Ryan and JDK: Thanks for the invite to this WIX thread:
In reference to previous postings to this thread, I was aware of the Dayton O-47 airframe, but not the Topeka one. Great photos of both aircraft; thanks to those who posted them.
I'd like to add a couple of my old vintage Kodachrome slide photos to the thread. The below photos are of the former Planes of Fame Museum's (Chino, California) North American O-47B. This portly aircraft had a certain appeal to it and it did have a suitably warbird-sounding Wright 1820 engine. I remember around 1979 you could get a ride in this ultra-rare aircraft for the princely sum of US$40.00 (by the way, a ride in the Planes of Fame's P-51 "Spam Can" was only US$75.00 at that same time. That barely paid for gas (petrol)--yikes. However, at that time, even a paltry US$40.00 was a little too princely for me. I timed one of the flights and the aircraft and passengers were airborne for 40 minutes. I will forever regret not going on one of those glorius, open-canopy rides, especially since this aircraft was destroyed just a few years later in 1982..............
The aircraft was part of a flight of 5 aircraft at Porterfield, California. The aircraft was landed gear-up. The main fuel tank sump drain-valve on the bottom of the fuselage was ground off on the runway resulting in fuel leakage that caught fire, subsequently destroying the aircraft. Apparently, no fire equipment was immediately available at this airfield.
Whether the gear was accidently not lowered or that there was a mechanical malfunction had not been determined to the best of my knowledge, but the pilot did state that he checked the gear-handle position several times prior to landing. Happily, nobody was injured in the incident .
I understand that this particular O-47 actually had a local history, having been based at the long-defunct Griffith Park Aerodrome in Los Angeles while in pre-war service with the National Guard. For those of you with local Los Angeles knowledge, the runway of this former aerodrome was located right smack in the parking lot of the current-day Los Angeles Zoo!
The Planes of Fame Museum actually has another O-47 airframe on hand at Chino, and who knows, another O-47 may again fly one day.
The below nostalgic photos were taken in 1980 at Chino.
Best,
- octane130 -
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