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Alabama Warbird Survivors 2003: A Handbook on Where to Find Them
Alabama Warbird Survivors 2003: A Handbook on Where to Find Them
Alabama Warbird Survivors 2003: A Handbook on Where to Find Them
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Alabama Warbird Survivors 2003: A Handbook on Where to Find Them

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Some of the finest military warbirds in American aviation history are still flying in the Southern State of Alabama. Many of them are on display in a number of excellent air museums, or they have been mounted on pylons to stand as memorials to the many military aviators who called Alabama home. This handbook is designed to provide aviation enthusiasts with a simple locating guide on where to find Alabamas retired warbirds within the state. Many of the aircraft can be found in the Southern Museum of Flight, Birmingham; the United States Army Aviation Museum; the US Space and Rocket Center at Huntsville; Battleship Memorial Park at Mobile; Maxwell AFB Park at Montgomery; or in the hands of private owners and collectors. The handbook provides photographs of many of the aircraft preserved in Alabama, along with a brief description and history of its service within the US armed forces. The aircraft are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and aircraft type. Famous aircraft found on display in Alabama include the Lockheed A-12 Blackbird, and a number of very rare flying machines such as the gigantic one of a kind Boeing Vertol XCH-62 Heavy Lift Helicopter not found in other aviation museums.
LanguageEnglish
PublisheriUniverse
Release dateNov 13, 2002
ISBN9781462047840
Alabama Warbird Survivors 2003: A Handbook on Where to Find Them
Author

Harold A. Skaarup

Major Hal Skaarup has served with the Canadian Forces for more than 40 years, starting with the 56th Field Squadron, RCE and completing his service as the G2 (Intelligence Officer) at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick in August 2011. He was a member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, served three tours with the Skyhawks Parachute Demonstration Team, and worked in the Airborne Trials and Evaluation section. He served as an Intelligence Officer overseas in Germany and Colorado, and has been on operational deployments to Cyprus, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. He has been an instructor at the Tactics School at the Combat Training Centre in Gagetown and at the Intelligence Training Schools in Borden and Kingston. He earned a Master's degree in War Studies through the Royal Military College, and has authored a number of books on military history.

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    Alabama Warbird Survivors 2003 - Harold A. Skaarup

    All Rights Reserved © 2002 by Harold A. Skaarup

    No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

    Writers Club Press an imprint of iUniverse, Inc.

    For information address: iUniverse, Inc. 2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100 Lincoln, NE 68512 www.iuniverse.com

    The aircraft described in Alabama Warbird Survivors and the locations listed for

    them may change from time to time. Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy up to the time ofpublication, there are always amendments to be made. Updates to any of the information found in this handbook would be greatly appreciated, and every effort will be made to include them in future editions.

    ISBN: 0-595-25601-5 (pbk)

    ISBN: 0-595-65203-4 (cloth)

    ISBN: 978-1-4620-4784-0 (ebook)

    Printed in the United States of America

    Contents

    List of Illustrations

    Foreword

    Preface

    Acknowledgements

    List of Abbreviations

    Introduction

    Aircraft Museums and displays in Alabama

    vAlphabetical list of Warbird Survivors in Alabama

    Epilogue

    Afterword

    APPENDIX A

    Short List of Alabama Warbird Survivors 2002

    APPENDIX B

    History of Fort Rucker

    APPENDIX C

    History of Maxwell Air Force Base

    Appendix D

    Bibliography

    About the Author

    Endnotes

    General Daniel Chappie James, Jr.

    Commander in Chief North American Air Defense and Aerospace Defense Command 1 September 1975-1 February 1978

    General Daniel Chappie James, Jr., was the first USAF African-American 4-star general. Upon being promoted to 4-star grade on 1 September 1975, General James was assigned as Commander in Chief North American Air Defense Command and Aerospace Defense Command, a position he held until his retirement on 1 February 1978. He died 24 days later. General James, who served in WWII and the Korean and Southeast Asian Conflicts summed up his thoughts on his role as an American serviceman: "I’ve fought in three wars and three more wouldn’t be too many to defend my country. I love America and as she has weaknesses or ills, I’ll hold her hand."

    This book is also dedicated to the past and currently serving highly professional men and women of the United States Armed Services and the Canadian Forces of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). Many of them have flown or serviced the military aircraft described in this handbook. Because of their service, you and I can sleep soundly at night. May it continue to be so.

