Florence Air museum B-29

oscardeuce · **Joined:** Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:34 am **Posts:** 1021

I remember driving by the Florence, SC Museum and seeing most if not all of a B-29 there. Any ideas where it went?

Warbirdnerd · **Joined:** Fri Apr 30, 2004 7:34 pm **Posts:** 2943

oscardeuce wrote:

I remember driving by the Florence, SC Museum and seeing most if not all of a B-29 there. Any ideas where it went?

It is this one:
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b29regis ... 70113.html

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:55 am

That was a nice museum, I remember going there as a kid on one of our trips to vt from florida. My favorite was always the B-26K. I was sad to hear that no other museums wanted it and they cut it up for scrap.

oscardeuce · **Joined:** Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:34 am **Posts:** 1021

Thanks

RickH · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:41 am

It wasn't quite like that , Jeff. The USAFM folks decided it was too corroded for further display. So they scrapped it on site. A reliable person who was there told me that the corrosion was superficial skin corrosion, at best. They saved the engines, props and cowlings.

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:57 am

Still sucks, cant be that many B-26K's out there. Esp with a good SEA history like that one!

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:54 pm

So Rick, was it the USAFM that actually stripped the 26K? Luckily they
appear to have gotten a good bit more than engines and props. Landing
gear, cockpit stuff(how much?), gun nose and presumably other bits.
It really made my blood boil when I finally saw the image of a blooded
Viet Vet unceremoniously dumped on the ground...This fella's rhetoric probably
didn't help much...
www.coastcomp.com/av/florence/florence.htm

RickH · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 2:19 pm

Yes, it was DEFINITELY the USAFM that destroyed the remaining aircraft. They put the A26K QECs, complete with cowlings up for bid last year, along with some other engines.

The F-102 was going to be a real bear because of the structural design of the airframe. No one wanted it. The guys from Charlotte decided to try to break it down for transport to their museum. They got to loking at it and noticed some strange bolts in the wings that didn't correspond to the manuals.

What they found was that this particular F-102 had been modified to be knocked down for road transport as a travelling display ! The job turned into a piece of cake ! It is now on display at the Charlotte museum, along with the F-101.

The majority of the Connie fuselage was saved and it is now with a private collector. It had been previously damaged by a grass fire inside the museum compound .

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 6:17 pm

Wow, did not know it was the same aircraft. Its a early F-102 and she looked really good when I was there last yr. I hope they get there canopy put up soon so some of those airplanes can sit in the shade.

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 6:28 pm

Thanks Rick, ya know I realised later we discussed this a year ago? But
I'd forgotten...also that N3NJeff's dad had worked on the -26K in 'Nam...

The 102 info was new tho..Thanks...errr Twice!

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 7:53 pm

Nope, was not dad. But a very good friend of his did!!! I remember in the early 80's going to his house and seeing the pics of the invaders. Some of you may remember Jaybo Hinub. He flew in the same unit and knew my dads friend.

My father was in the USAF in the late 50's to the 60's loading missles on F-102's and then with the MB-1 Genie on the F-101. Eventually signing on with EOD.

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:00 pm

Ahhh yes, I remember it well....
Thanks Jeff

Cubs · **Posted:** Fri May 04, 2007 4:22 pm

Hope you folks don't mind me bringing up an old thread. I found this trying to find info on some aircraft.

I worked at the museum for 2 years as a volunteer. That A-26K was war vet.
One day while on the museum grounds, a car comes down the road, makes a high speed turn into parking lot. a man jumps out and goes into the museum building. about 1 minute later he comes running out toward me, excitedly saying, "that' my airplane, that's my airplane!!" Turns out he was a crewman. he said the plane had repaired battle damaged on it, and proceeded to show where bullets holes had been patched. then he pointed to the rear seat position and said, " a young man got killed sitting right there". He said his unit was the NIMRODS, and his c/o was cpt. Tom Black (going on memory) was painted on the nose gear door. Well the door was just plain black. And then a closer look showed something I had not noticed before, the red stencil paint was gone but it left an imprint and there on the NG door was the very wording this guy had mentioned.
The F-102 was FC-788, the second 102 with the area rule fuselage. And yes it was roadable with hinged vert. tail and such.

Fascinating place to be. Such a priviledge to "work" there.

I have conflicting info about what happened to the Douglas RB-66B 53-0431.
Can anyone tell me what happened to this aircraft.?

Paul

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Fri May 04, 2007 5:47 pm

That sucks that the museum has closed. I have a hard time believing that the museum cut up a perfectly good airplane though. Are we sure that it wasn't in rough shape. When you combine the fact that it was a vet, and not in bad shape, well it just doesn't add up.

hang the expense · **Posted:** Fri May 04, 2007 5:57 pm

The 29 passed me some years back while being transported to dobbins, north atlanta ga.The fuse sure filled up that low boy trailer.

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