Quiet Birdmen Airshow operations at Camarillo
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Airplanes that participated in the Quiet Birdmen Airshow and Barbecue on Monday, June 11, took off and landed at the Camarillo Airport. The vintage warbirds of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force were joined by the Curtiss P-40N Warhawk and Douglas SBD Dauntless of the Air Museum Planes of Fame at Chino.
North American B-25J Mitchell, N30801 Executive Sweet is undergoing maintenance and is expected to return to flight status this summer. It has been registered to the American Aeronautical Foundation of Thousand Oaks since July 1985. Its Army Air Force serial number was 44-30801 and its North American construction number is 108-35126. It was converted to the TB-25N configuration before its retirement by the Air Force. It was retired in 1958 and stored at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Fogle Aircraft of Tucson, Arizona registered it as N3699G on September 9, 1959. Christler and Avery Aviation of Greybull, Wyoming bought it in January 1960 and converted it to an aerial sprayer. Filmways Incorporated of Hollywood acquired it in 1968 and restored it as Vestal Virgin for the movie Catch-22. Tallmantz Aviation of Orange County, California bought it in August 1971. Ed Schnepf and Challenge Publications of Van Nuys, California bought it in February 1972 and changed its registration to N30801 in 1978.
General Motors FM-2 Wildcat, N5833 has been restored in the colors of a Royal Navy Martlett. It originally carried U.S. Navy BuNo 86819. Its General Motor construction number is 5877. It crashed in 1955 while flying as a sprayer for Butler Aviation of Redmond, Oregon. The rebuild project took many years and the airframe passed therough the hands of several owners. It received its current registration in August 1983. It was returned to the air on April 24, 1987 by Air Group One at Ramona, California. It spent a short while in the hands of Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation at Chino. It is now registered to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum and based with the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at Camarillo.
Ventura County Sheriff's Department Bell 205A-1, N205VC #8 was built in 1969. Its construction number is 30066. It has been registered to the Sheriff's Department since December 15, 1998.
North American T-28B Trojan, N6255 Ginny Sue II has been registered to Viper Aviation of Simi Valley for three years. It originally flew for the Navy as BuNo 138340 and it still wears that number. Its North American construction number is 200-411. It was registered as N5524L by J. A. Carter of Alameda, California in March 1987. Howard Roberts of Grants Pass oregon acquired it in 1992.
North American T-28C Trojan, N548NA originally flew for the Navy as BuNo 140548. Its North American construction number is 226-125. It first appeared on the civil register in 1985. Airplane Sales International sold it to King City Aviation in 1986. It has been registered to Mark Matye of Ventura since 1997.
North American T-28B Trojan, N6255 Ginny Sue II and T-28C Trojan, N548NA.
Antonov An-2, N2AN Big Panda was built in 1984. Big Panda has been registered to Carl Hays of San Diego since 1993. Its construction number is 43798.
North American T-28B Trojan, N6255 Ginny Sue II
North American T-28C Trojan, N548NA
North American P-51D Mustang, NL44727 Man-O'-War originally carried Army Air Force serial 44-72739. Its North American construction number is 122-39198. For a number of years it sat in open storage on the Universal Studios lot until Ascher Ward of Van Nuys, California recovered it in August 1970 and registered it as N44727 in 1971. For a while it was named Poontang. Elmer Ward acquired it in 1975 and restored it to the appearance of his original WW-II mount, 44-14292.
Stewart S51D sub-scale Mustang, N51VS.
North American T-28B Trojan, N6255 Ginny Sue II and T-28C Trojan, N548NA.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL44727 Man-O'-War, P-51D Mustang, N514DK, and Stewart S51D sub-scale Mustang, N51VS.
Antonov An-2, N2AN Big Panda
Antonov An-2, N2AN Big Panda
Turbine Legend, N724DC was built in 2005. Its construction number is 02.
Zlin 50LX, N6660K Tumbling Bear flown by Rob Harrison lives up to its name. It was built in 1996. Its serial number is 0075.
North American P-51D Mustang, N514DK is registered to DK Warbirds at Las Vegas. Its North American construction number is 124-48311. Its orginal Army Air Force serial number was 45-11558. It was registered as N6175C by Aerodynamics Inc. of Pontiac, Michigan in 1963. James Gorman of Mansfield, Ohio bought it in 1966 and then sold it to Herbert Rupp of Port Salerno, Florida. It crashed in Georgia in 1967 and was rebuilt using parts of 44-74829 and 44-73822. It was registered to John Dilly of Auburn, Indiana in 1969. John Rutherford of Fort Worth, Texas acquired it in 1978. It was sold to Courtesy Aircraft of Rockford, Illinois in 1982 and then to Joe Kasperoff at Montebello, California a year later. It crashed on take-off at Van Nuys on August 6, 1985. Bill Jones registered it as N151BJ for a short while before receiving its current registration in August 1999.
North American P-51D Mustang, N514DK
North American P-51D Mustang, NL44727 Man-O'-War
Sukhoi SU-26MX, N360MJ is flown by Doug Jardine of the Canadian Aerobatic Team.
North American P-51D Mustang, NL44727 Man-O'-War
Turbine Legend, N724DG Gray Special
Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM of the Planes of Fame Museum. It was built as Navy BuNo 28536 but delivered to the Royal New Zealand Air Force as NZ5062. After the war it was used as a wind machine by MGM Studios. Wings from another SBD were recovered from Guadalcanal to return this Dauntless to flying condition in 1987. It flew its first flight after reconstruction on February 7, 1987. It is powered by a Wright R-1820 radial engine.
