Santa Maria Thunder Over the Valley
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Static Displays

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The Santa Maria Airport and the Santa Maria Museum of Flight hosted the annual Thunder Over the Valley show over the weekend of August 25 - 26. A highlight of the show was the presence of the Seattle Museum of Flight's Douglas DC-2, which had just been painted in TWA livery by Art Craft. In addition to a variety of warbirds and trainers, there were several military helicopters and McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornets from the U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Air Force.

It looks like the inflatable Tyrannosaurus had a rough night.

North American T-28A Trojan, N81643 served the Air Force as 49-1643. Its construction number is 159-155. Norman B. Dennis Jr. of Brookneal, California registered it as N9674C in 1966. Robert Eggmann of Belleville, Illinois registered it as N28RE in 1978. Edward A. Buerckholtz of Chesterfield, Missouri registered it as N81643 in 1985. It has been registered to Round Power Limited of Reno, Nevada since March 4, 2004. Its owner, Gregg Weitzman, recently had it restored in the colors of a T-28A that was flown by the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in the 1950s. It is based at the Santa Barbara Airport.

Canadian Car & Foundry Harvard Mk IV, N459JP was built in 1952. Its construction number is 20459.

North American T-28C Trojan, N28XC Susy Q was delivered to the U. S. Navy as BuNo 140514 in 1954.

Canadian Car and Foundry T-34A Mentor, N32EE was built in 1952. Its U.S. Air Force serial number was 53-4092.

Turbine Legend, N669L.

Canadian Air Force McDonnell-Douglas CF-18C Hornet, 188381.

McDonnell-Douglas F-4S Phantom II, BuNo 153868 is in the collection of the Santa Maria Museum of Flight. It was recently repainted.

F-4S, BuNo 153868.

McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18C Block 39 Hornet, BuNo 164716, 300 of VF-151 Vigilantes based at Naval Air Station Lemoore.

F/A-18C, BuNo 164716.

Douglas DC-2-118B, NC1934D was recently painted by Art Craft at the Santa Maria Airport. Its Douglas construction number is 1368. It was delivered to Pan American Airways as NC14296 on March 16, 1935. It was later operated in Mexico as VA-BJL and in Guatemala as LG-ACA and TG-ACA. It returned to the United States civil registry as N4867V. It is now in the collection of the Seattle Museum of Flight.

DC-2-118B, NC1934D.

Clay Lacy's Douglas DC-3C, N814CL Mainliner O'Connor's Douglas construction number is 34370. It was delivered to the Army Air Corps as a C-47 in October 1945 and declared surplus the following month. Standard Steel Spring Company converted it to an executive transport and registered it as NC5414. Rockwell Spring and Axle Company registered it as N5414 in 1963. North American Corporation registered it as N541Q by December 1967. The Georgia Department of Air Transportation registered it as N541G in July 1969 and used it to fly governors of Georgia, including future President Jimmy Carter. Clay Lacy restored it in 1948 vintage United Airlines livery. Its restoration was completed in June 2000. It is based at the Van Nuys Airport.

DC-3C, N814CL.

DC-2-118B, NC1934D.

Cessna 305, N342FS is restored as a U. S. Army L-19 Bird Dog.

Cessna 120, N77376 was built in 1946. Its construction number is 11817.

Cessna 140, N76415 was built in 1946. Its construction number is 10841.

Convair C-131D Samaritan, N131CW of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. It served the U.S. Air Force as 54-2809.

North American T-28C Trojan, NX75947 was delivered to the U.S. Navy as BuNo 140654 in 1957.

Stearman A75N-1 Kaydet (PT-17), N4777V was built in 1943. Its construction number is 75-5733.

Grumman C-2A Grayhound, BuNo 162172, 22 of VRC-30 Providers Detachment 1 based at Naval Air Station North Island. It deploys on the USS Ronald Reagan.

U.S. Marine Corps Bell AH-1W Cobra, BuNo 160799 of HMT-303 based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton.

Bell UH-1N Huey, 69-6638 is based at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

U.S. Army Bell UH-1H Huey, 73-21702 serves as a threat simulator at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert.

UH-1H Huey, 73-21702 is fitted with a false nose resembling the forward cockpit of a Mil-24 Hind.

Santa Barbara County Fire Bell UH-1H Huey, N205FD. Its construction number is 5305.

U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60A Blackhawk, 89-26127.

Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk, BuNo 155753, 02 of HSC-3 Merlins based at Naval Air Station North Island.

DC-2-118B, NC1934D on static display with DC-3C, N814CL Mainliner O'Connor.

North American P-51D Mustang, NL51PT Petie III was delivered to the Army Air Corps as 44-72145. Its construction number is 122-38604. It entered the civil registry as N6169C. John C. Seidel of Sugar Grove, Illinois registered it as N311G in 1963. Waldo Klabo of Pleasanton, California acquired it in 1978 and flew it as Race #85 Fat Cat. Don Whittington of Fort Lauderdale, Florida acquired it in 1984 and sold it to Peter McManus of Fort Lauderdale soon afterward. Peter McManus and Castlewood Realty of Miami, Florida registered it as N51PT in January 1985 and restored it as Petie 3rd. Castlewood Airmotive of Baltimore, Maryland bought it on August 29, 1986, It has been registered to Jeff Pryor of Santa Barbara, California since March 11, 2005.

P-51D Mustang, NL51PT Petie III.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PF, N21PF was built in 1965. Its construction number is 761811.

DC-2-118B, NC1934D with DC-3C, N814CL Mainliner O'Connor.

DC-2-118B, NC1934D.

DC-2-118B, NC1934D with DC-3C, N814CL Mainliner O'Connor.

DC-2-118B, NC1934D with DC-3C, N814CL Mainliner O'Connor. The DC-2 is powered by a pair of Wright Cyclone, 1,820 cubic inch, one bank, nine cylinder engines. The DC-3 is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp, 1,830 cubic inch, two bank, fourteen cylinder engines.