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

rdennard · **Posted:** Mon Apr 29, 2013 5:36 pm

Hey Gang… I spent the afternoon walking among some old “friends”. Here’s are some pics of A/C 666 standing guard at the Hurlburt front gate. There’s a plaque out in front of the A/C with the names of 48 people that lost their lives flying the B-26 (Farm Gate) and A-26 (K). Many of them I knew… they were all my brothers. I couldn’t help but tear up.

Bob
Memories of Naked Fanny

rdennard · **Posted:** Mon Apr 29, 2013 5:41 pm

Sorry they are so big... I don't know how to shrink them down. ==> OK... I figured out how to shrink them to a managable size.

These three pics are of the aft bay. Weapons guys at de-arm end of the runway had to jump up into here, plug in and talk to the pilots during de-arm. I know I still have some blood, sweat, and tears in this A/C. And I'm absolutely certain that I have some blood left up in the gun bay.

Bob
Memories of Naked Fanny

NImrodA26 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:54 am

We were there at at the last reunion Bob. For the great job they did on restoring 666, (as opposed to the last time I saw it down there) the fake fifties sticking out of the nose left something to be desired. I heard several comments about that.

A26 Special K · **Joined:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:27 pm **Posts:** 2559

Thanks for posting the Triple 6 pictures, Bob. She could use a little more TLC looks like. Randy made a point about the barrels of the guns looking off... they looked more like .22's to me, but I suppose one can't just go out and find barrels around an AF base. Have been looking myself for them. K will have good looking barrels one way or the other. :-)

On another note, an A-26 Association has been started by Rick Mitchell. He is gathering stories about the airplanes and the people who flew, armed, or maintained them for his e-newsletter. He has also started a B-25 Association. For those who want to receive his e-newsletter(s), just drop him an email at: remitchell22@aol.com
Have a nice day!! JR

A26 Special K · **Joined:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:27 pm **Posts:** 2559

For those who want to do something besides talk about warbirds, here is your chance to do just that. This Saturday.. May 4, we will be having ground school on the C-47 and the following Saturday, May 11, ground school on the B-25. We are planning ground schools on the A-26 for later in the year. The C-47 is available for flight instruction. We even have a special flight for non pilots to receive 30 min instructional flight for $500....you can fly your first lesson in a Gooney Bird! Contact Dana at greatestgeneration@yahoo.com or check out our website.
www.gga1.org
These events are to raise money for the restoration efforts of our B-25 and A-26. Please help if you can. Thanks, JR

rdennard · **Posted:** Wed May 01, 2013 11:31 am

Walking all around 666 a couple of times it seemed like she was in pretty good shape. The biggest problem seemed to be the bird poop and I suspect that's just hard to deal with on all the airplanes without the manpower to go out and wash the airplanes on a regular basis.

It does seem that someone could take care of the guns without a lot of trouble... just some flash shields with white plugs in the end would do the trick. The next time I'm there, I may try to find the right folks to talk to about it. I'm sure it would only take volunteers an afternoon to fix it up to look correct. Finding real 50s would be more of a problem. Randy... you don't have any of those in your stash of treasures do you?

I was a little supprised that the aft compartment door could be opened. Paint and corrosion wise, all seemed to be in good shape. As you can see in the pic, there's some "stuff" just laying in there. I was going to jump up inside just like "back in the day", but it seems like it's about 2 feet higher than it was on the flightline... that or I'm not 19 any more.

Bob
Memories of Naked Fanny

NImrodA26 · **Posted:** Wed May 01, 2013 11:39 am

.............. I was going to jump up inside just like "back in the day", but it seems like it's about 2 feet higher than it was on the flightline... that or I'm not 19 any more.
=============
I noticed the same thing about the aft door. I swear it was lower than that back in the 60,s!!!!!!

A26 Special K · **Joined:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:27 pm **Posts:** 2559

NImrodA26 wrote:

.............. I was going to jump up inside just like "back in the day", but it seems like it's about 2 feet higher than it was on the flightline... that or I'm not 19 any more.
=============
I noticed the same thing about the aft door. I swear it was lower than that back in the 60,s!!!!!!

Well, let's see. 666 is sitting up on concrete pads so that adds 6 inches to the door sill height. The struts are low and there is no load on the airplane as there would have been back in the day. Hmmmm... well, in doing the math, I have to conclude yall just got shorter over time. It happens! But really, did yall jump up there in the gunner compartment from the ground with the props blasting you or did they shut one down? I have trouble even crawling up a ladder to it. :-)

Here's to yall for doing that without a ladder!!!
:drink3:

Highest Regards, JR

A26 Special K · **Joined:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:27 pm **Posts:** 2559

Tomorrow, Friday, May 3, is the last day to sign up for the DC-3/C-47 class on Saturday. Please contact Dana for more info. http://www.gga1.org Support our warbird restorations and learn some great information, history and facts about this wonderous airplane, the Douglas Racer. It could fly faster than the speed of.. of... of.... uh, maybe the speed of smell. :-)