    To control the air, aircraft bring certain characteristics which are not shared by land or sea forces—the ability to carry weapons over long ranges at great speed, the ability to concentrate rapidly large forces over a distant point, the ability to switch targets and to surprise and deceive—in a word, flexibility.1

    List of Illustrations

    Bell Model 205/UH-1D/H Iroquois (Huey) Helicopter (HAS Photo)

    Bell Model 209 AH-1F/G/S Huey Cobra (HAS Photo)

    Boeing B-52D-55MC Stratofortress (HAS Photo)

    Boeing Vertol Model 114/CH-47A Chinook (HAS Photo)

    Boeing Vertol CH-347 (HAS Photo)

    Boeing VertolXCH-62 HLH (HAS Photo)

    Cessna T-41B Mescalero (HAS Photo)

    Chance Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher (HAS Photo)

    Chance Vought F4U-7 Corsair (HAS Photo)

    Chance-VoughtRF-8G Crusader (HAS Photo)

    De Havilland Canada DHC-2/YU-6A Beaver (HAS Photo)

    De Havilland DHC-4/YC-7A Caribou (HAS Photo)

    Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless (HAS Photo)

    Douglas AC-47B/VC-47D/C-47H Skytrain (HAS Photo)

    General Dynamics F-111A Aardvark (HAS Photo)

    General Dynamics F-16AJB Fighting Falcon (HAS Photo)

    Grumman HU-16E Albatross (HAS Photo)

    Grumman F9F-5P Panther (HAS Photo)

    Grumman F-14A Tomcat (HAS Photo)

    Grumman YOV-1A/OV-1B Mohawk (HAS Photo)

    Hawker Siddeley XV-6A/P.1127 Kestrel Prototype (HAS Photo)

    Kaman HH-43/HOK-1 Huskie (HAS Photo)

    LockheedAP-2E Neptune (HAS Photo)

    Lockheed A-12 Blackbird (HAS Photo)

    Lockheed YAH-56A Cheyenne (HAS Photo)

    McDonnell Douglas YAH-64A Apache (HAS Photo)

    McDonnell Douglas A-4C/TA-4J/A-4L Skyhawk (HAS Photo)

    McDonnell F-101B/RF-101C Voodoo (HAS Photo)

    McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II (HAS Photo)

    Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 Fagot (HAS Photo)

    North American L-17 Navion (HAS Photo)

    North American AT-6G Texan (HAS Photo)

    North American B-25JMitchell (HAS Photo)

    North American P-51D Mustang (HAS Photo)

    North American T-28A/B/C Trojan (HAS Photo)

    North American F-86L Sabre Jet (HAS Photo)

    North American F-100D Super Sabre (HAS Photo)

    Northrop YF-17A Cobra (HAS Photo)

    Piasecki (Vertol) CH-21B/C Workhorse Helicopter (HAS Photo)

    Republic RC-3 Seabee (HAS Photo)

    Republic F-84F Thunderstreak (HAS Photo)

    Republic F-105B/D Thunderchief(HAS Photo)

    Ryan XV-5B Vertijet (HAS Photo)

    Sikorsky S-51/R-5D/H-5G/HO3S-1G Dragonfly (HAS Photo)

    Sikorsky S-58/CH-34A Choctaw (HAS Photo)

    Sikorsky S-64A/CH-54B Tarhe Skycrane (HAS Photo)

    Sikorsky S-65/HH-52A Sea Guardian Helicopter (HAS Photo)

    Sikorsky S-67/S-70/YUH-60A Black Hawk Helicopter (HAS Photo)

    Sopwith Camel F.1 (HAS Photo)

    Vought A-7E LTV Corsair II (HAS Photo)

    Foreword

    North America is replete in aviation history, both military and civilian. The sheer size of Canada and the United States dictated an early interest in air defense and profoundly influenced our dependence on air travel. It is no wonder that both nations developed as air-faring nations. A large part of the leadership that contributed to that development can be traced to our Air Forces. Indeed, our proud military heritage is embodied in the dedicated individuals who have served and continue to do so—and in the marvellous aircraft they have flown.

    The preservation and public display of these aircraft is a labor of love for many, including the editor of this book. If you are an enthusiast of military aviation history, or one with a passing interest who simply wishes to learn more, you will find a wealth of information in these well-researched pages.

