Warbird Information Exchange

Airframe Assemblies Ltd have just completed a static Spitfire which looks fantastic in Russian colours, quite a pleasant change from normal schemes. There are some nice photos of it on their Facebook page .

In recent years, Aero Trader completed both a static B-25J and an A-20H, both painted in matching/basic Russian markings, for an undisclosed/unnamed Russian museum or individual. Pacific Fighters is currently restoring/building a static-only P-51D, also being painted in Russian markings. There is a static P-40 restoration taking place at Chino being painted in Russian markings, and PBY N4582U is being restored to static display condition in Russian markings. I assume that all of these, and the Airframe Assemblies static Mk.V Spitfire, are all destined for the same Russian individual/museum, but which seems top secret (perhaps not for public display).

A few before they disappear ...


Posted by: Airframe Assemblies Ltd facebook
https://www.facebook.com/AirframeAssembliesLtd/photos/




Posted by: Nigel Hitchman WIX facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wixhq/


Posted by: Mark Aldrich WIX facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wixhq/

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Zero Surprise!!...

Any ID on the B-25 and A-20?

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Vadim Zadorozhny's????

https://tmuseum.ru/

Chris, the A-20 is the former N99385 (44-0020) that had been owned by Tallichet and restored very near to flight, having last been displayed at Geneseo before it was purchased by the Russian museum. It then went to Aero Trader where some work was done to complete it for display. The B-25 was assembled from Aero Trader's extensive parts collection and sections that had been saved from a number of different airframes.

In a Warbirds International article on the B-25 restoration from 2017, it says that there is a brand new museum in Russia (doesn't sound like Zadorozhny), which these planes are being restored for, which has the goal of displaying an example of each aircraft that was supplied to Russia via Lend-Lease. It also says in the article that a couple Fw-190's were to be heading to this museum as well, as sold through Platinum Fighters.

This is the static Russian P-51D being restored by Pacific Fighters (images posted to their Facebook page):

Are you sure this isn’t the Russian marked B-25 that is owned by Rod Lewis? Aero Trader restored it twice!

Lend Lease, eh?

Are they paying for them this time around?

BDK, no, that is a completely separate B-25. The one in the photo in this thread is the one that was completed by Aero Trader to static-only condition for the (undisclosed) Russian museum, and was covered in an article in Warbirds International in 2017 - I believe it was only briefly fully assembled and pulled out for photos for the article, before it was disassembled and shipped. Rod Lewis' B-25J is finished in a tri-color upper camouflage over gloss black lower surface paint scheme (through both its original restoration and repairs), where as the B-25J completed for the Russian museum, as seen in the photo in this thread, was painted in OD over grey (both are authentic finishes).

You'll note that also, unlike Rod Lewis' B-25, the static Russian museum B-25, as seen in the picture in this tread, was completed to look more historically accurate - including the correct wartime carb scoops, all 28 short stack exhaust fairings, and although lacking the rare internal Bendix turret setup, the turret dome and frame is of the correct Bendix type (not the incorrect Martin type, as seen on the Lewis and numerous other B-25's). The Lewis B-25 also has the post-war civilian extra windows added behind the cockpit.

According to the Wabirds International article, the static Russian B-25J (as seen in the photo in this thread) comprises the cockpit section and rear fuselage of one of the two B-25J's used in the filming of "Tora! Tora! Tora!", 44-31504 (N9753Z), and a center section that had been discovered in a fire pit in Porterville, CA (identity of the airframe it came from unknown). The tail section incorporates parts from B-25J 44-31104 (ex-N39E) and B-25J 45-8882 (ex-N32T). Although restored to static, the WI article states it took over 5,300 man-hours to complete.

It's not the whole article, but a clipping of the first two pages can be seen here, and shows the aircraft as it looked assembled just before it was disassembled and shipped to Russia: http://warbirdsintlnow.com/issue-spread ... Bomber.pdf

There was only one B-25 used in Tora! Tora! Tora! - the badly damaged derelict 44-30478 (ex-N9754Z) used to play the A-20 in the hangar crash, which was pretty well demolished. The author was probably thinking of In Harm's Way, which used two of them playing Navy PBJs. If so, that's likely the remains of '478's sister movie ship 44-31504 (ex-N9753Z), which was displayed at Hickam AFB for decades and was removed several years ago due to major corrosion issues.

Funny that pieces of N39E and N32T were combined for the restoration - they previously were combined to make a crude static restoration at a surplus store in Pawling, NY in the early 1970s.

Sorry to see the A-20 go - but rubles talk and BS walks, tovarich!

_________________

All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)