March Field Air Museum Recoveries and Restorations

[Noha307]

I didn't realize it until I happened across their Facebook page today, but the March Field Air Museum has been adding a seriously impressive array of aircraft and other vehicles in recent years. Aquisitions (listed by date of post) include:

• 14 April 2023 - 1986 International S1700[1]
• 18 February 2023 - Lockheed P2V Neptune[2]
• 22 January 2023 - RD5 drone[3]
• 5 January 2023 - Cessna U-3[4]
• 7 December 2022 - Beechraft AT-11 Kansan, N68255[5]
• 12 October 2022 - 1988 Ford F-350[6]
• 8 August 2022 - North American F-86A Sabre, 49-1324[7][8][9]
• 19 April 2022 - Yakovlev Yak-52, N6277Y[10][11]
• 21 February 2022 - Cessna O-2A Skymaster, 67-21434[12][13]
• 21 November 2022 - North American P-51D Mustang (replica)[14][15]
• 5 October 2021 - North American T-28A Trojan[16][17]
• 5 October 2021 - Nanchang CJ-6[18]
• 23 September 2021 - M66 bulldozer[19][20]
• 11 August 2021 - Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler[21]
• 16 June 2021 - Beechcraft T-34 Mentor[22]
• 2 December 2020 - Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster[23]

The activity is the work of the March Field Aircraft Recovery Team (MFART) and seems to be related to the efforts of Greg Stathatos and B-17 Archaeology, as the latter's Facebook page mentions some of the same recoveries.[24] However, recovering the aircraft is only half the battle and their restoration efforts have been exceptional as well. I specifically want to note that they have apparently also been very successful working with Boy and Girl Scout Troops, as their Facebook page is filled with examples of them cleaning and polishing the aircraft.[25] I counted no less than 20 Eagle Scout projects since 2015 alone.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]

Lastly, they made an excellent post in March of last year about their curatorial decisions and restoration philosophy. While I don't know what the exact issue was, I was very impressed with the detail, honesty and directness with which they addressed it. I commend them for their approach and wish more museums would follow their lead:

To the living we owe respect
To the dead we owe only the truth- Voltaire

With over four decades of service the March Field Air Museum’s primary responsibility to the public, in our chief role as an educational institution, is to provide accuracy in our interpretation, free from all conjecture and bias. The museum is committed to disentangling fact from legend to create educational opportunities based on a foundation of truth derived from research firmly based in the highest academic standards.

Mindful of our responsibilities, MFAM is committed to accuracy in interpretation. Today, our research is conducted within uncompromisingly rigorous, professionally established academic standards under the direct supervision of appropriately degreed and experienced personnel. Only credible source material, utilizing a combination of period data and the latest in scholarly interpretation are used to produce products for public consumption.

Within this framework we are committed to carefully restoring each aircraft in our collection to its historically accurate configuration and livery. Meeting this standard requires continual review, and often the accompanying modification of a long displayed, though indisputably inaccurate, static displays. The aircraft must speak for themselves. As we remove years of accumulated paint and dive into the available records, always welcome, yet occasionally uncomfortable, discoveries are inevitable.

Recent restoration work on our B-29A Superfortress 44-61669 uncovered a faint shadow on the original surface on the upper right wing. Our Restoration Manager Alex carefully outlined the shadowing in tape revealing an unmistakable K 15, the group markings of the 330th Bomb Group in World War Two.

Since our in-house records indicated the aircraft was “Three Feathers III / Flagship 500” a member of the 500th Bomb Group the discovery was a shock. A detailed review of our files, surviving military and government records and consultation with experts in the field has clearly established the “Three Feathers III” identification arrived at 20-years ago was in error. “Three Feathers III/ Flagship 500” dedicated to the 4th Marine Division was in fact 44-61668 not 44-61669. The original “Three Feathers III / Flagship 500 “was destroyed in 1954 after spending nine years in storage in Arizona.

B-29A Superfortress 44-61669 flew with distinction with the 330th Bomb Group during the campaign against the Japanese Empire in World War Two and went on to serve in the far east until being transferred to the US Navy Test Facility at China Lake. It was rescued by the legendary warbird restoration expert Dave Tallichet in 1976 and flown to the museum where it now resides. We are in the process of changing the aircraft livery to correspond to the accurate history of 44-61669.

We apologize for any confusion the misidentification may have caused and assure the community we will always “let the aircraft speak for themselves.”

Hats off to the March Field Aviation Museum for their hard work and what they have been able to accomplish!

[JohnB]

Noha307

A very impressive list.
I hope the U-3 is restored in AF colors, many are restored in Army, Navy and USFS colors, those organizations picked up surplus Blue Canoes when the Air Force retired them.

Nice catch on the Ford six-pack. If you need the PPG paint code for Strata Blue, I can fix you up!
If you repaint the dash, it looks well worn, You'll also need a new copy of AFVA 13-221, "Control Tower Light Signals" for the dashboard.
It was, and probably still is, required for all flightline vehicles.
If you can't get one from the USAF, contact me. I can provide a image of one for reproduction. I did that for my Air Force M38A1 restoration.

Aside from flightline use, the Air Force Survival School used similar generation F-350s in the '80s. They were painted a funky woodland camouflage and were used to take instructors and supplies to the mountain training area. Students rode in busses.

Although they are commonplace today, in the early-mid '60s, four door "Crew cabs" were primarily bought by the military, the forest service, utilities and railroads. SAC was an early adopter because they could carry a complete B-52 crew.
When crews stood alert, they were issued one to drive when the left the secure alert facilitity. They could only go to select locations on base where they parked in specially marked parking spots.

[JohnB]

Double post.