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

[NImrodA26]

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I believe this is the only K model 26 that On Mark made with spinners. I think it was General Pritchards ride at Hurlburt. It also had nose wheel steering. Both the spinners and nose wheel steering was deleted on the production models.

[A26 Special K]

Mark, sure, we would welcome any A-26 pics that you find. The airplane came out relatively late in WWII and only one operational Wing made it to the Pacific while roughly 600 airplanes made it to Europe near the end. K her ownself made it to England only for a few months before being sent back to US for transit to the Pacific. The war ended before that happened. So the airplane doesn't get the recognition it deserves. About your question on the appendage hanging down in front of the nose, my best guess is that these are engineering probes for airspeed and other parameters that need undisturbed air to gather data. The actual pitot tube eventually ended up on the left lower side of the nose and the static ports are on both sides of the empennage. These engineering probes indicate the airplane is an early test model. With the glass nose, it may have been the prototype for the C model. There was an A model but very few of those were built. I don't know if they had solid noses or not, but I suspect they were glass since they were originally intended to be medium altitude bombers for the Army Air Forces and torpedo bombers for the Navy. Maybe this is an A model. Perhaps others who know for certain can tell us. But bring on the pics!! Appreciate your comments and hope that folks enjoy our contribution to WIX and to the A-26 community. The airplane really deserves more attention because it was the best of the best in its time. Thanks!! JR

[A26 Special K]

Randy, yeah, that is the demo airplane that OnMark prepared to sell the K conversion contract. They did develop nose wheel steering for their exec conversions, but it was problematical and unneeded for military ops. About the only time it was useful was in taxiing single engine or if there was brake failure. You have to admit the spinners are certainly differrent. Some like them and some don't. I am one of the don't. Unfortunately, this airplane was scrapped and never used like K and her 39 sisters. There were some other OnMark limited conversions for the air forces of some S American countries, but they didn't get the full treatment and so are not truly K models. Sure be nice to find somebody with a piece of this airplane or more pics. Would love to see what they did in the cockpit to sell to General P. Good stuff. Keep it up. Thanks, JR

[Mark Allen M]

Well JR here's a batch more. I'll keep the posts small (right!!! lol) so as not to distract from your outstanding thread. After all it's all about the "Special K" ... as it should be


B-26B-61-DL, 44-34610, Air Guard Bureau, RAFB, 18 June 1972


13th BG A-26B-30-DL 41-39362 Big Chief was lost on October 15,1951


13th BG A-26 Korea


13th BG A-26 Old Able 44-34287 at Iwakuni 1951

These last two photos are a bit rough (not usually up to my standards of posting ) but there's a story here that unfortunately I do not know. Perhaps yourself or another Invader expert can fill in some data if possible, It doesn't look to be Korea as there seem to be no red bars?

[NImrodA26]

Nice pictues! I would say they are probably Korea era. Interesting to see the ordnance they were using. Those 500 pounders in the background with the cardboard shipping rings look exactly like what we used at Hurlburt in 65, left over from WWII and Korea.

[shrike]

Nice pictues! I would say they are probably Korea era. Interesting to see the ordnance they were using. Those 500 pounders in the background with the cardboard shipping rings look exactly like what we used at Hurlburt in 65, left over from WWII and Korea.

I seem to recall reading once that the last stocks of WWII era 500lb GPs were finally expended in Iraq in 1990/1

[NImrodA26]

I seem to recall reading once that the last stocks of WWII era 500lb GPs were finally expended in Iraq in 1990/1[/quote]

With all of the .50 Cal. ammo we used at NKP between June-Nov. 66, I never saw any that was made later than 1944, with most of it having been made at Lake City or Frankford Arsenal.
I would just have liked to see the place where they stored all that stuff. We would get a tractor-trailer load of bombs at Hurlbut about every week, either 100# or 500#. After this went on awhile, I finally asked the truck driver one day where he was getting it and when they were going to run out of this "old stuff". He just laughed and said, "Probably not in your lifetime". I think he said he was getting it from some arsenal in Alabama or Arkansas. He said it was a huge place, and they had barely made a dent in the bomb stockpile. Being a young kid then, I was amazed that there was so much left over from WWII and Korea.

[shrike]

On a more sobering note, I think it was only a year or two ago that the first order for more Purple Hearts since 1945 was cut. All of them issued in the last 65+ years are left over from those ordered in anticipation of the planned invasion of Japan...

