Warbird Information Exchange

Hello all,

The crash was in 1988 and the location of Ed’s A-26 Invader is a secret and hard to get to. Its existence and true location is only passed down to select groups of scouts who can appreciate its significance and who promise to leave the site undisturbed. The loss of Ed and Bill now bring groups of scouts together year after year to pay respects and reflect.

This year I took a group of scouts to the site. It touched the boys to hear about 2 men who did not make it home. After 25 years the site is basically untouched. They understood that it is preserved because only those who will respect it are told about it and if it ever becomes a tourist attraction it will be looted and destroyed. The boys and leaders became part of the chain of scouts who may return with a group of their own to honor the memories of these men and hopefully understand their own life a little better.

There are many stories about who Ed and Bill were. I was able to tell the boys what I knew but they asked many questions that I just did not know. I would like to pass on the best information possible about these men, there accomplishments and possibly the family left behind.

I believe Ed was a Chiropractor and Bill had been recently married. I know the story about dipping the wing tips in the lake but not much more. I have most of the history of the plain but not when it was made or if it saw combat in any war. Please let me know if you have anything to add about these men or the Invader and I will pass it on so future generations will know the whole story and appreciate the significance of the crash.

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Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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That had some odd nose on it at sometime. It has a solid nose now that, IIRC, just only fits.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
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I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Here is a few photos of N303WC with the ugly nose.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25742&start=15

Think there has been at least one more 26 with the same kind of nose. Just can't remember which one at the moment.

T J

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Make my day, punk!

Very interesting thread, keeping the a-26 preserved in its state. Kudos

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" I am a nobody in aviation, but somebody to my family."

My dad worked on this A-26 plus a second one while working for the EPA in the 70's (that is how I came to be born in Vegas). This A-26 was painted in the blue and white paint scheme while the other one was painted mostly yellow with a white stripe. One story my father told about N4813E was how it came about with blue nacelles. They were in Boise ID ( I think) and some local newspaper noticed that the EPA airplane had oil and what not streaked down the nacelles. The next morning there was a headline that the EPA airplane was leaking oil all over the ramp and visible oil streaks down the nacelles. When they got back to Vegas the plane got the blue nacelles.

I will ask him tomorrow if he has any pictures of the two A-26's that he worked on. I know he does but not sure which one.

Kevin

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Kevin Orr
https://b-25history.org/index.htm

Does anyone know how many flying examples of the invader are left?

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" I am a nobody in aviation, but somebody to my family."