A-25A Restoration Project

[Dan K]

You've got more experience at tracking down Cat 1's than I do. AFAIK out of that 180 completed none went down in a convenient marsh, woods, or freshwater lake.

As far as Navy service goes, the TBY's of VT-154/-155 were all set to head out to the big show (with no less than George Gay of Midway fame as CO) when VJ day got in the way. The remaining Sea Wolves worked as hacks and tugs; last one dropped off the inventory in 1947. I seem to recall one of the larger concentrations of them flew out of Quonset.

Apparently I own one of the largest bits left...a slightly battered windscreen and some of the cowling to which it's attached. A cockpit reconstruction is evolving, but the nice lady at the Sea Wolf Museum in PA hasn't photocopied her manuals yet. Hoping to secure the needed engineering drawings from the archives shortly as well.

Kind of funny how many knowledgable types have never heard of the TBY (The CAF Helldiver crew thought I was pulling their collective legs). My avatar is actually a photo of the first flying prototype, the Vought XTBU-1 (Kind of a slimmed-down Turkey on R-2800 steroids).

THANKS DAN!!Does that mean that the Navy has more than 1 airframe?Any serial # of the survivors?The link photos were great!! it looks very close to displayable.Do any wixers live close enough to Tullahoma for a search and rescue mission?How about aSB2A as the wix flyer?How many airframes survive?What are their location?I want one!!! Thanks Mike

HI I remember a few years ago of a guy in England that had a pile of sb2a nos canopys and was using them in his garden!! Any wixers know of this stash? Are there anyother bits out there!Any SB2C parts out there? they have a prefix # of 84-ect please let me know may start on flyer soon thanks Mike

[Dan K]

Hi Mike,

Sorry for the sluggish response--work got a little crazy this week.

I may be very wrong here, but for some reason the number FOUR keeps coming up for SB2A's that were at the airport in Tullahoma. Information posted on airliners.net suggests the four Buccaneers/Bermudas were s/n 324311, 324384, 326068, and 327877.

In case you haven't seen the following photos yet, the first is apparently the main airframe (now at Pensacola) when it was still being restored in PA by former Brewster employees. I don't know the exact s/n.

I was led to believe that the photo from airliners is the remains of the last Tullahoma SB2A hulk, hauled off by the Navy in Spring/early-summer 2004. None of this is gospel, however, but I'm of the understanding that Pensacola has most of one airframe and the hulk of another.

Apparently major chunks of another Tullahoma survivor (owned by Mr. Tallichet) were at one time located at the Empire State (Aerosciences?) Museum in upstate New York, but which are now located at Pima.

How many total remains survived from Tullahoma? According to the good Colonel, more than anyone is able to admit!!


http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircr ... ration.jpg

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=329706


The mystery continues...

Dan

[Dan K]

Thanks Rob, that's all great news. I guess it's really Mike I'm trying to help here. With whom can he connect to begin realizing an SB2A restoration?

Perhaps it would also be best to proceed with any further info off the forum? Never know who's lurking sometimes...

WOW!!Thanks for the reply, Im impressed with the photos,thats way more than we started with on the A25 project!!If anyone has more info contact me off line,I would love to build one as a flyer!!I cant believe someone else hasnt done one already!Who knows we are looking for our next project now!Thanks always Mike

HI DOES ANYBODY HAVE ACCESS TO ANY SB2A MANUALS ?WOULD LIKE COPYS IF AVAILABLE. FUTURE PROJECT? WHO KNOWS!!THANKS MIKE

HI IVE HEAR A RUMOR THAT ALL OF DAVES SB2AS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERED TO PIMA ,IS THIS TRUE?CAN ANYONE IN THE PIMA AREA CHECK THIS OUT?WILL THEY BE RESTORED?PLEASE REPLY THANKS MIKE

HI HERES WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH HARD WORK ,AND CASH!SAY NO TO THE SCRAP HAPPY LIKE HOMER! ALMOST ANY THING CAN BE REBUILT THANKS MIKE

[Chris Brame]

On the SB2C: In the 1971 film "Gas-s-s-s", there is a scene in which the characters are in an aircraft scrapyard in the desert, and they are seen playing around on a Helldiver! The engine and cowl are intact, but the accessory cowls, outer wing panels and wheels are gone. Was this one saved?
On the Brewsters, does anybody know why those planes were at the air base in Tullahoma? An Army dive bomber training squadron?

[HarvardIV]

This was probably in an earlier thread, but what river or lake did this plane come from?

Thanks,

Chris

[dj51d]

This A-25 came out of Lake Washington.

[wendovertom]

To display my total ignorance - Mike, you mentioned a A/C that come out of a Utah lake?? what lake and when?

Also, can anyone shed more light for me on the Helldiver that AeroTrader has for sale?

Thanks,

Tom P
www.wendoverairbase.com

[HELLDIVERS]

HI TOM 2 A-25S AND 1 SB2C-1 WERE RECOVERED FROM LAKE WASHINGTON REMAINS OF 2 CRASHED A-25S WERE RECOVERED FROM BLACKROCK CANYON ON THE SHORES OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE,1 A-25 WAS RECOVERED FROM BARBERS POINT HAWAII.NO A/C HAVE BEEN FOUND IN A UTAH LAKE HOPE THIS HELPS.I GREW UP IN MAGNA AND MADE MANY TRIPS TO HISTORIC WENDOVER FIELD!AS FOR THE MOVIE GAS S S S THIS IS NEWS TO ME IS IT AVAILABLE ON VHS/DVD?AS FOR A SB2C IT COULD BE CHARLY NICHOLS,OR MAYBE THE FIBERGLASS REPLICA WHICH IS NOW ON DISPLAY ON THE INTREPID I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT LET ME KNOW IF ITS AVAILABLE THANKS MIKE

[dj51d]

A quick check over at imdb the film "Gas-s-s-s" is not even available on VHS, but perhaps this is a good thing. The film was directed by Roger Corman who has the dubious distinction of having had more of his films on Mystery Science Theater 3000 than anyone else.