Description:
Manufacturer: North American

Base model: SNJ
Designation: SNJ
Version: -5
Nickname: Texan (Canada/Gt. Britain - Harvard)
Equivalent to: AT-6D AT6DAT-6D
Service: U.S. Navy / Marines
Basic role: Scout trainer
Designation Period: 1939-1948
Crew: Instructor & Pupil

Specifications:

Length: 29' 5" 8.9 m
Height: 11' 8.5" 3.5 m
Wingspan: 42' 0" 12.8 m
Wingarea: 254.0 sq ft 23.5 sq m
Empty Weight: 4,158 lb 1,885 kg
Gross Weight: 5,300 lb 2,403 kg

Propulsion:

No. of Engines: 1
Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1
Horsepower: 600

Performance :

Range: 750 miles (1,207 km )
Cruise Speed: 170 mph (273 km/h 147 kt)
Max Speed: 205 mph (330 km/h 178 kt)
Climb: 1,200 ft/min (365 m/min)
Ceiling: 21,500 ft (6,552 m)

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GRUMMAN F6F-5 HELLCAT
U.S. NAVY FIGHTER #27354801-66 N1078Z

Photo by Col. Pat Brown
Here is our F6F-5 Hellcat in flight. It has been painted in the colors of Cmdr. David McCampbell, USN, Air Group Commander of VF-19 on the USS Essex during WWII. It is sponsored by David Price.

Crew Chief: Chris Rushing

Hellcat Crew: Bill Gordon, Ken Gottschall, Jason Somes.

"A 'Bar Sinister' Hellcat -
The interesting history of the CAF's Grumman F6F Hellcat"
by Bill Coombes
Copyright © 1998 by the Confederate Air Force and Bill Coombes. All rights reserved.
Originally published in The Dispatch magazine, Volume 23, Number 3, Fall, 1998 edition.

"All of the airplanes in the CAF fleet have checkered pasts: after all, most things fifty years old or more are bound to have interesting tales to tell. The CAF’s Hellcat, N1078Z, is certainly no exception, and one could even say its past is more unusual than most. The tale of this ‘Cat begins with a bit of an identity crisis. It seems that our Hellcat should more accurately be termed an Alley Cat, as its official designation, according to the FAA, is "S & S Special Grumman F6F." It is a parts airplane, consisting mainly of an F6F-3 fuselage mixed with a considerable number of F6F–5 parts and modifications. It even has the brakes off its arch rival the F4U Corsair. Its lineage, then, is rather difficult to assess, and our ‘Cat’s story all starts with the first owner, Col John Sandberg of Minneapolis, Minn .

It was Col Sandberg who discovered this particular airframe or at least the majority of it, derelict on the airport at Fergus Falls, Minnesota in 1961. As Sandberg said, it was "a real bad airplane," having been stripped of everything removeable and then used for target practice by the locals. Several important things were missing, big pieces as well as little. In the later category were the Grumman data plate and any Navy serial number, making the identification and establishment of ownership "interesting." The airport manager accepted the responsibility of selling the hulk and soon Sandberg found himself the owner of most of the pieces of an F6F. After temporary yet time-consuming repairs, the Hellcat was ferried back to Minneapolis, and the next two years were spent restoring the big Grumman and registering it with the proper authorities.

There was some initial thought given to using the Hellcat for aerial photography, and then there was a plan to race the rather chunky fighter. Toward this outcome the wings were clipped seven inches on each panel, the intercooler openings in the cowling were filled in, and a general lightening of the airframe was done. Several years later, Sandberg decided to part company with the Hellcat after an engine failure and subsequent forced landing. After repairing the airplane it was flown to Harlingen for an airshow and left there. Sandberg said he would be willing to sell it to the CAF if a sponsor could be found for it. Col Lloyd Nolan, sensing an opportunity not to be passed by, bought the airplane for $20,000. Several months later, in the fall of 1970, Col Ed Messick bought the airplane from Nolan with the assurance that it would continue to fly with the CAF. Messick later donated the Hellcat to the CAF.

Some restoration of the airplane was done, and it flew with the CAF fleet regularly until a variety of problems kept the F6 grounded. First was a problem with the fuel tanks delaminating, which led to the need for a new engine, one of three it has had, which was followed by some hydraulic problems. While these problems were being attended to, the airplane acquired a new paint scheme, its former VF-12 USS Randolph giving way to a tri-color blue over blue over white Navy scheme, with markings as used on Lt. Francis Fleming’s VF-16 Hellcat, circa 1943. However, a series of nagging mechanical gremlins kept appearing.

By 1986, the Hellcat was one very tired airplane, badly in need of a major restoration. Col Joe Mabee stepped forward to accept responsibility for 1078Z and in July of that year it arrived at Classic Aero, Inc., at Mabee Ranch to begin what would become a 12 year project. Initial examination of the airplane revealed some interesting items. For starters, the wings were still clipped, although they had the correct tips on them, fitted with liberal amounts of Bondo; the flaps worked, asymmetrically on occasion; two of the four upper cowl flaps were bolted shut; the oil cooler shutter was bolted open; the hydraulic system needed a complete rebuild from the sump out to each individual system; almost all the tubing in the entire airplane leaked and needed to be replaced; and the induction system, cobbled together out of aluminum and galvanized flex tubing was "quite a mess," in the words of Classic Aero’s Ken Shugart.

