DZAUTO

I seldom mention it here because Vette people have minimal interest in old warbirds, but we achieved a MAJOR milestone Sat. Our A26 is FINALLY mobile on its own wheels. First time in 20yrs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epTrTPss1qc

Tom Parsons

92GTA

Awesome to see out in the sunshine after all that hard work

Mike Terry

very cool.way to go

66since71

Tom, thanks for sharing the film. And congrats on the progress.

Lots of pilots here, so keep the news coming.

Harry

hedgehead

Where are you taking it?

Pilot Dan

Tom, I know how much work you put in to the plane to get it to this point (many years guys!), it's gotta feel great. I am guessing you will be completing the control surfaces and tail next. What's the timetable looking like on the remaining airframe work?? Great job!! Pilot Dan

427Hotrod

Congratulations!! I think the Houston Group needs to plan a road trip up your way when it cools off a little!


JIM

OldKarz

Love those old birds! Great job and keep the updates coming!!

Revette

Your team should be proud of your accomplishment. I look forward to seeing your plane when you can finally fly her into Oshkosh, WI for the annual EAA show.

DZAUTO

Until Saturday, the plane was on jacks, thus it COULD NOT be moved at all! We had parts, equipment, tools, stuff, etc, etc just piled around the plane and hanger. It has been a priority to get the plane mobile so that it could be rolled out to wash the floor and permit moving EVERYTHING out on the ramp, then moving it back in a piece at a time and getting everything (semi)-organized.
Since moving to this hanger in Guthrie, the plane has been on jacks in the middle of the hanger floor. Once mobile, and the hanger cleaned out, we put it back in the corner to free up the floor space and better utilize the hanger.

Here's all our stuff out on the ramp after rolling out the plane.


Sat was like an oven and this whole effort had to be done by the end of the day.


This is all the people that showed up to accomplish the task. I'm on the far left. We had hoped for more workers.


It was just toooooooooo hot to drive the 56, so I drove the Chevelle (it has freshly overhauled air cond).



COMPARE
This is real time today, with our projected (photoshopped) finished A26.




Tom Parsons

5thvet

Very cool to take so much time and pride to bring back that old bird. She is looking good!!!

63Corvette

Congratulations Tom. Thanks for posting

vark_wso

Tom

Is that one of the old 'Nimrod' Special K's that served at Nakhon Phanom AB, Thailand?

DZAUTO

Ours is NOT one of the 40 which were converted to K models by Onmark back in the early 60s (if that's what you are referring to).
BUT, as best as we have been able to research, it DID see some NAM service in the 50s. The history on some of these planes sort of disolved and/or has not been made available by the USAF. Some planes were "loaned" to other countries, and then "returned" to the USAF inventory. When those kinds of things happened, the records seem to be non existant.
Ours DID undergo some modifications, but have been subsequently removed. If you know what to look for, you can see where modifications were done. Ours (according to the best records we can come up with) was built as one of the few RA26s. Which means it had a glass nose (for bombadier position) with a glass panel on the left side of the nose for a camera as well as camera ports/panels installed in the bomb doors. All of this stuff is gone and we now have a gun nose (for 5 .50s). At one time in it's past, it also had two .50s in underwing pods. The mount holes are filled and the holes for the ammo feed chutes are very obvious. All of these things are clearly visible, and if we could locate (and afford the price) the parts, we would certainly install them.
Also, the wing spars have the reinforcing modification done to them which was for the purpose of strengthening the wings to carry external bomb/rocket racks.
Unfortunately, when all the military hardware was removed from MOST old warbirds, it eventually got scrapped---------------gone forever!!!!
There is a forest fire fighting group in Canada (Air Spray) that bought up a bunch of A26s many years ago. Those planes still had much of their military equipment when Air Spray bought them. It was all removed and stuck in a warehouse---------------------------a goldmine of A26 military hardware. Several years ago, that warehouse burned to the ground and all of that military equipment was completely destroyed!
Finding parts for these old birds is an exhausting task. For example, we've been searching for just one inner tube for our nose wheel tire. That has been the main holdup for getting the plane on the ground on its own wheels. The pictures above are a direct result of finally getting an inner tube for the nose wheel.

Tom Parsons

vark_wso

Yes, the 609 Air Commandos deployed to NKP with ~30 B-26Ks in mid 60's to work the 'trail' in the 'Steel Tiger' area of NV/Laos. They were redesignated to A-26A ('attack') to appease Thai gov't who didn't want 'bombers' at their now, not-so-secret base. They were night-flyers, as I recall, used the callsign 'Nimrod', and stood down in late '69 as the 'new' Spectre AC-130 gunships picked up that workload.

Good luck with your worthy project. Brings back old memories!

Jeff

DZAUTO

Jeff,
I Thought that's what you meant, were the converted K models!
Ironic that you mention that, because about 3 weeks ago I had an opportunity to go completely through a K model at Meacham field in Ft Worth. They CLAIM, it is the ONLY flyable K model and it is being restored to flying condition. I don't know how or why, but it DID NOT get demilitarized prior to being privately acquired.
A K model would of course be the ultimate A26 to have. And you're right, they were primarily night mission attack/bomber planes. Routinely used to bust up convoys on the HCM trail.

Tom Parsons

69ttop502

Tom, very cool stuff. Always enjoy your updates. Keep them coming.

Bill

Ironcross

Good work!.......

you also have another too....

As.I recall there was a A-26 at Miami International in the early 60`s and was supposedly owned by the President of United Airlines.....the aircraft was brown in color and looked odd and small amongst the Commercial planes

DZAUTO

Jeff,
Here's a few pictures of that K model in Ft Worth.


Nose gun mounts and ALL arming mechanisms are still in place and functionals. Just needs to have eight .50s installed!


Vortes generators on the right side of the vertical.


Former gunner position is now filled with comm/radar equipment.






It still has its armor plating.




left and right seats



Only the K models had tip tanks.


The bombay is ALLLLLLLLLLLLL there!




Tom Parsons

Rair67

Great project Tom. I love those old classic aircraft.

Talk about hard-to-find Corvette parts!!!!