From the near past, Tanker #30

[cadet77]

Found this one in the photo album yesterday and got it scanned.

Consolidated PB4Y-2 S/N 59819 N3739G Tanker #30 air show fly-by at Falcon Field, Mesa, AZ.
It is currently located at the Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, Texas. How is the restoration going?

Last edited by cadet77 on Mon Jun 23, 2008 6:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Canso42]

Cadet77, That's a great photo. What year? The 4Y as we call it sat for several years after the feds grounded them all for the wing spar inspect. It got to be a sore topic for a while but now the restoration is back on.
At Airshow in April at the Sat night awards banquet, museum pres. Larry Gregory announced that tanker 30 has passed all the inspections.
He said "This airplane WILL fly again". I think it would be totally kick butt to fly it to Pensacola in 2011 for the centennial of Naval Av. Come in with a big escort of Corsairs and Grumman Cats.....
I learned how to assemble B-25 cowlings (it has the R-2600 upgrade as do all surviving 4Y tankers.) in my friggin sleep!
It has the original type nose again and the museum has a full set of correct turrets, even the weird Alice hydraulic waist turrets.

regards
Doug Ratchford, vol. LSFM

[skymstr02]

The correct tail number is N3739G, and Doug, those are ERCO turrets. I've spent many hours on that beast, including installing the vertical fin, the landing gear, fuel tanks, building the structure under the tail turret, plumbing, both nose gear doors, bomb bay doors, and control cables.

[TAdan]

Canso42...That is great news. I love the idea of bringing it to P-cola and showing off some Navy Warbirds in flight

[Second Air Force]

Here's a photo from a couple of weeks ago--she's looking good!

Scott