale. The FAA Tailwheel aircraft are more difficult to Usually your two bottles of water lasted
certificated its gross takeoff weight at handle on the ground and tailwheel until about 10 am. Oh, and forget
65,000 pounds. The main fuel tanks, aircraft with multiple engines have an about eating. This is why they pay the
holding a total of 427 gallons each, even higher level of orneriness. big bucks. You’ll love this part: I yelled
are located in the wings behind each It took me about a year of traveling into the receiver to “hold that job, I’m
engine. Engines burn 50 gallons per all over California to realize it was coming.”
hour each; oil capacity is 37.5 gallons easier to be a “made man” in the Mafia I quit my $ 12.50+ per hour hard-
(across) each engine. The fire-fighting than to get an agricultural flying job. hat diving job and left for Colusa. I
slurry tanks holds 1800 gallons of I once told an operator that I had soon found that washing those ratty
retardant at ten pounds per gallon — a Stearman time. He said that meant old Stearman dusters was as close as I
total of 18,000 pounds. This particular nothing to him. “Do you have any was ever going to get to an ag job. So,
old PB-1W still had a lot of non- Consolidated Fleet time?” he replied when I had time, I went back to Half
essential military items that had not No! But I do have a lunar landing Moon Bay and picked up the AT-6D
been stripped out. At sea level, our full under my belt! His answer: “That’s (I was in a partnership with nine other
load consisted of 350 gallons (across) nothing — a guy before you said he guys) and flew back to Davis Aviation.
each tank, full oil, and 18,000 pounds had two and I didn’t hire him either!” In the evenings after work, I would
fly over town when I returned to the Rare photo of PB-1W N5237V on its
airport, I would find a few folks who ferry flight for conversion as a fire-
bomber.
wanted a ride. I actually made more
money flying rides in the T-6 than
Davis paid me.
One afternoon I did a ride with
a guy named Rob who said he was
also a pilot so in one of aviation’s
best traditions, we went to a local bar.
As the drinks went down, I began
to realize what a BS’er this guy was.
He said I had done a first-rate job
flying aerobatics and that he was so
impressed he would hire me to be
his co-pilot on a B-17 air tanker. The
requirements were: 1000 hours total
time, 100 hours B-17 time, and a
Comm/Inst/Multi. The job paid $700
per month and $10 per flight hour,
plus expenses away from base. asked for my logbook or even a look at fire-fighting company). I attended the
My answer was, “Is that all? Got my certificates. classes and flew with Rob, however,
you covered across the board. Put me At 7 am, with Jack flying, we TBM would not pay for me to be typed.
in, coach”. boarded an Aztec for the 2.5-hour flight The training made us a team by the
“Great, be at Jack Henry’s duster to Redman. On landing we taxied up to time we left for our primary California
strip tomorrow at 8 am and bring a Flying Fortress Tanker 15, shut down station at Porterville. Over the next six
bag,” said my new friend Rob. the Aztec’s right engine, and Rob and months our team performance varied
I didn’t believe a word he said, so I got out. Jack fired up and was gone. from “Good” at times to “Dumb &
the next morning my hangover and Rob opened the nose boarding hatch, Dumber.”
I were a little late getting to work at threw in our bags and told me to check I would soon learn that my buddy
Davis Dusters. The foreman asked the turbine buckets, turn on turbine Rob was a far better liar than me. He
what I was doing there, since Jack oil, and do the walk around. With that had BS’ed Jack on his fire-fighting
Henry had called to tell him that he he swung up and into the small hatch background, only had one season as
had hired me so I wouldn’t be showing — just like in the movies. co-pilot, but he was a damn good pilot.
up. “WHAT!” I jumped into the AT-6 While I was standing there looking However, his instrument flying skills
and flew to Henry’s small dirt strip. at a very big airplane, I heard the were not the best. The bottom line was,
It was about 9 am when I walked onboard auxiliary power unit (APU) we were learning the business together
into the office where I was met by a big start. I was still standing there when and I think we ultimately preformed
man with an even bigger voice. Our the pilot’s window slid open and Rob very well. It is during our learning
conversation went something like this: was staring at me. After a long moment curve that my story in centered.
“Who the hell are you? Who the hell he said, “You lying SOB! You don’t It was a gorgeous day in Santa
told you it was okay for you to land have a clue and you don’t have any Rosa, California. After topping off
that piece of crap on my property?” time in a B-17!” Tanker 15 with 350 gallons across
“Sir my name is Mike H—.” I answered with all of the audacity and 1800 gallons of retardant, we
“Heiny, hell! I fired you when you I could muster, hoping he would see were dispatched north of Ukiah to
didn’t show this morning. Get out of some humor in it. “Hey, the airplane I hit lighting strikes (fires). We were
here and don’t call me sir!” flew was green and this one is silver!” to contact the AirCo (USFS airborne
“Yes sir, I mean, Jack. But sir, I Rob was still laughing when he met controller) for targets. (Note: Tanker
mean Jack, I didn’t believe Rob last me on the ramp. After about an hour 15 had four drop doors and we could
night. I thought he was full of crap.” of pre-flight training and inspection pre-select one to four doors). As we
“Okay, okay! Stop whining.” I was now seated in the co-pilot seat pulled up from our fourth drop on a
Turning to Rob he said, “Have him and learning the startup procedures. small fire, the AirCo said “very good
fill out an employment application Needless to say, I was of very little job Tanker 15, now load and return at
and you two be ready to leave at 6 am assistance in that first takeoff and flight Rohnerville.”
tomorrow. Tanker 15 is at Redman, to Chico, California. Rob asked me, “Where the hell
Oregon, and ready for pickup.” I It would be Chico’s Aero Union is Rohnerville?” I had no clue, but a
completed the one-page form with the Inc. that would provide a type rating in quick look at the Flight Guide gave all
same information I had given Rob the Tanker 15 to Rob. He was the newest of the info. It is just east of Fortuna,
night before. Believe or not I was not Captain for TBM Inc. (Jack Henry’s on a plateau above the town. The
For a brief time, N5237V operated as Tanker 65 and the PB-1W
is seen returning after a fire drop with Tanker 22, which is now
owned by the Collings Foundation.
approaches and length of the strip out to check the turbos and did a quick up on the main wheels at 80-mph.
got my attention: A narrow 4000-foot walk around while Rob viewed the load At that point, an abort could not be
strip with trees at both ends, uphill in the slurry tanks. I was looking at the accomplished and stay on the existing
to the east. I informed Rob that I did end of the runway, thinking that those runway, so we were committed. At our
not like the looks of Rohnerville. We damn trees were high. weight we would normally rotate at
then spotted Tanker 17 coming in to Rob called out from inside while 105-mph, but I could see that was not
relieve us. It was also a TBM tanker loading; “What about downloading?” going to happen. The only talk in the
and a B-17 (today it’s the CAF’s B-17G “All right, maybe we should,” I cockpit was me calling out every 10-
Sentimental Journey in Arizona). We shouted. Too late! The 1800 gallons of mph increment over 80 and that all was
asked them where they were out of and heavy retardant were already onboard. in the green. I swear those trees were
their answer was Rohnerville. I then “Shutdown!” Rob yelled to the loaders. growing by the second.
asked what they were carrying out of As we settled into the cockpit and I had just called 90-mph when,
Rohnerville. Their answer was 300 went through the startup, we were both from my line of sight, the end of the
across and 1800 gallons. looking at the trees. We discussed off- runway disappeared under the nose
As Rob and I discussed the loading a couple hundred gallons, but of the airplane. I hit the landing gear
problems that Rohnerville appeared that would take an hour and really piss up switch (whatever happened from
to have, I made one of those Dumb & off the tank farm crew, to say nothing of that point on we would have no need
Dumber statements: “What the hell, showing our indecision and ineptitude. of them), pulled the cowl flaps fully
if Tanker 17 can do it we can do it!” (Note: In hard-hat diving we know that closed, and opened the turbos to full
We had been in the air for an hour indecision will kill you, but somehow military power. The result was over-
so we were now 300 gallons across. that fact escaped me as I sat in the right boosting and pushing the engine
Since we all know that stupid decisions seat of the Flying Fortress). manifold pressure to a point well
are contagious, Rob smiled and said Rob took the runway and lined up beyond 50-inches. I never looked to see
“You’re right. Let’s do it!” with the mains on the threshold and the resulting manifold pressure.
As we made our easterly approach the tail wheel in the weeds and I locked Indicating 95-mph, we both had
to Rohnerville, we were amazed by the tail wheel. Our normal takeoff our hands tightly wrapped around
the height of the trees on the extended procedure was to hold the brakes and the yokes and pulled Tanker 15 off,
center line of the runway. Rob asked advance the throttles to 32-inches of knowing at that point we could not
me what I thought of downloading to manifold pressure and 2500-rpm then, out-climb the damn trees. Looking
1500 or 1600 gallons. when everything was in the green, I to the right, we saw a drop in the tree
My answer was, “I don’t know. what would release the brakes. line as it descended down the side of
you think?” This takeoff was very different; we the plateau. Just as Tanker 15 started
“I don’t know either, maybe,” Rob went to 40-inches MP and at brake to shudder at the impending stall, we
came back. release moved quickly to full takeoff threw her into a 30-degree right bank
We were landing downwind because power of 48-inches and 2500-rpm. with the nose coming down. The right
the USFS retardant tank farm was at the The B-17 is not a quick starter. It wing grazed through some tree limbs.
east end of the single runway field. We gathered speed slowly downhill into a She was still shuddering but we could
shutdown in the loading area and I got 10-mph wind. We approached midfield see all the way downhill to Fortuna.
And down we went, picking up The rather tired cockpit of Tanker
speed little by little. Finally, over town 15 was basically in USN PB-1W
configuration.
at TV antenna and chimney height she
stopped shuddering. We were flying! I
dialed back the turbos to 48-inches and
cracked open the cowl flaps and started
nursing the flaps up. By the time we hit
120-mph, we were over Humbolt Bay
at 50 feet, had climb power set and the
cowl flaps open, and temps started to
return from the high end of red. As we
started our turn back toward the coast,
the first words were spoken by Rob. He
keyed his mike and said; “What we are
not doing again is hauling 1800 gallons
out of Rohnerville!”
That evening we were having
dinner and drinks with the older and
more experienced crew of Tanker 17.
After Rob and I related our terrifying
takeoff that afternoon, the Tanker 17
guys were speechless. I think we both
thought the silence was due to their
amazement at our fabulous flying skills
that saved the day. To our surprise,
Tanker 17’s crew was not in the least
impressed with us. In fact, just before
they got up to leave the table, they gave
us one hell of a dressing-down.
Their point seemed to be: How
we could be so stupid as to try to haul
1800 gallons out of Rohnerville? I
reminded them that I had called and
asked what they were hauling out of
that field and was told 300 across and
1800! That statement seemed to really
set them off. There was screaming and
cursing to the point that we were all
asked the leave the restaurant.
Out in the parking lot, Tanker 17’s
Capt. Bobby (who had been Rob’s type
check pilot) calmed down and began
to speak so we could understand. We
fully realized he was unhappy with us,
but why?
“Yes,” he said. “I did tell you what
Photographer Steve Whitby in the cockpit of Tanker 15 when the Fort was operating out
we hauled out of Rohnerville. What of Hemet, California. Note the streamlined fiberglass nose that had been added by Aero
you two nitwits failed to understand Union. This aircraft is now on display in the RAF Museum in England.
is that Tanker 17 is a stripped-down is about all it is good for. And on top of Tanker 15. But he was way off base
Fortress with new engines and props. of everything else, we know what the attacking our piloting abilities! How
I thought even you two stupid SOBs hell we are doing and you two quite could he not understand that it was
would have figured out by now that obviously do not!” our superior piloting skills that flew
you are piloting a flying junkyard. If memory serves me correctly, that a heavier and poorer performing
Tanker 15’s empty weight is 3000 was the last time we ever talked to the airplane with 300 gallons across and
pounds heavier, the engines and Tanker 17 crew. However, over more 1800 gallons out of Rohnerville?
props are worn out, and the number beers we debriefed the points Bobby Unbelievable!
three engine is burning 8/10 gallons had made. Our conclusion: He was PS: God looks after foolish pilots as
of oil per hour. Running a generator mostly correct about the shortcomings well as drunks. AC
BY TRAVEL AIR
TO HAWAII
THE ILL-CONCEIVED DOLE AIR RACE OF 1927 WOULD BECOME KNOWN BY MANY NAMES INCLUD
ING
WOULD BE
“PINEAPPLE DERBY” AND “DEATH DERBY.” THREE TRAVEL AIR MODEL 5000 TRANSPORTS N FORCE
MODIFIED AS UNLIKELY RACERS AND GAIN FAME WHILE MAKING WALTER BEECH AN AVIATIO
TO BE RECKONED WITH - BY MAL HALCOMBE
y any standard, the 1927 Dole Air which to prepare specialized aircraft. failed as Smith wanted
B Race to Hawaii was a disaster.
The sky road to the starting point at
Some of the punch was taken out
of the event when, on 28 June 1927,
to press on but Carter
said he would activate
Oakland Airport in northern California US Army Air Corps Lieutenants Lester the emergency fuel dump valve if the
was littered with wrecked aircraft and Maitland and Albert Hegenberger flight continued. Back at Oakland, Carter
dead pilots. Capitalizing on America’s piloted an Atlantic-Fokker C-2 tri-motor quit the enterprise while Smith got a new
sudden “airmindness” following Charles named Bird of Paradise from Oakland navigator by the name of Emory Bronte.
Lindbergh’s flight to Paris, pineapple to Wheeler Army Airfield on Oahu The pair departed for Hawaii on 14 July.
king James D. Dole announced on 25 following a relatively trouble-free flight After 26 hours and 26 minutes in the air,
May 1927 that he would put forth a to become the first airmen to cross the they ran out of fuel and crash-landed in
prize of $25,000 for the first aircraft Pacific. Pilot Ernie Smith and navigator trees on the island of Molokai. They thus
to fly from Oakland to Honolulu C.H. Carter had arrived at Oakland became the first civilians to cross the
(there was a $10,000 prize for second). a bit earlier than the Army tri-motor Pacific to Hawaii by air but did not reach
Dole also had visions of Lindbergh and the pair hoped to parallel the Air the target goal of Wheeler Field.
participating in the event to create even Corps flight. They would use a Travel Making the flight across the Pacific
more public excitement. Fortunately, 5000 named City of Oakland but had was a daring proposition but if one
Lindbergh had better things to do. mechanical difficulties and took off were a betting person, certainly the
The start for the Dole Air Race was two hours after the Army pilots. They odds would favor a three-engine aircraft
scheduled for August 1927, thus giving returned to Oakland with a damaged backed by the US military compared to
individuals that wished to participate windscreen. Apparently, the two men a single-engine plane being crewed on a
an absolutely minimal time period in had an argument after the windscreen limited budget by two civilians. However,
Vintage postcard illustrating the Travel Air factory with a Model
5000 overhead.
Art Goebel poses with Travel

Air 5000 Woolaroc. The aircraft
combined the talent of Walter Beech,
Lloyd Stearman, and Clyde
Cessna and pointed the way
toward modern aerial
transportation.
both made it across — albeit in second aircraft was fitted with a Wright to National Air Transport to fly on the
different stages of repair. What was J5C radial, similar to what Lindbergh Chicago to Dallas route along with other
the Travel Air 5000 and why was it suited had used in his Ryan Spirit of St. Louis. planned air mail routes.
to make a nearly impromptu jaunt across Taking a page from the Anthony The boxy fuselage of the Model 5000
the Pacific? Fokker design book, the fuselage was had a big advantage for those wishing
Looking nothing like a racing aircraft, built from welded steel tubing while to span the Pacific — lots of extra fuel
the Travel Air 5000 was a big, boxy the broad wings were of wooden could be crammed into the space once
monoplane with very little in the way construction and the whole airframe occupied by passengers while smaller
of streamlining. However, the aircraft covered in Irish linen. The passenger fuel tanks could be fitted into the wing.
embodied the talents of many famous cabin was a box-type affair with the Getting some sponsors, Smith managed
early aeronautical designers. The first pilot’s cockpit placed atop the fuselage to make a deal with Pacific Air Transport
5000 was designed by Clyde Cessna, and ahead of the wing leading edge in and purchased the aircraft, which did
who wanted to break away from the an enclosed cockpit. Capable of carrying not carry a civil registration but the
biplanes that dominated American civil four passengers, the Model 5000 was plane was identified by its construction
aviation. The prototype Model 5000 was also built with another market in mind number of 160. Quickly modified to have
powered by an Anzani radial of 110- — carrying the air mail. The first eight fuselage and wing fuel tanks plus a larger
hp and this left the machine distinctly production aircraft were acquired for air oil tank and a position for the navigator
underpowered. Accordingly, the design mail contracts and for passenger service along with a celestial port, surviving
was modified by a team including while the prototype was sold to Pacific photos show this particular aircraft to be
Cessna, Lloyd Stearman, and Walter Air Transport in April 1927. Those first somewhat crude in finish.
Beech beginning in the fall of 1926. The eight production machines would go On 28 June 1927, a crowd estimated
The Model 5000 was developed to create a transport that could carry passengers
and mail for the early airlines — and make a profit. This just-completed NAT example
shows how the pilot was placed above the fuselage and ahead of the wing leading
edge. Note all the extra window space added to improve visibility.
at 10,000 E. Byrd crossed the Atlantic in another

converged Fokker.
upon Bay Farm Ernie Smith was a confident 34-year-
Island, which old aviator that had joined the Army
was the location during the Great War and had gone
of the new and into the Air Service. Learning to fly at
very unfinished Rockwell Field in San Diego, Smith was
Oakland Airport. kept stateside as an instructor. After
The tri-motor and the war, he had a variety of flying jobs
the prototype 5000 including piloting for the Forest Service
were both present and for Pacific Air Transport. His
and San Francisco navigator for the Pacific flight would be
newspapers had merchant mariner Charles R. Carter.
been going crazy Using his position in the airline,
promoting the Smith gathered a group of sponsors to
dual flights, all buy the Travel Air. These were a diverse
couched in the selection of individuals that included
finest yellow Anthony Parente, a wealthy businessman
journalism. While with a questionable background from
Walter Beech was an astute businessman that would combine
forces with Lloyd Stearman and Clyde Cessna to create Travel all this was going the North Beach area of San Francisco.
Air. The company began building a relatively successful series of on, the popular Extensive contracts were drawn up
biplanes but Cessna wanted a monoplane and this would lead to
the Model 5000 and to Cessna eventually creating his own factory. Cmdr. Richard between the sponsors and the fliers
The Dole Air Race would have a great deal of the wind taken out
of its sails when the Air Service’s Fokker Atlantic C-2 Bird of
Paradise flew from Oakland to Hawaii with very few problems.