    Kenneth DeCuir

    Brigadier General, USAF

    Commander, Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center

    Preface

    Military aircraft have held a special fascination for me for most of my life. As a currently serving Army officer, I have had the opportunity to see NATO airpower when its list of combat ready aircraft numbered in the thousands. Today, to have hundreds available at any given time would be unusual. As a member of the Canadian Forces Parachute Team Skyhawks, I’ve participated in a good number of air shows where a handful of former front-line Warbirds may still be seen aloft.

    Many examples of aircraft that saw service with the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), the United States Air Force (USAF), the United States Navy (USN), the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), have been or are currently being salvaged and preserved in Alabama, particularly where they are of significant historical interest. A good number have been retired to museums, or they are now standing as gate guardians outside their former airbases. These Warbirds are a significant part of our modern history, and they deserve to be remarked upon and remembered. For that reason, I felt there was a need for a handbook that could be used as a guide for aviation enthusiasts to point the way to where you can find those surviving Warbirds in the state of Alabama.

    This handbook provides a simple checklist of where the surviving military aircraft in Alabama are located now, along with a photograph and a brief history of their service in the US military. Due to space limitations, only those Warbirds that can be found in Alabama are listed. If you are interested in other aviation books like this one, they can be found at the www.iUniverse.com;www.barnesandnoble.com; and the www.amazon.comonline bookstores in the Warbird Survivor series.

    No list can ever be completely up to date, so if you as a reader have additional information to add, please forward an update to me at 2110 Cloverdale Drive, Colorado Springs, CO, 80920, or e-mail me at h.skaarup@worldnet.att.net.

    It is my sincere hope that the list of Alabama Warbird Survivors will continue to grow as more of them are recovered and restored. Grant that you find this handbook useful.

    Blue Skies, Harold A. Skaarup

    Acknowledgements

    I would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Don Dodd, Director, and the staff at the Southern Museum of Flight, Birmingham; the United States Army Aviation Museum, Fort Rucker. Special thanks go to the staff at the Battleship Memorial Museum, Mobile, who were very helpful providing aircraft serial numbers. I would also like thank Michael A. Blaugher for his handbook, Guides to Aircraft Museums in Canada and the USA.

    I extend special thanks to the archival staffs in the Library at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the historians and staff of the United States Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio; and the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida. Their patience and assistance has been invaluable in helping me to ensure that the data that has gone into the compilation of this handbook is as complete and accurate as it can be at the time of printing. Their support and assistance in tracking down the information pertaining to each of the individual aircraft listed here is greatly appreciated. Many thanks to each and every one of you.

    List of Abbreviations

    Introduction

    For those of you who are familiar with the airspace over Alabama and its environs, the weather and colors of this southeastern state can be incredibly beautiful, particularly in the evening as the temperature begins to cool down and the southern breezes sweep the landscape. Army helicopters can be seen hovering over the countryside like giant summer dragonflies near Fort Rucker, while Stearman cropduster biplanes roam the skies searching for the fields they will care for and protect. Down by the Gulf, the Alabama Battleship Memorial proudly displays its venerated warships, military aircraft and aviation history in an outstanding display that should be visited by all who wish to honor America’s military heritage.

    During my tour of duty with the Canadian Forces detachment based in Colorado Springs, it has been my privilege to serve alongside a good number of the highly professional airmen and women who come from the state of Alabama. Many of them are currently working for NORAD in the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, and with the staffs being assigned to the newly created Northern Command, also headquartered in Colorado Springs.

    The privilege of serving in the armed forces of my country alongside those of the USA has also provided me with the opportunity to visit the state of Alabama, while on temporary duty at Tyndall AFB in Florida, just to the south of Fort Rucker, and East of Mobile. I enjoy visiting military museums and because of my interest in aviation, I have taken the time to examine a number of Alabama’s Warbird survivors close up. These opportunities continue to be a privilege and an honor that is part of my military service, and I would therefore like to share some of the information I gathered with you. It is my hope that this book will show you where to find and view some of Alabama’s veteran military aircraft, and to perhaps take an interest in some of the military aviation history that can be found in this warm and friendly state. This book is specifically intended to provide a where are they guide for residents and visitors to Alabama who are interested in its rich resources of historical military aircraft.

