Today's photo from Aircraft-in-Focus.com

[Warbird Kid]

I sure do miss that Hurricane.

Me too. We've at least seen the CWHM acquire replacement aircraft for those lost in the fire. Most notably a TBM Avenger that will be flyable. The Spit of course is on loan and the Hurricane is fiberglass but who knows, perhaps they'll eventually acquire flyable examples. I was really hoping they'd acquire the pair that was recently sold from Vintage Wings of Canada.

[JohnTerrell]

Thank you August for taking the time to share all of these wonderful photos to your webpage!

If you want, here is some more information to accompany your photos of the CAF Minnesota Wing's B-25J "Miss Mitchell":

- This particular airframe, 44-29869, was used as a trainer during WWII and then converted to a TB-25K in the 1950's for airborne radar interceptor training.
- The aircraft is painted in the authentic markings of the original B-25J "Miss Mitchell", 43-27493, belonging to the 380th BS, 310th BG.
- The nose art on the restoration was painted by Ray "Jack" Kowalik, the same artist that painted the nose art originally during WWII (several years later, he did the same for Cavanaugh on their B-25J "How Boot That").
- The aircraft made its first test flight following restoration on the 50th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, on April 18, 1992 (from 1993 onward, it was flown to many of the Doolittle Raider reunions that were held over the years)
- "Miss Mitchell", upon request, was the B-25 that flew over Jimmy Doolittle's funeral at Arlington in 1993.
- The aircraft was the very first restored B-25 to have a functioning, correct, Bendix top turret installed.
- It is one of only a select few B-25's flying today (3 or 4 at the most) to have both a functioning top turret and tail turret (Paul Allen’s, “Betty’s Dream”, and possibly “Lady Luck” being the only other examples).
- The complete bomb release system, including the bomb sight, bomb release computer, related control panels and shackles, all work.
- The interior and exterior is authentically detailed throughout, including all of the period radios, radio control boxes, control panels, flares, target camera, all of the correct radio antennas, factory stencils/markings, etc.


It is great to see all of the photos of "I See No Problem", which was the first of three B-25's that have been operated by the CAF Minnesota Wing (the first ever CAF detachment). It is now owned by Ken McBride and has a glass nose on it (there never seems to be a clear confirmation of whether or not it is being worked on or if it is just being stored for the time being). After "I See No Problem", The CAF Minnesota Wing's second B-25, half-jokingly, became known as "I See A Problem", as it was full of them (due to shoddy work that had been done to the aircraft in the years prior to it coming to the CAF). That aircraft later went to the Arizona Wing and over an 18-year period was restored as "Maid in the Shade". The CAF Minnesota Wing's third B-25 is of course "Miss Mitchell", which they restored from 1978 to 1992, which has been operated by the CAF Minnesota Wing continuously ever since - over the years, taking it to airshows from Minnesota to as far west as Alaska and California, as far east as Virginia and South Carolina, and as far south as Texas and Georgia.

As for the EAA's B-25H, the aircraft hasn't flown since the 1980's, when it had a main landing gear failure on landing. It was cosmetically restored and put on static display for a few decades, but since 2015 it has been undergoing active restoration to fly. It is slated to be completed/flying again by next year. The work has been headed by EAA Chapter 237 from Blaine, Minnesota, though the restoration is taking place at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The aircraft is being painted in the same markings it wore for "Catch-22", with the name "Berlin Express".

As for the B-25J 44-30210 “Big Bad Bonnie”, that aircraft is now owned by Trent Latshaw, and has been undergoing restoration to fly at Aero Trader. I saw it there in 2014, completely stripped of paint, and I recall it was in the process of having the "Doolittle Raider B-model" modifications removed that had taken place at one time with a previous owner, such as removing the paneling that had been placed over the waist gunner stations.

The "Oklahoma owner" for the B-25J "Super Rabbit" is Brent Hisey/Oklahoma Museum of Flying, and the aircraft is flown.

Also, the B-25H “Barbie III” is now owned and operated by the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, and “Heavenly Body” is now owned and operated by the Erickson Aircraft Collection at Madras, Oregon.

Both "Panchito" and "Betty's Dream" are currently for sale.

[k5083]

Thanks John for the B-25 information and updates. Correcting and updating a site like this never ends.

Today's photo is the Velie Monocoupe that is now in the EAA's collection, taken at a fly-in in the 1960s.



Not very many of these adorable little planes that put the great Don Luscombe on the map are left. Six of them are shown on my Velie Monocoupe page.

August

[quemerford]

Hoping this helps: looking at your 'unknown' F-86s:

1. The 'Oshkosh' machine is ex-SAAF Sabre 6 380, which became N86EX. It's the aircraft which crashed at Broomfield, CO on 1 June 1997, killing Jack Rosamond.

2. The 'Yankee Air Museum' Sabre is F-86F s/n 52-5143. It went to Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, WI. It's one of two experimental rocket-armed 'NAKA' F-86Fs.

