Warbird Information Exchange

I was digitizing some images of a '58 Edsel from this movie for the Edsel group on Yahoo, and I thought I'd throw in these:

Cut up F3Ds - possibly filmed at Socorro, NM:




What base had the AH code?

Tail fin from T-33 52-9399; can someone ID that logo?



And finally, that mystery SB2C Helldiver which I posted a while back (at Socorro?):



I've just found out this movie is out on DVD so I'll try to get it and get some clearer images.

-Chris

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

The first two shots look exactly like Soccorro to me from when I was there in 1979 or so but the last two do not, for whatever that is worth.

At that time there were many B-29's (both US marked and a few British Washingtons) A B-36, F-84's, a Cutlass and lots of others. Somewhere in the rubble pile I have photos and whenever they surface again I will post them.

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To donate to the PV-2D project via PayPal click here http://www.twinbeech.com/84062restoration.htm

We brought her from: to this in 3 months: Help us get her all the way back

All donations are tax deductible as the Stockton Field Aviation Museum is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Tell a friend as the Harpoon needs all the help she can get.

Thank you!

Taigh Ramey
Vintage Aircraft, Stockton, California
http://www.twinbeech.com
'KEEP ‘EM FLYING…FOR HISTORY!'

Whats there now?

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

That would be the TAC (tactical air command) Shield

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If God had wanted man to fly behind a flat motor, Pratt Whitney would've built one.

Kinda makes ya wonder...

I'll poke around the airport next time I'm in the area.

I went to an auction 2-3 years ago at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro. They had some vintage WW2 aircraft support equipment, including unmodified B-17/B-24 bomb transport trailers and a derelict cletrac.

The institute does a lot of explosives testing for the military, and much of the property is restricted access.

The last time I went by Socorro all of the B-29's, the B-36 and most of the other aircraft were gone. I was told that they had a big scrapping/cleaning program a while back.

Many years earlier Pima got a B-47 nose, a B-45 nose and other parts. They were supposed to get the Cutlass but I don't think they ever did.

I got a lot of B-29 stuff for Duxford and several other museums. I have photos of B-29 wings stacked with B-36 wing sections. The B-29 wings looked like B-36 control surfaces in that pile.

I heard at the time that the nose section for the B-36 went to a museum but I never heard which one. Anyone know of a B-36 nose section in a museum?

I remember the aft gunner compartment sitting there in the yard at Socorro. It still had the crew bunks, gun sight mounts and blisters still inside.

The bomb bay section was sitting on its belly with the doors removed. I pulled a bomb shackle off of a bomb rack and the shackle was about 4 feet long. The tunnel with the tracks for the trolley was still there.

I heard a story at the time that maybe someone can verify. They had a pile of the radios, radar and other electronic gear in the yard that they were going to scrap. They discovered that there was gold in them thar radios. They did their own scrapping program and pulled enough gold from the radios to fund a new Physics building which they names the Gold Building.

I was pulling parts from a B-29 forward fuselage and I looked for the data plate mounted forward of the upper turret. Both plates were already gone. I dug in the rubble directly below its mounting and to my amazement there was the AAF data plate at the bottom of the debris. The person who removed it must have dropped it and couldn't find it. The serial number was 44-61929. Later I looked the number up and found that I had been inside of Honeybucket Honshos and she was a Korean War vet.

Here is a shot from http://home.comcast.net/~noseart/honeybuckethon.jpg



Sad that the old girl ended her days at the Socorro weapons test center with so many other B-29’s. At least some of her parts went on to make other B-29's more complete.

_________________
To donate to the PV-2D project via PayPal click here http://www.twinbeech.com/84062restoration.htm

We brought her from: to this in 3 months: Help us get her all the way back

All donations are tax deductible as the Stockton Field Aviation Museum is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Tell a friend as the Harpoon needs all the help she can get.

Thank you!

Taigh Ramey
Vintage Aircraft, Stockton, California
http://www.twinbeech.com
'KEEP ‘EM FLYING…FOR HISTORY!'

Taigh,

Were those aircraft at the current Socorro airport?

I ask because there are a lot of abandoned Army Air Corps bases in New Mexico. Don't wanna go poking around the wrong field. Thanks.

Steve

Tinbender:

There are NO warbirds at the Socorro airport.

The testing airframes, are with the New Mexico School of Mines, and the area where they are, is restricted (I guess, due to the use of explosives and such).

Last time I attempted to gain access through channels, I was politely but firmly denied access.

Saludos,


Tulio

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Why take the best part of life out of your life, when you can have life with the best part of your life in your life?

I am one of them 'futbol' people.

Will the previous owner has pics of this double cabin sample

GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Sooooo, how am I going to know to press 1 or 2, if I do not speak English????

I heard that there was a small fence or maybe it was a bridge built out of B36 parts at the mining facility.

Maybe Google Earth would show something??

Lynn

It does if you know where to look.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Care to give any hints?

I'm presently only 60 miles away. Time to find an aircraft that needs a maint test flight.

F3H-2's in the movie that can be IDed are (4 of 10) BuNo 143430, 145229, 145245, and 145247.