    I have participated in a great number of airshows as both a civilian skydiver and military parachutist. These airshows gave me the opportunity to hear the sound of a P-51 Mustang and a few of its stablem-ates, as well as the chance to sit in the cockpit of a number of them. Based on my flight experiences and observations to date, however, I have concluded that you should never land in an airplane if you do not want to die in one. (I am equipped with two perfectly serviceable parachutes which I pack myself, and you have only one airplane. Also, there is no such thing as a perfectly serviceable airplane as any mechanic will tell you).

    Although I am in the Army, I’ve never lost my fascination for old Warbirds. Because of this, I continue to look for, identify and research the locations for as many of them as possible. I then attempt to verify their serial numbers through the United States Air Force Museum (USAFM), and the National Museum of Naval Aviation (NMNA) records, and to photograph the aircraft wherever they may be found on display.

    The main reason that I am producing this book is to provide other interested aviation enthusiasts with the kind of guide-book that I would liked to have had before arriving in Alabama to have a look at them myself. This guidebook should tell the prospective Warbird aircraft hunter where he or she may still find these aircraft or helicopters and gate guardians, and, where possible, a way to contact the museums and airfields that display them for more information about them.

    I believe that the volunteers who put so much time, effort and energy into maintaining and preserving the numerous retired military and historic aircraft found in Alabama deserve an enormous amount of praise and credit for their work. It is my hope that this handbook, Alabama Warbird Survivors, provides the information and perhaps an incentive that will bring you to visit their museums and to appreciate the rich resources of aviation heritage they are preserving on your behalf.

    Airborne, Harold A. Skaarup

    Aircraft Museums and displays in Alabama

    Alexander City, AL.

    Boeing E75/PT-17 Kaydet (Serial No. 75-6450), Reg. No. N555BR Ben Russell, 2544 Willow Point Road, Alexander City, AL 350106218.

    Boeing B75N1/PT-17 Kaydet (Serial No. 75-7811), Reg. No. N555J. Ben Russell, 2544 Willow Point Road, Alexander City, AL 35010. Vought A-7D Corsair II (Serial No. 73-1010). City static display.

    Aniston, AL.

    Boeing A75N1/PT-17 Kaydet (Serial No. 75-635), Reg. No. N56920. Nathan C. Denton, 15 Markwoods Road, Anniston, AL 36207-6260.

    Ardmore, AL. Alabama Welcome Center, AL 26865. Tel: 205-4233891. Close to the Alabama Tennessee border on Hwy. I-65.

    Saturn I Rocket, Apollo Mission

    Athens, AL.

    Boeing B75N1/PT-17 Kaydet (Serial No. 75-7056), Reg. No. N6875S. Edward C. Smith, PO Box 502, Athens, AL 35611.

    Atmore, AL.

    Boeing Stearman A75L300 Kaydet (Serial No. 75-8510), Reg. No. N1502M. Atmore Flying Service Inc., 15 Beacon Lane, Atmore, AL 36502-6611.

    Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (Serial No. 51-8604). City park static display.

    Birmingham, AL.

    Beechcraft U-8D Seminole (Serial No. 56-3714), Reg. No. N3204A. Ralph D. Livingston, 713 Euclid Ave., Birmingham, AL 35213-2539. Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Serial No. 63-08502)

    Bell OH-58 Kiowa (Serial No. 71-21288). Birmingham International Airport.

    Boeing E75/PT-17 Kaydet (Serial No. 75-8410), Reg. No. N1615M. John M. Pittman, 1740 Cedarwood Road, Birmingham, AL 352161712.

    Hughes OH-6A Cayuse (Serial No. 67-16243). Municipal Airport. North American NA-64 (Serial No. 64-2166), Reg. No. N314BT. 5616 Clifford Circle, Birmingham, AL 35210. North American T-6G Texan (Serial No. 49-3097), Reg. No. N3HG. E.L. Stringfellow Jr., 2844 Overton Road, Birmingham, AL 352232734.

    North American T-28A Trojan (Serial No. 51-3479A), Reg. No. N699. Richard L. Woodruff, 409 Leach Drive, Birmingham, AL 35213.

    North American T-28D Trojan (Serial No. 189-2), Reg. No. N8009G. RBM Corp., 331 Overbrook Road, Birmingham, AL 35213-4319.

    Sikorsky CH-54B Tarhe Skycrane (Serial No. 69-18479). Municipal Airport.