[A26 Special K]

Mark: I am going to go out on a limb here with your last two pics. They appear to me to be possibly a stateside training squadron. With the mix of B's and C's and odd paint jobs, it doesn't seem very standardized like an operational squadron might be. Also, the hangars and concrete ramp look left over from WWII. Most of your pics show that the lower gun turrets were removed which happened during the Korea era since the Douglas B-26's had a low level mission at that time. Back to the schoolhouse idea, in March 1952 when more B-26 pilots were needed, the 3557th Flying Training Squadron was stood up at Perrin AFB, TX (near Sherman, TX and later, after the base closure, called Grayson County Airport where the National Aerobatic Championships have been held a number of times). They had about 30 airplanes and the 3558th Maintenance Sqdn... about 1000 troops in all. The base was still conducting basic flight school for newbie pilots in T-6's and T-28A's, but the B-26 pilots were all qualified pilots being transitioned to the B-26 in a five week class. In April 1953, the school was moved to Vance AFB, OK,(Enid, OK) to make room for T-33 and F-86 jet pilot training at Perrin. Vance is where an A-26 can still be seen on Google Earth as part of the history display of former base aircraft. Incidentally, several of us are going to the CAF 13th Bomb Gp A-26 ground school this weekend in Enid. If weather permits, there might be two or three airplanes conducting training at the Enid airport on Sunday. Lady Liberty and Texas Special are hoping to make it. JR

[A26 Special K]

Mark, meant to add. If you find any pics of K in her old make up... 44-34198 or see a BC198 code on the empennage, please post them asap.

Shrike: interesting find there about the Purple Heart medals. Must have been thousands of them manufactured. There are a lot of jewels of information out there that very few think about. For instance, when did the Star Spangled Banner become the National Anthem or when was the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag adopted by Congress. I can certainly remember when the Pledge was last changed and about the same time, the US grew by two states. Any takers on those historical events??

Randy, so you were a kid when the ammo and bombs were brought over. You might have been the same age?? I'm the same age as K incidentally which is a good thing because it makes me nervous to fly an airplane older than I am. Long time ago, I flew a C-54 that was built in 1944 and thought how ancient it was. That was only in 1970 when the AF Reserve still had some. Yeah, I was just a kid then, but thought I was all grown up. JR

[Mark Allen M]

Thx for the info JR and indeed I shall look to see what I can dig up. In the mean time here's a few more photos to research.


A-26 0-34632 Wilmington_ NC 1954 (BW)


A-26's


EB-26C Wright Air Development Ctr_ c_1955


b-26c 43-22609 wilmington nc 1948


b-26c 43-22609 wilmington nc 1948


B-26C 44-35614 SAC Wilmington,NC 1949


B-26B 41-39491 SC ANG Wilmington,NC 1948


B-26 44-35614 Wilmington, NC 1948


A-26C 44-34642 Tucson, AZ April 1969

[A26 Special K]

Mark, that A-26 in the first pic parked at Wilmington caught my eye being so polished out etc. Then I noticed the ladder to the cockpit was all the way to the ground. Only old guys need that, right? So I knew right away, since I'm an old guy too, that the airplane was not the usual squadron bird. Then I spotted the two stars on the side of the nose. So this was some Major General's early version of the Lear Jet, huh? Nice!! We are working on some way to construct a retractable ladder that enters the cockpit through the bomb bay entrance so people can get up there to see the cockpit while on tour. OK, so it is really so us old guys can get up to the pilot seats... like I could fool anybody about that! I have some pics from the boneyard that John K sent me. I will have to see if he will post or let me do that. There are some really cool K model shots there. Take care and keep em coming! Thanks, JR, live and direct from beautiful downtown Enid, OK, home of Vance AFB and the oldest A-26 pilot school since 1944.

[A26 Special K]

While I was gone off to Enid for A-26 ground school class, K had a special visitor, Mr. Dan Hallowell, IV. This lad's great granddad flew B-26's in N. Africa during WWII and earned two Purple Hearts, a DFC, and 8 Air Medals. After making really good grades on his report card, he was given the choice of what he would like to do... if I have the story right. He chose to come visit K and we are very pleased to have him and his dad there. Sorry I missed yall. The gs class went well, but high crosswinds forced the cancellation of the flying portion of the program. Still it was good to see pilots and ground crews from three of the CAF A-26's. The report I got from them is that Sierra Hotel is maybe 18 months or so away from the restoration completion. With K, we will have four airplanes available to make some real noise at some point in the future. Can hardly wait. So Dan, come back soon! JR

[A26 Special K]

We talked earlier about Perrin AFB, TX being the host of the A-26 Pilot transition school in the early 50's before moving to Enid (Vance AFB) and how undergrad pilot training was still being accomplished in T-6's and T-28A's. Our friend Scott G sent this picture of his beautiful T-28A that would have seemed right at home on the Perrin ramp. Even has the ATC emblem on the vertical. Nice background as well so it just has to be in the Republic, maybe the NE corner. I suspect that the folks at the Perrin AFB museum would dearly love to have K and the T-28A visit some day. Thanks Scott, JR

[A26 Special K]

Meanwhile, back at the hangar, Big Time and Miguel started on the aileron gap seals and gathering up the mounting hardware. This was part of the good progress that JR reported while I was on the road. We found some NOS gap seals for one segment at our friend's at Alamo Aircraft in San Antonio. They also just provided a hard to find bushing for the nose gear door hinge bracket. Thanks AA. The other JR