Beech C-45, SNB, D-18 Pics

Project Warbird · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:24 am

Larry,

Those are some great pics. I love seeing the C-45's back in the days when they where used. It's cool to see a part of your life also. Such a great aviation life. It's fun to see the Beeches parked with the fighter jets.

skymstr02 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:16 pm

skymstr02 wrote:

Larry Kraus wrote:

Here are both N16139 and N6688 at a Naval Air Station in the mid 70's.I think that it was NAS Memphis

That T-39G (843) was stricken from the inventory 04 NOV 04. Its sister ship, 158844, is still flying students at NAS Pensacola, Fl. I'm still making money keeping it in the air.

On a follow up, I took this photo this morning at AMARG, Davis-Monthan AFB, in area 20.

Larry Kraus · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:04 pm

skymstr02,

It's always interesting to see where airplanes end up.Here's one for you.I took this somewhere in 1983 while running around in a Beech.It's a mock up for a 4 seat version of a North American T-2 Buckeye.No idea where it finally ended up.

Eric,

Here are a few shots of N6688 in it's White Elephant paint job in 1983.These first ones are at Maryland Airport,I think.This airplane and N16139 had the High Gross (10,100 lb gross) mods done by Hamilton Aircraft in Tucson.I liked Hamilton's cockpit and cargo door design.They weren't cheap.Mission Airlines (an earlier incarnation of Express Airways) paid $68,000 for this airplane (albeit zero timed) in 1968.

This one was taken at El Paso.In my album,it's titled "A couple of Space Shuttle simulators"....Yeah,right...

These are of my mechanic/co-pilot Jim Pellegrino doing a compression check.I think it was at Talladega.

Here's a cockpit shot at our usual cruise power setting of 28" manifold pressure and 1800 RPM which gave us around 150 knots while burning between 40-42 gallons per hour of fuel.Between 1972 and 1977 we usually used 115/145,which was the only avgas available from the military.We paid 11 cents per gallon for it and paid 22 cents per gallon for 120W engine oil.From 1977 on,only 100/130 was available from the military for 35 cents per gallon.However,even civilian avgas was well under a dollar per gallon back then.

skymstr02 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:14 am

These guys are at the Pima Musem in Tucson, AZ:

I don't know what that critter is in the astrodome hole on the C-45, does anybody know?

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:53 pm

skymstr02 wrote:

I don't know what that critter is in the astrodome hole on the C-45, does anybody know?

This particular Beech at Pima is an AT-7 Navigator trainer and that is the correct "Navigator's Turret" that was installed at the Beech factory. This was the predecessor to the astrodome which was made from clear plastic. The Navigators turret was a metal shell with a flat glass panel which was optically pure through which the navigator would shoot the stars, sun and moon or simple bearing lines through.

The turret actually rotated and you could lock it into several different positions. It also had a mount bracket for a pelorus which was an early version of the astro compass. There is even a small hatch on the other side that can be opened so you can reach out in flight and clean the glass.

I used to work at Pima as a volunteer way back in high school and the AT-7 didn't have the turret as it was just faired over. Later I found a turret and donated it to the museum and they installed a short time after. It sure looks good up there as I think it is the only one still installed on an AT-7.

Here is a shot of three NAS Oakland based SNB-2C's (Navy version of the Army AT-7) in formation over San Fransisco. You can see the turret on these 'Navigator's' in different positions or rotation.

skymstr02 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:28 am

Thanks Taigh!

I had never seen a turret like that before.

Ztex · **Posted:** Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:58 am

I've got a few Beech 18 photos...

http://www.airport-data.com/photographe ... 544;1.html

http://www.airport-data.com/photographe ... 806;1.html

VictorJ · **Joined:** Sat Feb 20, 2010 8:48 am **Posts:** 1

Larry sorry to tell you but all of them: 6688, 6082, 123EM (Easy Money) and 16139 are not with us anymore.

6688, 6082 and 123EM have all crashed and 16139 (What a sweet bird) was blown over by a tornado on KOPF in late 1997 early 1998.
I used to fly these in Opa Locka for Express Airways from about 1992 till summer of 1996.

N16139 (Begin 1998 KOPF)

N6688 (KEYW)

beechd18 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:26 am **Posts:** 3

VictorJ wrote:

Larry sorry to tell you but all of them: 6688, 6082, 123EM (Easy Money) and 16139 are not with us anymore.

6688, 6082 and 123EM have all crashed and 16139 (What a sweet bird) was blown over by a tornado on KOPF in late 1997 early 1998.
I used to fly these in Opa Locka for Express Airways from about 1992 till summer of 1996.

N16139 (Begin 1998 KOPF)

N6688 (KEYW)

N6688 Did crash and was consumed by fire pilot was not even twin rated... I owned N6688 and flew it... I also owned N6082 and although it did crash in NC with a pilot that was flying it for the first time on its way home...It is still flying in TX.. and I own N123EM and its in my back yard along with some more of Express Air ways planes....

beechd18 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:26 am **Posts:** 3

and here is a pic of N123EM just a few mins ago...

SAR · **Joined:** Tue Dec 29, 2009 10:40 am **Posts:** 1

I just found this forum and enjoyed the great pictures. Sorry to hear about 123EM, 6082, 6688 and 16139. I flew them with Express airways out of Sanford from about 83 to '86. I don't know if you remember me Larry but I flew co-pilot with Jim Pelllegrino and Greg Ryan in the summers while I was in school and then flew 123EM from Tallahasee to JAX everynight for about 9 months for one of Harry's UPS runs.

I enjoyed your pictures. They brought back a lot of great memories.
best regards,
Scott Riggs

beechd18 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:26 am **Posts:** 3

A Beech18 I hauled

F3A-1 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 28, 2011 9:17 pm

Small world.

I have a couple R-985's from Beech 18's. The log for one shows it was removed from N123EM on Sept. 15, 1998 with 1335.4 hrs total since Tulsa overhaul. I hope the engine will be a good core and was not on the old girl in the "mishap". No doubt some of you guys worked on it.

Pirate Lex

darrenvox · **Posted:** Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:46 pm

I found this aircraft across from a gas station in ignace ontario on a roadtrip last year

gale_dono · **Joined:** Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:32 pm **Posts:** 328

Bumping this thread to see if anyone knows any more about N123EM pictured above, is it still extant?

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