By hook or by crook, Ernie Smith would manage to get the prototype Model 5000 and
prepare it for a flight from Oakland to Hawaii. This close-up of the nose of the plane
named City of Oakland illustrates the hammered aluminum nose panels, Wright J5
engine, and the large entry door for the pilot.
“Arose a horde of
pompous men to boss
the job, as you may
ken; made sets of
rules to puzzle, fool,
as though the racers
saw no school; they
plotted charts, allotted
starts, ruled on gas
tanks, criticized parts,
befuzzled everything
worse ‘n tarts till they
wracked people’s
nerves, upset hearts —
pray tell me why.”
FRANK L. PHILLIPS
Ernie Smith in the cockpit of City of Oakland. Note the overall oil-splattered condition of 12 AUGUST 1927
the aircraft and the open cockpit.
but there were numerous public for Army fliers, the commander of the a big smile and managed to shrug this off
disagreements and, unfortunately, the field refused access to civilian aircraft when interviewed by reporters.
press learned of these and played them but the team from Bird of Paradise was When the big day came, weather was
to the hilt. The City of Oakland had been quite helpful with any assistance Smith good and the two aircraft rumbled aloft
overhauled, fitted with extra tanks and and Carter needed. The newspapers and headed west. Spectators staying at
a new engine, and given a good look at began to publish articles that the flight the field after the takeoff were startled
prior to test flights. This had been done of the Fokker and Travel Air was when less than two hours later, a speck
at San Francisco and Smith apparently “unsportsmanlike” since it was just a was seen in the sky approaching the field
wanted to fly out of Crissy Field, an Air short time prior to the Dole event. Most from the west. It was City of Oakland!
Corps base located in the Presidio next of this criticism fell upon Smith since Carter had apparently complained that
to the Golden Gate and thus a few miles the Dole Race was limited to just civilian his navigation portal was distorted and
closer to Hawaii. Virtually a country club aircraft but he was an affable fellow with this would make celestial navigation
Working on a shoestring budget,
the pair realized that no ships had been
stationed along their route (as had
been done with the Army fliers) and
that safety precautions were limited at
best. Messages had gone out to ships
at sea regarding the flight and to keep
a lookout. The aircraft had a radio and
other operators on shore and at sea
were given the City of Oakland’s receiver
frequency and asked to transmit any
messages no faster than ten words per
minute to the flyers, who were inexpert
The prototype Model 5000 differed in a number of ways from later aircraft. Adding a
burst of power from the J5C, Smith, along with the help of wing walkers, lines the City of operators. An inflatable raft and supplies
Oakland up for takeoff. for ten days were crammed in among
the fuel tanks while the crew also stored
carrier pigeons in the plane. This was
probably done as a publicity stunt for the
newspapers rather than having any truly
practical use.
As Smith and Bronte prepared for
takeoff, the crew of Bird of Paradise
arrived back in San Francisco and
received a hero’s welcome as well as huge
press coverage. Both men were at the
field early on the morning of 14 July to
supervise the loading of 367 gallons of
fuel. Smith calculated that at a cruise of
City of Oakland lifts into the sky. Note Smith’s head above the fuselage. 100-mph, there would be enough fuel
for about 33 hours of flight. The weather
over Oakland was good but Smith could
look off to the west and see a thick fog
bank covering the Golden Gate.
In a show of good sportsmanship,
the Army fliers arrived to wish Smith
and Bronte the best of luck. At 10:03 am,
The nerve-wracking trip across the Pacific led to a crash-landing. Although they did not
make Wheeler Field, the men became the first civilians to fly from California to Hawaii.
difficult if not impossible. Why this was withdrew his support and attempted to
not discovered prior to the event is not get a court injunction to keep the Travel
known. While that was being frantically Air on the ground. However, the rest of
fixed, Carter suddenly announced that the group moved forward and they found
he would not go along on the flight since a new navigator in the form of Emory
there was now no hope of beating the Bronte. Age 29, Bronte had entered the
Army fliers. There was a good chance Navy during the war and worked his
that the navigator had gotten cold feet way up to a master navigator, authoring
after seeing all that ocean from the air for a popular book on the subject. He
the first time. took flying lessons and soloed a Jenny Learning of the Dole Air Race, Art Goebel
What to do? Smith wanted to try but was not particularly interested in made a survey of suitable aircraft and
selected the Travel Air. However, hard-
again and his backers announced going further with aviation and instead dealing businessman Walter Beech
support for a second attempt — all planned to become a lawyer after the wanted nothing to do with the endeavor
but Goebel used his infectious personality
except for sponsor Edmund Moffett, who Hawaiian flight. to convince Beech to build him an aircraft.
the Travel Air taxied into position and
began a very slow takeoff roll. After about
700 feet, it suddenly lurched to the right
and came to a stop. The runway was a
crude affair covered with clumps of hard
dirt and filled with potholes. It appeared
that a wheel had dropped into a pothole.
There was a delay but only for about a
half-hour. The plane was judged to be
undamaged and once again they were
on the roll but both men must have had
their confidence shaken. At 10:39 am,
City of Oakland was airborne and Smith
Prior to the race, Goebel had been doing a lot of flying for the movies in southern
began circling the airfield to gain height California. In this photo, he is seen piloting a Curtiss Jenny with two wing walkers under
but this was difficult since the fuel load the Pasadena bridge.
was so heavy. Finally, he had no choice
but to head west and this meant flying
through the top of the fog layer hanging
over the Golden Gate.
After getting some height, they were
above the fog but it seemed the entire
ocean was blanketed in fog as they
pressed on. They were able to send radio
messages but two-hours into the flight
the receiver failed. This meant they could
still transmit but not receive. After that,
they released one of the pigeons at a
Beech was concerned that the Hawaiian racers might come to an ill-end and felt the small
prearranged distance of 200 miles then company should concentrate on the early airlines and businessmen as markets for the
at 400 miles another pigeon was released. Model 5000, such as NAT depicted in this Nixon Galloway watercolor.
They kept two pigeons with them in case
they were forced down at sea.
The cruising altitude varied between
3000 and 4000 feet but the fog always
remained below. The Travel Air and its
engine were operating perfectly and the
men sent out regular messages that were
filled with optimism. With the flight just
three weeks after the summer solstice,
complete darkness was minimized
but a new enemy crept into the cabin
— drowsiness that came from being It was right down to the wire but Travel Air completed Woolaroc soon before the Dole
strapped into a small confined space Air Race.
while being blasted by the roar of the
engine. They yelled and sang to stay
awake, drank coffee and ate sandwiches,
while always watching the instruments.
At the first faint blush of dawn, Smith
was jarred fully alert when the engine
began to run rough. Also, the fuel gauge
showed that they had been inexplicably
using more fuel than planned and
there was at least another six hours of
flying ahead of them. Bronte began
sending out messages telling what was
happening and about their concern
about making Hawaii. As it appeared
Oakland Airport was filthy with blowing dust and dirt. Woolaroc and Oaklahoma can be
that the fuel quantity was dropping
seen in this view. even faster, Bronte began sending out
Oklahoma receiving some last-minute work.
a series of SOS messages while giving
their position and asking for any ships
in the vicinity for their aid. Several ships
picked up the messages, changed course,
and headed for the last position at best
possible speed. Newspapers in California
and Hawaii had special editions stating
City of Oakland had gone down but that
rescue was imminent.
If he had to ditch the monoplane,
and knowing what the chances were with
that big fixed landing gear hanging below
the fuselage, Smith wanted to do it while
Woolaroc getting a load of Phillips Nu-Aviation fuel. he still had power. He gently reduced
altitude towards the dark sea and then
leveled the aircraft just above the water
— tearing off his trailing antenna in the
process. Suddenly, the engine roared
back into life. Perhaps the roughness had
been due to carb ice? With much of its
fuel now gone, the plane responded in a
more-sprightly manner as Smith pulled
back on the yoke in a climb to altitude.
Any tiredness the men may have had
evaporated with the burst of adrenaline
brought about by the near water landing.
Without their trailing antenna, they were
The race attracted a variety of aircraft including the improbable Catron & Fisk triplane now cut off from the outside world.
named Pride of Los Angeles. The creation was sponsored by popular actor Hoot Gibson. Picking up the SOS signals, the Matson
Line’s SS Wilhemina had deviated from
its normal course and headed for the
ditching position while hundreds of
passengers lined the railing and kept an
eye out for the fliers.
As the pink dawn began to radiate
to the west, Bronte yelled to Smith and
pointed to the southwest where he
spotted the looming 14,000-foot peaks of
Mauna Loa and Mauna Key on Hawaii,
the Big Island. Bronte’s navigation had
been spot-on but now the question
remained about the level of fuel. Were
Hoot Gibson was furious when the ungainly biplane mushed into the Oakland Estuary
the gauges accurate and were they
and was completely destroyed while on final approach to the field. running on fumes?
Smith decided to press on to Oahu
but as City of Oakland droned over the
rugged northeast coast of Molokai, the
engine gave a couple of splutters. Fuel
was close to being exhausted. Working
the fuel pump to get the last precious
drops, Bronte released the last two
pigeons and these were supposed to head
to a roost on the Big Island. The aviators
could just begin to see Oahu in the west
but now knew they were not going to
make their target.
Eyeing up the beach, Smith had to
make a decision and make it fast. If he set
down on the soft sand, the tires might George Covell and R.S. Waggener were to race the Tremaine Humming Bird.
dig in and flip the Travel Air upside
down, thus trapping them. He could see
a line of low trees on the top portion of
the beach and decided to try a landing
on them. Gently raising the nose as high
as possible while approaching a stall,
Smith mushed the plane into the trees
and shrubs. Both men were slammed
around as the City of Oakland crunched
to a halt with its gear splayed and left
wing broken. Opening the cabin door,
they staggered away from the wreck
even though they were having trouble
standing after 25 hours and 37 minutes
in the cockpit. They were only 60 miles
short of Wheeler Field. They would not On the way to Oakland, the Humming Bird flew directly into a cliff face and exploded.
have beaten Bird of Paradise’s time of 25 The usefulness of the Model 5000
hours and 43 minutes. was not lost on other pilots. After Dole
Word went out that the fliers were made his announcement, Beech received
alive. The Army sent aircraft to retrieve telegrams from 17 individuals wishing
them and bring the pair to Wheeler to have aircraft built for them in order to
Field where there were celebrations. participate in the race. Beech gathered
As a point of interest, none of the his trusted advisors and went through
pigeons ever reached their targets. Back the requests. A number were rejected
on the mainland, there was a flurry on presumed inability to pay — Beech
of headlines but these were quickly was nothing if not tight with a dollar.
forgotten as preparations for the Dole Others were tossed into the wastepaper
Race moved closer. Reading of the Travel basket because of pilot inexperience.
Air’s crossing, Walter Beech sat in his Two possible contenders stood out —
Wichita office and dreamed of further one was 31-year-old Arthur C. Goebel. British Great War ace Arthur Rogers had
signed on to fly the unorthodox Bryant M-1
improvements in aviation. The lanky aviator with a quick smile monoplane Angel of Los Angeles.
The Bryant M-1 being prepared for its first flight. Rogers would
only get to about 200 feet in the twin-engine aircraft before
attempting to bail out. It appears his parachute caught on the tail
and the plane plunged to the ground. John “Jack” Frost and Gordon Scott with the Vega Golden Eagle.
was enjoying life in southern California
where he was flying for the rapidly
expanding film industry along with a
number of other businesses. The other
possibility was the pairing of Bennett
“Benny” Griffin and Al Henley. Raised
in Oklahoma, Benny began flying with
the Air Service in 1917 and had built up
a formidable piloting record. Al had also
compiled an excellent flying record and
had competed in several of the popular
Ford Air Tours. Beech went over their
resumes and, assured that the men were The favorite to win the Dole Air Race was the prototype Lockheed Vega named Golden
competent pilots with backers, wired Eagle. However, after taking off from Oakland on 16 August it was never seen again.
them stating they had to sign contracts
and put down a deposit of $5000 each
(full price for each aircraft was $20,000).
Art visited the factory in June and
stayed five days, going over Model 5000
blueprints while Griffin and Henley had
pretty specific ideas on how they wanted
their aircraft built. The deadline was
impossibly tight but Beech calculated
that both planes could be ready by early
August. Test flying would then be the
problem of the new owners.
Financing the remainder of the
payments — and Walter would refuse
to release either aircraft until it was fully
paid for — would be a problem for both
parties. Griffin was raised in Oklahoma
and he was able to obtain some funding El Encanto NX5074 would never get airborne but would destroy itself in a ground loop on
takeoff. It would serve as a grim reference point for the other racers as they began their
from four Oklahoma businessmen but takeoff runs.
he still needed more for the final payment
and the myriad of expenses the endeavor
entailed. That is when he got the idea to
approach Frank Phillips in Oklahoma,
who had made a fortune with this Phillips
Petroleum Company. Frank was a no-
nonsense, forward-looking man that had
come up the hard way in the oil fields and
knew the value of a dollar. He was struck
not so much by the glamor of aviation Oklahoma gained the first takeoff position. Note the streamlined fairing aft of the canopy.
Woolaroc being examined by the inspection committee.

The Dole Air Race attracted a wide variety of people but it
appears that Augie Pedlar (left) was the huckster of the group.
Somehow, he acquired a Buhl Air Sedan that did not appear
to have the capability of making the flight. Navigator was Vilas
Knope but the sad part was that he convinced naïve Mildred
Doran to come along as passenger.
Goebel was tanks would be no fun and adequate
having the same ventilation was added so the navigator
problems and would not be overcome by fumes. As a
had come up point of interest, Oklahoma was given
with numerous the factory serial number of ten but no
southern Califor- record exists for Woolaroc receiving
nia investors but such a number but it was given c/n
still needed cash 1000 by Phillips Petroleum Co. Also,
for the final big the Department of Commerce was now
payment. Using requiring that aircraft be registered
some of his con- and Oklahoma became NX869 (the X
tacts, Goebel was standing for the fact the plane was now
also introduced to experimental and to be utilized in racing)
Phillips and made while Woolaroc became NX869.
his pitch. Appar- Once the tanks were in, the planes
ently deciding that were covered with Irish linen and both
two racers would were painted identically. The fuselage
have a better and tail group were Travel Air Blue
chance of winning while the wings were a brilliant Travel
the hazardous Air Orange. Beech would later recall
race, Phillips that Art showed no interest in how his
agreed but he aircraft would be painted. The brightly-
wanted this Travel colored craft then had their names,
Air to be named registrations, and other markings added.
Woolaroc, which On 29 July, Griffin’s Model 5000 was
was an acronym rolled out of the new Travel Air factory
for “woods, lakes on East Central Avenue in Wichita while
Twenty-two-year-old Mildred Doran had no idea of the dangers
that she faced but she seemed to enjoy wandering around and rocks” — the Goebel’s machine followed on 2 August.
Oakland in this custom uniform. topography of his The first flights for both aircraft
but rather realized that aircraft were 7500 acre ranch near Bartlesville. would be made by Clarence E. Clark
here to stay, would be a growing market, With financing secure, work was who was Travel Air’s chief test pilot.
and hence would need lots of products in full pitch on the two planes. There After learning to fly in 1920, he was
made out of petroleum. The deal was was nothing complex in their basic hired by the company in 1925 and Clark
basically concluded on a hand shake and construction but each would need was slated to be very busy. The Travel
Phillips’ commented, “Work hard and modifications for the race. A larger Air brand was rapidly expanding (and
demonstrate loyalty, and I’m a great guy oil tank was installed in each plane to would increase after the Hawaii race)
to work for. Do neither, and there is no lubricate the Wright radial while fuel and Aviation magazine stated the Clark
one worse.” Phillips wanted the aircraft tanks were built for the fuselage and wing had flown 667 Travel Air aircraft in the
named after his state and the Griffin along with a position for the navigator. space of a year, ending in October 1928.
Travel Air would become Oklahoma. Being crammed between those big That equated to flying two aircraft every
The crowd waves as Mildred Doran was truly horrible — rough, crude, and
departs in the Air Sedan — never to be dirty. The slightest wind would pick
seen again.
up dirt from the newly-packed runway
and deposit it everywhere but that did
not stop spectators from arriving each
day and then building in number as
the start date approached. The planes
that made it to Oakland ranged from
magnificently prepared (the prototype
Lockheed Vega) to the very questionable
(the Buhl Air Sedan Miss Doran) and the
two Travel Airs really stood out in their
brilliant colors. The starting positions
for the event were done by the simple
expediency of drawing straws. Griffin
got the first position while Goebel was
seventh out of a field of eight surviving
aircraft (several of the planes had crashed
on their way to Oakland). As a point of
interest, Goebel had gotten the radio
set used by the Bird of Paradise crew
and had it fitted in Woolaroc. Each crew
decided on their own emergency gear
and supplies.
On the morning of 16 August,
Oklahoma was pushed out to the start
of the two-mile dirt runway and the
Wright radial started. When Griffin
gave the indication that he was ready,
the starter’s flag dropped and the pilot
advanced the throttle in increments.
Oklahoma began to roll and Griffin kept
L.G. Irving and family with the Pabco Pacific Flyer. the heavily-laden monoplane firmly on
a straight line. After rolling about 3000
feet, the Model 5000 slowly rose into
the air amongst the cheers and shouts of
spectators. Norman Goddard was next
in line with the Breese-Wilde El Encanto
and when his Wright J5 (all the aircraft
were powered by this engine) was ready,
he was flagged but he did not get far
before entering a gradual ground-loop
to the right. El Encanto, with a collapsed
After aborting the first takeoff attempt, Irving wrecked the Pacific Flyer on the second. (continued on page 78)
working day (Clark would go on to
become chief pilot for Phillips for over
three decades). Time was running really
short and records do not indicate it, but
Clark probably made several flights in
each aircraft before they were turned
over the owners.
Both aircraft were then flown to
Oakland and that is where Phillips
shipped 20 barrels of his recently
developed Nu-Aviation fuel. The fuel
would be for the Travel Airs only and
the barrels were placed in a secure Another unlikely competitor was the Air-King biplane. Note how the bottom wing is much
area under guard. The Oakland field larger than the top.
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FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIG
FRIDAY NIGHT MORE KODACHROMES OF EX-MILITARY AIRCRAFT

OLDIES
BY DOUG FISHER
WELL BEFORE THEY BECAME MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR
COLLECTOR’S ITEMS
Through the 1950s into

the 1970s, hundreds of
civilian-registered Cessna
UC-78/T-50 Bobcats were
simply withdrawn from
flying and left to rot.
Cheap to buy surplus,
the aircraft quickly
became increasingly
expensive to maintain
with its two engines,
fabric covering, and lots
of wooden structure. This
unidentified example was
photographed returning
to Mother Nature after
it had been parked and
abandoned.

GHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES
During the 1960s, several Douglas B-23 Dragons wound up in Latin

America where they were impounded on drug runs, disassembled, and
left at the mercy of the elements. Built as US Army Air Corps 39-31,
this Dragon was modified during its military service into a transport
with the designation UC-67 and probably utilized for VIP work. With
the end of the war, the few surviving Dragons were snapped up by
companies that wanted them converted into fast executive transports.
The somewhat narrow fuselage was relatively comfortable and the
two Wright R-2600 radials provided a high cruising speed. Flown to
McKellar Field in Tennessee, along with a number of other Dragons,
39-31 was put up for sale and quickly purchased by Pan American
Airways. Much like Howard Hughes, PAA president Juan Trippe
admired the B-23 and wanted one for his own personal use. Initially
registered NC51436, the aircraft was completely overhauled, fitted
with zero-time R-2600s and props, and had a VIP interior installed.
It was then used by Trippe to visit PAA bases, initially with the civil
registration of N400W but this was changed to N4000W. By 1966,
the old bird was getting a bit tired and being replaced by the new
generation of business jets so the Dragon was put up for disposal.
In 1968, it was acquired by Carolina Aircraft Corporation and this
outfit did some shady deals with large prop-driven transports. It is
unclear how the next step happened, but the Dragon wound up in
Quito, Ecuador, with the civil registration HC-APV and the markings
for Ecuatoriana de Aviacion, a now sadly defunct national airline. The
plane went through several different paint schemes and there was
some false news that it had been scrapped but it still survives and
is displayed with numerous other vintage aircraft at the now closed
Mariscal Sucre International Airport. This would be an ideal candidate
to return to the USA for restoration to flying condition.
The same thing that took place

with the Bamboo Bomber fleet
happened to thousands of Vultee
BT-13 Valiants. Once again,
we have no information on this
aircraft but the registration
N61312 can be made out under
the left wing. The engine and
the prop have been stripped off;
probably to go on a Stearman
ag aircraft while vandals and
the elements have left their
distinctive marks. We can’t trace
the registration so presumably
the airframe was junked, which
is a shame because today this
would make a very suitable
restoration project.
FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIG
Back in the early 1960s, Aero Enterprises in Elkhart, Indiana, was a paradise for anyone interested in surplus WWII aircraft. There
were dozens of ex-Royal Canadian Air Force Mustangs at the field (some can be seen in the background) along with a variety of
other aircraft including our subject, which is Douglas A-20J 43-21709/N22M. This Havoc came out of a lot of 475 surplus planes at
Searcy Field, Oklahoma, purchased by Paul Mantz. Only a few of the planes were saved and Mantz kept this A-20 and converted
it for executive use as N67932. It became N22M with oilman Glen McCarthy in 1951 and would then go through ten owners before
being acquired by William Farah in 1970 and restored back to flying condition as N3WF; making a first post-restoration flight on 10
June 1977. After that, it was more owners until being obtained in non-flying condition by Rod Lewis who had the A-20 restored to
award-winning condition by Aero Trader. Another first post-restoration flight was made at Chino on 15 July 2015.
Several Douglas Invaders with suspected drug-running ties were frequent visitors to Van Nuys and Chino airports. Among that
group was A-26B-20-DL USAAF 41-39215/N142ER, which was photographed at Chino during the late 1970s. Sold surplus during one
of the late 1950s/early 1960s USAF auctions, the aircraft became N5292V and by 1963 it was with On Mark at Van Nuys where it was
converted to a Marketeer executive transport as N4000M for L.B. Maytag who owned several other ex-military aircraft. After a brief
period as N200M, it became N142ER with Embry Riddle Institute. By 1977, it was with a well-known drug runner operating several
Invaders and Mitchells out of Van Nuys. After the owner went to jail, the aircraft passed through a couple of other ownerships before
being acquired by the Ada Aircraft Museum in Oklahoma. On 17 March 1985 some work had been done on the aircraft to get it ready
for a ferry flight to the museum. The emphasis on this last statement is some. The landing gear had been locked down and after

GHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES | FRIDAY NIGHT OLDIES
Another rarity parked in the grass at Aero Enterprises during 1961 was this Grumman F7F-3P Tigercat that had just been given an
overall yellow paint scheme. Note that there is no identity on the plane but it is BuNo 80390/N6129C. The field was absolutely packed
with Warbirds including Invaders and Mitchells along with all the Mustangs. Aero Enterprises kept the Tigercat for about 16 months
before selling it to Johnson Flying Service in Missoula, Montana, where it was converted to a fire-bomber. Over the years, it flew with
several operators before going to the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum where it was restored as N700F. In 2010, it was purchased
by Rod Lewis and is kept in airworthy condition. As can be seen, the Tigercat is also in the background of the photo to the left yet the
color is very different. This can probably be explained by the processing of two different rolls of film at different times.
takeoff a fire started in the engine accessory area of the left R-2800. The blaze increased and then the right engine quit because of
water contamination. There was nowhere to go except down — and down like a rock because neither propeller would feather. The fire
was at the point of burning the wing off when the plane impacted the ground near Lawton, Oklahoma. The three occupants scrambled
to safety. All the blame was rightly put on the pilot. The FAA classified the Invader as destroyed but there was a fair amount left and
it was acquired by Aero Nostalgia who used other wrecked A-26 junk to assemble a static junk airframe to trade to the US Navy as
a JD-1. The plane was trucked to Pensacola where it was assembled and parked with other airframes at mercy of the salt air and
weather. On 15 September 2004, the Invader was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan. Hauled off to the restoration hangar, it was
pieced back together and then placed back on display, looking sad and unloved. AC
SAVE THE
DEVASTATORS!PAUL G. ALLEN’S DISCOVERY OF THE WRECK OF THE USS LEXINGTON AND ITS AIRCRAFT
HAS LED TO AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TO RECOVER THE DOUGLAS DEVASTATORS AND A GRUMMAN WILDCAT
BY TARAS LYSSENKO WITH DR. JOHN T. DORWIN, ED ELLIS, AND JOE MAY
UNDERWATER AIRCRAFT PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY PAUL G. ALLEN
Flight jacket insignia for VT-2.
D uring October 2022, in

accordance with the
regulatory guidelines (32
CFR 767) under the “Sunken this historic and daring
Military Craft Act of 2004” (10 U.S.C. effort to recover and preserve aircraft
§113), a proposal was submitted to that were very important to the US
the Underwater Archeological Branch Navy during the early, dark days of
of the Naval History and Heritage WWII.
Command (NHHC) for the recovery The mission of the NHHC is, “to
and presentation to the American collect, preserve, protect, and make The wreckage of two VT-2
Devastators. TBD-1 2-T-9
public of Douglas TBD-1 Devastator available the artifacts, documents, seems to have been relatively
torpedo-bombers and a highly and art that best embodies our naval intact until the inverted 2-T-4
dropped upon it. The amazing photo
significant Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat history and heritage for present shows the Devastators are eminently
restorable or could be left in an “as-found”
fighter. The team that submitted the and future generations; advance museum exhibit.
proposal consists of staff from Naval the knowledge of naval history and
Aviation Museum Foundation, the heritage through professional research,
Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum analysis, interpretation, products and
(Air Zoo), A and T Recovery, and services; make naval history ‘come
other experts with the combined alive’ for our Sailors and Marines to
experience and expertise in conducting enhance readiness and esprit de corps;
and completing such efforts. It is and remind America of its need to
hoped that the NHHC will approve maintain a strong Navy and Marine
and support the proposal. From their Corps to protect its citizens, their
mission, it would seem that they would freedoms and the nation’s maritime
be more than willing to be a part of commerce.”
The project team has set its sights
on the USS Lexington (CV-2). The
carrier was lost during the Battle of
the Coral Sea, where she sank to the
sea floor (9800-feet deep) with over a
dozen TBD-1 Devastators parked on
her deck.
In late 2017, team members
were searching through the Navy’s
records on the Battle of the Coral
Sea at the National Archives and
Records Administration in College
Park, Maryland, and came across the
Destroyer Squadron reports of the
sinking of the Lexington. In those
reports was the location of the point
at which the carrier sank. The team
immediately scanned the documents
and emailed them to the leadership
Pre-war photograph of VT-2 TBDs
displaying the immaculate and colorful
schemes worn by these aircraft before
the threat of war changed the colors to
camouflage.
of Paul G. Allen’s search crew. The
billionaire history buff had made
huge investments in finding the “lost”
ships of the Second World War.
Several months later in a stunning
announcement, the crew of the R/V
Petrel notified the world they had
located the Lexington and many of her
aircraft.
The wreckage of the Lexington is
in four main sections surrounded by a
large debris field. The main section of
the carrier lies upright. The bow and
stern sections, as well as a portion of
the bridge, are approximately 1600-
feet from the main section with the
subject TBD-1 Devastators and F4F-3
Wildcat even further removed. The
locations of the aircraft are separated
by a substantially safe working Map showing the wreckage of the USS Lexington and the concentration of aircraft.
distance from patriotic American indicated he would
the wreckage of be willing to greatly assist in the effort,
the Lexington, as if the NHHC upper management
well as another wished to bring it to fruition.
330-feet from Therefore, the team put forth the time
the bow and to draft a detailed and comprehensive
stern sections, proposal/plan.
therefore The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator
ensuring that fulfilled the dual aircraft carrier
any potential tactical roles of either torpedo- or
war grave horizontal-bomber. This was the
would remain flexible tactical theory of the age, an age
undisturbed. of rapid evolution in aircraft design.
Note that the Debuting in 1937, the Devastator
aircraft had was revolutionary with hydraulically
been spotted, folding wings as well as wheel brakes
unmanned, on for faster deck handling. It also was
the bow of the the first production Naval monoplane
flight deck after and it was of all-metal construction.
The Navy enjoyed putting up these totally useless pre-war
formations to illustrate their aircraft. Devastators of VT-2 display being recovered Other advanced features were a fully
their formation talents on 6 January 1942 near NAS Corpus Christi. from combat enclosed cockpit and semi-retractable
operations. landing gear. Each Devastator had
Therefore, these three aircrew: Pilot, bombardier, and
TBD-1 Devastator the radio operator/gunner in the rear
and F4F-3 Wildcat cockpit. Torpedo missions sometimes
are not war graves. omitted the bombardier. The US
Sadly, Mr. Navy acquired 130 TBD Devastators
Allen passed beginning in 1937 and the planes began
away from cancer to flow from the company’s Santa
and the team Monica factory to America’s small but
thought all hope growing force of aircraft carriers. The
for recovery was TBD was designed to carry a 1935-lb
lost when Mr. Bliss-Leavitt Mk. 13 aerial torpedo or
Allen’s sister a 1000-lb general purpose (GP) bomb
disbanded the fitted into a fuselage recess. An alternate
effort. However, in load consisted of three 500-lb GP
June 2022 another bombs with one under each wing root
Devastator of VT-6 over Wake Island on 24 February 1942. prominent and one in the fuselage recess. A dozen
Devastator 2-T-5 had rear fuselage
broken while it appears the engine
was to torn loose upon impact with the
ocean flown.
Lexington after initial torpedo hits. Anti-

100-lb fragmentation bombs could be aircraft fire and ocean spray surrounds a
Japanese Kate making its torpedo run.
carried with six under each wing root.
Defensive armament comprised either
a .30- or .50-caliber weapon in the
starboard side of the cowl while the rear
gunner had a .30-caliber machine gun.
The early Mk. 13 torpedo was
more of a handicap to the Navy rather
than a threat to the enemy but this
was no fault of the TBD or its crews.
The early Mk. 13s often ran on the
surface, which severely diminished
their accuracy; or their magnetic
exploders would malfunction. During
horizontal bombing missions the bomb
aimer would slide to a position under
the pilot’s cockpit to use a Norden
bombsight through a pair of opened
bombsight doors.
During the first few months of
the Pacific War (by which time the
Devastator force was down to about
100 aircraft, mainly through attrition),
the Navy employed Devastators in
daring surprise carrier raids against
occupied island bases requiring Japan’s
military forces to quickly alter planning
as well as targets. This set the stage for
the Battle of the Coral Sea.
The pinnacle of Devastator
effectiveness was the accurate delivery Gun position after a bomb hit. Fire crews quickly extinguished this blaze but significant
of several torpedoes that assisted in damage was done.
the sinking of the Imperial Japanese it was a task made much harder if not the targeted ship. TBD crews had to fly
Navy (IJN) carrier Shōhō during the approaching from dead ahead. The straight and level at a consistent slow
Battle of the Coral Sea. The Navy was Mk. 13 did not possess high speed, only (the Mk. 13 could not be dropped faster
able to deliver a coordinated attack getting up to 33.5 knots, so targeting a than 115-mph) airspeed for a minute or
of Dauntless dive-bombers and the fast-moving ship from the side meant more to accurately drop their torpedoes
TBD squadrons were able to execute a a large offset angle (60º +) — slowly so they would arm and close with the
classic “anvil” attack during this battle. overtaking at a large lead angle left a ship — then peel away a mere twelve
Remarkably, their Mk. 13 torpedoes slim margin for error. Compounding seconds of flying time from the target,
“ran hot, straight, and true.” Targeting the challenge to Devastator crews was if not directly overflying it. Each TBD
with a Mk. 13 was no simple task and the preference to drop at 600 yards from crew would expect to fly through the
Close-up of the rear fuselage of 2-T-
11 showing how some of the fabric
on the rudder still survives along with
the strange mushroom-like creatures
growing from the airframe.
On 4 May 1942, the Battle of the

