High Country Warbirds Fly-in at Valle, Arizona
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The Grand Canyon Planes of Fame Museum at Valle Airport, Arizona hosted the High Country Warbirds Fly-in on Saturday, June 23, 2012. The weather was warm and very windy. The flybys were lower and closer to that audience than any other show that I know of, and the sun was behind the audience during the morning. It's a small show. The crowd was just a few hundred people, so there was always a lot of room on the crowd line. The Planes of Fame annex has many rare antique planes, including VC-121A Bataan, the Pacific Air Martin 404 that used to be at Camarillo, and the Western Convair 340 that used to be at Chino. There is also a remarkable collection of vintage automobiles in the Airport terminal building. Some of the attendees bought rides aboard the P-51D Mustangs.
Western Convair 240 N240HH The 49'er was delivered to Western Air Lines on October 5, 1948. Air Carrier Service Corportation bought it in 1961 and sold it to Air Korea on February 6, 1961. Japan Domestic Airlines bought it in 1963, leasing it to Southwest Airlines in July 1967 and retiring it in 1968. Air Service Incorporated regiastered it as N8408H on January 23, 1969. Texas Instruments Incorporated acquired it in August 1971 and re-registered it as N240HH in January 1982. It was stored at Chino for many years. It is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 eighteen-cylinder Double Wasp radial engines.
The 49'er at Chino on May 16, 2004.
The 49'er at Chino on May 20, 2007.
Lockheed VC-121A Constellation N422NA was delivered to the Air Force as 48-0613 in January 1949. Its Lockheed construction number is 2603. It was General MacArthur's personal transport. He named it "Bataan". It was retired from the Air Force in January 1966 and acquired by NASA. NASA registered it as N422NA. It was transferred to the Fort Rucker Army Museum in February 1970. It has been registered to the Air Museum since May 7, 1993. It is powered by four Wright R3350-32WA eighteen-cylinder Duplex Cyclone radial engines.
Blue Angels #2 Grumman F11F Tiger BuNo 141868 carries construction number 185. The US Navy Blue Angels flew Grumman Tigers from 1957 to 1969. It was powered by a 10,500-pound thrust Wright J65-W-18 afterburning turbojet.
Martin 404 N636X was operated by Airliners of America in the colors of Pacific Air Lines. It was delivered to TWA on July 16, 1952, registered as N40429. Its name was Skyliner Peoria. In 1959 it was sold to California Airmotive Corporation. Subsequently it was owned by E. F. McDonald, James McAlister, Montex Drilling Corporation, Airworld Incorporated, Whitesell Construction Corporation, Joe Simpkins Oil, Tiffany Industries Isd., Phase II Incorporated, Sun & Wind Incorporated, and Skylease Incorporated of Wilmington, Delaware. It has been registered to the Planes of Fame Museum since September 25, 2008. It is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 eighteen-cylinder Double Wasp radial engines.
Pacific Air Lines Martin 404 N636X at Van Nuys on June 23, 2000.
Pacific Air Lines Martin 404 N636X at Camarillo on August 25, 2001. Note the JATO ports on the top of the engine nacelle.
Pacific Air Lines Martin 404 N636X at Camarillo on August 23, 2003.
Pacific Air Lines Martin 404 N636X at Camarillo on June 12, 2006.
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II is owned by Steve Hinton and registered NL7715C. This Mustang was reconstructed in part from the wreckage of the Red Baron RB-51 racer, once the fastest piston powered aircraft in the world. Its original serial was 44-84961, but it carries 413334 on its tail. The Air Force disposed of it at McClellan Air Force Base, California in 1958. It was purchased by Capitol Airways of Nashville, Tennessee and registered as N7715C. In July 1964 it was acquired by Charles Willis Jr., Frank Lynitt, and Charles Hall of Seattle, Washington. They raced it as #5, first named Red Baron, then Miss RJ". Gunther Balz of Kalamazoo, Michigan bought it in July 1971 and changed its name to Roto-Finish, keeping race number 5. John Sliker of Wadley, Georgia picked it up in October 1973, but sold it to Ed Browning of Brownings Incorporated in Idaho Falls the following February. Brownings Inc. installed a Rolls Royce Griffon engine with contra-rotating propellers and called it the "Red Baron" RB-51. It first flew with the Griffon engine on March 6, 1975. It set the world's piston engined speed record of 499.018 miles per hour on August 14, 1979. It crashed with Steve Hinton at the controls at the Reno Air Races that September. Hinton survived the crash. Richard Ransofer of Grapevine, Texas acquired the wreckage in 1980. Steve Hinton and
Fighter Rebuilders at Chino used portions of the "Red Baron" wreck and P-51D, 44-73053 to reconstruct "Wee Willy II". It first flew after reconstruction in September 1985. Some of the hulk of the RB-51 was acquired by Terry and Bill Rogers of Sherman, Texas in 1989 to be used in another Griffon powered race conversion, but Rogers' efforts were diverted into the rebuilding of Vendetta into Miss Ashley II
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly has belonged to the Planes of Fame Air Museum since June 1957. It flew for the Army Air Force as 45-11582. It was formerly flown as Spam Can with tail number 45-11582. Now it carries tail number 44-72861.
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44 was manufactured in 1943. Its construction number is 88-9830. It is powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-1340 nine-cylinder Wasp radial engine.
