Warbird Information Exchange

How many truly flyable Douglas SBDs (and A-24s, including those repainted as SBDs) are out there? My last count was five--four true SBDs and one repainted A-24. But that may be optimistic...

I don't know if you realize it, but there is a sticky thread at the top of this sub-forum which answers the "how many of XXX type are flyable". It is highly accurate and updated regularly.

Your answer lies here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=65826

- A-24A Banshee USAAF 42-60817 (N5254L) owned by the Erickson Aircraft Collection, housed and flown in Oregon
- SBD-4 Dauntless BuNo.10694 (N34N) owned by Jim Slattery, housed and flown from the National Museum of WWII Aviation, Colorado
- SBD-5 Dauntless BuNo.28536 (N670AM) owned by the Planes of Fame Air Museum, housed and flown in California
- SBD-5 Dauntless BuNo.54532 (N82GA) owned by the Commemorative Air Force, housed and flown in Georgia
- SBD-5 Dauntless BuNo.54682 (N93RW) owned by the Lone Star Flight Museum, housed and flown in Texas

**The last two were once thought to have been A-24B Banshees with 42- USAAF serial numbers. One of the members of the Commemorative Air Force Dixie Wing was able to, through both research and obvious clues, determine that theirs was in-fact an SBD-5, and that through an old filing/clerical error around the time the aircraft was sold surplus, it was given the USAAF serial 42-54532, though 54532 was actually it's Navy BuNo. Also, it has SBD-5 design features rather than those of the earlier A-24B. Furthermore, the A-24B 42-54532 was sent to the Pacific during WWII, with no further record of it. Although still registered and largely reported as an A-24B, the Lone Star Flight Museum's Dauntless is of the same circumstance, actually being that of SBD-5 BuNo.54682, not the earlier variant A-24B 42-54682.

The two least active examples of those five are N93RW and N34N, though N93RW flew at least as recently as December 2019, and N34N flew at least as recently as September 2019. For that reason I would say all five are active flyers. I believe the only way we'll ever see another flying, in addition to these five, is if Yanks works on getting theirs flying, though Kermit Weeks also has a project in storage. I believe all of the others out there are owned by the Navy, such as the example displayed at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

I have seen remains to 5 SBD's in Apache Junction, AZ, accumulated with the idea of getting one flyer out of them.

Thank you for all your help. I wasn't aware of the how-many-are-flying sub-forum.

I would be interested in purchasing and having restored one SBD Dauntless and one Wildcat should any become available for private ownership. Yes, It's time the Navy make available some of the airframes on the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Not gonna happen.

I wasn't aware of that either! Thanks OD/NG!

There is a partial airframe at POF in Chino, consisting of a forward fuselage and wing center section. You can contact the usual suspects at POF, though I don't know what the paperwork status is or if they are even considering selling it. I just know it is there and sort-of on display, i.e. not hidden.