Warbird Information Exchange

Hello again. Not too long ago, scfan posted some photos from a Galveston display in either 1970 or 1971. Among the photos was a T-6/SNJ/Harvard conversion representing a japanese Zero. There was nothing visible on the posted photo to identify the aircraft and scfan kindly loaned me the slide so I could do a little research. I have scanned and copied the slide and enlarged it six ways from Sunday, but the only identifying mark is the name (in red, making it all but invisible) under the canopy, 'Col. XXX Turner'. Now, XXX is a three letter name, with the middle letter appearing to be an 'O', so Bob, Joe, Don, Ron?

Can anyone identify the person or more usefully, the aircraft? The conversion does not appear to be from the Tora birds, but very closely resembles the solo Tallmantz conversion, with the exception of a couple of small details.

Any help will be very gratefully accepted.

cheers
Doug

It appears to be N11171 41-17422 as a Zero. Have a slide to scan of it, dated Oct 1975
at Harlingen in the same markings. Photo by John R. Kerr

Excellent, John! Thank you! That is most definitely the lady in question.

Doug

So, who did it belong to, and who's name is on the side?

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Mike

Ah! Tora 115. That's Mike Burke's mount these days! But I still wonder who's name was on the side back when the photo was taken?

The registration returns with a Certificate Issue Date of 09/06/1991 because that's when the CAF made the move to Midland from Harlingen.

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Mike

From Warbirds Directory:

84-7800 • AT-6B 41-17422 NC9593H reg. 48
NC62144 rereg. .48
N62144 Norman G. Bodet, Helotes TX 63/64
Confederate Air Force, Mercedes TX 66
Zero repl. N11171 Confederate Air Force, Harlingen/Midland TX 69/08
(conv. to Zero replica, flies as "AI-115")
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