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This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
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Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 6:42 am

HEY! Cargo planes are warbirds too!

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Airworthy: 9......potentially 11 of 1170 C-54's built....

(Data from the C-54/DC-4 Facebook Group)

42-72442 N3054V C‑54Q‑DC (DC‑4) c/n10547 31/01/45 MDW Alaska Air Fuel
42-72445 N67024 C-54D-DC (DC-4) c/n10550 08/02/45 MDW Environmental Aviation serv.
43-17228 N9015Q C-54D-DC (DC-4) c/n22178 06/09/1945 MDW Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation NJ "Spirit of Freedom"
44-9055 C-GCTF C‑54E‑DO (DC‑4) c/n27281 07/03/45 SMO Buffalo AW (FOR SALE)
44-9058 N96358 C‑54E‑DO (DC‑4) c/n27284 08/03/45 SMO Alaska Air Fuel
44-9133 N460WA C‑54E‑DO (DC‑4) c/n27359 24/05/45 SMO Florida Air Transport
45-0535 C-GBNV C‑54G‑DO (DC‑4) c/n35988 20/07/45 SMO Buffalo AW (FOR SALE)
45-0578 N438NA C‑54G‑DO (DC‑4) c/n36031 22/08/45 SMO Brooks Air Fuel
45-0635 C-FIQM C‑54G‑DO (DC‑4) c/n36088 29/10/45 SMO Buffalo AW (FOR SALE)

The Douglas C-54E-15-DO, c/n27352 44-9126.: Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Illawara NSW is where she is being fully restored to full airworthiness by HARS members into a passenger configuration. At this stage (2014) she will be the only flying DC4 in Australia. (Latest of this, VH-PAF will be to 'VH-EAY' when restorations are done.) For further info, follow link: http://hars.org.au/2009/12/hars-dc4-hom ... n-display/


--------------------------------------------------
Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter"

Airworthy: 1 of the 888 buit. Former KC-97G(L) now C-97G N117GA ex 52-2718 "Angel of Deliverance"
Last edited by Airlift48 on Tue Feb 09, 2021 9:43 am, edited 11 times in total.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:11 am

OD/NG wrote:
phil65 wrote:"There are 5 A6M Zeroes flying in the world, There are 3 Hellcats flying in the world"

More Zeroes than Hellcats flying... :? WTF

Phil


Yes, hard to believe, huh? There are 3 Hellcats under restoration to flying condition, and they should all be flying within about 4 to 5 years.



But I'd wager the surviving Hellcats are far more original than surviving the Zeros.
More Grumman metal in them than Mitsubishi material in the A6Ms.


The DC-4 list...great work, but the low number is depressing.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:11 am

(double post)
Last edited by Airlift48 on Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:14 am

C-47/C-53/C-117

This is from Wikipedia, but it's a start.

Australia

Historical Aircraft Restoration Society C-47B Dakota VH-EAF
ex-RAAF A65-94, civil registration VH-EAF – C-47B airworthy in the collection of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at the Illawarra Regional Airport in New South Wales; in colours it wore while in service with the Aircraft Research and Development Unit RAAF.
ex-RAAF A65-95, civil registration VH-EAE – C-47B airworthy in the collection of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society at the Illawarra Regional Airport in New South Wales; in colours it wore while in service with the RAAF during World War II.

Canada
42-92489/FZ692 – C-47A/Dakota III under restoration to airworthy at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario.

44-76603 – C-47B under restoration at the Malta Aviation Museum in Ta' Qali, Attard.
New Zealand[edit]

South Africa[edit]
35 Squadron SAAF continues to operate a number of C-47TP variants in Maritime roles.


United States
Airworthy
C-47
42-32832 Sky King – Mid America Flight Museum in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
C-47A/Dakota III
42-23518 Old Number 30 – Airbase Arizona of the Commemorative Air Force in Mesa, Arizona.
42-23668 – Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
42-92277/FL633 – WWII Airborne Demonstration Team in Frederick, Oklahoma.
42-100591 Tico Belle – Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum in Titusville, Florida.
42-100931 Flagship Orange County – Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, California. This airframe is painted in a civilian scheme.[54][55]
43-15211 – Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.
43-15679 – War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. This airframe is painted in a civilian scheme.
43-30652 Whiskey 7 – National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, New York. This aircraft was a lead plane in Mission Boston during the airborne invasion of Normandy during D-Day.
43-48080 – Avionics Engineering Center of Ohio University in Albany, Ohio. It is painted in a civilian scheme.
C-47B/R4D-6
43-48608 Betsy's Biscuit Bomber – Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, California.
50783 Ready 4 Duty – Dallas/Fort Worth Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in Lancaster, Texas.
50819 – Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania.
43-49942 Bluebonnet Belle – Highland Lakes Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force in Burnet, Texas.
44-76717 Second Chance – American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York.
44-76791 Willa Dean – Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, California.
TC-47D
44-76716 – Yankee Air Museum in Belleville, Michigan.
TC-47K
99854 Black Sparrow – Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Formerly operated by the Headquarters Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force.
C-53D
42-68830 D-Day Doll – Inland Empire Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in Riverside, California.
ia.


Under restoration or in storage (complete airframes)

C-47A/Dakota III
42-92847 That's All Brother – under restoration to airworthy at Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; for the Commemorative Air Force. This airframe was the lead aircraft for the D-Day invasion.
KG587 – under restoration to airworthy at Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum in Hillsboro, Oregon.

C-47B
43-16141 – in storage at Burlington Air National Guard Base in South Burlington, Vermont.