Coral Sea opened as Task Force 17
attacked the Japanese Tulagi Invasion
Force, sinking four smaller vessels and
damaging four others. The Yorktown’s
Air Group suffered two Wildcats
and one Devastator lost. That same
day, Japanese transports sailed from
Rabaul, bound for Port Moresby to
carry out Operation MO as it was
designated by the IJN.
Gunners on the Lexington set a Kate torpedo-bomber on fire. The Japanese aircraft did The fight resumed on 7 May as R/
not have protection for their fuel tanks. Adm. Fletcher’s force turned north to
engage the IJN Carrier Strike Force.
Dauntless and Devastator squadrons
(VB-2, VB-5, VS-2, VS-5, VT-2, VT-
5) from the Yorktown (CV-5) and
the Lexington (CV-2) attacked the
Japanese Close Support Force, and
sank the carrier Shōhōoff Misima
Island. The Battle continued into
8 May after a Dauntless pilot (VS-
2) from the Lexington sighted the
Japanese Carrier Strike Force, formed
around the large carriers Shōkaku
and Zuikaku. Dauntlesses from the
Lexington and the Yorktown damaged
the Shōkaku and forced her retirement.
USS Morris heroically moves in to remove sailors from the Lexington while another ship Japanese dive- and torpedo-bombers,
approaches (note the damaged wingtip of the Curtiss SOC). however, penetrated the screening
escorting screen of the carrier or other flown at different times by Lt. Edward aircraft and ships of the US Navy
capital ship not once but twice. The ‘Butch” O’Hare; L/Cmdr. John Smith and damaged Lexington (bombs and
TBD crews deserve to be remembered “Jimmy” Thach; Lt. Noel A. Gayler, torpedoes) and Yorktown (bombs).
and honored. and Lt. Albert Vorse — all aces and Lexington was further damaged
Along with the Lexington’s exceptional aviators. O’Hare became when aviation fuel vapor ignited and
Devastators is an exceptionally historic the Navy’s first WWII ace and was triggered massive internal explosions.
Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat (Bureau awarded the Medal of Honor, while the She was later abandoned whiles fires
Number 3986). This fighter had been others became admirals. blazed out of control and surviving
Mortally wounded, the crew of Lexington is ordered to abandon ship. Ropes are dropped
over the side and sailors slide into the water. Note the concentration of aircraft on the deck.
crew members were rescued by The proposal, presented to NHHC,
escorting ships. Lexington was then highlights the strategic significance of
scuttled by the destroyer USS Phelps the Battle of the Coral Sea and the im-
(DD-360) with the launching of portant contribution the Douglas TBD-
There was a great fear in Australia that
five torpedoes. As the ship sank, the 1 Devastator played in Naval Aviation. the Japanese would invade the country.
aircraft, which had been on the forward Knowing the extreme depth of the The small American naval force, including
Lexington and its aircraft, were one of
portion of the flight deck, windmilled recovery site, the team has requested the few things that stood in the way of a
away from the carrier — ultimately the support and assistance of the Navy’s victorious enemy. This poster terrified so
many Australians that it was pulled from
settling at a substantial distance from Supervisor of Diving and Salvage along circulation.
the wreck’s location. with the Director of Salvage Operations to as close as possible condition at the
The significance of the Battle of and Ocean Engineering. The proposal time they went to the sea bed. Addi-
the Coral Sea and even its victor has puts forth what will be needed for the tionally, there is detailed information
been the subject of much debate and conservation of the aircraft and explains concerning the expertise of the team in
has changed through the course time. that — according to the standards set everything from recovery, conservation/
At first it was thought to have been forth by the National Air and Space Mu- restoration, through to public educa-
one more in the string of IJN victories seum — the aircraft should be restored tional outreach.
because more American ships were
lost and the loss of the Lexington was
far more devastating than the Japanese
loss of the Shōhō. It was, however,
later acknowledged that Japanese
expansion had been stopped at the
Battle of the Coral Sea for the first
time. Subsequently, historians have
concluded that Coral Sea was the
first naval engagement in which the
opposing ships never saw each other
or exchanged gun fire. Additionally,
Imperial Japan was forced to cancel
Explosions wrack the carrier and a TBD is lifted into the air and blown over the side.
Operation MO, the invasion plan for
Port Moresby. This battle had such
significance that Australia introduced
Coral Sea Week to commemorate the
Battle of the Coral Sea in 1946. The
battle was seen, at the time, as having
saved Australia from invasion by Japan.
As more history and analysis came to
light, the celebration has been renamed
“The Battle for Australia,” and is held
on the first Wednesday of September,
recognizing the chain of events as well A Japanese crewman aboard a Kate torpedo-bomber snapped this photo of Lexington
as all participants in the war effort. under attack.
The prize Wildcat. This aircraft had been flown by several famous Navy pilots. Note the remarkable condition of the markings.
the for carriers. The Navy’s brave
Devastator crews flew into harm’s way
by pressing attacks against IJN aircraft
carrier forces in these battles, although
they were at immense disadvantage
against Mitsubishi A6Ms and anti-
aircraft fire due to their lack of speed
and Mk. 13 aerial torpedo launching
limitations. Only 130 were TBDs
were built yet none are displayed in
museums, in public or private spaces,
or under restoration. Devastator crews
made historic differences during
the dire opening days of WWII. The
Devastator has been unjustly maligned
when its performance was simply
The Lexington burning from one end to the other as explosions destroy the interior of overtaken by events—although it was
the carrier. the weapons delivery system of the
time, which could be used as torpedo
attack aircraft in concert with dive-
bombers. Recovery, restoration, and
display of Douglas TBD-1 Devastators
will fill a significant gap missing in
the Navy’s, as well as the world’s,
museums and bring remembrance
of the dedication of their crews in
the highest tradition of the Navy
— a remembrance that can best be
illustrated by actual aircraft, especially
these historic combat veterans.
What the recovery team wishes
is that many Air Classics readers
share this article with others. It is
the team’s hope to attract more and
more attention, especially individuals
Among the jumbled wreckage, the proud name of USS Lexington can still be seen. with substantial means who are
With aviation development moving the Battle of the Coral Sea and the willing to support this effort, so that
at a fast rate, the Devastator’s design Battle of Midway. Yet, when these this important segment of American
was quickly outclassed by more battles took place, the TBD was the heritage is not lost to time or the harsh
modern aircraft by 1942 — the year of torpedo-bomber ready for action from marine environment. AC
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American defense.
This included the
United Kingdom (and British
uring 1941, the United Commonwealth), France (prior to
D States created a policy
to help the European war
without
committing
German occupation), the Republic of
China, and latterly Russia with supplies
effort obtain war equipment the United States like food and oil, aircraft, and other
and supplies, which included to actual war. He sold the idea military hardware. The aid was in most
the Allies sending aircraft to other to a skeptical nation and equally cases supplied free of charge, with
nations. The British government skeptical Congress by suggesting it the intention of the hardware being
supplied Spitfires to Russia under the was like lending items to a neighbor, returned once the war was over (or
Lend-Lease agreement and one of who would return the items once purchased outright or scrapped). In
those now-rare fighters has returned to finished with them. Signed into law return, the United States was offered
the air in the United Kingdom. on 11 March 1941, and titled the leases to bases in Allied territory.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt “Act to Promote the Defense of the Despite the United States entering
wanted to provide Britain with as United States,” the program supplied the war in late 1941, the Lend-Lease
much aid as his administration could, countries deemed to be vital to agreement was continued and proved
Spitfire has returned
to the air. Supermarine
supplying Spitfire PT879 is a unique survivor,
aid to Russia. For and is the only one of the 1338
their part, the United delivered to Russia that is now again
Kingdom supplied the Soviets flying. The fighter was discovered
with 2252 Hawker Hurricanes and by a farmer at a woodland crash site
vital to the 1338 Spitfires. With the US Army on the Kola Peninsula in extreme
fight against Germany in Europe. Air Force now having significant northwest Russia, and the wreck was
A Reverse Lend-Lease scheme also numbers of fighters based in Britain, in a remarkably complete state having
existed, that resulted in the British it relieved the pressure on the RAF been untouched since May 1945. The
supplying Spitfires to the United States and the Hurricanes and Spitfires remains were recovered during 1997
when they first entered the war. The could be released to Russia, along in conjunction with the Moscow
first United Kingdom-based American with other fighters from America Preservation Society and United
units formed in 1942 (334th, 335th that included Bell P-39 Airacobras Kingdom-based Spitfire restoration
and 336th Fighter Squadrons), were and P-63 Kingcobras, Curtiss P-40s, expert/pilot Peter Monk, who returned
equipped with Spitfires supplied by the and Republic P-47s. The Roosevelt the fighter to England.
RAF. These squadrons were partially administration specifically did The Mk. IXe Spitfire was originally
formed from the personnel who had not want the Russians to get P-51 built at the Castle Bromwich factory,
fought during the Battle of Britain Mustangs. and rolled off the production line
in the volunteer Eagle Squadrons. Over the decades, a number of in 1944. The fighter then passed
Supplying Supermarine Spitfires to war-time Lend-Lease aircraft have through No. 39 Maintenance Unit
other nations was something that been discovered at crash sites around at Colerne in August 1944, before
continued as the arrangement of Russia — from lakes, forests, and open heading to No. 52 Maintenance Unit
the Lend-Lease agreement became countryside. A few have been restored at Cardiff in September that same
blurred with both Britain and America but, to date, just one Lend-Lease year, for dismantling and shipping to
Peter Teichman display the classic lines of Spitfire PT879, but with a twist — this is the first flying Spitfire with Soviet markings.
The paint scheme was completed before the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and after that just about everything Russian became
unpopular in the Free World. However, history is history and we must remember the Soviets suffered catastrophic losses fighting
with the Allies against the Nazis.
band. Allocated to the Murmansk Air
Defense Force’s 2nd Squadron, 767th
Fighter Aviation Regiment, 122nd
Division, the RAF markings were
overpainted on arrival with a Soviet
light green and then Russian red stars
were hand-painted onto the side of
the fuselage and under the wings. Due
to the aircraft being employed in a
ground attack role, the top surface of
the wings didn’t receive stars, as the
pilots felt they stood out too much and
increased the chances of being spotted
from above. The markings were clearly
visible on the wreckage when it was
This is how the wreck looked after it was recovered. Note the missing tail. The pilot bailed
out after PT879’s tail was cutoff in a mid-air collision with another Spitfire. As can be recovered from the crash site, which
seen, it appears the fighter impacted the tundra while in a near-flat spin. (Peter Arnold) has enabled the restoration to faithfully
reproduce the aircraft as it would have
looked in 1944.
Sadly for PT879, on 18 May 1945,
with just 18 hours and 29 minutes on
the airframe, pilot Junior Lieutenant
Semyonov was flying the Spitfire when
it was involved in a mid-air collision. It
was on a training sortie and Semyonov
was flying with Lt. Babonim along
with another pair of Spitfires. The four
aircraft from the 767th Fighter Aviation
Regiment had been maneuvering
during a practice dog-fight over the
Kola Peninsula, when Babonim,
who was leading the second pair of
Spitfires, lost sight of Semyonov in
PT879 who was number two in the first
pair. Bobonim’s Spitfire collided with
The Soviets had a voracious appetite for any type of combat aircraft. With losses Semyonov’s wing and cut off the tail
incredibly high, they needed constant resupplies not only from their own factories but
also from Allied nations. The student fighter pilots are gathered around a Mk. IX Spitfire of PT879, with both pilots having to
that has been locally converted to a dual-control trainer. The more experienced pilots
preferred the American fighters since they were more rugged than the Spitfire when bail out of their stricken fighters. The
operating from unimproved air strips. (Alpha Archive) Spitfire slammed into the ground and
Russia. As a number of Spitfires were
shipped to Russia at the same time,
the dismantling teams stencilled all
removable parts such as cowlings,
wingtips, and panels with the aircraft’s
serial number, so that they could be
reassigned to the correct airframe upon
arrival. Having been crated up, PT879
along with 16 other Spitfires was sent
to Salford docks and loaded aboard
a ship to join North Atlantic Convoy
SS256 bound for Murmansk on 13
October 1944. The fighter arrived and
was unloaded on 30 October 1944 to
start life with the Soviet Armed Forces.
The Spitfires were shipped in their
original factory gray/green camouflage
schemes, which included Royal Air Although it may look like junk, many valuable parts and fittings were recovered from the
Force roundels, tail flash and fuselage downed fighter.
lay as surface wreckage in the Russian
tundra until it was discovered in 1997.
The fighter was initially owned by
Peter Monk, but was subsequently sold
to Angie Soper who decided to start
the restoration process with renowned
restorers, Airframe Assemblies on the
Isle of Wight in southern England.
Once delivered to Airframe Assemblies,
the fighter was unloaded from the
container and spread out on the floor,
where the extent of the recovered
wreck could be clearly seen, as could
its original markings that included
the yellow serial stencilling applied
in Cardiff prior to shipping to Russia.
The Spitfire was registered on the
United Kingdom civil register as
G-BYDE but the restoration didn’t The original Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 was destroyed on impact with the tundra. Another
variant would have easily fit the Mk. IX but Peter Teichman is a perfectionist when it
progress very far at this stage, and was comes to the Spitfire and he decided to go on the hunt for a replacement Merlin 66. It
soon put into store. Move forward to wasn’t easy.
2002, and the project was purchased
by Peter Teichman, who had already
been building a collection of vintage
aircraft with his Beech Staggerwing and
highly-original P-51D Mustang, under
the Hangar 11 Collection banner,
based at the former Battle of Britain
airfield of North Weald, to the north of
London. Adding a Spitfire to Hangar
11 was something that Peter had
wanted to do for many years stating,
“The P-51 Mustang is an incredible
aircraft, wonderful to fly and amazing
to own but any Brit pilot yearns to fly a
Spitfire!” Original armament for PT879 survived the crash.
Anyone who knows of the Hangar an opportunity not to be missed. As a to fly, the restoration of PT879 was
11 Collection, and indeed Peter sad footnote, Angie Soper passed away not put on hold; in fact, it was an
Teichman, will be aware that he has a on 21 April 2021, a lovely lady and I important project on his agenda. The
desire for originality. It’s no surprise wish her family well.” Russian tundra is generally a dry and
therefore that he didn’t just want any A deal was done, and the Spitfire cold environment, so the wreck had
Spitfire; he wanted one with a great was now part of the Hangar 11 been pretty well preserved over the
history. At the time, the Spitfire project Collection, and it was moved to a years. Despite large portions of the
had been stored at Angie Soper’s farm, storage facility before eventually structure being destroyed or damaged
which was close to Peter’s North Weald heading to North Weald. Restoring in the crash, hundreds of vital parts
base. An excited Teichman arranged a Spitfire is, of course, not a quick had all survived in excellent condition.
to go and see the fighter, remarking process, and Peter decided in 2004 As is to be expected, the integrity of
“I drove over to Angie’s farm with a to purchase another Spitfire that was each part had to be checked for safety
real sense of excitement as I would be already in flying condition to “fill the but many could be used again, which
getting closer to my ultimate goal of a gap” before he could fly PT879. His greatly added originality to the Spitfire
Spitfire. As the 20-foot container was rare PR Mk. XI example (PL965), flew restoration. Peter commented, “Peter
opened up, the enormity of the task 45 photo reconnaissance missions from Monk recovered the wings, fuselage,
became clear. It was a mass of aircraft Belgium with RAF No. 16 Squadron engine, prop and so much more
metal from end to end; engine sat near between 1944 and 1945 and continues from Russia. We were able to salvage
the doors, prop hub and other system to be part of his collection, which hundreds and hundreds of original
parts, plus a mass of aluminium and over the years has included a P-40 castings, forgings, fittings, inspection
painted parts — just amazing. I agreed Kittyhawk and Hawker Hurricane. hatches, pintles, gear doors, landing
to a deal in a hurry, as this was clearly While Peter had another Spitfire gear legs, etc, etc.” The salvaged parts
of different systems that make up this
pretty complex fighter, cutting edge in
1944 as it was,” he concluded.
While there were a huge number of
reusable parts, there were some either
missing or too badly damaged to be
recycled, so Peter started the long and
time consuming search for these rare
original items. Some were sourced
via Peter Monk and others from a
number of diverse sources. Being
an ambassador for originality, Peter
explained that he “was determined that
PT879 would be the most historically
important and accurate Spitfire
restoration to date.”
By October 2018, the fuselage of
PT879 and all the remaining parts,
not already reused during the fuselage
works including the wing tips, ailerons,
Rebuilding the fuselage began at Airframe Assemblies in 2011. flaps, rudder pedals, systems parts, and
much more were shipped to Biggin
Hill, where The Biggin Hill Heritage
Hangar would complete the restoration
for Peter. The Heritage Hangar facility
is run by Peter Monk who had been
instrumental in the recovery of the
aircraft from Russia. Peter regards
his friend as undoubtedly the world’s
leading expert on the Spitfire, having
the deepest knowledge and the largest
parts inventory anywhere on the
planet. “If you need a Spitfire widget…
Pete will have it and know where and
how it fits. Plus, we have been good
mates for 20 years, so that counts for
a great deal. Their work is the best
I have ever seen on a Spitfire!” he
enthusiastically remarked. For the
Heritage Hangar, the restoration of
PT879 was to see them achieve a new
Looking aft inside the new-build fuselage. None of the interior components have yet milestone themselves, as it was the first
been added. project where they had restored a full
were painstakingly removed, before and skins for the aircraft. This process set of wings in house.
being carefully cleaned, labelled, and took just two years, with the “empty” The original Rolls-Royce Merlin
then stored. The flaps, ailerons, and fuselage and tail section returning to 66 engine was one of the items
wing tips were all pretty much intact North Weald in 2014, before heading recovered from Russia, but it wasn’t
as were the aircraft’s original guns and to Vintage Fabrics to be painted in a candidate for rebuild as it was too
cannons. its original Castle Bromwich factory badly damaged. “I had a spare Packard
With so many parts prepared for colors with RAF markings. “They Merlin 266,” Peter started to explain,
re-use, the next stage was to get the say that when you have your ‘empty’ “but it was not the correct engine for
fuselage restored, and Peter chose Spitfire fuselage, that you are barely a Mk. IX, so I was not keen to use it. I
to return the aircraft to Airframe 25% of the way along, and to be had looked at an engine as far away as
Assemblies for this task in 2011. All the honest that is certainly the case,” Peter South Africa, but the search had proven
recovered fuselage items that would be explained. “The systems that have to fruitless.” Peter was determined that
required in the build were supplied to be fitted are largely in the fuselage. PT879 must have her correct Rolls-
the Isle of Wight restorers, who utilised These include hydraulics, electrics, Royce Merlin 66, right hand tractor.
them in among newly fabricated frames pneumatics, engine, radio and a maze After years of searching, a deal was
actually done with Peter Monk to swap
the Packard 266 for the correct Merlin
66 and this was sent to England-based
Merlin experts Retro Track & Air to be
restored.
The Spitfire’s wooden propeller
was another hurdle as the blades had
clearly not survived the impact. The
broken blade roots were still in place
within the recovered hub, which itself
was fully intact and there were signs of
grease still in the unit — just amazing.
Peter engaged with propeller experts
Skycraft to see if the unit was reusable
with new blades, but the hub was sadly
too far-gone to be made serviceable.
He was, however, able to source a very
rare and unique “new old stock” hub
and that was built up by Skycraft with Remarkable condition of an original wing tip from the wreck.
new blades from German manufacturer
Hoffman.
Peter was fully engaged in the entire
restoration process and flying over to
Biggin Hill every few weeks to monitor
progress. Specialist aircraft painters
RAS are based at Biggin Hill, just a
short distance from the restoration
hangar. Working with Steve Atkin
from Warbird Colour, RAS helped
produce arguably the most accurate
and authentic paint job on any Spitfire
to date, with that process completed
during the late summer of 2020. Peter
paid due respect to Warbird Colours
knowledge and input by mentioning,
“Steve made sure that every detail of
the paintwork was correct, right down
to the smallest decal, font size, and
color shade. After all, they had pretty American and British workers prepare a shipment of Spitfires for the Soviets at the secret
much the entire aircraft as a guide, so Douglas Aircraft facility at Abadan, Iran. One American recalled, “The Russians would
come in a C-47, look over the Spits and then fly away. They would say very little and were
details were easy to replicate. Much basically quite unfriendly, especially if they were under the control of a political officer.”
of the wartime color scheme, Russian the Heritage Hangar team. Watching balance conditions were good. Peter’s
overpaint, and additional detail was like an expectant father, Peter joyfully old friend and pilot extraordinaire Pete
clearly visible on the recovered parts.” relished the engine coming into life, Kynsey was the appointed test pilot and
Peter was keen to point out that his “What a wonderful moment. I was so he completed some taxi runs before
own team at Hangar 11 played a excited. Now we had to move onto he declared that all temperatures and
significant role in the restoration. “I the final stages before her first test pressures were good, brakes effective,
was so lucky to have the help of a great flight,” he recalled. Having completed and he was generally very happy.
Hangar 11 crew notably, Alec Kinane, a number of successful engine runs, “After 20 years of planning and
Keith Rodwell , and Steve Bolt,” he PT879 returned to be cowled up and dreaming about that moment, it’s all
said. prepared for her final Civilian Aviation pretty overwhelming. Expect a few
Now registered as G-PTIX, the Authority inspection and issue of the tears of joy when the time comes,” were
completed Spitfire was rolled out “permit to test.” Peter’s thoughts that day.
from the Biggin Hill hangar on 14 The 26th of October 2020 was an The Spitfire’s historic first post-
September 2020 for engine runs. It important day in the life of PT879. restoration flight took place on
had been 75 years since PT879 had last The weather was kind, a brisk wind Wednesday, 28 October. Peter was
had a Merlin running up front and it blew across Biggin Hill airfield and a watching from the ground as Pete
was a monumental day for Peter and few showers clattered through, but on Kynsey lifted PT879 back into the sky
Lend-Lease meets Reverse Lend-Lease.
Just completed PT879 meets a Spitfire
that has been done to represent a fighter
transferred to the USAAF for use in the
MTO.
over Biggin Hill. That flight was really
successful and highlighted a few small
snags, which were to be expected after
a major restoration, and the Biggin
Hill team attended to these quickly in
readiness for the next flight. Reflecting
on a very special day, Peter recalled,
“As I watched PT897 climb gracefully
away, tucking her wheels up one
after the other, I thought wow, wow,
Teichman with the fuselage after painting. The decision was made to paint the aircraft as
it had left the factory and then apply the Soviet markings over the British insignia. Little we really did make it.” Following a
did the collector realize the Mk. IX would occupy two decades of his life. series of test flights in the weeks that
followed, Peter was excited to de-brief
with Pete Kynsey, and his report was
just pure magic for him to hear. “She’s
a beautiful aircraft, engine and prop are
smooth throughout, ailerons are light
and roll rate excellent, she flies hands
off and you could eat your lunch while
she flies straight and true,” was Pete’s
assessment of the Russian Spitfire.
Towards the middle of November,
the full Permit to Fly had been issued,
which opened the door for the moment
that Peter had dreamed about for
almost 20 years — his chance to fly his
Russian Spitfire. It’s best he explains
in his own words: “So it was on the
19th of November, the weather was
mainly dry but there was fog lingering
to the south of the airfield and, in
fact, the valley was full of it due to the
temperature and dew point being very
Detail of the underwing rack and replica bomb. close. So, I was aware of that and ready
to divert to North Weald if necessary,
as the weather was much better north
of the river. It was very cold, but in my
excitement I did not even notice. The
team at the Heritage Hangar had run
the engine prior to my arrival, so all I
had to do was load up my parachute,
take some time inside the cockpit to
familiarize myself and then hit the
start button. Every Spitfire is subtly
different, basically the same but switch
positions can vary slightly. In spite of
the fact that I have over 700 Spitfire
‘missions’ under my belt, I took my
time to be sure that there would be no
surprises. PT879 started first blade and
then a swift taxi to Runway 03 for my
pre take off checks. Power checks were
all familiar, but you take a lot of care Ground running the Merlin 66.
with these as the tail can come up easily
with that Merlin 66 up front. Unless
you have a volunteer sitting on the tail,
you stay below 1800-rpm and try to
point her uphill if you can for power
checks. Then as I lined up on the wide
Runway 03 at Biggin Hill, I was hit by
the enormity of this moment and had
to just steady myself as I applied power
and PT879 rose serenely into the
winter skies. I decided to track north
towards the river [Thames] for what
I expected would be better weather.
Raising the gear, I reduced boost to
+4 and 2200-rpm as we climbed to the
north towards Swanley and then to
+1 boost and 1900-rpm, resulting in a
steady indicated airspeed of 220-mph.
I have flown a number of different
Merlin-powered Spitfires over the Peter congratulates his friend and test pilot Pete Kynsey after the successful first flight.
years and they all feel a little different — my handheld GPS had packed up were ‘bang on’ — brilliant!
of course, but compared to PL965 our altogether! “Once I was happy with my first
Mk. XI photo reconnaissance ship, However, I know that area pretty sortie and having due consideration for
which is the lightest and fastest of well, so I headed north and when I got the closing weather, I decided to return
all the Merlin-powered Spits, PT879 to the river Thames, I turned west until to base at Biggin. I set track along the
felt a little heavier in roll. First thing I hit the QE2 bridge and then back south bank of the river Thames until
that I noticed was that she was so east towards the Medway towns. I was I got to the QE2 bridge, and then set
stable, taking hands off, I thought that happy to operate in a box within those course of 210 degrees towards Biggin. I
someone had switched the autopilot confines in the knowledge that the did not get sight until pretty close but
on! She just sat there; flew straight and weather was far better towards North air traffic control duly instructed me to
true; not falling off left or right; not Weald if I had to divert. join for Runway 03 left hand circuit.
climbing; amazing and so beautifully “I undertook some handling “I reduced speed to below 160-mph,
rigged by the genius guys at Biggin maneuvers, slow flying, stalls both manifold pressure to around 0 boost,
Hill. I was just starting to enjoy her, the clean and dirty, a few gentle aerobatics RPM set to 2000, selected gear down,
earlier fear being overtaken by sheer and she was just so lovely, amazing. I turned downwind, radiator flaps were
joy when I noticed that the weather cannot really articulate how beautifully set to ‘open,’ main flaps down below
was getting poorer, visibility was not she flew and handled. Engine and 140-mph, checked the brakes. At this
great and some low ‘scuddy’ cloud prop were smooth and progressive, no point I found that the parking brake had
was starting to form and — oh, joy vibrations, all the temps and pressures decided to flip itself on, which was a real
Displaying the iconic Spitfire wing planform.
original parts so the originality is still

