Surplus Warplane Transfers to Schools 1945-1948

[Mark Allen M]

SB2C being examined by visitors to the Parks Open House. (1949)


Representatives of the Catholic Action School visit Parks College.

Last edited by Mark Allen M on Fri Feb 17, 2023 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Mark Allen M]

May 31, 1950 P-59 donated to the Technical Institute of the College of William & Mary.


P-59 Purdue Unversity College of Aeronautics and Astronautics. School of Aviation

[Mark Allen M]

P-38 fighter plane owned by University of Arkansas College of Engineering.


F4F with folded wings at the Ganado Navajo Presbyterian Mission in Ganado (Ariz.)

[Mark Allen M]

Chatsworth High School AT 8 airplane (not flyable) for class study, 1947.


Army Surplus Equipment Given to Vocational High School.


Flying Fortresses Become 'Laboratory Specimens' at Honeywell Hangar.

[Chris Brame]

Honeywell? Then the B-17E at the bottom is most likely 41-9210, which spent its war years there, and survives today: http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b17regis ... 19210.html

[M-62A]

Extract from the FAA registration file for PT-19 N49244.
"... Principal of the Butte Public High School, Butte, Motana has purchase from the Surplus Property Division of the United States Government, a PT-19 (Fairchild) airplane, number 40-2496, for education purposes......... Dated this 9th day of October, 1945, at Butte, Montana"
The file also contains a sales receipt dated October 11, 1945 for M-62A (ARMY PT-19), #49244, 40-2496, between an authorized representative of the Butte Public High School and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for $100.00.
The CAA registration #49244 was cancelled at the owner's request on November 19th, 1945. Naturally, no application for a certificate of airworthiness had been made. In fact the only document in the airworthiness file is a Ferry Permit, dated Oct 11, 1945, to cover the ferrying of Fairchild PT-19, #49244, 40-2496 from the RFC agency at Helena, Montana to Butte, Montana.

The AAF Record Card for PT-19 40-2496 reports it was assigned to Park Air College, East St. Louis. on August 29,1940. During 40-2496's service at East Louis training Air Corps primary cadets it was wrecked and repaired three times.

After the civil contract primary program closed and therefore no longer required by the USAAF, PT-19 40-2496 was transferred from 2529 BAS, Moore Field, TX to the R.F.C. on October 11, 1944. The last dated entry (April 7, 1945) shows it still with the RFC awaiting sale at Morrison's Flying Services of Helena, Montana.

Some of the Park Air College PT-19s were fitted with canopies which appear to be the same as those fit to the PT-26 series. There is nothing on the AAF cards to indicate which were so equipped and heresay is that the College, paid for these extras and their engineers fitted the canopies. You will note that East St. Louis is further north than most of the AAF' civil contract primary flying schools.

There is nothing to say whether 40-2496 was one of the canopied examples, or whether it was so equipped when briefly became a candidate for the civil registration NC49244. A photo exists of four canopied PT-19s on the ramp, presumably at East St.Louis. 40-2497 is one of those four.

Which bring me to the Cincinnatti & Hamilton County Public Library of the Aviation Shop PT-26. I think this may be another canopied PT-19.
My reasoning: the engine side cowling shows the holes, etc., for the starting handle - which discounts being either a Fleet-built PT-26A or PT-26B which had electric starters.
There is no sign of the wind-driven generator (under the forward fuselage) which should be visible in this view if this was an unmodified Fairchild-built PT-26.
M-62A

[Mark Allen M]

A few photos of PT-19's at Parks College with the canopies.

http://digitalcollections.slu.edu/digit ... term/PT-19

[Randy Wilson]

I wonder if this is the Fred J. Olivi who was the regular copilot of "Bockscar" but bumped to the jump seat on the mission. He wrote "Decision at Nagasaki: The mission that almost failed" and spoke twice at the CAF Museum some years ago.

http://digitalcollections.slu.edu/digital/collection/photos/id/7734/rec/3

Anyone have a way to check? I'm away from home and my library for a bit. Thanks.

Randy

[aerovin]

All pertinent information posted so far has been added to the list. Thanks much for the good material and photos. The aircraft list now stands at 152 aircraft.

https://www.aerovintage.com/waa-rfc-listing/

[Noha307]

All pertinent information posted so far has been added to the list. Thanks much for the good material and photos. The aircraft list now stands at 152 aircraft.

A few quick notes:

• Cincinnati is misspelled as "Cincinatti" on the list. (FWIW, it's no big deal. This is a fairly frequent error. Most people don't realize that there are three "n"s in the name. The strange part is that it seems like deep down they know some letter is supposed to be doubled and so end up writing it with two "t"s instead.)
• I think you were going to insert a direct link to this thread, but I don't see it.
• I asked a friend at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library to look into their files to see if they have anything from the Central Vocational High School that might include serial numbers for the aircraft. I'll post it here if they find them.

As before, excellent list. Thanks for putting it together!

[aerovin]

Two out of three noted items fixed...

[wendovertom]

Oh Mark - you had to post that set with the B-18. . . . LOL - In the Wendover collections we have written references to the two "tired, worn out" B-18s stationed at Wendover field. They were "ancient" as the training in Wendover began and I wonder at what point they were dismantled and shipped to Utah Valley College (Now Utah Valley University). I'll bet the University wishes they still had it - I would think you could make quite a recoupment on your investment if it was still in restorable condition! But I am sure it is in a landfill somewhere now.

Tom P.

[wendovertom]

double post - Tom P.

[p51]

In some of these shots, it looks like they're running or trying to start engines.
Think of the people who went to these schools on the GI bill, you just know some of these fired up were done so by men (and maybe women) who'd flown them in WW2.
To me, this leads to the inevitable question; Did anyone ever try to taxi one of these over to a paved area and try to fly it (or at least taxi it around to make some noise)?
I wouldn't bet against that never having happened.

[Randy Wilson]

On Mark's page with the caption "May 31, 1950 P-59 donated to the Technical Institute of the College of William & Mary." I'm curious what the float plane in the right background is. I'm away from home and my library due to family medical matters. It seems way too small to be what I at first thought. Over to the WIX hive!

Randy