B-26K Counter-Invader Restoration ("Special K")

[A26 Special K]

K went topless last week as we reported. This is the top of her vertical stab that Tim is working on. On the end opposite the camera is a special area. Is this where the gun camera went or something else???

[A26 Special K]

OK, trying to help yall out here. On the previous question about what might be in the front of the vertical stabilizer.. gun camera.. or what... here is a clue. Look at this picture of the top of the stabilizer in the small whitish area... the area in question. Anybody wish to take a guess? While you are at it, hey Randy, what is unusual about the ordnance load-out you see here?? Anybody want to take a crack at identifying what is hanging under the wings?? That's the Mekong River in the picture I'm told!! This A26 looks like it might be heading out to go tiger hunting. Jim R

[NImrodA26]

OK, outboard to inboard.
Mer rack (I think MER-63) with 6ea Mk 25 Mod 0 parachute flares.
Next in is a CBU-14 bomblet dispenser. 6 tubes with 19 bomblets each tube.
The two inboard is napes-one finned and one not.
PIc had to be taken at least after 1966, as we didn't have finned nape.

[A26 Special K]

OK Randy, attaboy!! You got the load named, but answer the question about what is unusual about the entire load???? And here is an easy one, so don't answer it Randy... this one is for everybody else... have the machine guns been fired? How can you tell?? JR

[CAPFlyer]

Guns have not been fired because the condoms are still on (if you guys still used them in Vietnam like they did in WWII & Korea)

[A26 Special K]

Guns have not been fired because the condoms are still on (if you guys still used them in Vietnam like they did in WWII & Korea)

Ohhhhhh. very close CAPFlyer... but no those aren't condoms on the barrels. Early on they used tape to keep the barrels clean until fired. Then something more formal was used that sorta resembled a plastic cap on a chair leg bottom.. ya know, like the kind of table and chairs set you might buy at WalMart when they have a sale on..... with the note on the box... some assembly required. Oh wait, maybe yall don't know about those. Will have to think of a better example... ok, Randy, help me out here.... please! JR

[NImrodA26]

All we ever used on the blast tubes was duct tape. I understand that later they just stuffed some styrofoam into the blast tubes. Served the same purpose I guess.
As far as the load, I don't see anything unusual about it. The pic was obviously taken during the day, but hard to tell what time, can't see any shadows. Could have been taken just before sundown. Otherwise, a daylight mission would not have required flares, and we did not typically fly during daylight. Learned a hard lesson about that right away.
The first mission usually left during daylight, but not much before dusk.
I also don't have a clue about the front of the rudder. ??????????????

[A26 Special K]

Randy, u da man! Nearly there... yes, daylight... cause you can see the airplane in the picture. Like you said, didn't fly much in daylight. NOW, take another look at the ordnance load. What is missing?? We are on the 50 yard line and have a straight shot to the goal line!! One man to beat... the kicker... Go for it.

[A26 Special K]

No clue about the rudder... well, we are actually talking about the top front portion of the vertical stabilizer and not the rudder per se. The area that appears to be white in the picture with the airplane banked to show the load on the wings. Wondering what is inside of this area. That is the question for the night. OK? Cheers, JR

[Dewayne Doud]

top of the vertical stab is usually where a glideslope antenna is located..so the white thing is a rf transparent fairing.. maybe made of fiberglass?

Dewayne

[NImrodA26]

Well, ya got me on the ordnance. Must be so obvious that I'm over looking it. Still no clue about the stab. But, looking at the pic below I notice that the entire length of the top of the stab/rudder was painted, before they were camo'd.

[A26 Special K]

top of the vertical stab is usually where a glideslope antenna is located..so the white thing is a rf transparent fairing.. maybe made of fiberglass?

Dewayne

Dewayne... ding ding ding, we have a winner. Yep, that area is where the glideslope antenna is housed. Usually on most smaller airplanes, it is found up closer to the nose area. Good one!! JR

[A26 Special K]

Randy... why is that load of ordnance not painted black? Most all of the time it was at least on the bottom?? OH and hey, thanks for the formation shot wtih the first paint scheme that they applied at On Mark. This was supposed to be a sort of non military look so they could conduct special ops anywhere in the world. With all up ferry tanks, they could get 16 hours of endurance from them. This would be far longer than I would want to have a parachute poking my back and well, you get the picture. JR

[NImrodA26]

With all up ferry tanks, they could get 16 hours of endurance from them. This would be far longer than I would want to have a parachute poking my back and well, you get the picture. JR.................................

Yep, I gave that a lot of thought, those guys winging their way across the Pacific in the 26. After riding in the web seats on a C-130 from Louisiana to NKP was enough for me!! I'll tell you, it gave me a great perspective on just how big the Pacific Ocean is. Was a great view though from 20,000 ft. Afterward, I had a great admiration for those guys in the little boats bobbing around out there hundreds of years ago. Don't know how they ever found anything.

[NImrodA26]

No wonder I didn't pick up on the painted stuff. We weren't doing it at the time. Guess someone figured that out later.