Colombian or Cuban A-26's
Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:15 am
Cropping up from Martin's Korean A-26's pics thread was some info on a 203 mission a/c 'Old Able' 44-34287
Anybody have any pics of her in Colombia (or possably Cuba due to new s/n)? was she scrapped ?
Here's her story
http://www.13thbombsquadron.org/oldable1.html
Here's the last bit of info
"I left K-8 on June 28th, 1952, and "Old Able" was still making her trips. If she did as well the second year as the first she would have had over 400 missions.
Capt. Reece Black took a picture of Able in August 1952 when she climbed out of the traffic pattern of K-8 on her way home -- honorably retired from battle. Reece said she was so tired and out of trim she was hard to fly. I wondered what happened to her. I thought she was probably broken up for scrap by an ungrateful Air Force.
Not so!
I recently discovered Able was brought home and refurbished. In November 1956 she was given/sold to Colombia in a new life as a "C" model with a glass nose -- designated as FAR #2508. A glass nose. Oh, the embarrassment.
She was sold to Colombia on a political deal on the pretext she would do anti-submarine work, but was eventually used in counter-insurgncy work. She was written off and abandoned at Cartagena airport in March 1963. Oh, the humiliation she must have felt.
Of all the B-26 birds that deserved being dressed up in a museum, it was Able.
She always brought her crews home!"
EDIT. thread title due to Martin's info re. s/n
Anybody have any pics of her in Colombia (or possably Cuba due to new s/n)? was she scrapped ?
Here's her story
http://www.13thbombsquadron.org/oldable1.html
Here's the last bit of info
"I left K-8 on June 28th, 1952, and "Old Able" was still making her trips. If she did as well the second year as the first she would have had over 400 missions.
Capt. Reece Black took a picture of Able in August 1952 when she climbed out of the traffic pattern of K-8 on her way home -- honorably retired from battle. Reece said she was so tired and out of trim she was hard to fly. I wondered what happened to her. I thought she was probably broken up for scrap by an ungrateful Air Force.
Not so!
I recently discovered Able was brought home and refurbished. In November 1956 she was given/sold to Colombia in a new life as a "C" model with a glass nose -- designated as FAR #2508. A glass nose. Oh, the embarrassment.
She was sold to Colombia on a political deal on the pretext she would do anti-submarine work, but was eventually used in counter-insurgncy work. She was written off and abandoned at Cartagena airport in March 1963. Oh, the humiliation she must have felt.
Of all the B-26 birds that deserved being dressed up in a museum, it was Able.
She always brought her crews home!"
EDIT. thread title due to Martin's info re. s/n
Last edited by Flat 12x2 on Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:21 am
somewhere in my thousands of warbird slides, I have a number of Colombian AF Invaders.... will make a mental note to check soonest. 
Martin
afterthought: you mention Colombia but the serial FAR2508 points to a Cuban connection (Fuerza Aerea Rebelde) - Colombia used FAC as abbreviation...
Martin
afterthought: you mention Colombia but the serial FAR2508 points to a Cuban connection (Fuerza Aerea Rebelde) - Colombia used FAC as abbreviation...
Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:28 am
okay - sorted out - serial is FAC2508:
from JB's site:
2508: 44-34287 Douglas A-26B-51-DL Invader (B-26C) to Colombia in 1956, w/o 3-20-63 at Cartagena
Martin
from JB's site:
2508: 44-34287 Douglas A-26B-51-DL Invader (B-26C) to Colombia in 1956, w/o 3-20-63 at Cartagena
Martin
Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:33 am
Swiss Mustangs wrote:afterthought: you mention Colombia but the serial FAR2508 points to a Cuban connection (Fuerza Aerea Rebelde) - Colombia used FAC as abbreviation...
Not my info I'm afraid , I just quoted from the story on the web site.
FAC or FAR
Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:30 pm
Isn't FAR the post-1958 Cuban designator (Fuerza Aerea Revoluciana)? And before then it was FAEC (Fuerza Aerea Ejercito de Cuba)?
Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:54 pm
Wed Oct 18, 2006 1:10 am
Not the same aircraft, but to give you a visual on the markings.
Photo via Mike Little, LAAHS collection, author unknown.
Saludos,
Tulio
Photo via Mike Little, LAAHS collection, author unknown.
Saludos,
Tulio
Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:22 pm
From: jaldo
To: gary1954
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:38 pm
Subject: Hola
Hi Gary
I'm sending you this photo from the Life Time archives,which shows B-26s bound for Cuba.The location and date is Texas,March 1960
I tried to look for the appropiate topic where to post it,but for time reasons I was unable to do.Hopefully you know the right place where to put it.I searched for the registration on Wix database on the aircraft that shows registration,but didn't find anything.
Regards
Jorge
There you go Jorge, I hope this is in the right location
To: gary1954
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:38 pm
Subject: Hola
Hi Gary
I'm sending you this photo from the Life Time archives,which shows B-26s bound for Cuba.The location and date is Texas,March 1960
I tried to look for the appropiate topic where to post it,but for time reasons I was unable to do.Hopefully you know the right place where to put it.I searched for the registration on Wix database on the aircraft that shows registration,but didn't find anything.
Regards
Jorge
There you go Jorge, I hope this is in the right location