preserved and added are a set of shells,
both .50-caliber and 20mm. Possibly
the most obvious added extras are hung
from under the wings of PT879. As a
ground attack aircraft, the Spitfire had
pylons under the wings that took 250-lb
General Purpose (GP) bombs. “We
were lucky to have had loan of a real
250-lb GP bomb from the RAF Cosford
Museum,” Peter said. “This was taken
to a specialist workshop to produce
an exact replica mold. From this, a
fiberglass shell was produced and then
the metal work, fins, impeller were all
replicated in the smallest detail. After
a drawn-out process, the bombs were
cleared for use in flight and this adds to
the uniqueness of this Russian wartime
The Soviets quickly pressed their Spitfires into the ground attack role. survivor.”
‘gotcha’ as you would arrive with brakes part of aviation history and the only This Spitfire is presented exactly
ON. As I turned final, I fiddled behind Spitfire ever to return to flight out of the as it flew in Russia with the Soviet
the stick to release the parking brake 1338 shipped or flown to Russia.” Air Force in 1945. Hundreds of her
and ensure that the brake pressure With the initial flying targets original parts have been utilized,
gauges now read zero on both sides, so I concluded, the restoration wasn’t making it a truly unique Spitfire with
knew brakes were definitely off. quite finished, as Peter had a couple a very different appearance. Of the
“PT879 landed smoothly on the of other important things to do. 1338 supplied, just five have been
runway and I was soon taxiing back Although the original cannons and discovered and recovered from Russia
to the BHHH ramp. As I shut down, I guns were recovered in good condition, but none restored to flight apart from
thought ‘job done.’ It took me 20 years it was more practical to have lighter PT879. The Lend-Lease agreement
and I could never have imagined it reproductions installed and fashioned was critical to the defense of Europe
without the support of a special person, in every detail in aluminium to save during WWII and a Spitfire wearing
my wife Karen who has been there every weight. Her Hispano 20mm cannons Russian stars will tell the story of a
step of the way for me with advice and and .50-caliber Browning machine guns lesser-known history of the famous
good council. PT879 is now a unique have, however, been fitted with many Supermarine fighter. AC
The cockpit has been restored to its original WWII configuration.
FIRST WINGS
BY MARK BINGHAM
OF GOLD
THEODORE ELLYSON PIONEERED NAVAL AVIATION
BUT IT CAME AT A PRICE
Shark (SS-8) in the Philippines that was
so small, he had living quarters aboard an
accompanying gunboat. He soon became
the submarine’s commander.
In March 1910, when Ellyson was
finally given some leave, he returned
to San Francisco to find that the world
had changed in his absence. Cable cars
clanged along the streets, taxi cabs no
longer were drawn by horses, and the
world had finally been assured than
man had flown in an aeroplane. Ellyson
spent most of the year commanding
the broken-down USS Tarantula (B-3)
submarine along the east coast of the US
before he received a past-due promotion
to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) and the
A fine portrait of Ellyson at the controls of a Curtiss Pusher. Of note is the placement commander of a new experimental
of the radiator immediately behind the pilot and the large brass “13,” which may be the
number of the aircraft. Also note the wood 2x4s that serve as an engine mount and what
submarine that was being constructed in
appears to be a lack of a seat restraint. the Newport News Shipyard. Ellyson’s
heodore Gordon Ellyson was born bottom rung along with the other plebes. job was to ensure that all of the things he
T 27 February 1885 in Richmond,
Virginia, the third son of four, along
One of his lowly classmates was none
other than Chester Nimitz, the future fleet
thought were wrong with the submarine
were corrected before it was launched.
with three sisters, to a deeply religious admiral of WWII. Another classmate was The submarine was never launched
and hard-working father who labored William Frederick “Bull” Halsey, Jr. By during Ellyson’s command.
with the family-run newspaper, the graduation in 1905, Ellyson found himself During a dinner at Halsey’s house in
Richmond Dispatch, and to an energetic in the middle of his class, a popular early December 1910, another classmate
and overly-controlling mother. In 1900, member of the social scene and enjoying asked Ellyson if he had considered how
at the age of 15, Ellyson announced that rough fun as a cadet. Post-graduation the Navy might incorporate into its
he wanted to enroll in the Naval Academy lieutenant billets on
at Annapolis after completing his school second-class cruisers
studies. Ellyson attended Bobby Werntz’s and flagships gave
Annapolis Preparatory School for a year Ellyson exposure
while his father looked for a politician to ports around the
to sponsor his son. Ellyson lived in a world, including
boarding house run by two motherly Gibraltar, China,
sisters and he liked their food, especially and the Philippines,
the potatoes, and asked for more potatoes while he continued
so often that his roommate gave him his rough fun
the nickname “Spuds,” which he whole- and awaited his
heartly embraced throughout his life commission as an
despite his mother’s protestations. Ensign. In 1908, he
Entering the Naval Academy in 1901, received orders to be
Ellyson soon learned that the Navy was the Executive Officer
an autocracy, not a democracy, that rank of the crude Ellyson’s identification document as a “NAVY AIR PILOT” along
has its privileges, and that he was on the submarine USS with the notation “Air Pilot No. 1.”
“I have the honor to report that
Lt. Ellyson is now competent
Glenn Curtiss at the controls of one of his pushers with (left to right) four early US to care for and operate Curtiss
armed forces aviators: 1st Lt. John W. McClaskey, USMC; Capt. Paul Beck, US Army; Lt. airplanes and instruct others in
John Towers, USN; and Lt. Theodore Ellyson.
the operation of these machines.
operations these new-fangled aeroplanes training in the Navy.” Further, Ellyson
Mr. Ellyson is a hard worker
that the Wrights and Curtiss were flying was strongly advised to “not do stunts
around the country. Ellyson commented just for the sake of notoriety or to thrill
and has acquired considerable
that he had never even seen an aeroplane the crowd.”
knowledge of the art of aviation.
in flight. On 16 December 1910, Ellyson One day later, on 18 January 1911, Ely He has been especially successful
wrote a letter to the Navy requesting a took off and landed on a wooden platform in operating the machine… it is
“duty in connection with aeroplanes as erected on the cruiser USS Pennsylvania a pleasure for me to recommend
soon as such duty becomes available.” which was anchored in San Francisco Bay. Mr. Ellyson as a man who will
Unbeknownst to Ellyson, Glenn Curtiss Ely continued to fly exhibitions up until make a success in aviation.”
GLENN CURTISS writing to the
had written to the Navy just weeks earlier his death on 19 October 1911 in Macon, Secretary of the Navy, March 1911
offering to train Navy personnel at no cost Georgia, when he failed to pull his aircraft
at his facility in southern California. As a out of dive and crashed, breaking his neck. air. It staggered along in an erratic
perfect example of being in the right place Ellyson spent his first ten days on pattern before a wingtip dug in and the
at the right time, on Christmas Eve 1910, North Island as a mechanic, learning grass-cutter stopped with a distinctly
orders were cut relieving Ellyson of his the physical design and controls of the crumpled wing. On 5 March 1911,
command at the Newport News Shipyard Curtiss aeroplanes. Curtiss liked Ellyson’s Ellyson completed what he considered
and directing him to attend the aviation desire to learn and soon commenced his first real flying, making four flights
meet at Dominguez Field south of Los flying instructions at the Polo Grounds of roughly 1.5 miles each at a height of
Angeles on 2 January 1911. at Coronado, accompanied with Curtiss’ ten to 25 feet. By 22 March 1911, Ellyson
Ellyson met Curtiss at the aviation admonition to avoid the urges for was flying 150 to 300 feet in the air and
meet and he was invited to accompany stunting. Concurrently, Ellyson assisted making successive banked turns. Curtiss
Curtiss to the aviation meet in San Curtiss on getting his newly-designed closed the North Island facilities and
Francisco in the next few days and then hydroaeroplane off the Spanish Bight moved all future training activities to his
he would commence flying lessons at waters on 26 January 1911. On 17 factory grounds at Hammondsport, New
the Curtiss facilities on North Island February 1911, Curtiss flew by and landed York, along Lake Keuka, as of 1 April
outside of San Diego. On the way to San alongside of the USS Pennsylvania, his 1911. By this time, Ellyson had reached a
Francisco, Ellyson met Eugene Ely, the hydroaeroplane was hoisted up onto the small level of celebrity as “the Navy flier.”
first man to fly from a wooden platform cruiser’s deck, then lowered back down, More importantly, he was now making
on the cruiser USS Birmingham on 14 and then Curtiss flew off the surface of recommendations on specifications
November 1910 in Hampton Roads, the water, all under the watchful eye and the Navy should require for its first two
Virginia. Ellyson attended the San direction of Ellyson. training aeroplanes to be purchased from
Francisco meet at Selfridge Field from Ellyson continued his flying lessons Curtiss.
5-16 January 1911, where he met during the calm early morning hours for On 27 June 1911, Jack Towers,
numerous other aviators and he soon weeks with an underpowered aeroplane a second Navy flier arrived at
came to realize that they did not know that had a governor block on the throttle Hammondsport and Ellyson eagerly
much more about aviation than Ellyson. to limit flights to a few feet, if that, at assisted in his training. On 1 July 1911,
Upon his return to San Diego on 17 a time. The “grass-cutter,” as the craft the Navy received a demonstration of
January 1911, the Navy advised Ellyson was named, was not really meant to fly its first aeroplane, designated A-1, a
that he had been selected to “assist but somehow on 28 January Ellyson hydroplane that could be converted
in building up a system of aviation got the contraption a few feet into the to a land plane, and both Curtiss and
Lieutenant Ellyson preparing for a flight in the Curtiss A-1 Triad, the Navy’s first landing gear.” The Navy made plans to
aircraft, at Hammondsport, New York. With him is Miss Vera Benn, who became the put catapults on each end of battleships
first woman to fly in a “hydroaeroplane.”
to launch hydroaeroplanes. These plans
were manifest by catapults installed on
Navy cruisers and battleships throughout
WWII.
On 14 November 1912, Ellyson was
ordered to Hammondsport to fly the
acceptance trials of the Curtiss flying
boat. For better or worse, on the next
day Ellyson eloped with Helen Mildred
Lewis Glenn and they were married in the
Ellyson demonstrated the A-1 in flight. to the Curtiss facilities on North Island rectory of Christ Church at Alexandria,
The following day, Ellyson flew the for more training during the winter. Virginia. Ellyson then turned his
hydroplane while being observed for A number of accidents occurred and attentions to the flying boat trials in hopes
his aviator license by the Aero Club of Ellyson had to recuperate for a couple of of completing them before Lake Keuka
America. Towers received his license in months. On 24 May 1912, Ellyson and froze over. Ellyson’s mother would never
the fall of 1911. The two aviators and the the other fliers were back in Annapolis forgive him for not including her in the
two Navy aeroplanes were dispatched to and that June he was sent to Washington wedding or for not seeking her advice or
Annapolis on 4 October 1911 for further to prepare specifications for new Navy approval. Helen’s mother, on the other
testing and training. During this period, planes. Flexible specifications with hand, made demands on Helen’s time
Ellyson developed the power stall landing rewards for improved performance were that often kept her away from Ellyson for
technique for safely landing an aeroplane considered. In July, he ordered a new extended periods of time and strained
on glassy black water. hydroaeroplane and the first flying boat their new marriage.
Concurrent with these Curtiss training from Curtiss. Later he added another boat In March 1913, Josephus Daniels
efforts, the Navy had directed Lt. John from a yacht builder who was making became the new Secretary of the Navy and
Rogers to be instructed by the Wrights planes under a Wright license. he announced that, before promotion,
in a Wright Flyer B-1 aeroplane to be Ellyson and the other fliers began officers must have at least two years’ sea
purchased by the Navy. Rodgers received instruction with new officer volunteers. duty in grade. Ellyson concluded that he
his license from the Aero Club of America Ellyson became frustrated with the must give up on his aviation efforts in
two months after Ellyson. The aeroplane licensing requirements of the Aero order to continue with the Navy. Near
flight control surface patent infringement Club of America and its qualification the end of April, he was ordered to the
lawsuits by the Wrights against Curtiss left requirements under the Federation battleship USS South Carolina as first
the fledgling Navy divided between the Aeronautique Internationale, and so he lieutenant, with the understanding that
Curtiss and the Wright camps. requested that the Navy issue its own no senior officer would be sent to rank
By the end of December 1911, Ellyson, licenses. These bureaucratic battles would him out of this lieutenant commander’s
Towers, and Rodgers were ordered back continue until 1915. billet. Later, he became the ship’s gunnery
Ellyson’s attentions were then turned officer. While serving on the South
to the design of a catapult to launch an Carolina in 1914, Ellyson was informed
aeroplane from a Navy ship. Early tests that he would receive the Navy’s first
were conducted in September 1911 using aviator license. It did not arrive until 1915.
a taut cable arrangement similar to the Towers and others had continued the
Wright’s early launching weight and rail advances in aviation for the Navy without
system. On 20 June 1912, Ellyson was Ellyson. Notwithstanding, Ellyson was
atop a compressed-air catapult attached asked if he wanted immediate orders
to a rail on a dock along the Severn River. back to aviation. He was still uncertain as
With numerous bystanders and naval to the future of aviation in the Navy and
dignitaries, Ellyson ran the engine of the considered that the future was brighter
hydroaeroplane at full throttle and was for a battleship officer than for an aviator.
launched in full dress uniform directly After much consideration, Ellyson
into the the river! Modifications were decided to accept the aviation orders but
immediately implemented to have the they were not forthcoming, so Ellyson
valve release the compressed air gradually requested an assignment at the Naval
rather than full open. Ellyson’s next test Academy. On 12 July 1914, Ellyson’s first
of the catapult on 12 November 1912 daughter was born. He would not meet
was successful and Curtiss called the her until October. In August 1914, war
catapult “the greatest aviation advance broke out in Europe. Ellyson’s second
since wheels replaced skids for aeroplane daughter was born 10 April 1916 and soon
thereafter Ellyson was appointed as the
discipline officer at the Naval Academy.
Naval aviation organization was in
upheaval and disorganized throughout
1916 and early 1917. On 31 March 1917,
Ellyson inquired of the Department of
the Navy regarding how naval aviation
was organized and who was the officer in
charge. Answers were not forthcoming,
because there were none. Six days later,
Congress declared war on Germany.
At the end of 1917, Ellyson learned
that the Department of the Navy planned
to issue each pilot a pair of gold wings
Ellyson with the US Navy’s new A-1 Triad. He was instrumental in developing the
engraved with his name and designation aircraft’s float.
number so he wrote a plea for the number
one pair. In January 1918, Towers
made sure that Ellyson got the number
one wings. In May 1917, Ellyson was
assigned to a 110-foot wooden submarine
chaser out of New York City, to patrol
coastal waters with listening devices and
depth charges. He organized a flotilla of
subchasers bound for Europe, and upon
reaching their base in Plymouth, England,
he was promoted to commander. On
11 November 1918, armistice had been
reached. Ellyson inherited the subchaser Ellyson preparing to test the Navy A-3 on a catapult launch during October 1912.
base for decommissioning, which lasted Ellyson became the Executive Officer Health issues began to exhibit on
until 5 March 1919. He then was put in of the Hampton Roads Naval Air Station Ellyson even though he was not yet
charge of the transport of 5000 American on 17 January 1921, then was assigned to 43. Years of hard drinking, coupled
servicemen aboard eleven captured the Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington with high blood pressure, poor reserve
German merchantmen ships back to in September 1921, where he worked on energy, tremors in his hands, bad eyes
the United States. On the last day of various aviation projects including the and nervous irritations could not be
April 1919, he turned over command development of arresting gear for the first hidden, but could only be addressed
of his merchantmen ship Zeppelin in aircraft carriers that were being designed. with waivers allowing him to continue
the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Ellyson then At the end of 1922, Ellyson was assigned flying.
became the commander of the destroyer as the mission aviator for a naval mission On the evening of 26 February
USS J. Fred Talbot, headed for the to reorganize the Brazilian Naval Air 1928, Ellyson received a phone call
Mediterranean. He did not return to the Service Two years later, Ellyson’s valiant that his second daughter, who was now
USA until 21 June 1920. Nine weeks later, efforts had been stymied by reluctant eleven, was in critical condition with an
he was the commander of the destroyer Brazilian officers. emergency mastoid operation ordered
USS Brooks and set sail for Europe. In mid-July 1925, Ellyson took for the next morning. Ellyson corralled
Once in Europe, command issues command of Torpedo Squadron One two pilots of the Lexington’s Loening
resulted in Ellyson being relieved of (VT-1) at Hampton Roads, which OL-7 amphibian aircraft to fly with him
command of the Brooks on 23 November was attached to seaplane tender USS from Hampton Roads to Annapolis. After
1920. This was the result of a most unusual Wright (AZ-1). Ellyson later served struggling to find a plane that would start
incident where Ellyson refused to comply as the Executive Officer of the Wright in the night’s freezing temperatures, the
with a German naval officer’s demand that by appointment on 4 April 1926, in three pilots finally got the amphibian in
his ship leave Kiel harbor. The German preparation for his assignment in 1927 as the air, and 40-minutes later it was sighted
and his fellow officers threatened to attack the Executive Officer of the aircraft carrier near Annapolis but never arrived. The
the Brooks if he refused to comply, since a USS Lexington (CV-2), the world’s largest Navy’s first aviator had vanished. It was
state of war still technically existed between warship. He was awarded the Navy Cross, also his 43rd birthday. During April, his
the USA and Germany. Ellyson refused in recognition of his subchaser work nine body washed ashore. Soon thereafter, the
and the Germans took no further action years earlier, which shared space on his Navy established procedures for tracking
but he was subsequently transferred home breast along with campaign medals for all flights of Navy aircraft, as just one
after he reported the incident to Adm. his service in the Mexico Campaign and more example of Ellyson’s unplanned
Charles Hughes. in WWI. contributions to Naval aviation. AC
SPREADING THE
WORD
AMBASSADOR II — A FORTRESS FOR GOD - BY HOWARD CARTER
bitter wind was blowing across the purchased by the Assemblies of God following the disastrous effects of the war
A ramp at the Springfield Municipal
Airport in Missouri during December
USA, which was part of the world’s largest
Pentecostal denomination, and this was
and he realized something like the C-46
would be ideal for hauling both people
1949. However, the hearts and souls of the their second surplus WWII military aircraft and cargo to remote parts of the world
dozens of people that had gathered to see to be used in spreading the word of God to where commercial flights were not readily
the latest instrument in spreading the word remote and far-flung areas of the world. available. USAAF 44-77858 was converted
of God were filled with warmth and joy. In The first aircraft was a Curtiss to civilian use at a cost of $20,000 while the
front of them was a gleaming B-17G Flying C-46 Commando registered other C-46 was held for spares. N5925V
Fortress with a bright red forward fuselage N5925V. It was actually one of could carry 40 passengers or be quickly
that had been two C-46s purchased for $5000 reconfigured to carry a smaller number of
each by Noel Perkin, the foreign passengers and a variety of cargo loads.
missions secretary of Assemblies On 12 August 1948, C-46 N5925V
of God. Perkin was forward-look- named Ambassador lumbered out of
ing and he knew that aircraft Springfield on the start of a 19,080-mile
would be needed trek to Africa. On board were 14 people
after WWII including four crew and a disassembled
in order Republic SeaBee that would be delivered
to get the to a missionary in
organiza- Liberia. On the
tion up and way back, and
running
Attractively finished Ambassador II is