C-53D
41-20095 Beach City Baby – under restoration to airworthy with Vintage Wings, Inc. in Beach City, Ohio. This airframe was previously used by the state of Ohio as the governor's aircraft before being put on display at the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 12:09 pm

Wow, I need to thank my lucky stars that I have seen quite a few of these birds fly!

Great list, thanks for compiling it! :drink3:

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 1:23 pm

One has to be impressed with the B-25. Thirty seven is an impressive number for any WWII bomber.
Considering its production total is significantly less than other twin engined allied bombers or attack aircraft (like the airworthy extinct UK types like the roughly comparable twin engine Wellington, not to mention their lesser types like the Hampton or the Blenheim/Bolingbroe where just one flies) the number flying is nothing short of remarkable.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 1:42 pm

The Wikipedia C-47 list is a lot more incomplete than their lists for other types. There are also a lot more flyers than in their other 'survivors' lists I've seen - it doesn't appear to include examples/conversions still 'in service' rather than those operated as museum /warbird aircraft.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 2:54 pm

JohnB wrote:One has to be impressed with the B-25. Thirty seven is an impressive number for any WWII bomber.
Considering its production total is significantly less than other twin engined allied bombers or attack aircraft (like the airworthy extinct UK types like the roughly comparable twin engine Wellington, not to mention their lesser types like the Hampton or the Blenheim/Bolingbroe where just one flies) the number flying is nothing short of remarkable.


Thanks to firebombing and Catch 22...

Phil

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:20 pm

Not so much fire fighting. The USFS banned B-25s in the mainland after two (unrelated?) crashes. They were still allowed to fight fires in Alaska (perhaps they have different laws of physics up there?)...and Canada still allowed them.
Catch 22 happened at the right time, the beginning of the warbird movement. Many, or at least some, of the derelicts Frank Tallman saved might have been saved anyway. While the film popularized the type, many of the actual film aircraft no longer fly since they were traded to the NMUSAF where they're rotting away at various bases.
Unfortunately, the druggies wrecked several.

At any point, it shows the quality if the design and the superiority of American engines.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Dec 27, 2017 12:01 am

Thank you very much Mods for making this a sticky! It is greatly appreciated! This is one of the most useful threads ever!

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Dec 27, 2017 12:03 am

OP John T, would you be willing to update the list on the first page every so often, so we can have the latest info? TIA, and I greatly appreciate your efforts on compiling the lists.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Wed Dec 27, 2017 6:24 pm

First, this is a fantastic thread!

Second, too bad about the A-26C N4959K - I had been talking a few years ago with the Ops manager for Abrams mfg. and he was always positive about bringing the plane to our air show - but it was always up to the owner who seemingly has/had little interest in flying the plane. As I recall it has the nose art "Puss in boots" (??)

Tom P.

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Sun Dec 31, 2017 7:32 am

You omitted the C-45's

:axe:

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Thu Jan 04, 2018 4:00 pm

Re South Africa
DC-4'S ZS-AUB and ZS-BMH still regularly fly sight seeing pax flights.
DC-4 ZS-AUA is currently being restored to flight at Rand Airport (FAGM)

C-47's flown regularly in SA are ZS-CAI, ZS-CRV, ZS-BXF and also ZS-DRJ may be a flyer. ZS-DIW is airworthy but has not flown recently. The SAAF Museum operate C-47 SAAF-6852
ZS-NTE is in Europe and fly's regularly.

There is a Yak 3 that has recently arrived for Stu Davidson at Seaview (ex Australia) but not sure which one

C-47 75th Anniversary flypast at Rand Airport 2010
Image

Re: Worldwide Numbers of Warbirds Flying by Type

Sat Jan 27, 2018 2:58 pm

Continuing to make updates every now and then to my original post - latest updates mainly only concerning some movements, which include P-51D "Ferocious Frankie" to Turkey and F-6D "Lil' Margaret" to Italy. The Friedkin Spitfire Mk.V JG891, previously based in the US, is now back in the UK and on the UK register once again, and the Friedkin Spitfire Mk.V EP122, based in the UK, is being prepared to go to the US (preemptively adjusted for in my list). Spitfire Mk.XVI SL721 was recently sold and is moving from Canada to Belgium.

The TF-51D 44-12858/N858F has been added to the list of flying Mustangs, having recently been completed/test-flown at Airmotive Specialties. Although finished with a TF extended cockpit/canopy, the aircraft is otherwise quite military-stock, with the stock tail, yellow and green zinc chromate-type primers throughout the interior/wheel wells/gun bays, detailed gun bays, drop tank/bomb pylons, military-stock styled outfitted/finished cockpits, etc. Currently the aircraft is only painted in "factory fresh"/USAAF delivery markings.

The UK-based two-seat Buchon G-AWHC has also graduated to my list of flying Buchons/Bf-109's.

Two of the UK-based Mustangs still remain under repair - the horizontal stabilizer assembly from "Miss Helen" is undergoing complete restoration at AirCorps Aviation, while the wing from "Miss Velma" is undergoing restoration at Pacific Fighters with the rest of the airframe at Fighter Rebuilders. "Frenesi" was recently disassembled and put in a container to be shipped back to the US from the UK, while "Berlin Express" remains at Duxford awaiting the repaired/rebuilt horizontal and vertical tail surfaces and new canopy (it would seem so, but not confirmed, that "BE" will remain for the 2018 UK airshow season). I believe the Mustang named "Snifter", in Australia, is very close to flying again, following its detailed overhaul.
Last edited by JohnTerrell on Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:38 am, edited 2 times in total.
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