Warbird Information Exchange

Edit: NAS Santa Ana 1946


Edit: Wright Field 1944 or 45

Top shot more likely to be 1946: the F6F-3K down the line is one of those used in the "Crossroads" test at Bikini Atoll that year.

The decision to convert the F6Fs was made early in 1946, so the photo can't be prior to that; Naval Aircraft Modification Unit at Johnsville, PA was tasked with conversion of twenty F6F-3K drones, plus twenty F6F-6 control aircraft (later increased to twenty-six drones and thirty control planes). In March the "Able" test was postponed from 15 May to 1 July and this allowed a bit more time to meet this challenging schedule (a similar challenging schedule had also been set for conversion of B-17s to drone and 'mother' config).

So possibly a May 1946 display/Open House?

P-51A 43-6178, https://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51/s ... al/43-6178

Bf-109G EB-102, https://captured-wings.fandom.com/wiki/Werk_Nr_16416

Spitfire EN474, https://www.si.edu/object/supermarine-s ... 9600331000

Looks like they are setting up a target drone and its launcher in the first photo. Image below from page 23 of 50 Years of Target Drone Aircraft by Richard A. Botzum. This is the history of the Radioplane Company which became the Ventura Division of Northrop. Randy

Double post.

It looks like the date given for the Wright Field photo might be incorrect.
Mike Furline's post above gives a link to the history of the Bf-109G.
That says the airframe was scrapped in the fall of 1944. Obviously, if correct, the 1945 date is wrong.

Awhile back, someone, possibly Mark, posted a similar photo taken on the same ramp at Wright Field.(across the runways from the current museum) showing a line up of late war aircraft.

I can't recall if that was taken in '45 or '46. If it was'45, than this photo was certainly taken in the summer of '44.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

The top photo (depicting the USN aircraft) is most likely NAS Santa Ana, CA. In the immediate years following WWII NAS Santa Ana took on the role providing target drone for the fleet operating off of the So. Cal coast. The F6F's were the drone contollers (along with SNB's) and target aircraft were Curtiss SO3C Seaguls. See attached "Abandoned Airfields" website for NAS Santa Ana. https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/CA/Air ... htm#tustin

NAS Santa Ana also utiized nearby OLF Palisades for its drone aircraft operations. http://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Air ... #palisades


J.D.Voss
http://www.fuselgecodes.com

I should have added question marks after both of those photos. I have more of both, and a few others I’ll post.

Seconded. The pamphlet for the 1945 event, as well as a series of photos from SDASM which are claimed depict the 1945 show depict rows of tents surrounding most of the exhibition. Also, the labels for the planes in the photos are all on stands, where in the picture above they are taped (?) to the airplanes themselves.

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Warbird Philosophy Webmaster

Just to clear up any confusion,

The photo with the A6M5 Zero and US Navy aircraft is NAS Santa Ana 1946. Aircraft are un-roped, people all around the aircraft. Post war.

Multiple photos marked Santa Ana / Open House 1946 from the same Robert Pavey Collection
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarch ... otostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarch ... otostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarch ... otostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarch ... ateposted/

The photo with the Bf-109, Spitfire and AAF aircraft is Wright Pat sometime in 1944 or 45. Aircraft are roped off and with armed guards. Most likely war time.
(The Bf-109 was supposedly scrapped in Oct. 44 if that is accurate.)

Same day Wright-Pat photo marked 1945. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/artic ... patterson/

Not a obese person in the crowd. Prior to fast food

Other airframes pictured:

• P-47D, 42-26592 - Interestingly missing a history on Baugher's list when all of the other aircraft in the batch have information on their fates. Also, last P-47 before a batch delivered to Royal Air Force.[1]
• P-38J, 43-28392 - Used for fuel testing[2]
• B-26F, 42-96231 - Seen in a 3/4 rear quarter photograph. Does not appear in Baugher's list, but it was the second aircraft of the B-26F batch, suggesting it was retained for testing.[3]

Thank you for that recommendation. Another one to add to my Amazon wishlist.


Good clarification.


However, compare with this photo showing different configuration of south portion of ramp:

(Source: SDASM via Flickr)

Farther into the same image collection, there is an official guest badge for the 1945 event. Unless the collections were mixed up, this suggests that the associated pictures were also from 1945. I looked for newspaper articles from the time to try to confirm the layout, but there were surprisingly few I could find with pictures. However, at the same time, there are no aircraft seen inside the tented area, so they could have been moved.

What's interesting is that, according to a newspaper article I found while working on the B-19 thread, Davis-Monthan held a very similar "Shot From the Sky" exhibit in January. It points to a coordinated effort by the USAAF. Where it really gets interesting, is when you realize that this is very likely what developed into Hap Arnold's goal to save one of every airplane. These events were preceded by the "Air Cavalcade" (as mentioned in post in another thread) that toured the country in 1943. You can draw a direct line from the Cavalcade, through the USAAF Air Fairs, to the National Air and Space Museum.

As an aside, according to a brochure, the First Annual Convention of the Air Force Association was held two years later in Columbus, Ohio.

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Tri-State Warbird Museum Collections Manager & Museum Attendant

Warbird Philosophy Webmaster

Looks like a B-17 between the C-47 and C-54.

I agree, this is a totally different event than the photos Mark and I posted. My guess is the photo with the armed guards was 1944 pre-Bf-109 being scrapped.

Looks like VMF-312 El Toro based Tigercat A99 at the back end of the line in that first shot.