presented to followers at the Springfield
Municipal Airport in Missouri. The small
terminal, typical of the time period, is of
interest.
Curtiss C-46 Ambassador served the Assemblies long and well
on several epic flights to Africa and India. It was eventually sold
to Varig in Brazil.
Loading a SeaBee N6761K aboard Ambassador. As can be seen,
with the SeaBee gone, the passenger load groundcrew forgot it was a tight fit.
increased to 37 but the plane had to follow to connect an
the northern route due to the C-46’s range additional auxiliary
limitations. Headwinds and higher than fuel tank and this
anticipated fuel consumption led to some was only noticed
spooky moments on the return flight over when attempts were
the Atlantic but the C-46 touched down made to fill the tank
safely at Springfield on 3 September where immediately prior to
crew and passengers were treated to a departure. With that
warm welcome. Missionary leader George problem fixed, then
Carmichael stated, “The heavens have the C-46 began its
become a highway linking the mission trip and eventually
fields of the world.” touched down at The Fort after executive conversion and operating as San Miguel.
However, the captain for that epic Trinidad were it ran off the wet runway Revis yelled for everyone to prepare to
first flight did not quite fit in with the into thick mud. It took some effort to get ditch but one R-2800 began to bark back
outfit’s Christian ideals and this led to the the plane out of the mud, cleaned off, and to life and Revis began a slow climb back
hiring of Capt. Herman Revis, a US Navy readied for the next leg. to cruising altitude.
WWII veteran who became a committed Departing Brazil, both of the C-46’s The captain turned the Commando
Christian after his military duty. Except Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines began back to Brazil and a safe landing was made
for that epic first trip, Revis would to cut in and out while heading to but since the passengers did not have
captain all Ambassador flights. His Dakar. This caused the Commando to proper reentry papers they were forced to
first flight for Assemblies was not lose 7000 feet in altitude while the flight sit in the cabin as the tropical heat began
without interest for the engineer attempted to alter fuel flow and to make the interior
restart the motors. The C-46 dropped to like a furnace. Finally,
2000 feet above the sea and they were allowed
quick actions saved the bomber.
Once back in Springfield, the aircraft
was readied for a long mission to Africa.
However, the Korean War got in the
way and, combined with rapidly rising
insurance premiums, the decision to sell
Ambassador II was made and on 28 August
1951 it was purchased by Albert Leeward of
Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was the father of
famed warbird/race pilot Jimmy Leeward.
Albert began looking for markets for the
The new flight crew for Ambassador II N68269 is introduced to members of the
Assemblies before the B-17G’s maiden flight to Mexico City and onward to Africa with a customized Fortress and found one a year
load of 25 passengers and five crew. later in France. The plane was purchased
Soriano, founder by the Institut Geographique National
and president of (IGN) and would be used for aerial survey
Philippine Air Lines, work around the world.
and carried the Albert Leeward undertook the ferry
name San Miguel. flight to Paris and it is presumed that
Thus modified, it all the executive modifications were
undertook a global ripped out and replaced by cameras
flight. and survey equipment. Some of the
However, Assemblies’ members were happy to see
Soriano’s interest the Ambassadors go. “They were always
The Fortress could carry fewer passengers and little cargo
in the converted late and maintenance was questionable,”
compared to the C-46 but it offered increased range and bomber must have recalled one member. “Some of us would
reliability. In its first year of operation, Ambassador II visited
38 countries and flags from these nations were painted on the
dropped since it not fly on them for anything.”
bomber’s nose. was put up for sale With IGN, the aircraft joined
out to refresh and regroup. They were in 1949. That is when it was inspected the company’s small force of B-17s
allowed to return to Natal by other means by Revis and, after much discussion, the and received the French registration
and Ambassador followed a few days later Assemblies decided to part with $90,000 F-BDRS. It immediately went to work
but this was the last trip on which both to purchase the converted bomber on 4 at various bases around the world and
passengers and cargo would be carried. October 1949. To finance the purchase, the was withdrawn from use in 1972. The
On 15 February 1949, Ambassador C-46 was sold to Varig in Brazil. The paint Warbird movement was barely starting at
departed Springfield for an epic flight scheme on the B-17G was modified and it this time and few people were interested
to India that would take the aircraft and was given the name Ambassador II and it in something as daunting as a B-17. In
passengers through New York, Gander, the quickly went to work. England, the new company of Euroworld
Azores, Lisbon, Tunis, Cairo, and Sharjah When it came time for a major decided to buy two of the IGN Forts and
before touching down in Bombay. From servicing, the bomber was flown to Spartan use one for airshow work — F-BGSR
that point, the C-46 traveled around the Aircraft in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and when the (44-85784, which would become the
country to several religious conferences work was done the B-17G headed back to famous Sally B) and F-BDRS, which
before starting the long journey back home. Springfield. Immediately after takeoff, a would become a parts source for the flying
During this trip, it was decided that a four- fire broke out in the cockpit area. On this B-17G.
engine aircraft would make the Assemblies’ trip, Gene Callentine was serving as flight Many parts were pulled from F-BDRS
flights not only safer but more comfortable. engineer and he jumped out of his seat and and in 1978 the airframe was sold to the
A search for such an aircraft led Revis to sprayed the area with a fire extinguisher Imperial War Museum at Duxford Airfield
B-17G-95-DL 44-83735. Built by Doug- and then jumped back into his seat in where a great deal of reconstruction work
las at Long Beach, California, the plane time to do the first after takeoff power was carried out to return the aircraft to
had been flown to a surplus lot with just reduction. A worker at Spartan had left a WWII configuration. Painted in Olive
35 hours flight time. It was purchased by paper bag filled with steel wool behind the Drab/Neutral Gray, the completed bomber
Transocean Air Lines out of Oakland, Loran console. There was an open terminal was finished to have the serial 42-31983 on
California, and registered N68269. The for the transmitter antenna that traveled the vertical tail and the name Mary Alice
skilled workforce at Transocean converted through the navigator’s station and when on the nose. It is now on display in the
the bomber to executive configuration with the first broadcast was made after takeoff, American Air Museum at Duxford with
lots of sound-proofing, passenger interior, energy from the antenna arced into the the correct serial restored and no name or
an office, a bar, and a lounge in the nose steel wool and paper bag and caught fire. art on the nose, thus making for a rather
area. Extra fuel tanks were also installed This ignited the headliner material, which drab display. The Flying Fortress is now
along with modern navigation aids and a was made out of the same stuff used in cars assured long-term survival after a most
hydraulic autopilot. It was used by Andres of the time period. Fortunately, Gene’s interesting civilian life. AC
HOME OF THE
RARE BIRDS
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• CHECK OUT OUR NEWLY RESTORED CAROUSEL
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YANKS AIR MUSEUM HOUSES AN INCREDIBLE EVENT VENUES!
COLLECTION OF MILITARY AND CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT —

THE PLANES THAT MADE AMERICA GREAT
In 1973, founder Charles Nichols
had a dream to create a world-
class aviation museum. Since
then, that dream has grown and
grown to include over 200 of See our TWO
the world’s rarest aircraft — the Republic Thunderbolts
majority of which are maintained
in airworthy condition. Tour our boneyard
What makes Yanks Air Museum Staggerwing — the aircraft

that started the museum
unique is that Charles’ vision
was for a museum that would highlight the magnificent achievements of
American men and women that designed, built, and flew the world’s greatest
aircraft.
Our collection of pioneering Golden Age aircraft is second to none but we

also place special emphasis on the
trainers, fighters, and bombers that won Visit the
restoration
the Second World War. shop
Fabulous location for unique weddings
Photography is encouraged. Join us on
the third Saturday for flights, forums,
food, and fun. We know you will want
to visit the Bootlegger Bar inside our
Fairchild C-123 for refreshments!
WHERE THE LEGENDS FLY ON! Huge collection of rare WWII fighters
YANKS AIR MUSEUM AT HISTORIC CHINO AIRPORT 909-597-1735

15121 Stearman Drive, Chino, California 91710 www.YanksAir.org
Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 am-4:00 pm, closed Sunday,
Lockheed 12 photo by
Mondays and Major Holidays Michaelairclassicsnow.com
Malak Photography 69
LARKINS
ON THE RAMP
RECORDING WEST COAST NAVY AND MARINE CORPS AIRCRAFT
BY NICHOLAS A. VERONICO
William T. Larkins is well-known for his standard-setting books US Navy Aircraft
1921-1941 and its companion US Marine Corps Aircraft 1914-1959. The Marine Corps
book was released in 1959, and the Navy volume followed in July 1961 (a combined
volume autographed by Bill is available through the Aviation Book Club by calling
818-700-6868 and we have very few copies left). Thus, with his intense interest in
Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, Bill was actively attending airshows and various
tours set-up by the Aviation and Space Writers Association that was extremely active
at the time. In this installment of our Larkins photographic series, we’re showcasing
THE WILLIAM T. LARKINS a dozen images shot in the late 1950s/early 1960s before the Tri-Service aircraft
designation system was implemented in September 1962. We find the images of
COLLECTION interest since they show a variety of colorful markings. These slides were restored by
photographer and former F-14 pilot Jim Leslie of Morgan Hill, California. >>
F3H-2M Demon BuNo 137056 at NAS Miramar, California, on 10 August 1957. The
-2M carried the AN/APG-51B radar set that was used to guide (hopefully) AAM-
N-2 Sparrow missiles to their target. Eighty of the -2Ms were built with the first
flying on 23 August 1955. The -2M version was built simultaneous to the F3H-2N
Sidewinder-equipped Demon. Bureau Number 137056 was deployed aboard
USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) during the carrier’s second trip to the Western Pacific
in December 1958. Squadron markings are elaborate and attractive with the
extensive use of red that emphasizes the sleek lines of the Demon. The F3H-2M
Demon was redesignated MF-3B in 1962. Like the rest of the Demon family, it had
a very short service life.
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation built 142 F3H-2N Demon night-fighters at its St. Louis, Missouri, factory. The basic design was
plagued by the failure of the Westinghouse J40 turbojet and had to be redesigned to take the Allison J71. Even then, performance
was substandard and the Demon did not achieve the desired supersonic capabilities of the original specification. The fighters had
a limited all-weather capability and were equipped with the AN/APG-51 airborne intercept radar. Dash 2N Demons were armed with
four 20mm cannon and were eventually retrofitted to carry four AAM-N-7 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. Bureau Number 133583 first
flew in 1956, and was photographed at NAS Moffett Field, California, while serving with VC-3 (a composite squadron) wearing the
squadron code NP-12. Unit markings were extremely simple and consisted of a stripe with three stars (for VC-3) on the vertical tail.
The Demon’s role in the fleet was taken over by the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II. F3H-2N 133583 was struck off charge at NAF Litchfield
Park, Arizona, on 30 October 1964. At the time, no thought was given to preserving any Demons.
The Douglas AD-6 was a single-seat, day

attack version of the famed Skyraider
series. Bureau number 135370 of VA-
115 was photographed on NAS Miramar
the ramp on 10 August 1957, carrying
fuselage code NH-508. The AD-6 was
powered by the massive 18-cylinder,
2500-hp Wright R-3350-26WA radial
engine, was equipped with four 20mm
cannon, and could deliver 8000 pounds
of ordnance. VA-115 used medium
green as a squadron color and this was
applied to all the forward surfaces of
the Skyraider. Note how the constant
blow-back of oil and exhaust gases has
eroded “Navy” on the rear fuselage. The
AD-6 was redesignated A-1H in 1962.
Douglas AD-7 (later A-1J) Skyraider BuNo
142029’s first squadron assignment was
with VA-216. In 1962, the Skyraider was
assigned to VA-122 wearing squadron
codes NJ-225, and is seen shortly after
its transfer at NAS Moffett Field. The
aircraft subsequently flew with VA-25, and
in 1966 was assigned to NAS Kisarazu,
Japan. Recalled stateside, 142029 was
assigned to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan
AFB, Arizona, and struck off the Navy’s
inventory on 8 August 1967. The US Air
Force reactivated the plane and it was
given serial number 52-142029. In early
1969, the plane was assigned to the 602nd
Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special
Operations Wing. On 26 April 1969, BuNo
142029 was fatally struck by 12.7mm anti-
aircraft fire west of Ban Ban, Laos, during a
bombing run. The Skyraider went down on
the Plain of Jars and the pilot perished in
the crash.
AD-6 BuNo 135340 at NAS Moffett Field in the markings of VA-165 assigned to the carrier USS
Oriskany (CV-34). In 1964, this Skyraider was flying with VA-115, wearing the squadron codes
NH-310. The aircraft was later transferred to the US Air Force as serial 52-135340 (in order to
make “new” serial numbers for their acquired aircraft, the USAF took the last two numerals

Five AD-6 Skyraiders ready to ship to the South Vietnamese Air Force at NAS Alameda, California, in August 1960 as part of the
first group of ADs for the SVAF. Bill was always looking for different angles when photographing aircraft and this view not
only captures an interesting perspective but also shows the new markings to advantage. The aircraft have had their SVAF
markings applied and all panel lines have been sealed to prevent corrosion during the long over-water transit to Indochina.
Also note the small solid rubber tailwheel tires favored for carrier landings. Bureau numbers (from left) are: 139676, 134485,
134505, and 139629. These aircraft served with the SVAF’s 514th Squadron, with 139676 crashing at Bien Hoa Air Base, South
Vietnam, on 4 June 1962, while 139629 was written-off in an accident on 5 November 1962.
of the year built and combined them with the bureau numbers). This battle veteran was subsequently transferred to the South
Vietnamese Air Force where she flew with the 516th and the 518th Squadrons before being written-off on 28 March 1973. The
R-3350 produced heavy exhaust staining and this can be seen immediately behind the cowl. The view also shows the underwing
pylons to advantage.
North American FJ-3 Fury, BuNo 136022 of VMF-333, wearing squadron code DN-3, at NAS Moffett Field in 1957. At the time, VMF-
333 “Fighting Shamrocks” was based at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina. The Marine squadron’s unit markings consisted of dark
green and white that formed fuselage and vertical tail bands with three-leaf clover (a play on “333”) markings. Note that the green
was even applied to the drop tanks. The plane’s refueling boom is clearly evident in this shot. Gun powder residue around the
20mm cannon ports indicates that the weapons had recently been fired. In 1960, the squadron became the first Marine Corps unit
to receive the F-8 Crusader.

North American FJ-3M BuNo 141372 of VF-142 “Ghostriders” with fuselage code of NK-210 was photographed on 10 August
1957 NAS Miramar. The medium blue squadron markings add to the overall attractiveness of the design. Note the extended aerial
refueling probe to enable the fighter to take on fuel from AJ-2 Savage or A-4 Skyhawk tankers. This Fury was also struck off charge
at NAF Litchfield Park in October 1963.
FJ-3 BuNo 136142 of VF-124 “Gunfighters” wears code NJ-433, and is seen taxiing in at NAS Moffett Field. This Fury was one of
80 of the type upgraded to FJ-3M standards to carry and shoot the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. Bureau number 136142 met its end
in the smelters at NAF Litchfield Park in October 1963.
The Grumman F9F-8P Cougar made its first flight on 18 February 1955, and 110 of the variant were built with the last being
delivered in July 1957. The photo-recon Cougars, with their distinctive long nose and large camera ports, were replaced by
supersonic Vought F8U-1P Crusaders and were phased out of the fleet by 1960. Here, Grumman F9F-8P BuNo 144383 with
Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VMCJ-3) wearing code TN-3, awaits its next mission during the spring 1957.
Today, the -8P is a rare survivor but beautifully restored F9F-8P BuNo 141675 is on display for all to see at the Yanks Air Museum
at Chino, California. This particular aircraft is even more unusual because it is the only civilian registered -8P, carrying the
registration NX9256.
A pair of VF-211 Vought F8U-1 Crusaders, led by BuNo 144454, code NE-102, taxi in while based at NAS Moffett Field during
the fall 1959. The long fuselage stripes really add to the supersonic appearance of the Crusader. The “Fighting Checkmates”
moved to NAS Miramar, California, in June 1961. While operating in the Vietnam War, Crusaders from VF-211 were the first to

