Warbird Information Exchange

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Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

Last I head it has made the trip North already~

So are they going to be using it here in the States, or...?

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StudeDave

It sat at Willow Run for several weeks. Don't get to see tankers here in Michigan.

Whatever became of another Aero Union's P-3?

Here (in part) what I wrote about if for FlyPast, circa 2001.

The plane, ex-bureau number 150513 and Spanish 22+25, has been registered N920AU.
The aircraft was put up for tender by the Texas State Technical College which had used it as a maintenance training airframe, and it was purchased by Aero Union of Chico, California to add to their fleet of firefighting Orions, DC-4s and SP-2 Neptunes.

After two weeks of preflight work, which included new tires and replacing the rudder dampers...damaged in a windstorm...the aircraft with a crew of 4 departed Abilene Regional Airport on July 3, flying nonstop under visual rules to its new California base.
Once there, an estimated 20,000 pounds of military equipment and electronics will be stripped and a new 3000 U.S. gallon retardant tank will be fitted.
The Aero Union crew was impressed with the state of the aircraft, despite it not having been flown for nearly a decade. The school's maintenance of the systems, and running up the engines was credited, along with the dry Texas climate, with the preservation of the 37-year old Orion. They noted that despite it's age and 16,000 flying hours, the plane was in excellent shape having undergone depot-level maintenance shortly before leaving Spanish service in 1990.
Ron Hunter, Aero Union's director of flight operations said their planes average 150-200 flying hours a year and the P-3 should remain in service for another 20 years.
The conversion work and new paint should be done by the end of the year and the much traveled Lockheed will begin it's fourth career (USN. Spanish, training airframe and now fire bomber) next spring.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

It is registered to Buffalo Airways USA out of Starke,FL. The new issue of Warbirds Intl. says it will be based out of Willow Run. I have not been out there in a few weeks so I don't know it it's still out there or not. If it's still out there in a month it would be nice to see at TOM.

Boss looking paint scheme on an athletic looking airframe. Spent 4 years tuning trons on these babies. Loved every minute of it.