Additionally, the main and tailwheel tires were deeply gouged; the hinge mechanism for folding the wings was seriously corroded; the wiring was "heat treated,"being generally old, cracked and worn; more Bondo had been used all over the airplane to disguise forty years worth of dents and dings; and the entire horizontal stabilizer was loose, moving about ½ inch in all directions. On the plus side, the engine checked out perfectly! With a determination to see the F6F back in the skies, Col Mabee gave Shugart the go-ahead and work commenced. For every step forward, two steps back were taken as new problems manifested themselves. This, coupled with Shugart’s desire to make 1078Z an Oshkosh winner, slowed work.

When one sees the big ‘Cat today, with fully 50 percent of the skin on the entire airplane being new, with an entirely hand-built induction system, all new tubing throughout the airframe, etc., one realizes that this is essentially a factory-fresh Hellcat, rebuilt by essentially a two man crew. A few new sponsors came forward, but the primary financial responsibility, which was significant, was borne by Col Mabee until Col David Price stepped into the picture in October of 1995 to provide funding to finish the Grumman.

Today, 1078Z has completed its test flights and has performed flawlessly. Painted in the 1944 Navy scheme of all-over dark blue with white markings, the big fighter makes a beautiful sight against the white clouds and clear skies over CAF Headquarters. Such sights, common fifty years ago, serve to remind us of the need to keep these magnificent aircraft in the air, as a reminder to all Americans of the accomplishments and sacrifices, for us today, of yesterday’s generation."

Data

Origin: Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation

Type: Single-seat shipborne fighter - also fighter-bomber
and night fighter

Dimensions:
Span 42' 10" (13.05 metres)
Length 33' 7" (10.2 metres)
Height 13' 1" (3.99 metres)

Weight (F6F-3):
Empty: 9,042 lb (4,101 kg)
Loaded: (clean) 12,186 lb (5,528 kg)
Loaded (maximum) 14,250 lb (6,443 kg)

Engine:
Early production: one 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10
Double Wasp two-row radial
From Jan 1944: (final batch of F6F-3s) two-thirds had a 2,200 hp R-2800-10W
(water-injection rating).

Armament :
6 x 0.5 inch Browning machine-guns
with 400 rounds per gun.
( Some F6F-5 and F6F-5N Hellcats had 2 x 20 mm cannon
plus 4 x 0.5 inch machine-guns)
Underwing attachments for six rockets
Centre-section pylons for up to 2,000 lb of bombs

Performance :
Maximum speed (clean) 376 mph
Initial climb (typical) 3,240 feet per minute
Service ceiling 37,500 feet
Range 1,090 miles

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Supermarine Mark XIV "Spitfire" British Fighter N 749DP

© Photo by Phil Makanna
Only 957 production Mk XIVs were built. It was the first Spitfire in large-scale production with the V-12 Rolls Royce Griffon 65 engine, and entered service in 1944. The Mk XIV was the most successful of all the variants at destroying V-1 flying bombs, accounting for 300 kills. In October 1944 a Mk XIV had the distinction of being the first to destroy a jet-powered Messerschmitt Me 262.

Our Spitfire was built at the Aldermaston factory in Berkshire, England and then delivered to the Royal Air Force. The aircraft was shipped to Karachi, India in July, 1945 for anticipated operations in Southeast Asia. In 1947 it was transferred to the Indian Air Force.

In 1983 the aircraft was found badly damaged in Patna and was returned to England. It was restored and flew again at Cranfield in 1983. The aircraft was painted in the colors of the South East Asia Command.

In 1985 the aircraft was purchased by David Price and shipped to Los Angeles. That year the aircraft won an award at the Oshkosh Air Show.

Now owned by the CAF, this Spitfire Mk XIV is at the CAF, Southern California Wing's Restoration Hangar at Camarillo Airport. It is awaiting its engine, which is being renovated in Tehachapi, CA. One day, hopefully soon, the Spitfire will lift off and soar once again.

Crew Chief: Les Bedding.
Spitfire Crew: Colin Bedding, Dick Roberts, Steve Nagle, Barry Roberts.

Spitfire Specifications

Wing span: 36 ft., 10 in.
Length: 32 ft., 8 in.
Height: 12 ft., 7.75 in.
Weight: Max. Gross Load - 8,500 lbs.
Empty Weight: 6,376 lbs.
Max. Speed: 439 m.p.h. at 24,500 ft.
Ceiling: 43,000 ft.
Initial Climb: 4,580 ft. per min.
Climb: 20,000 ft./ 7 min.
Range: 620 miles at 271 m.p.h.
Engine: Rolls Royce Griffon 65 liquid-cooled V-12 with 2-speed, 2-stage supercharger / 2,050 h.p.
Built: July, 1945
Armament: Two 0.5 in. Browning machine guns and two 20 mm Hispano cannons.