One of the least known, but quite important, early USMC jets, Marine Corps Douglas F3D-2Q BuNo 125818 of Marine Composite
Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VMCJ-3), code TN-6, was photographed on the ramp at MCAS El Toro, California, during
September 1963. The -2Q was the electronic warfare version of the Skyknight, and became the first Marine Corps tactical jet
dedicated to the EW mission. Far-sighted Marines at MCAS El Toro completed conversions of two Q prototypes using EW
equipment taken from AD-5Ns. This resulted in Airframe Change 173 and that work was completed at the Naval Air Rework Facility
at NAS North Island, resulting in 35 F3D-2Qs being delivered to three VMCJ squadrons. During the Vietnam War, the type flew
many vital EW missions and provided critical threat warning and radar jamming support for USN and USAF strike and recon
missions until their departure in October 1969. Bureau number 125818 had an accident on 19 August 1963 at El Toro, was repaired,
and returned to service. Subsequently designated an EF-10B, this Skyknight was stuck off charge at NARF North Island, San
Diego, California, on 1 December 1969. The last EF-10B from VMCJ-3 was flown to MCAS Quantico in June 1970.
engage North Vietnamese MiGs and would go on to down eight MiGs during the war. In
December 1975, the squadron transitioned to the F-14 Tomcat, and today fly the F/A-18F
Super Hornet. AC
BY TRAVEL AIR TO HAWAII
(continued from page 32)
Woolaroc, heavily laden with fuel, heads toward the Golden Gate while Davis raises his head out of the navigator’s hatch to watch the
camera plane.
gear and the left very slowly began gaining height. The
wing pointing up aircraft was carrying a female passenger
to the sky, was out and it would also disappear forever. The
of the race. Pabco Breese-Wilde Aloha, crewed by Martin
Pacific Flyer was Jensen and Capt. Paul Henry Schluter,
next but the plane was soon on the runway and lifting off
would not become past the wreck of El Encanto.
airborne and At seventh place, it was now Goebel’s
would try another turn and the Travel Air turned onto the
takeoff run later. runway with its fixed tail skid dragging
The beautiful a rooster tail of dust and dirt. Tracking
Lockheed Vega straight, Goebel lifted off and began
Golden Eagle the slow climb to gain altitude with
rapidly accelerated the Wright bellowing at full throttle.
and was soon Eighth place was taken by William
climbing into Erwin and navigator Alvin Eichwaldt in
the sky (it would the Swallow Special Dallas Spirit. After
never be seen a smooth takeoff, the Dallas Spirit was
again). Then, it spotted returning to Oakland. Among
was the turn of the the observers was Walter Beech who had
Buhl Air Sedan arrived a week earlier in a Model 4000
Miss Doran and biplane. He was on hand to offer support
the unattractive and technical help to the crews of his
machine two Travel Airs. He realized the finality
William Erwin (left) and Alvin Eichwaldt go over their maps with eventually got of the long trip as he looked west over
the Swallow Special Spirit of Dallas behind them. into the air and the Pacific and knew his company had a
After failing to depart with the racers, the Swallow Spirit of Dallas
would participate in the search for the lost flyers but after taking
off from Oakland it just disappeared. Pulling the prop through to start the Wright J5 on Oklahoma.
lot riding on the successful completion
of what many were now calling the
“Pineapple Derby.”
With his heart in his throat, about
an hour after it took off, Beech saw an
approaching shape returning to the field
for landing. It was Oklahoma and this
did not bode well for the Kansas aircraft
builder. The plane, with its very heavy
fuel load still aboard, touched down for
a bumpy landing and then taxied to the
area where the racers had been parked.
Once out of the cockpit, Griffin told
Beech that the Wright engine had been
running hot and vocally blamed the
Nu-Aviation fuel for his return. Beech
was now down to one entry and Griffin’s
comments were certainly not what
Phillips had hoped for. Spectators line both sides of the runway as the Oklahoma begins its takeoff roll.
In the cabin of Woolaroc, Davis and was working but Davis knew that once The navigator had carefully planned
Goebel had their hands full. Reaching out of range he would have to rely the flight and had taken a lesson from
about 3000 feet, Art pulled back the on his proven skills with celestial and Charles Lindbergh. The Lone Eagle had
throttle a bit and tried to get the Travel marine navigation techniques until they, used something called the Great Circle
Air stabilized in cruise. The Army had hopefully, neared their goal and could route for his flight to Paris and Davis
been transmitting a low-frequency pick up a signal being transmitted from planned on doing the same. As darkness
navigation signal and Davis was able Hawaii. If off by even a few degrees, fell, the navigator began taking the first
to send course changes to Goebel. The Woolaroc would head off into the vast of many nighttime star observations with
aircraft’s radio receiver/transmitter Pacific so a lot was riding on his skills. his celestial sextant. Picking a reference
relatively well but sometimes Goebel
disagreed but finally went along with his
navigator’s observations.
Droning into the night, the average
speed of Woolaroc was 93-mph and both
Davis and Goebel felt the pull of sleep
but they knew slumber would be fatal.
Goebel busied himself by constantly
checking the few instruments and
making sure Woolaroc was flying level
while Davis did more calculations to
keep himself alert plus he had a bit more
space into which he could stretch his
arms and legs. They tried not to think
about the ocean waiting for them just a
few thousand feet below. As midnight
passed, they noticed that a higher layer of
thin clouds was beginning to obscure the
A view of the two-mile dirt runway with contestants in position and Oklahoma ready stars and this would be a real problem for
to takeoff. Davis and his precise navigation. Adding
more power to build up speed, Art got
the plane up to about 110-mph and then
gently pulled back on the yoke. The
gradual climb brought the aircraft up
to about 6000 feet and this, fortunately,
put them atop the clouds. With the stars
visible, Davis got busy.
Finally, the sun began to rise behind
the Travel Air and Davis opened the side
window and tossed out the first smoke
bomb. When it hit the water, he could
calculate the wind to see how much
Woolaroc had drifted off course during
the night. Then, he took a sun sighting to
determine relative longitude. He found
Topping off Aloha with Red Crown Gasoline.
that winds aloft were shifting to the
east and then to the southeast and he
calculated Woolaroc needed a minor
change heading to the south. Sending
the message to the pilot, Art looked at
it and disagreed but Davis insisted his
figures were correct so Art turned the
yoke slightly left. Davis found they had
also picked up a bit of a tailwind and
were now travelling at approximately
100-mph. Then, the radio began to
pick up the low-frequency transmission
from Honolulu and the spirits of both
men soared since they were nearing
Aloha prior to takeoff. their destination.
star, he carefully laid the sextant on a Davis was completely isolated from The western sky was lighting with
flat surface and tried to minimize the the pilot and was surrounded by fuel a bluish-pink glow and after 24 hours
vibrations running through the airframe. tanks. To get the course information aloft, Art’s eyes were getting blurry but he
He needed the sextant to be completely to Goebel the two men had created a spotted something far in the distance that
level (using a bubble much like that on a string and pulley system between their at first appeared to be a cloud but soon
carpenter’s level) and the instrument was positions. Davis would write down began to define itself as an island. Goebel
illuminated by a small light run by the course changes and then use the pulley to kicked the rudder from one side to the
aircraft’s battery. get the notes to the cockpit. This worked other to alert Davis that land was ahead.
The island was Maui and the Travel
Air was soon over Molokai and in the DOLE RACE AIRCRAFT BY ORDER OF DEPARTURE
morning mist the well-known shape of 1) OKLAHOMA
Diamond Head began to define itself. Travel Air 5000 NX911 flown by Bennett Griffin with Al Henley as navigator. Took off at noon, aborted
flight after 45 minutes and returned to Oakland with reported engine problems. At this point, they gave
Both aviators began to search for
up on the race.
Wheeler Field when suddenly a Boeing
PW-9 fighter pulled in off the Travel 2) EL ENCANTO
Air’s left wing. The pilot of the fighter Goddard Special monoplane NX5074 flown by Hawkins and Goddard. Overloaded, it crashed on takeoff.
rocked his wings and gesticulated at
Goebel who could not understand what 3) PASCO PACIFIC FLYER
he was trying to express. The fighter Breese-Wilde monoplane NX646 with L.G. Irving as pilot. Aborted first takeoff, crashed on second an
hour later.
pulled in even closer and suddenly
Goebel and Davis could see the pilot 4) GOLDEN EAGLE
was holding up one finger. They were Prototype Lockheed Vega NX913 flown by Frost with Scott as navigator. Never seen again after takeoff.
the first to arrive over Hawaii!
Fortunately, the fighter stayed with 5) MISS DORAN
them and guided the blue and orange Buhl CA-5 Air Sedan NX2915 with Augie Pedlar as pilot, V. Knope as navigator, and Mildred Doran as
monoplane to the grass runway at passenger. Took off at 12:34 but returned a few minutes later with engine problems. Maintenance work
was done and they took off at 2:30 pm and were not seen again.
Wheeler where Art made a relatively
smooth touchdown even though he was 6) CITY OF PEORIA
exhausted after 26 hours 17 minutes Air King biplane NX3070 flown by Charles Parkhurst and navigated by Ralph Lowes was disqualified day
and 33 seconds in the air. The Hawaiian of takeoff because of inadequate fuel capacity.
radio stations had been broadcasting
the progress of the flight and hundreds 7) ALOHA
of people swarmed to the field where Breese-Wilde 5 monoplane NX914 with Martin Jensen as pilot and Paul Schlueter as navigator. Arrived
they pushed past guards to surround at Wheeler Field after 28 hours 16 minutes to take second place.
the aircraft and cheer the pilots. The 8) WOOLAROC
crowd quickly grew to 30,000 and the Travel Air 5000 NX869 with Art Goebel as pilot, William Davis as navigator. Took off at 12:36 and arrived
airfield was swamped with people. Both at Wheeler Field in 26 hours 19 minutes to take first place.
men exited the aircraft and initially
their legs were wobbly and their ears 9) DALLAS SPIRIT
deafened but they were soon yelling Swallow Special monoplane NX941 with William Erwin as pilot and Alvin Eichwaldt as navigator. Took
“We did it! We did it!” while the off a minute after Woolaroc. Returned due to fuselage fabric damage. Took off three days later to aid in
search for other missing aircraft but was never seen again.
spectators cheered and applauded.
The Air Corps band had assembled THE OTHERS
and was playing patriotic tunes as the SPIRIT OF JOHN RODGERS
men were guided to a platform covered Tremaine Humming Bird with pilot George Covell and navigator S. Waggener. Departed San Diego for
in red, white, and blue bunting and Oakland but flew into a cliff at Point Loma while operating in fog. Both killed.
surrounded by American flags. On the
platform, they were greeted by James PRIDE OF LOS ANGELES
International CF-10 triplane piloted by J.L. Giffin with Theodore Lundgren crashed into San Francisco
Dole and Hawaii’s governor along with
Bay on 11 August while on approach to Oakland. Aircraft destroyed but both men and a passenger
military officials and members of the swam to safety.
race committee. As per the previous
contract, each man received a check ANGEL OF LOS ANGELES
for $7500 (about $128,500 today) while Bryant monoplane took off on 12 August from Western Air Express Field, Montebello, California, for a
$10,000 (currently about $171,000) went first flight with British ace Arthur Rogers as pilot. After reaching 200 feet, aircraft became unstable and
to the sponsors. Phillips logos were on Rogers jumped but was snagged on the tail and dragged to his death.
display and reporters were soon told that
MISS HOLLYDALE
the Travel Air’s Wright J5 engine had International F-17 biplane flown by well-known movie pilot and part-time actor Frank Clarke with naviga-
consumed 317 gallons of the company’s tor Jeff Warren was disqualified from the race.
Nu-Aviation fuel.
As the pandemonium, cheering, and WANDA
speeches began to die down, another Hess Bluebird biplane NX1335 flown by Frederick Giles. Unable to meet qualification deadlines of 10
question began to form — where were am on 15 August. Pilot attempted flight to Australia via Honolulu in November 1927. Landed near
the other racers? Anxious eyes began to Hearst Castle at San Simeon, just a short distance from Oakland and that was the end of the flight.
scan the blue, cloud-flecked sky but there ROBERT C. FOWLER
was nothing. Worried glances began This pilot had drawn the tenth starting position but did not have an aircraft.
to pass between the Air Corps pilots
Martin Jensen and Paul Schlueter with Aloha.
because they knew the dangers involved
along with the rough times when the
racers should be arriving. The crowd
began to disperse but several thousand
decided to wait to see the remainder of
the race.
After about two hours, the rumble of
a radial engine was heard and the shape
of a Breese-Wilde monoplane could be
made out. As the aircraft got closer, the
wording Aloha was seen on the fuselage
sides. Pilot Martin Jensen made a
straight-in approach and bounced a few
times before settling down. The racer
then taxied to the area where Woolaroc
and Army aircraft were parked. Once
again, the crowd swarmed the plane
Heavily-laden with fuel, Aloha struggles aloft. as Jensen and navigator Paul Schluter
crawled from the fuselage. They were
more than glad to be on the ground
because a later check of the fuel tanks
showed the plane had a mere five gallons
remaining. Aloha had been in the air for
28 hours and 16 minutes — the racer
was right on the edge of disaster due to
several navigational errors.
There was sort of a repeat of
the ceremony and Jensen received
his winnings of $10,000 and out of
this amount he gave his navigator a
measly $25! This would cause plenty
of controversy in the press a bit later
but for the moment everyone was
straining their necks to catch sight of the
remaining racers. As the clocked ticked,
the airfield was covered by a strange
Woolaroc slowly begins to gain altitude after departing Oakland. silence. Spectators began to drift away
while Army pilots quietly put together
a plan for an aerial search pattern.
Everyone realized there would be no
more racers landing at Wheeler Field.
The Pineapple Derby was over and it was
now viewed as a disaster rather than an
accomplishment.
A NEW TYPE OF RECORD

Even though Art Goebel safely
completed the transpacific crossing
and gained the prize money, he and
other similar record-seeking pilots of
the time were usually staying one step
ahead of creditors. Thus, new ideas had
to be created to bring in funding. But
first, Woolaroc, after a victorious tour
of the area, had to be disassembled and First across — Woolaroc lands at Wheeler Field. Note the pursuit biplane on the left
placed on the freighter SS Monoa for background that guided the Travel Air to the Army field.
the trip back to the USA with Goebel after viewing the tragic outcome of the so Goebel was off on a victory tour of
and Davis also aboard. Arriving in San majority of the aircraft, decided one of selected cities and this was combined
Francisco, an impromptu celebration the luxurious ocean liners that regularly with numerous celebrations. In October,
was staged. Davis would comment, “We plied the route would be just fine for Woolaroc touched down in Wichita
know now that flying is a practical means their needs. to even more celebrations and this
of transportation across the Pacific. All Woolaroc was removed from the ship included having Art lay the cornerstone
that is necessary is a popular demand and carefully inspected as was the Wright for the new Factory B of the expanding
for this speedy transportation.” Most J5CA engine. Once reassembled, Phillips Travel Air plant. Then, he turned the
people planning on a trip to Hawaii, wanted to capitalize on the record flight first shovelful of dirt for Clyde Cessna’s
Vega was fast.
Phillips was impressed by this flight
and he contacted Goebel told him to
get moving with Woolaroc. After flying
the streamlined Vega, Art must have
had serious doubts about the boxy
Travel Air but money was money and
Phillips ordered him to get Woolaroc
“all slicked up.”
There was a major problem: the
lumbering Travel Air was anything
but a speed demon and in order to
get more speed out of the airframe,
drastic modifications would have to be
undertaken. When Art told Beech what
Phillips wanted, the canny businessman
said, “It’s a transport Art, not a racer.”
The record that Goebel and Phillips
wanted to break was a tough one. During
June 1924, a daring young Air Service
An obviously elated Art Goebel after winning the Dole Air Race. pilot by the name of Lt. Russell Maughan
new factory that was across town and he promote Nu-Aviation fuel. The various had used a Curtiss PW-8 fighter to make
helped dedicate Lloyd Stearman’s factory oil companies were beginning to see that a “dawn-to-dusk” dash across America.
that was north of Wichita. Clearly, aviation could be a big future growth Air Service brass knew that their budget
Wichita was becoming the air capital of industry and were starting to compete for from Congress might be slashed and
America. This was followed by meetings the market. Phillips immediately saw the agreed to Maughan’s plan since the event
with Walter Beech and his staff. publicity value in Art’s new scheme — would bring a huge amount of publicity.
Goebel had come up with another use Woolaroc to set an endurance record. With the complete backing of the
idea and he approached Frank Phillips However, after the tour, the airframe military, the Curtiss biplane was finely
with the concept of using Woolaroc to and engine were very tired and in need tuned and four refueling stops were
of a complete planned. These were to be no longer than
overhaul so that ten minutes each and at each a trained
idea was shelved. crew would be ready to refuel and service
Back in the fighter.
southern Maughan had picked 23 June in
California, Art order to squeeze just as much sunlight
was staying busy. out of the day as possible. At 4 am (just
He had been very after dawn but before sunrise) Maughan
impressed by the and the Curtiss roared out of Mitchel
performance of Field in Long Island and headed cross-
the Vega Golden country. The route to Crissy Field on
Eagle, which San Francisco’s Presidio covered 2670
disappeared miles and it took the pilot 21 hours and
during the Dole 47 minutes to fly the distance, landing at
race. He went dusk (actually, a little past) rather than
to Burbank and sundown. For 1924, this speed dash was
visited Lockheed big news and after landing Maughan was
where he was pulled out of the cockpit by his fellow
able to get the pilots and carried on their shoulders to
use of a Vega and the thunderous approval of the very large
then blasted out crowd that had arrived to witness the
of Burbank to conclusion of the flight. Obviously worn
New York, setting out, the pilot stated “I virtually ran along
a west to east the ground for the greater part of the trip.
transcontinental Sometimes, and quite frequently at that,
speed record of I ran within ten feet of the ground and
18 hours and 58 just crawled over the tops of houses and
minutes. The trees.” In Washington, politicians saw
that warplanes could reach any corner
of the USA very quickly. A few days later,
Maughan made a speech aimed at the
lawmakers: “The real reason for my flight
across the United States in the summer
hours of one day was that the chief of the
Air Service wanted to show Congress just
how unprotected are the people of the
Pacific Coast.”
Goebel and Phillips came up with
November 1928 for the transcontinental
dawn-to-dusk non-stop dash and Goebel
went to Wichita to consult with Walter
Beech and the Travel Air Company
Following the race, Woolaroc became a publicity tool for Phillips Petroleum.
about his proposed modifications.
However, there was very little support
from chief designer Horace Weihmiller
while Beech had already expressed his
opinion. Intense discussions followed, at
which time Beech apparently decided to
let Goebel have his way.
Goebel flew the plane to the Wichita
factory in January 1928 and work
began immediately with a chalked-in
completion date of 20 November. Even
though it was a ten-month schedule, the
plan was ambitious since aerodynamic The only two aircraft that completed what would soon be called the “Death Derby.”
problems had to be worked out while Aloha and Woolaroc parked together at Wheeler Field.
the small staff kept working on existing
orders. Apparently taking a page from
Lindbergh’s Ryan, the decision was made
to completely modify the Travel Air from
wing leading edge forward and to move
the pilot’s cabin and controls back to a
mid-fuselage position. This meant that
the existing cockpit and canopy (which
gave good visibility) would be eliminated
and the entire area would be streamlined
with wood and fabric to create a much
smoother nose section. An adjustable
seat in the mid-fuselage position would
allow the pilot to raise the seat until his
head projected through a hole in the
Phillips and Goebel got together to come up with a plan to modify Woolaroc to make
top fuselage. Then, he could try to look a cross-country speed dash to capture the record set by Lt. Russell Maughan in a
forward over the broad expanse of wing. modified Curtiss PW-8 pursuit.
Obviously, this was not ideal. powerful engine along with a “blind undertaken including streamlining the
More fuel tanks were added to the flying” (as it was called at the time) wing struts and slightly reducing the size
forward fuselage while additional smaller instrument panel so Art could fly at night of the main landing gear.
tanks were placed into the wing panels, and in the clouds. Getting the aircraft done on schedule
thus giving Woolaroc a stunning fuel The faithful Wright J5C was replaced was right down to the wire and Goebel
capacity of 600 gallons. This load was with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp that could was often on hand to inspect the plane
more than enough to complete the non- pump out 400 horsepower — double and offer advice. When finally completed
stop flight. To take the heavier weight, that of the Wright. Also, an adjustable- on 24 November, the gleaming modified
the landing gear was modified but the pitch two-blade prop was mated to the Travel Air was rolled out of the shop
real problem was placing the pilot mid- Wasp along with modified exhaust stacks for Art’s final inspection. If he was
fuselage, redoing all controls, adding that could supply a bit of extra thrust apprehensive about the new pilot’s
new side windows to give very limited (called “bayonet” exhausts at the time). position, he did not show it as he walked
visibility, and installing a new and more Other less visible modifications were around the aircraft with the mechanics.
the Travel Air would indicate only 135-
mph in cruise. He needed the cruise to be
around 160-mph and was certainly not
getting his planned performance figures.
Then, came time for the landing at
Travel Air Field and, by this point, it
was something both Art and Beech were
dreading. As the Travel Air approached
the runway, it wallowed and slewed
from side-to-side as Art attempted to
find some sort of visual reference. From
his position, Goebel realized he was
virtually blind and his first contact with
the earth jarred pilot and plane as the
Travel Air bounced back into the air.
“It’s a transport Art, not a racer,” said Walter Beech but modifications went ahead to Art smoothly fed in more power to keep
turn the plane into a racer that could cross the USA non-stop in one day. As can be
seen, the entire front of the fuselage was modified and the pilot’s position was located Woolaroc under control and tried to set
mid-fuselage where visibility was almost non-existent. The result was a very dangerous
aircraft and the record attempt was dropped when performance did not come anywhere up for another touchdown. At this point,
close to what was needed. he knew he was running out of landing
He then opened the fuselage door and cropped up and these had to do with area so he jammed Woolaroc back on the
crawled into the pilot’s seat. the fact that Art was having a very runway, chopped the throttle, and let the
Strapping in, the new Wasp was difficult time seeing ahead and holding monoplane slow to a stop.
started and settled into a satisfying the aircraft on course. He had to kick To show just how crazy the schedule
rumble. After a warm-up, Art gave a the rudder a bit in order to see forward was, Art planned to depart at sunset
thumb’s up to Beech and the work from the side windows but, even then, for New York! The plane was rolled
force, aimed Woolaroc into the wind, it was almost impossible to judge his back into the shop and Beech yelled out
pushed the throttle forward and took direction. Walter Beech had gotten orders to have workers quickly enlarge
off. Lightly loaded, the aircraft was soon airborne in a Model 4000 biplane to act the side windows and lower the pilot’s
circling over the field while Goebel tried as chase and was dismayed to see how seat in the hope of improving visibility.
out the controls. Problems immediately Woolaroc was slewing through the air. Somehow, this was done and the “racer”
Once he was once again rolled out, fueled, and
got to a few Goebel launched for New York City
thousand feet and just as the sun was setting. There, he
had the Travel would be positioned for a flight to St.
Air relatively Louis. From that point, he would spend
stabilized, Art the night then fly back to New York.
needed to see how This flight would give him data on
the modifications fuel consumption and long-distance
would increase handling qualities. Once at New York,
top speed. He the plane would be readied for the non-
pushed the power stop record run to California
up and the Wasp All pilots of the time period had very
began to howl limited experience flying on instruments
but after a few and the initial plan was to fly to St. Louis
minutes he could and land Scott Field, where he would
achieve only spend the night and give the aircraft a
160-mph and this good examination. Flying through the
was certainly not blackness, Goebel was having a hard and
enough to break exhausting time keeping Woolaroc under
the record. A lot control.
would depend The aviator soon realized that he
on cruise speed was probably not going to find Scott
so after the initial Field in the black murk but he knew
speed run, Art he was somewhere in the vicinity and
brought the that is when he saw lights that indicated
engine back to another landing field (it must be
1900-rpm but was remembered that airfield lighting was
dismayed to find extremely rare during 1928). Circling
Phillips made the decision to have
Woolaroc restored back to its Dole Air
Race configuration and the beautiful
aircraft — the only survivor of the race
— can now be seen by everyone at the
Phillips ranch in Bartlesville.
the area, Art felt he could land the
monoplane safely — plus, he was rapidly
running out of options. Somehow, he got
the craft down on the grass field but the
plane crashed into an unseen ditch and
slewed to the left before stopping. Exiting
the cabin, Goebel saw the landing gear
was damaged.
After finding someone that would
give him a bed, Goebel got some sleep
and was out at the field the next morning
to survey the damage. The left gear had
been hit hard and would require work
before another attempted flight but on 1 December. location of Phillips’ sprawling ranch. An
fortunately the prop escaped damage. Once again exhausted from the strain open pavilion was built and the aircraft
Using local talent, the plane was patched of flying the modified plane, Goebel put on display. It would remain in this
back up to airworthy condition but and Beech went into his office and Art location for the next 55 years.
Goebel was having second thoughts confessed that the plane was really quite During the early 1980s, it was decided
about heading on to New York. unsafe in its present condition. Of course, to restore Woolaroc since the aircraft’s
Three days later, Art pronounced Beech had disliked the modifications condition had gone downhill. This was
the repairs airworthy and took off once from the start and a telegram was sent to done and the plane looked magnificent.
again. However, he was not going to New Frank Phillips who agreed with the two By now, a portion of the ranch had
York. Climbing out, he turned the Travel men and Woolaroc was grounded. become the Frank Phillips Museum
Air west and flew toward Wichita. He Phillips decided he wanted Beech and Wildlife Reserve and an exhibit hall
had the same problems and could not to rebuild the Travel Air as it appeared was created to display Woolaroc while
track a straight line. Flying low to check in its original Dole race configuration. also honoring the memory of the pilot,
for landmarks in a mist-laden fog, he was This was at a time long before there navigator, and builder. Woolaroc was
west of St. Louis when the ghostly shape was much in the way of historic aircraft suspended from the ceiling with the
of a water tower flashed by his right wing. preservation but Phillips realized the nose pointed on the magnetic heading
A few feet difference would have led to significance of Woolaroc and once the for Honolulu. This is a wonderful
disaster. Gaining altitude to stay away rebuild was completed it was used for museum and it is open to all. For more
from possible obstacles such as radio some publicity flights before being flown information check out www.woolaroc.org
towers, Art pressed on and safely landed to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, which was the or call 918-336-0307. AC
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AIRCRAFT FROM AVIATION’S

