Warbird Information Exchange

... just put one out in my neck of the woods (Santa Barbara area, CA) and now another one near by. All up and down the coast it seems there's fires everywhere.
The CAL FIRE guys and tanker crews are God given and are doing a wonderful job. We've got a big batch of firefighters and fire trucks all over the place here. Their earning their (never big enough) paychecks for sure. A big mess as usual. We need RAIN!!!!!!

Time to think about cranking up some of the "old retired" tankers like the A-24 below ...
(now on display at the NMUSAF)


Aeroflite Douglas A-24 N4488N used as a firebomber besides a sprayer Troutdale Airport August 23 1961.
This original photo taken by Lynn Langfield for the Oregonian newspaper.
The caption on the photo states the following: Douglas skybomber is loaded with 300 gallons of borate
at Troutdale Airport before taking off to dump it's load on fires in Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington.
From the Dan Dinneen collection.

As it looks displayed at the NMUSAF below.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/sbdregis ... 54582.html

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Blue Cut Fire from 12,000 ft. Great job by the tankers to drop a nice line.




West shooting east. Cajon Pass

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This is not good either.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

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What I've been seeing locally ... Chimney and Paradise road fires.






Smoke from the Chimney Fire is seen over Lake Nacimiento

F%$#@&*ING DRAG!!!!!!

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Interesting topic, at the same time very sad to see... Keep yourself safe Mark!
Jack

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Always looking for P-51D parts.

Here are a few pics of a recent fire, that came within 2000ft of my house.

A fire that consumed 20,000 acres and numerous homes.

A fire started by govt employees attempting to reduce the fire hazards in a national forest.

Time to put some current warbirds back to work ...


TBM Inc B-17G N3703G Tanker E78 Fresno AAB 6-6-1972 slide from the Dan Dinneen collection


... And how she looks today

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Can we borrow this one back for a little while?


TBM Inc TBM-3E N6827C Tanker E58 Sept 17 1970 slide from the Dan Dinneen collection


WIX Registry History:
TBM Inc, Tulare, CA, 1963-1972.
- Registered as N6827C.
- Flown as #E58.
Hillcrest Aircraft, Lewiston, ID, 1977-1978.
Paramount Leasing Corp, Bakerfield, CA, 1984.
Gro Pro Corp, Oklahoma City, OK, 1986-1988.
Merlin Aire Ltd, King City, PA, 1988-1992.
- Operated by Ray Hanna/Old Flying Machine Co, Duxford, 1988-1992.
-- Shipped to UK, May 12, 1988.
-- Flew as USN/X-2.
Alpine Fighter Collection, Wanaka, NZ, 1992.
- Delivered from Duxford to Ipswichm October 1, 1992.
- Shipped to New Zealand.
Alpine Deer Group/Alpine Fighter Collection, Wanaka, November 1992-1998.
- Registered as ZK-TBM.
- Flew as RNZAF/NZ2518.
Randal W. McFarlane, Brisbane, Queensland, May 1999.
- Delivered from NZ to Toowoomba, Queensland, arrived May 6, ,1999.
Randal W. McFarlane/Malitone Pty, Ltd, Clayfield, Queensland, Australia, June 25, 1999-2009.
- Registered as VH-TBM.
- Based at Archerfield Airport, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Now flies in scheme of VT-83/309/USS Essex.
Steve Searle/Wirraway Aviation Museum, Beaudesert, Queensland, Australia, 2010.
ITL Aviation Limited, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 2012-2015.
- Registered as ZK-TBE.

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The 10 Tankers base out of Castle. They have been very busy lately. In and out all day long.

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In California? Stop by and visit us!
Castle Air Museum

I think there is a Martin Mars looking for work...

Be safe,
Phil

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A man's got to know his limitations.

Back to work


WIX Registry History:
Edgar L. Thorsrud, Missoula, MT, 1963-1972.
- Registered as N3969A.
- Forced landing off Airport, Potomac, MT, July 25, 1966.
Johnson Flying Service, Missoula, MT, 1972.
- Flew as tanker #A21.
Forest Protection Ltd, Fredericton, New Brunswick, May 1976-2002.
- Registered as C-GFPT.
- Flown as tanker #10


Grumman (General Motors) TBM-3E Avenger N3969A 53787 As U.S. Navy "Pacific Princess"
Environmental Aviation Services Inc.

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Wish this guy was closer to help!

I know it is sacreligious to suggest it here but I really think that one B-17, one TBM and say one A-26 should have been preserved as fire bombers. Through in an S-2 and P-2 for second generation. These machines really were part of a revolution in wilderness fire fighting that deserves to be preserved and remembered.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

+1 ... but no preservation until they finish putting out these fires

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