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

[A26 Special K]

We got K all spiffy and showed her off a little bit during the charity auction last weekend. Was pleased to see the turnout. Think we might try that again next Fall. Learned a lot about the do's and don'ts of this sort of event. Things we thought would sell didn't and things we didn't think there would be much interest in went for more than we hoped. JR

[A26 Special K]

Here is one of the pieces for instance that I would like to have had. Our resident artist, Jason Barnett, took a drop tank and made it into a shark. This is the coolest thing, not to mention beautiful. As he makes his rounds of surplus yards, we are putting him on the hunt for the 230 gal drop tanks that went on K's inboard wing pylons. Be really nice to have that extra fuel. Appreciate any leads. Now, if we can just talk Jason into building another one of these sharks!! Might be hard to do because it required him to get a cutting torch a little too close to his face for comfort. Sure is pretty though. Be a nice gift for someone. JR, the marine biologist

[CAPFlyer]

Glad to hear the auction went well. Did the prop trailer sell? I mentioned on Facebook we had a couple of those in Columbus at Air Tahoma for our CV-240 props. I didn't realize there weren't many around anymore. I think that the owner got them from the USAF direct when he bought the first couple of planes from them for conversion to cargo way back when.

[A26 Special K]

The prop trailer did not sell. There is a negotiation underway to trade it I'm told, but not set in concrete yet. It wouldn't take much to fix it up. I am under the impression that it may be WWII vintage, but I haven't really taken a close look at the data plate. It is for sale if anybody is interested. Gotta get these airplanes flying!! JR

[A26 Special K]

Picture yourself here!!! It is possible.... Sign up for the B-25 ground school at the VFM Hangar on Saturday, April 27th, and be entered into a drawing for one lucky person to get the chance! We will also consider pilots and folks who want to learn to help with the servicing and handling of the airplane for the airshow season for further training. So warbird enthusiasts, this is a big opportunity to get some hands on experience and help restore the Greatest Generation Aircraft B-25 and A-26. More details will be announced next week so stay tuned. JR

[A26 Special K]

We are very pleased to announce that our sister organization, the A-26 Legacy Foundation, has started a Challenge to raise funds for the overhaul of the engines on K. They have a very generous contributor who has offered to match any donations dollar for dollar up to $75,000 within a year. If you would like to contribute any amount from $5 up, it would mean double the money to the A-26 engine overhauls and help get the airplane flying again. There is a very important story this airplane has to tell about the folks who flew and maintained her in the VN war. Isn't it about time to honor all of our veterans and not just the more recent ones? The A-26 was used in WWII, Korea and VN. Not many AF types can claim that. Will you please help? You can contribute via credit card or Pay Pal on their website: http://www.a-26legacy.org
or send a check to:
Don Vogler, Chairman
A-26 Legacy Foundation
88 Fitch Road
Jaffrey, NH 03452
This is a 501c3 charity founded by the sons and daughters of the A-26 pilots and crews. TAX ID: 26-2090386 and your donation is tax deductible. Thanks, JR

[CAPFlyer]

The prop trailer did not sell. There is a negotiation underway to trade it I'm told, but not set in concrete yet. It wouldn't take much to fix it up. I am under the impression that it may be WWII vintage, but I haven't really taken a close look at the data plate. It is for sale if anybody is interested. Gotta get these airplanes flying!! JR

It wouldn't surprise me if it was WWII vintage. The USAF tended to hold onto GSE until it was no longer needed in those days. So the WWII trailers they had for their prop-driven aircraft wouldn't have been surplussed until the last prop-driven aircraft were being retired (those being the T-29s/C-131s and C-124s) in the 1960's. I never looked at our data plates either as I didn't have a reason to, I just knew they came from the USAF when he got the V/T-29s.

[A26 Special K]

Today was a little bit slow for the team. Several guys were helping out at the Swap Meet that was held near downtown Ft Worth. This is one of our fund raising activities that we just started. Will hold it from time to time. Naturally, Ma Nature decided it was her day to rain. A gentle drizzle or shower held back the attendance some this morning, but the afternoon cleared enough for folks to get out. We have another line of thunderstorms coming in from the west, but heck, this is Texas. "Ain't no step for a stepper!" Anyway, one of the things that did get done is shown in the picture above, Arnold and David got the bear trap all rigged for the right gear and more pieces were assembled on the leg itself. What we call the bear trap is the downlock assembly that snaps into place with spring tension. Lou and Miguel patched another hole in the right side of the fuselage. Ray did his usual magic with metal building parts for the repair in the area between the bomb bay forward bulkhead and the nose wheel well. Our "sparky" guys continued working on the instrument panel and planning for the avionics/instrument installation. Tim and Mac kept busy assembling the right gear. As usual, the real JR was masterminding the whole thing and keeping the railroad running on time. A good day was had by all!!! The other JR

