Honolulu bound Dauntless on display at Air Zoo...

[mazdaP5]

But only for this weekend. Make haste!

https://warbirdsnews.com/aviation-museu ... ation.html

[Pat Carry]

Very cool indeed. Doesn't the museum in Hawaii already have a Dauntless on Display?

[wendovertom]

Question - I am probably too mercenary BUT I am asking anyway, why would Air Zoo put 40,000 volunteer hours into a project that they are giving away?

Tom P.

[Cvairwerks]

I would suspect it was done as a trade for something they wanted bad enough for their museum.

[Warbird Kid]

Very cool indeed. Doesn't the museum in Hawaii already have a Dauntless on Display?

In recent years the Air Zoo restoration crew has seemingly become a top-notch group that is now considered on level with that of NASM and Pensacola. Hence why they are now being contracted for restorations of aircraft for other museums. This rare SBD-2P was apparently always planned to go to Hawaii after it was completed. A quote from the Pearl Harbor Air Museum's SBD Blog:

The Dauntless currently on the floor of Hangar 37 is a loaner. The museum has raised its own SBD from the cold waters of Lake Michigan. It is now under restoration.

The "loaner" airframe: Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless 02173, will then be dismantled and shipped to the Collings Foundation's American Heritage Museum in Stow Mass, where it will be assembled and put on display.

[phil65]

http://inspire.eaa.org/2021/10/13/warbi ... DbrdOljurY

Different one ?

Phil

[Warbird Kid]

http://inspire.eaa.org/2021/10/13/warbird-recovery-expert-taras-lyssenko-to-speak-at-eaa-museum/?mkt_tok=OTEwLVNFVS0wNzMAAAGAH7kn_SWWxzZfUUGHDE2ggGY4JPoOyJW3TKyqhOgQtxu4sxEJGVsQf2IJiUHEhTiwn5AkkJlTzUVSACeERlDI0rI53OcGJd4JADbrdOljurY

Different one ?

Phil

Yes indeed. This one is the very early SBD from the former (maybe possibly still surviving) Flying Leatherneck Museum. I forgot where the final destination of this one is.

[kalamazookid]

http://inspire.eaa.org/2021/10/13/warbird-recovery-expert-taras-lyssenko-to-speak-at-eaa-museum/?mkt_tok=OTEwLVNFVS0wNzMAAAGAH7kn_SWWxzZfUUGHDE2ggGY4JPoOyJW3TKyqhOgQtxu4sxEJGVsQf2IJiUHEhTiwn5AkkJlTzUVSACeERlDI0rI53OcGJd4JADbrdOljurY

Different one ?

Phil

Yes. The SBD-1 that was at Oshkosh this year is BuNo 1612, formerly with the Flying Leatherneck Museum at MCAS Miramar. This aircraft is next in the queue once the SBD-2P is completed and shipped to Pearl. The SBD-1 served with VMSB-132 at MCAS Quantico before being sent to Camp Kearney and VMSB-142 for a short time. It was then sent to the Carrier Qualification Training Unit at NAS Glenview. The aircraft crashed on November 13, 1942, killing pilot Ensign Herbert Welton McMinn. His body was never recovered. As far as I know it is the only aircraft recovered from the Great Lakes to have been involved in a fatal accident. It is the only surviving SBD-1. I haven't heard what the ultimate plan for the aircraft is once it is restored.

The SBD-2P that is currently being completed, BuNo 2173, is one of only 14 SBD-2Ps produced and the only survivor. Due to inconsistent documentation it's hard to know the exact history of the airframe, but it's possible it was present at the Battle of the Coral Sea aboard USS Yorktown. The Air Zoo docents I talked to said the latest research shows it was likely on the carrier but did not see action. This page offers a nice summary of the inconsistent record keeping: https://www.airzoo.org/news/posts/sbd-2 ... estoration

The Air Zoo also previously restored SBD-3 BuNo 06624, which is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation and on display in Kalamazoo. This SBD-3 is a combat veteran, serving with VS-41 aboard USS Ranger during Operation Torch. It is restored in those markings.

All of the above SBDs were recovered from Lake Michigan by A&T Recovery. What A&T has accomplished and contributed to the surviving population of SBDs (not to mention the other aircraft they have recovered) is nothing short of remarkable. I believe they are responsible for 11 SBD recoveries, plus 10 Wildcats, a Hellcat, a Corsair, an Avenger and the world's only surviving SB2U Vindicator - all from Lake Michigan, plus a Helldiver elsewhere.

Of note, the Air Zoo also continues to make progress on FM-2 Wildcat BuNo 57039, another Lake Michigan recovery. This one suffered an engine failure on takeoff from USS Sable. Last I heard, it is destined for display somewhere around Glenview, IL. I don't know where specifically it will be placed on display.

Here are some photos of the SBD-2P, SBD-1 and FM-2, taken a couple weeks ago. I am unfortunately unable to head back up to Kalamazoo to see the completed SBD before it leaves, but I'm glad I got to see it one more time before it's shipped out.

IMG_0690 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/, on Flickr

IMG_0698 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0700 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0702 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0704 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0710 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0712 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0714 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0716 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0718 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0721 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0722 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0726 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0728 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0738 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0742 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0744 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0746 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

IMG_0750 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/124970884@N02/

[phil65]

Wow, 11 SBD's...
Thanks for the info and the great pictures, looks like they're doing some great work there...

Phil

[Warbirdnutta]

Very cool indeed. Doesn't the museum in Hawaii already have a Dauntless on Display?

Not a great pic sorry, here's the Pearl Harbour museum's Dauntless.

[Pat Carry]

Question - I am probably too mercenary BUT I am asking anyway, why would Air Zoo put 40,000 volunteer hours into a project that they are giving away?
A lot of bragging rites s well I'm sure.
Tom P.

[Chris Brame]

Of note, the Air Zoo also continues to make progress on FM-2 Wildcat BuNo 57039, another Lake Michigan recovery. This one suffered an engine failure on takeoff from USS Sable. Last I heard, it is destined for display somewhere around Glenview, IL. I don't know where specifically it will be placed on display.

It may be a while. According to a docent I spoke to, there is one Glenview city official with a lot of clout who keeps consistently opposing the museum's expansion.

[Thomas_Mac]

The Military Aviation Museum did a great seminar on Lake Michigan recoveries with Taras Lyssenko.

One interesting thing to come out of the seminar was the Military Aviation Museum traded 8000 hours of labor towards the Air Zoo FM-2 restoration in order to get the title of their SBD from the Navy. Timestamp for that begins about 1:01:30 into the video.

[Steve Nelson]

I stopped by the Air Zoo over the weekend was able to take a ton of photos of this beauty. The restoration crew really did a fantastic job!

Cheers!

Steve

[Xray]

Thanks for the info and pics, been to Airzoo a few times over the years, a return visit is on my bucket list.