GLORIOUS PAST
BY NORM TAYLOR
With the end of the war hundreds, if not thousands, of USAAF/USN aircraft were flown to Clark Field in the Philippines. At this
location, their futures were decided — shipment back to the States or a date with the scrapman. The trouble-plagued Northrop P-61
Black Widow seemed to have a limited post-war future and many of the examples flown to Clark were cut up. That is what happened
to P-61B-15-NO 42-39682 of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron. After a period of storage, the aircraft was ordered scrapped on 29
October 1945. Note how the tropical weather damaged the overall black camouflage paint. The B-24 Liberators in the background
were also scrapped.
The arrival of BOAC Canadair C-4 Argonaut G-ALHP Aethra at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport on 15 October 1949 obviously caught
the interest of a load of well-dressed passengers. BOAC used the Merlin-powered modification of the Douglas C-54 to service routes
in the Middle East and Asia. However, the roar of those engines probably caused permanent hearing loss for the passengers. After
BOAC service, the aircraft was sold to Derby Airways in 1961. It was used for spares and then scrapped.
De Havilland Canada
earned the reputation of
building the world’s best
bush planes. Included in
the various designs was the
Otter and today many of
the piston-powered Otters
have been converted to
turbine power, which
will keep them operating
for years to come.
Brightly-painted C-FODH
was photographed
at Vancouver on 30
June 2022 and it is a
Vazar DHC-3T turbine
conversion. Finished in
Canada’s national colors,
this aircraft is the third
Otter built and it rolled off
the dHC production line in
1952. The plane is one of a
number of Otters flown by
Harbour Air.

RY’S RUNWAY H DOWN MEMORY’S RUNWAY H DOWN MEMORY’S RUNWAY H DOWN MEMORY’S RUNWAY H DOWN MEMORY’S RUNWAY
Beautiful view of ultra-clean Convair C-131F BuNo 140993 City of Las Vegas flying over the California coast on one of its last
USN flights before being delivered to Davis-Monthan AFB for storage. It was eventually sold surplus as N3982V and became the
prototype for the stretched Convair 5800 built by Kelowna Flightcraft.
Classic view of two great flying boats. In
the foreground is Sikorsky S-42B NC16734
Samoan Clipper of Pan American and in the
background is Imperial Airways Short S.23
Empire G-ADUT Centaurus. Photographed in
late December 1937, both aircraft were on
route survey flights and were together for a
brief time at Mechanics Bay Seaplane Base
in Auckland, New Zealand. Samoan Clipper
arrived back at Honolulu on 3 January 1938
but on her next flight to New Zealand, the
elegant flying boat exploded in flight killing
the crew of seven including famed Clipper
captain Ed Musick. The Short S.23 was
obtained by Qantas in December 1938 but
was taken over by the RAAF as A18-10 on
25 September 1939. Fitted with .303-caliber
machine guns, it flew armed recon missions
with No. 11 Squadron in New Guinea. It went
on to fly with Nos. 20 and 33 Squadrons. In
February 1942, it evacuated personnel from
the Dutch East Indies. Moored at Broome
Harbor on 3 March 1942, it was attacked by
strafing Zeros and destroyed.
Rare 1938 color photo of KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AKQ Kwak (Night Heron) at the Groningen Airport Terminal in The Netherlands.
With the start of WWII, the DC-2-115E was captured by the Germans in 1940 and transferred to Lufthansa who flew the plane
as D-AEAN. During May 1945, it was captured by the Royal Air Force and given the serial VP102. It was probably scrapped a few
months later. AC
H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H
This photograph illustrates how the pilot of the Skyraider lost sight of the lead Mustang.
Note the portion of the outer right wing that has just departed the AD-4N.
The pilot of the lead Mustang exits the

aircraft after slightly brushing the vertical
tail. The red arrow illustrates the crushed
under fuselage of the fighter. With the pilot obviously focused on the runway in front of him, the Skyraider returns
to Duxford minus a portion of the right wing. Fortunately, the flap control system was
THAT OTHER not damaged.
WARBIRD MID-AIR
The photo of the mid-air between
the P-63F and the B-17G in the January
issue was horrific and illustrates, once
again, just how quickly something bad
can happen in the air. On 10 July 2011,
I was attending the fabulous airshow
at Duxford, England, and watching the
many Warbird displays when something
unthinkable took place. The pilot of
a Mustang registered in Germany as
D-FBBD (some sources note the aircraft
as a Commonwealth CA-18 Mk. 22, The Mustang hit nose down in a farm field. The destroyed Merlin is in the foreground.
but there is debate on this) was leading the Skyraider and the leading Mustang converge. It seemed as if the Mustang
a three-ship flight over the field and on collided. It happened very quickly but sliced through the Skyraider’s right wing
his left was Douglas AD-4N Skyraider seemed to me that it was unreeling in slow like a hot knife going through butter. The
F-AZDP and on his right was another motion. collision also did significant damage to the
Mustang named February (this was part The collision took place after the underneath of the Mustang’s rear fuselage.
of Flying Legends’ signature “Balbo” event Skyraider pilot lost sight of the lead My friends that were with me stated later
with a mass fly-by of about 50 Warbirds). Mustang. The pilot then continued to that there was a distinct noise of a “crash”
On a signal from the lead pilot, the tighten his turn compared to the lead but I do not recall hearing anything.
formation went into a break maneuver Mustang, which had actually slowed As the outer wing panel of the
to the left. While this was happening, down. This caused their flight paths to Skyraider tumbled away, the incredible
sight of the Mustang’s bubble canopy it could be fitted

departing the airframe took place followed with floats or land
by the form of the pilot leaving the gear.
cockpit, striking the tail, and falling away
from the stricken aircraft. Fortunately, he Lars Larson
was not knocked out and his parachute Oslo, Norway
opened to cheers from the spectators.
The stricken Mustang plunged into a EDITOR’S
field about a mile from the airfield and MISTAKE
was totally destroyed. Our attention was In the October
then drawn to the Skyraider. The plane 2022 “Friday Night
seemed to initially wobble through the Oldies,” I changed
air but then it was clear that the pilot had a caption around
control of the aircraft. The Skyraider very and thereby made
gingerly came around and pulled off a a real mistake. On
great landing, even though it was missing pages 88/89 is a shot
a significant piece of the wing. Again, of a Douglas B-23
more cheers. Dragon touching
Junkers W.34 LN-DAB photographed at Tromsa, Norway, during
In later interviews with the press, I down and I the late 1930s.
was most impressed by the actions of identified it as N747M. Well, it wasn’t and maintenance and was disassembled
Mustang pilot Rob Davis who said he several irate messages from Air Classics and stored outside at Midland, Texas.
had practiced jumping from the P-51 readers clarified that fact. The aircraft is During 2017, it was acquired by the 1941
“many times.” He and I are of the same actually B-23 USAAC 39-38 and like many Historical Aircraft Group Museum in
age, and I am not so sure I could have of the Dragon survivors, it was flown Geneseo, New York. Unfortunately, this
done it! As we watched, we were worried to Bush Field in Georgia for eventual museum does not have the financial
that he was too low but his parachute disposal. As we have previously noted, the capability to restore the Dragon and its
fully deployed at the last moment and B-23s were snapped up for conversion to future should be regarded as uncertain.
he came down in a farm field and then executive aircraft because their Wright
walked to an ambulance that was rushing R-2600s gave very good performance. STEAK HOUSE DC-7B
to his aid. Our subject Dragon became N56249 I enjoyed the brief mention of the
I thought Air Classics’ handling of with none other than industrialist Henry DC-7B N51700 that was converted into
the Texas mid-air was well done. I can’t J. Kaiser before going on to Standard Oil a restaurant in Byron, Georgia, in Norm
imagine my reaction if I had been in the and General Electric. It eventually became Taylor’s “Down Memory’s Runway” in the
airshow crowd. There was absolutely one of at least two Dragons owned by November 2022 issue. It opened in late
no time for anyone to escape (indeed if oilman John Mecom in Texas with the 1981 and was located on the southwest
anyone survived the initial impact). Your registration changed to N62G. In October corner of Georgia Highway 40 and
suggestions on briefings and air bosses 1973, it went to the then-Confederate Air Interstate 75. It was fairly elaborate with
were well-noted by this British aviation Force and was flown at many airshows an outdoor terrace and a swimming pool.
enthusiast. by the CAF’s Cajun Wing. It eventually Whomever had this dream did a lot of
fell victim to corrosion and limited work, but it was a dream that did not last
Robert McKenzie
Cambridge, UK
JUNKERS IN THE SKY

I was most interested to see the article
on the Junkers F-13 in the February issue
and the fact that replicas of this rugged
and important aircraft are being built. Of
course, Junkers aircraft pioneered many
air routes in Europe and elsewhere and
the basic design of the F-13 grew into
numerous other aircraft. I am attaching
a photo of Junkers W.34 LN-DAB that
operated in my home country with
Norwegian Air Lines (DNL). The type
was very important in bringing air
service to remote areas and like the F.13 Dragon N62G displays its elegant lines in flight. (Doug Fisher Collection)
story in the November 2022 issue is a

great, full-page photo of Richard Holly
when he was flying Thunderbolts. Now,
my question may seem a little odd but
I am interested in the serial number
of the aircraft, which was painted in
Insignia Yellow over Olive Drab. Upon
examination, it seems that the serial has
The DC-7B restaurant in full operation. The outer wings along with number one and
four Wright R-3350s had been removed along with the horizontal tail. Unfortunately, the been “toned down” with the application
success record of aircraft turned into restaurants is quite low. of a darker color. I know this was done
on the national insignias of many
fighters and bombers where white was
mixed with gray. Was the same thing
done with some Thunderbolt serials? If
readers care to go back and look at the
photo, they can see no such measure
By mid-1989, the DC-7B Steak House had failed and the aircraft was removed to a was done to the white identification
vacant lot prior to being scrapped. stripe on the vertical tail so “toning
long; by mid-1989, it had been towed to a MARKINGS QUESTION down” the serial makes little sense. I do
vacant lot where it sat for a bit before being I thoroughly enjoyed Steve Blake’s have some of the tech orders on toning
scrapped. I am a big fan of the Douglas two-part story “Lightnings Over down the national insignia but nothing
DC-4/DC-6/DC-7 series of aircraft and Reykjavik.” I am an avid model builder related to the serials. I was wondering
went to my files to include a couple later and these articles provided several if any readers could help (EDITOR’S
shots that readers might enjoy. interesting color schemes. Air Classics NOTE: We certainly did not originally
always comes up with WWII photos I notice this until Mr. Medway pointed it
Dru Winfield have never seen and these schemes keep out. It does appear that a darker color
Atlanta, GA me busy! On page 87 in Part Two of the was dappled over the serial and a search

of our Thunderbolt manuals does were dramatizing historical events and ant photograph. By then, the Dallas
not reveal a tech order relating to this demonstrating various flight formations. Morning News had published a report
matter so hopefully readers will have I was very busy shooting bursts as the of the crash online. I emailed one of the
further information to complete this show progressed, swinging from one reporters and told her what I had and
little bit of aviation history). formation to another. asked if the DMN wanted it. I never
At some point, I saw that the B-17 heard back from her. A little later, Frank
Ted Medway and a few other aircraft were flying Richards, who knew that I was at the
Sequoia, CA toward me from the south and begin- airshow, checked on me. I showed him
ning to bank left to line up for a run the image and agreed that the press and
A FIELD TRIP THAT down the line in front of the spectators. investigators needed to have a copy.
TURNED TRAGIC I shot a few frames of the turn with He put me into contract with a former
EDITOR’S NOTE: Larry Petterborg my long lens (Olympus 300mm) and DMN picture editor who then provid-
took the photo that perhaps best then looked away. Almost immedi- ed me with contact information of the
defines the mid-air collision between ately, I heard something and got the current editor. It was Sunday morning
the CAF P-63F and B-17G. Larry is an camera back to my eye, locked on to when I was finally able to talk with
enthusiastic photographer but admits the exploding bomber, and mashed the someone at the paper, who after some
he is not an “airplane guy.” He sent the shutter release. I had no idea what had consideration, suggested that I provide
following write-up of his memories of just happened but what I was seeing was my images to the Associated Press (AP).
that terrible day: horrific. I followed the front section of Later that afternoon I had signed the
the plane as it fell to earth. My finger forms giving AP permission to use my
Camera club field trips are supposed was still on the button for more than a images and sent them RAW files. Since
to be fun events where we (EDITOR’S dozen blurry pictures of the backs of the then, three of my photos of this horrific
NOTE: Larry belongs to the Dallas heads in front of me. It was surreal and and tragic accident have been provided
Camera Club) can practice our camera I was stunned as was everyone around to press outlets around the world. I was
skills, socialize, and learn from one me. I managed to move forward in the also able to send them to the NTSB for
another. Last year, a friend and I crowd and could then capture the burn- their investigation.
attended the Friday performance of ing wreckage and the attempts to douse
Wings Over Dallas. It was cold and so the flames. People around me were in Larry Petterborg
windy that they cancelled the afternoon shock and I could hear voices asking, Dallas, TX
portion of the show. I wanted to go back “what happened?”
and try it again, so I added the 2022 I looked at the
Wings Over Dallas event to the DCC
Field Trip itinerary.
back of my camera
and could tell that
“DEVOTION” BY ARTIST
MATT HALL
I arrived at the Dallas Executive I had captured the

Airport a little past nine on Saturday immediate after-
morning. Since I had forgotten to math of a collision.
bring my lawn chairs, I couldn’t stake I then started
out a spot on the grass in the front toward the parking
row to watch the show. Not being tied area so I could
down to one spot, however, allowed leave ahead of the
me to roam all over the venue and I stunned crowd.
eventually found myself beyond the When I got
VIP tents at the far end of the tarmac. home, I hurriedly
I instantly liked this location because downloaded my
it afforded me a good view of the cards and pulled
airplanes traveling down the runway up the frames
in front of an innocuous background. on my computer
For photographing aircraft in flight, my screen. It was only We have a limited number of
shooting position did not much matter. then that I realized Devotion prints & books for sale
Perhaps this is why I didn’t see any that the P-63 had with the autographs of the real
other DCC members. passed through heroes depicted in the new film,
including Capt. Tom Hudner (right)!
I was shooting with two cameras all the body of the
day, both set on burst mode, so by 1 pm, B-17, just behind
my total frame count was approaching the wings, and
4000. A little after 1 pm, there were a severed it in half. SHOP NOW:
lot of planes in the air including heavy I knew that this ValorStudios.com
bombers and their fighter escorts. They was an import-
H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H AIRLINES H
COMPLETE YOUR MORE CORSAIRS! hopefully inspire Air Classics’ authors.

For us Corsair fanatics, the January
COLLECTION! and February issues of Air Classics Raymond Seitz
have been an absolute feast. I even Brooklyn, NY
went and saw the new film Devotion
twice and will probably now watch it EDITOR’S NOTE: We are glad Mr. Seitz
several more times since it is available enjoyed the recent articles featuring the
on streaming services. Recently, Air Corsairs and the short answer is, yes —
Classics has had lots of great articles we will be having more F4U features.
on Lightnings, Mustangs, and other As readers know, our dedicated staff
fighters but little on Corsairs so I was and contributors go out of their way to
absolutely thrilled to see so many find rare and unusual photos and I am
photographs and information. Will pleased to note that quite a few really
there by more upcoming articles on great images have been compiled that
Vought’s “Bent-Wing Bird”? I have cover the Corsair’s long life so look
attached a couple photos that will forward to future articles. AC
Mr. Seitz sent in this shot (something I would like to see modelers duplicate!) of F4U-4s
from VF-63 and VF-64 that landed on the wrong carrier (USS Boxer) during the Korean
War. When this happened, deck crew were free to “decorate” the aircraft any which way
they desired. Of course, it fell upon the hapless crew of the home carrier to clean the
Corsairs after arrival.
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WOOLAROC: WINNING DOLE’S DERBY OF DEATH

MARCH 2023 • Vol. 59/No.3

Where History Flies

Captain Frank Murphy was a navigator aboard B-17s of

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Detail of an air raid shelter

Veteran Warbird pilot Chuck Gardner relaxes

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10 AIR CLASSICS/March 2023

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