General Motors FM-2 Wildcat, N5833 and Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, NL85104.
Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, NL85104 was ordered by the Army Air Corps as 42-105192. It was delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force as 858. Fred Dyson bought it and 42-106396 at Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington on October 23, 1947. It was owned by W. Bridges in Jackson, Mississippi from 1952 to 1954. Louis Rice of Marysville, California bought it in 1954 and very quickly sold it to Richard Rowlette of Riverside, California. Walter Brockin, also of Riverside, acquired it in 1955 and then sold it to W. Keith Larkin of Weather Modification Company in San Jose, California. It was damaged in a wheels up landing near Denver, Colorado in 1958. The Air Museum in Ontario restored it to static display condition in 1959. Restoration of the airframe was begun in 1977. It made its first flight after restoration in 1981, when it acquired its current registration. It is powered by an Allison V-1710 twelve-cylinder engine.
General Motors FM-2 Wildcat, N5833
Pitts S-2T, N57BC was built by Aviat Aircraft Inc. in 2002. Its construction number is 6042. It is owned and flown by Bill Cornick.
Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, NL85104 and Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM.
Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless, NX670AM
Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, NL85104
North American P-51D Mustang, N514DK
North American SNJ-5 Texan, N1038A War Dog was built in 1944. Its U.S. Navy Bureau Number was 90917 and it still wears that number on its tail. It has been a familiar sight on the airshow circuit for many years. It is owned and piloted by John Collver.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N9563Z Fuddy Duddy was delivered to the U. S. Army
Air Corps as 44-83563. It was modified to a CB-17G cargo transport and then to a VB-17G VIP transport. It was acquired by American Compressed Steel of Cincinnati, Ohio on August 18, 1959. Aero American Corporation of Tucson, Arizona acquired it on May 9, 1960 and gave it its current registration. Columbia Pictures Incorporated of New York leased it on October 11, 1961 to use it in the movie The War Lover. In the movie it portrayed B-17F, 41-27742. It departed the United Kingdom on May 16, 1962. It spent some time in storage at Ryan Field, Arizona. Aviation Specialties Incorporated of Mesa, Arizona bought it on February 2, 1963 and operated it as tanker e24, c24, #24, and #89. It was flown to Hawaii in January 1969 to appear in the movie Tora Tora Tora. Globe Air Incorporated of Mesa, Arizona acquired it on February 18, 1981. The National Warplane Museum at Horseheads, New York bought it in October 1985. It has been registered to Martin Aviation of Santa Ana, California since January 13, 2006.
Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, NL85104
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C originally wore Navy BuNo 122674 and it carries that number again today. Its Grumman construction number is D.1227. It was built in 1948. E. Weiner of Los Angeles registered it under its current tail number in 1958. Leo Demeers of Aurora, Oregon bought it in 1963 and sold it to Larry Hamilton and Hamilton Aircraft of Sonoma, California the same year. Richard Tobey of Newport Beach, California in acquired it in 1966 and then sold it to Paul Finefrock of Hobart, Oklahoma in 1969. Gary Levitz of Long Beach, California picked it up later that year. It has belonged to the Confederate Air Force since 1972. It underwent a major rebuild from 1989 to 1991. It made its first flight after the rebuild on December 17, 1991. It is now registered to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum and based with the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at Camarillo.
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C and Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N1078Z Minsi III.
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N1078Z Minsi III. Its construction number is A-5634. John Sandberg recovered it from the Fergus Falls Airport in Minnesota in 1962. It was subsequently owned by Lloyd Nolan from 1972 to 1973 and Ed Messick from April 9, 1973 to 1990. The Confederate Air Force acquired it in 1990. It has been registered to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum since 1991. It is part of the collection of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and is based at Camarillo.
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C
Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 "Zero", NX712Z is part of the collection of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. I has been registered to the Liberty Aero Corporation since February 1998. Its Mitsubishi construction number is 3869. It was found on New Guinea near the town of Babo. Its restoration was begun in Russia and completed in the United States. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engine.
North American SNJ-5 Texan, N1038A War Dog was built in 1944. Its U.S. Navy Bureau Number was 90917 and it still wears that number on its tail. It has been a familiar sight on the airshow circuit for many years. It is owned and piloted by John Collver.
Convair C-131D Samaritan, N131CW flew for the Air Force as 54-2809. It is part of the collection of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.
Cockpit of Convair C-131D Samaritan, N131CW
North American SNJ-5 Texan, N1038A War Dog
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N9563Z Fuddy Duddy
Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 "Zero", NX712Z, Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N1078Z Minsi III, and Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N9563Z Fuddy Duddy
Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 "Zero", NX712Z
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N1078Z Minsi III
Stearman A75N1, N69765 was manufactured in 1941. Its construction number is 75-1044.
Stearman A75N1, N69765
Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 "Zero", NX712Z
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat, N1078Z Minsi III
Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C
Curtiss C-46F Commando, N53594 China Doll served the Army Air Force as 44-78663. Its Curtiss construction number is 22486. Riddle Airlines operated it from August 1960 to July 1963. Zantop Air Transport operated it from July 1963 to September 1966. After flying for Ortiner Air Services it was acquired by the Confederate Air Force of Midland, Texas in 1991. It is registered to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum and based with the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at Camarillo.
Cockpit of Curtiss C-46F Commando, N53594 China Doll
Camarillo displays.
Link to the Air Museum Planes of Fame web site.
The Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force' Home Page.
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