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44 at Valle, Arizona on June 23, 2012: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
Ryan ST3KR N56017 was built in 1942. Its construction number is 1722. It is powered by a Kinner R-5 series 5-cylinder, 540-cubic inch radial engine. It is restored as a US Army Air Corps PT-22.
Ryan ST3KR N56017
Ryan ST3KR N56017
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly at Valle, Arizona on June 23, 2012: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
Cessna 195 N195P was built as Cessna 190 N4311V in 1948 and has had more than twenty owners. It was repowered with a 245-horsepower Jacobs radial engine and became a Cessna 195 in 1953. Following a ground-loop accident in 1974, it was reconstructed with a new fuselage and replacement wings, but then it was flipped over by a tornado. It was repowered with a Jacobs R-755-B2 seven-cylinder radial engine in 1999. Aside from the identity plate, there is nothing remaining of the airplane that was built in 1948. Dave Ramsey has posted more of the history of N195P.
Cessna 195 N195P
Yakovlev Yak-52 N2255C was built in 1985. Its construction number is 855605. It is powered by a Vedeneyev M14P 9-cylinder radial engine.
North American P-51D Mustangs NL7715C Wee Willy II and NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustangs NL7715C Wee Willy II and NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustangs NL7715C Wee Willy II and NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustangs NL7715C Wee Willy II and NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II at Valle, Arizona on June 23, 2012: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
Yakovlev Yak-52 N2255C, Cessna 195 N195P, and Cessna 190 N9848A
Vultee BT-13A Vibrator N2808 was delivered to the Army Air Corps as 41-22410A. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior nine-cylinder radial engine.
Grand Canyon Airlines Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor N414H was built in 1929. Its serial number is 74 and it is the 155th of 199 Trimotors. It is powered by three Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior nine-cylinder radial engines.
Cessna 190 N9848A has been registered to Jeffrey Pearson of Anaheim Hills, California since December 1982. It was built in 1950 and carries Cessna constuction number 7541. It is powered by a 300-horsepower Jacobs R755-A2 seven-cylinder radial engine.
Cessna 190 N9848A at Valle, Arizona on June 23, 2012: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 16" x 24".
Yakovlev Yak-52 N2255C
Grand Canyon Airlines Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor N414H
Grand Canyon Airlines Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor N414H
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
Grand Canyon Airlines Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor N414H
North American B-25J Mitchell N3675G Photo Fanny has been registered to James Maloney of Corona Del Mar, California since January 10, 1978. Its Army Air Corps tail number was 44-30423. It joined the Air Museum in Ontario, California in 1965. It is often used for air-to-air photography sessions of the warbirds flying out of Chino. It is powered by a pair of Wright R-2600 radial engines.
North American T-28B Trojan NX393W was deliverved to the US Navy as BuNo 138310 in 1954. It is powered by a Wright R-1820 Cyclone nine-cylinder radial engine.
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
Aichi D3A Val replica NX67629 is a modified Consolidated-Vultee BT-15 that was sold to the civilian market in the 40's. It was modified to represent a Japanese Val for the 1969 movie TORA TORA TORA. The modification consisted of an extra 3 feet of fuselage added between the rear cockpit and the tail, a large fiberglass dorsal fin, raised sides of the fuselage and lower canopies. The modifications also incorporated large fiberglass wheel pants. Its Wright R-975 Whirlwind nine-cylinder radial engine was replaced with a Pratt and Whitney R-1340 Wasp radial engine. After the movie was completed the Val was sold to the San Diego Aerospace Museum. The Planes of Fame Museum acquired the Val back in 1973. It was returned to airworthy condition for the Disney Pearl Harbor film.
The Grand Canyon Planes of Fame Museum at Valle Airport, Arizona hosts the annual High Country Warbirds Fly-in in June.
Link to the Grand Canyon Airlines page about their Ford Trimotor.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Vintage Airplanes at Valle, Arizona.
A dozen photos of vintage airplanes flying at the Planes of Fame East Fly-in at Valle, Arizona on June 23, 2012. Aircraft pictured include:
Grand Canyon Airlines Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor N414H
Ryan ST3KR (PT-22) N56017
Aichi D3A Val replica NX67629
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Spam Can
Curtiss P-40N Warhawk NL85104
North American T-28B Trojan NX393W
North American P-51D Mustang NL7715C Wee Willy II
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NX138AM 23 Skidoo
North American SNJ-4 N75964 #44
North American P-51D Mustang NL5441V Dolly
Vultee BT-13A Valiant N2808
Cessna 190 N9848A
Put a copy of the Vintage Airplanes at Valle, Arizona: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of airworthy Lockheed P-38 Lightnings.
P-38L N25Y White Lightnin, Nellis Air Force Base, April 26, 1997
P-38J NX138AM Joltin Josie, Chino, October 6, 2001
P-38J NX138AM Porky II, Chino, May 22, 2005
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38F NX17630 Glacier Girl, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38L NL7723C, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38L NL7723C, Edwards AFB, October 17, 2009
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Chino, May 15, 2010
P-38L NL7723C, Chino, May 15, 2010
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Valle, Arizona, June 25, 2011
Put a copy of the Lockheed P-38 Lightnings: 2020 calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
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