[A26 Special K]

As we said, most everybody worked hard today..... well, except Inu, our floor manager was caught napping on the job by JR, the crew chief. JR, the pilot

[A26 Special K]

Here's another shot of the Prowler near downtown Ft Worth. As we mentioned earlier, we are planning a B-25 ground school for April 27th. This will help raise some $ for the restoration of the B-25 and the A-26. We are in the middle of fund raising events so please join us either in the ground school or by donating to our sister organization, the A-26 Legacy Foundation for the matching grant to overhaul the K's engines. More info can be found about this at http://www.a-26legacy.org. They are a 501c3 charity so your donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated. All of these donations will go directly to the engine overhauls. Thanks for your help. JR

[A26 Special K]

Ever wonder what all those little knobs and switches do in the B-25 cockpit? Well, here is your chance to find out. A one day ground school will cover all of the major systems, flight profiles, preflight inspection and servicing the fuel and oil. Can you imagine rolling up to the FBO and saying check the fuel and fill it up with oil? The oil tanks hold over 30 gallons for each engine. Yes, gallons, not quarts!! The fuel tanks can hold up to 974 gallons. Let's see 974 x $6/gal....uh... carry the 2.. uh.. well, maybe I better get my calculator??? We are running a special on this ground school. Contact Dana for more info and to sign up. Our website is http://www.gga1.org. Her email address is greatestgeneration@yahoo.com or you can call 817-659-9249 during business hours. All donations are tax deductible since we are a 501c3 organization and money raised will go to the restoration efforts on our Greatest Generation aircraft. Thanks for your help and hope to see you on Saturday, April 27th, 8 am at the conference room in the Vintage Flying Museum hangar, Meacham Field, Ft Worth. JR

[A26 Special K]

Please remember to donate to our engine overhaul challenge fund. A generous donor has agreed to match any funds we raise for this purpose. If you can help, please go to our sister non profit organization, the A-26 Legacy Foundation website, http://www.a-26legacy.org, click on the donate button and contribute via PayPal or credit card. $5 becomes $10 in matching funds. Or you may send a check to A-26 Legacy Foundation, Don Vogler, Chairman, 88 Fitch Road, Jaffrey, NH 03452. We are trying to save a national treasure and need your help! All donations are tax deductible as well. Thanks, JR

[A26 Special K]

So what the heck is that big hole in the wing of the B-25 supposed to do? If you don't know and want to find out, sign up for our B-25 ground school to be held at Meacham, Ft Worth, on April 27th. Pilots, crew chiefs and warbird enthusiasts will enjoy learning about the systems, operations and servicing of the Mitchell. Hands on activities include a complete walk around inspection and how to check the oil and fuel. No, you don't go look at a gauge! The care and feeding of an R-2600 can be a lot of fun. It sounds like a hundred Harley's just pulled up together in your driveway..... but way cooler. Join us and one lucky participant will win a chance to fly on the Prowler. Contact Dana at greatestgeneration@yahoo.com for more information. See you there! JR

[A26 Special K]

More holes to patch on the empennage. Lou and Miguel banged on it last weekend so now it is about ready to shoot rivets. Big Tim and David A have laid hands on a new blaster with walnut shells to finish the paint stripping in the right wheel well. The gear will be assembled and made ready to mount as soon as the paint dries. The upfront guys are still working on the instrument panel. Man, it is going to be nice. We just found some brand new fuel gauges for the mains and aux/bomb bay tanks still in the boxes.... since 1965 looks like. They will look sharp in the panel. Lots of good stuff going. Come and by and see our progress on Saturday. Always glad to greet visitors and share stories. JR

[A26 Special K]

Big Mike, disguised as AquaMan, did the honors today of running the walnut shell blaster in the right wheel well and getting that cleared of paint. The gear is ready to go back in so now all we need to do is get some paint in the wheel well. JR and Too Tall Tim vacuumed and then washed out the well with alcohol spray. Things moved right along today. We took a small timeout for a picnic lunch for the team with fried chicken, potato salad, bbq beans, fruit tray and St Paddy cookies. We started with 50 pieces of chicken and there wasn't much left when finished!! The fruit tray cancelled out the "fried" portion on the menu, so no worries there. And the diet cokes cancelled out the cookies... well, some of the guys took no chances with these. They broke the cookie in half to let the calories out before consumption. Hey, a man has to do whatever it takes to keep in shape, ya know. Have to be down to flying weight soon! The B-25 is going to be back up before the A-26 for sure. BTW, we have had a great response to our announcement of the B-25 ground school on April 27. We have added two more classes on May 11 and June 8. Contact Dana to register: greatestgeneration@yahoo.com or call during biz hours, 817-659-9249. Thanks! JR