    Birmingham, AL. Alabama Air National Guard, 117th ARW, Birmingham Airport, AL 35217. Tel: 205-841-9200.

    McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II (Serial No. 63-7745) Republic RF-84F Thunderflash (Serial No. 52-7409)

    Birmingham, AL. Southern Museum of Flight, 4343 73rd St. North, Birmingham, AL 35206-3642. Tel: 205-833-8226. Fax: 205836-2439. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9:30 AM-4:30 PM, Sunday 14:30 PM; closed major holidays. Director Dr. Don Dodd. Internet: http://www.southernmuseumofflight.org.

    This museum relates aviation history and houses the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame. Major exhibits include men and women and African-Americans in aviation and World War II. Other displays chronicle the achievements of famous pilots, including Baron Von Richthofen (the Red Baron). Free films are shown continually. Visitors to the Southern Museum of Flight can view a century of aviation history through aircraft, engines, models, and memorabilia of some of the greatest aviation pioneers of all time. Aircraft on display include: the first Delta Air Lines plane; a Huff Daland crop duster; replica of the 1912 Curtis Pusher; Republic Seabee amphibian; T-6 Texan WWII trainer; Fokker D VII; Fairchild PT-19 Cornell; Vultee Valiant; F-86 Sabre; MiG-15; F-4 Phantom, sailplanes, and homebuilts. Memorabilia include artifacts of the Red Baron, women in aviation, Tuskegee Airmen from WWII (The Black Wings), and many aviation pioneers. The Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame contains plaques dedicated to those exceptional aviators who helped make Alabama a vital link in the development of aviation. The museum also contains an aviation library and 60-seat theater.

    Aero L-39C (Serial No.)

    Aero Commander 680 (Serial No.)

    Aeronca 11 AC Chief (Serial No.)

    Aeronca K Scout (Serial No.)

    Aeronca Sedan (float) (Serial No.)

    Alexander Longwing Eaglerock (Serial No.)

    Bede BD-4 Micro (Serial No.)

    Bede BD-5B Micro (Serial No.)

    Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Serial No.)

    Bensen B-8M Gyrocopter (Serial No.)

    Bushby Mustang II (Serial No.)

    Cessna T-37B Tweet (Serial No.)

    Convair TF-102A Delta Dagger (Serial No.)

    Convair F-106 Delta Dart (Serial No.)

    Cumulus Glider (Serial No.)

    Curtiss 1912 Monoplane (Serial No.)

    Curtiss Pusher D-5 (Serial No.)

    Douglas R4D-6Q Skytrooper (Serial No. 50814), Reg. No. N48211

    Fairchild PT-19 Cornell (Serial No.)

    Fokker D.VII (Serial No. 03), Reg. No. N904AC.

    Forney Ercoupe 415 F-1 (Serial No.)

    General Dynamics F-111A Aardvark (Serial No.)

    Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer (Serial No.)

    Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 Sport Trainer (Serial No.)

    Grumman S2F-1/TS-2A Tracker (Serial No. 136560), Reg. No.

    N91368

    Harison Mini-Mack (Serial No.)

    Huff-Daland Duster (Serial No.)

    Hughes OH-6A Cayuse (Serial No. 67-16087)

    Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (Serial No.)

    Lockheed A-12 Blackbird (Serial No. 60-06937)

    McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk (Serial No.), cockpit

    McDonnell F-101 Voodoo (Serial No.)

    McDonnell F-4 Phantom (Serial No. 152996), painted as 64-1049

    McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk (Serial No.)

    Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 Midget (Serial No.)

    Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed (Serial No.)

    Mitchell Wing B-10 Buzzard Ultralite (Serial No.)

    Monerai Sonerai Powered Sailplane (Serial No.)

    Monerai Sonerai II Powered Sailplane (Serial No.)

    Mooney M.18C Mite (Serial No.)

    North American AT-6G Texan (Serial No. TA-963)

    North American T-6G Texan (Serial No. 16866), Reg. No. N12CC

    North American F-86F Sabre (Serial No.)

    Piel-Emeraude (Serial No.)

    Piper J-3 Cub (Serial No.)

    PL-4A

    Rand KR-1 Robinson (Serial No.)

    Republic RC-3 Sea Bee (Serial No.)

    Republic F-84F Thunderstreak (Serial No.)

    Republic F-105 Thunderchief

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