3. It's possible that your 'Texas' F-86L is 53-773, which was donated to Kingfisher, OK but that's just a guess.

4. Your final 'unknown' (the black-and-white shot) is an F-86A-1 (rounded screen), so it's a 47-6xx machine. However despite there only being 30-odd of those, a great many were donated, so I'd need a location: any ideas?

Incidentally none of the 47-xxx F-86As saw service in Korea, despite what you may have been told.

[k5083]

Thank you for the Sabre info! I have to get out my loupe and squint at the negative to see if there is a city name on one of those Lions Club or Kiwanis emblems next to the plane. That might furnish a location clue.

Today's photo is of Tiger Moth DE744, now hanging in the National Museum of the USAF, when it was an airworthy warbird registered N39DH. It still wears that marking in the museum rather than a real Tiger Moth serial.



I was working on my Tiger Moth page a bit this weekend. There are pics of about 60 Tigers on there.

August

[k5083]

I've continued to work on my de Havilland pages. All of the British DH types that I have photos of are now populated. Check them out!

Here is a wonderful gathering from Clark County, Indiana, years ago.



Depicted here, from left to right:

D.H.60 Moth CF-AAA (since sold to the UK, now G-ABJJ)
D.H.82A T7340 N82GS (since sold to Germany, now D-EORX}
D.H.82A N9391 N9393
D.H.82A NL775 C-FFDQ, now N775NL
D.H.82A DE712 N126B
D.H.82A DF137 N8232
D.H.82A PG680 N9TM
D.H.82A NM207 N3744M
D.H.82A R4759 N4808

August

[quemerford]

Further to unknown Sabres - 'No.2' at Tucson is F-86D 52-4138, now with Bissell Auto & Body in St Louis, MO. Getting there!

[k5083]

Here is a row of ten BT-13s at, of all places, the 1995 McGuire AFB open house. I don't think I have seen that may Vibrators together on any other occasion. I never figured out what they all came to that event. It must have been a gathering of some kind. That many -13s don't show up together by coincidence.



Being young, foolish, and too frugal with slide film, I didn't photograph them all individually. Just from this slide, the following identities can be made out: 41-21959 N4794N (nearest the camera), 41-22177 N56642 (fourth in line), 41-21826 N57486 (fifth), 41-11504 N213BD (eighth).

I'm not even close to having fully built out the BT-13 page of my site yet, so I won't link to it.

August

[bdk]

Could it have been that 50th anniversary flight across the US? I've forgotten what it was called.

[mazdaP5]

BT-13 is becoming one of my favorites lately, look at all of them!

[Matt Gunsch]

Here is a row of ten BT-13s at, of all places, the 1995 McGuire AFB open house. I don't think I have seen that may Vibrators together on any other occasion. I never figured out what they all came to that event. It must have been a gathering of some kind. That many -13s don't show up together by coincidence.



Being young, foolish, and too frugal with slide film, I didn't photograph them all individually. Just from this slide, the following identities can be made out: 41-21959 N4794N (nearest the camera), 41-22177 N56642 (fourth in line), 41-21826 N57486 (fifth), 41-11504 N213BD (eighth).

I'm not even close to having fully built out the BT-13 page of my site yet, so I won't link to it.

August

That was the last stop of Freedom Flight. Do you have any more from there ? I was in Freedom Flight 39, Which was myself and Carl Schmieder (Phx AZ), Rick Hosking and Bob Mitchell ( Sedona AZ), Mike and Nona O'Hearn, Tom and Colleen Miller (Riverside CA)

[TAdan]

Here is a row of ten BT-13s at, of all places, the 1995 McGuire AFB open house. I don't think I have seen that may Vibrators together on any other occasion. I never figured out what they all came to that event. It must have been a gathering of some kind. That many -13s don't show up together by coincidence.



Being young, foolish, and too frugal with slide film, I didn't photograph them all individually. Just from this slide, the following identities can be made out: 41-21959 N4794N (nearest the camera), 41-22177 N56642 (fourth in line), 41-21826 N57486 (fifth), 41-11504 N213BD (eighth).

I'm not even close to having fully built out the BT-13 page of my site yet, so I won't link to it.

August

I was at that show (I think it was the second airshow I ever attended.) I might even have some photos laying around, I'll have to try and dig them out. I remember that line up.

[bdk]

Yes, Freedom Flight! That was it. I was on vacation in Illinois and they stopped there somewhere as I recall.

[Matt Gunsch]

Yes, Freedom Flight! That was it. I was on vacation in Illinois and they stopped there somewhere as I recall.

That was Aurora, ILL. That is where I joined the flight, Carl and I were at Oshkosh and picked up Freedom Flight there. We did Aurora, Dayton, Washington DC, and McGuire

[k5083]

I have other photos from the show. No more BT-13s, but there were a couple P-51s, some nice T-6s, a Dakota, a nice twin Beech and other stuff. Don’t know how many of these were in the Freedom flight but happy to scan and post some more.

August