"trading material" T-34's @ NAS Pensecola?

[BHawthorne]

Hrrrm, interesting. Any of them still available for museums but not yet assigned? One would fit the theme for Kansas Aviation Museum. Park it right next to the Jet Mentor prototype.

[RickH]

I saw these aircraft in a building that was used for museum storage at Pensacola right after Hurricane Ivan. The building was filled with goodies, including an SBD and a couple of Wildcats. All of the T-34s were sitting on old mattresses and were stacked side by side with the wings stacked on edge nearby. I'm surprised to see them assembled on the ramp, I'd be surprised if they did more than just bolt the wings on.

[Enemy Ace]

RickH- I think some were flown in and some trucked in. They are leaving the same way, some trucked out and some flown out. My understanding is that most were flown in from former Navy flying clubs. The marietta aviation museum in atlanta is slated to get one.
BHawthorne, I would have that museum call pensecola ASAP if they are serious.

[BHawthorne]

I'm just ramp maintenance staff at KAM, I have no real say over aircraft wishlists for KAM.

[vg-photo]

Dunno about the upgrades. But I do know, with as
many times as the T-34 fleet has been grounded in
the last few years, I wouldn't get in one if the ride
was free.

Uh, how many times has the entire T-34 "fleet" been grounded? I really don't think the T-34 is any more or less safe than any other airplane. We are talking about an aircraft that is 50+ years old, and a majority of the issues were from people that were using them in an airframe stressing environment (simulated air combat). It's your choice whether or not you want to fly in one, but if you choose not to, you're missing out on a good time. Plus it makes a pretty good photo ship.

[billtate]

Looks like not all the T-34Cs are going to the scrapyard.

120201-N-LY958-110 CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Feb. 2, 2012) Two T-34 Turbo Mentor training aircraft at the end of their Navy service lives are prepared to be transported from NAS Corpus Christi to Del Mar College where the aircraft will be used for aviation maintenance training. (U.S. Navy Photo by Richard Stewart/Released)



20201-N-LY958-097



120201-N-LY958-091

[mh53eflyguy]

It's good to see them being trucked out intact. When I was in Corpus last year, the timed-out birds (beyond high time from my understanding) were sitting in a pile striped of it's wings. Truth be told, I wish that some people could get some of these birds in the civilian market. Although it happened two years ago, I signed the fuel recipe for a T-34C in El Paso, and I was shocked by how expensive it was to top off a T-34C with JET-A. I could never afford the operating cost of one, but I'd still love to own one. It's a fun plane to fly.
It's had some issues, in fact I was on hold for a long time while the fatigue cracks in the rudder pedal housing (or something like that, don't quote me on the issue or hold it against me) grounded most of the fleet for months.

[mustanglover]

WOW!!

Seems like a little overkill on that trailer!!

[P51Mstg]

Well that crane isn't little either....

Mark H