Craig's AT-21 is 42-48053, second one in a batch of 39 built by Bellanca. He did promise photos in June 2004 and again in October 2004. Yes, Craig, we remember and are still waiting.
I'm not sure but I think his was rescued initially by another fellow at Saginaw Airport north of Ft. Worth in 1980.
I've seen a photo recently somewhere of a stripped down one sitting at Tulsa as late as 1953.
A Clyde Sturgell Jr., of Tuscola, Illinois had two AT-21s N64468 42-48440 (built by McDonnell), and N64469 that he registered with serial "19." I have no other info on those. I think one still is shown on the Civil Register.
There was "another one" on the register that was not an AT-21 at all. It was N96VC in Jefferson City, MO and was actually a modern day Merlin IIIB.
Some of the known civil examples with sketchy history include:
NX25663 photo AAHS Journal Summer 1988 page 160.
NX68367 (at least this one appeared on a photo list by Brian Baker).
XA-FUI photographed in San Diego area by Henry Arnold.
XB-XYZ Larkins had a nagative at one time of it.
Ten were on the U.S. Civil Register in July 1949 according to William T. Larkins. He has posted two photos on the web of an apparently black civil AT-21, N63432. There was another in the background of one of his photos that he felt was 42-48432. These were at Vail Field near Los Angeles (Montebello) in May 1946. See page 160 of the JOURNAL American Aviation Historical Society, Summer 1988 where Larkins sent a letter of some history of civil AT-21s and four photos.
My dad ferried two AT-21s for a civilian buyer in 1946 or 1947 and I have a photo of one of them taken at Prescott, AZ. No registration visible. I know he flew two unidentified "Fairchild" aircraft in 1947 from studying his logbooks. One was registered 48800 and was flown at Las Vegas on 10 February 1947. The other was registered 63120 and flown at Van Nuys, CA on 17 November 1947. Now, either or both of these could be Model 24s or PT-19/23/26's, I don't know. He flew some of each of those also. Most of the old N4880_ series numbers were Aeronca O-58/L-3s. I also found in some digging that some of the original N6312_ series registrations were BT-13s.
Skyways magazine March 1947 advertised an AT-21 with 40 hrs. total ferry time including two extra brand new engines all for $5,000 in Rochester, NY. (Better hurry...)
There's a published photo of 42-11698 sitting at the Ontario RFC begging for a buyer. It had the number "498" on the left cowling.
One of Larkins photos is of 42-11715, with number "406" on left cowling sitting in weeds at Wichita I think.
I'd be interested in knowing about any others (even small tidbit puzzle pieces) that saw Civil use.
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I'll try tomorrow and get the weeds cut down and stuff moved so that I can make some pics of the nacelles. It will require moving a few things to do the same for the forward fuselage. As to the rest of the parts and the L-5, forget about it...All you can see from the front of the warehouse door is random stacking of aircraft parts and machines.