JR

NImrodA26 · **Posted:** Thu May 02, 2013 9:15 am

...........But really, did yall jump up there in the gunner compartment from the ground with the props blasting you or did they shut one down?
===========
Can't speak for how Bob did it, but as I recall, when they pulled into the dearm area, at least when I was working on dearm, the procedure was to shut down the engines and "Hands out of the cockpit" during dearm. And we did get up into the rear area from the ground. After we had one come back with a bomb laying on the doors, they instituted a procedure where we would get into the rear compartment and verify that that there was no ordnance laying on the doors before they opened them and gave everyone a surprise.

rdennard · **Posted:** Thu May 02, 2013 12:30 pm

What Randy said, except that at first we didn't have them shut down any engines. We would jump up in there, check the bay doors and plug in to talk to the drivers. I never saw anything on the bay doors. It would usually be:

"Good morning Sir... your bay doors are clear... did you fire your guns?

If they had fired their guns, then we had them shut down both engines so we could back up a "duce and a half" to the nose. We would climb up on the bed of the "duce and a half", open up the gun bays, and then de-arm/clear the guns. After that we would be the "crew chief" and have them start up both engines. (They wouldn't taxi with only one engine. I think that was because of no nose wheel steering.) Of course, if they hadn't fired their guns, we would jump out of the rear compartment and they would taxi back to the parking area.

We could always tell what kind of mission it had been. If the "drivers" were just talking a bit that it had been a routine mission.... if flying over "The Trail" can ever be routine. If they were carrying on an antimated conversation we knew that it had been an "exciting" mission. After an "exciting" mission, they had always fired their guns... I should say, "burned down" their guns... and the gun bays were a mess from all the gun grease flung everywhere. ("Burned down" only meant that they had tried to empty all the ammo cans.)

As often as not, when they "burned down" their guns, there were jams or doubble feeds, broken chutes or all the above. Just the same, the pilots would tell you they loved those guns and when the A/C got back to the parking ramp we would fix um up and have it ready to go for the next mission.

The reason I'm sure there is still some of my blood in the gun bay on '666 is because while de-arming the guns "rookies" would always get cut up by the chutes and other stuff in there that would bite you... expecially if the pilots had "burned down" their guns. After a month or so, you figured out how to stop leaving your skin and blood. Huh Randy.

Bob
Memories of Naked Fanny

NImrodA26 · **Posted:** Thu May 02, 2013 7:04 pm

..........while de-arming the guns "rookies" would always get cut up by the chutes and other stuff in there that would bite you... expecially if the pilots had "burned down" their guns. After a month or so, you figured out how to stop leaving your skin and blood. Huh Randy.
======Duh! This rookie learned that at England AFB during gun training. And, it could have been Special K that initiated me! Several of us were learning the guns on one of the birds in a hanger, under the direction of Sgt. Lackey and Sgt. Dickey. Still remember those two characters. Anyway, they were telling us how to be careful taking out the top gun, cause that was the one that would most likely "bite" you. My turn came, and sure enough, I got a cut on one of my hands. I didn't say anything, but when they handed the gun down, Sgt. Dickey looked at it and saw the blood on it, and calmly said, "OK, which one of you just learned how to take out the top gun!" Had to admit it was me. It was almost like he knew it was going to happen. I tried to be more careful after that. I did have one other painful experience with a fifty at NKP. However, for discretion, I won't go into it here!!!

A26 Special K · **Joined:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:27 pm **Posts:** 2559

How's this for pretty? Kay got a new brake for her new right leg today and some of the associated plumbing!!!! Waaaaahoooooo... The boys done good! Lots of accomplishments... the Sparkies continued chasing the wiring, we found a new airspeed indicator and altimeter and got a headstart on moving our stuff out of the way for the big Militaria Show in the VFM Hangar, Ft Worth, on May 18-19. Please check out our website for more info, but there will be lots of uniforms, equipment etc for sale, military vehicles groups are bringing their finest wheels and tracks, and military re-enactors will be participating as well. Come by and visit the restoration team around the A-26. Randy will probably be there to show the scars on his hands re: above post. Frank N will be there to talk about the Nimrod days, too. See you there!! JR www.gga1.org

A26 Special K · **Joined:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:27 pm **Posts:** 2559

The DC-3 class yesterday was a success! There is still a lot of life left in the ol gal. Southern Cross flew Friday and Saturday on training missions and performed well as usual. Can't wait to be able to say the same about K. :-)

JR

A26 Special K · **Joined:** Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:27 pm **Posts:** 2559

Everybody was all grins when the brake assembly went on the right gear! Too Tall Tim especially liked it as you can see from his grin. Well, it could have been the added fact that I just told him the picture was to put up an ad for his services for the ladies. He is an excellent carpenter and can build just about anything you want! We have to raise money for the A-26 engine overhaul somehow, right?? JR

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

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