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Mitsubishi A6M3 "Zero" Model 22 Japanese Fighter #N712Z / Serial No. 3869 / Tail No. X-133

© Photo by Eric Van Gilder
560 A6M3 Model 22s were built between December 1942 and summer of 1943. The A6M3 was built after the Battle of Midway, with longer wings, folding wing-tips (for carrier use), a more powerful engine and the longest range of all the Zeros.

The first flight of the "Zero" fighter was April 1, 1939. Allied Intelligence applied the name "Zeke" to the A6M, but it was better known as the Zero, the name derived from its type designation after the year in which it was put into service - 1940. Mitsubishi and Nakajima built 10,449 "Zero" fighters (more than any other type of Japanese aircraft). The single-seat fighter has light-weight all-metal construction and fabric-covered control surfaces. As the fighting on Guadalcanal raged, the Zero 22s were rushed to Buna in New Guinea and Buka in the Solomon Islands to provide cover over the supply route to Guadalcanal.

Our Zero was delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Group #3. The aircraft was recovered from Babo in New Guinea in 1991, partially restored from several A6M3s in Russia, then brought to the United States for completion of restoral. In 1998 the aircraft was re-registered and displayed at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying. Currently, this aircraft has a Pratt & Whitney R1830 engine (compared to the original Sakai engine in the Planes of Fame Museum's flyable A6M5 Zero). There is, nevertheless, the fact that Japan had a contract with Pratt & Whitney before WWII in which P&W provided engines for fighter planes and other aircraft. It is, therefore, conceivable that some of the planes participating in the Pearl Harbor attack could have been powered by American engines.

This Zero is currently one of only three flyable Zeros in the world.

Crew Chief: Yoshi Abe.
Zero Crew: Ken Gottschall, Eric Lange, Robert Blair.

Zero Specifications:

Specifications (A6M3 Type 0 Model 22)

General characteristics

· Crew: 1
· Length: 29 ft., 9 in.
· Wingspan: 39 ft., 4 in.
· Height: 9 ft., 8 in.
· · Empty weight: 3,984 lbs.
· Loaded weight: 5,609 lbs.
· · Powerplant: 1× Nakajima NKIF Sakae 14 cylinder,
air-cooled radial engine, 1,130 hp
Note: Our aircraft has a Pratt & Whitney R1830 engine,
with _________cylinders and _________hp.

Performance

· · Maximum speed: 388 mph at 19,690 ft.
· Range: 1,929 mi.
· Service ceiling: 36,250 ft.
· Rate of climb: 3,100 ft/min.

· Armament

· Guns:
o 2× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 97 machine guns
in the engine cowling
o 2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Type 99 cannons in the wings

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FAIRCHILD F-24R FORWARDER / ARGUS
USAF / RAF Observation Plane

This is what our Fairchild 24R should look like (maybe slightly different colors) once we have it put together.

Fairchild F-24R Crew

Crew Chief: Bob Albee
F-24 Crew:Norm Swagler, Al Smith, Jim Price, Howard Ulm, Dave Sica, Jim Hinckley

To see the story of our acquisition and the history of the F24R, go to "The Making of Fairchild F-24R"

Fairchild F-24R Specifications:

Type: Liaison / Communication / Instrument Trainer
Built: 1946 (total of 632)
Carries: 4 people
Engine: 200 h.p. Ranger L-440-3 inverted inline
Wingspan: 36' 4"
Length: 24'10"
Height: 7'71/2"
Load: 850#
Range: 470 miles
Used in military forces of: USAAF, USN, USMC, USCG,
RAF, RCAF, RAAF, Finland

Side views of F-24R (top) with Ranger engine (inline); F-24W (bottom) with Warner engine (radial).

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FAIRCHILD PT-19A CORNELL
#N 641 BP
US Army Air Corps Trainer

© Photo by Dave Flood

This beautifully-restored antique training plane is owned by Capt. Charles Plumb, USN (Ret.), of Calabasas, CA. Charles flew F-4 Phantoms during the Vietnam conflict, and was shot down on his 75th mission. He spent 5 years and 9 months in a communist prison, and learned how to survive and come out of it stronger than when he went in.

He now gives motivational speeches all over the country on how one can survive in adversity.

This aircraft in in FLYING STATUS.

SPECIFICATIONS

Wingspan: 35 feet, 11 inches
Cost: $10,500
Length: 27 feet, 8 inches Max.
Speed: 124 mph
Height: 7 feet, 9 inches
Cruising Speed: 106 mph
Weight: 2,450 lbs. loaded
Range: 480 miles
Engines: Ranger L-440 of 175 hp
Service Ceiling: 16,000 feet

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NORTH AMERICAN SNJ-4 TEXAN -
SERIAL NO. 88-10177 / #N 6411D
US Army Air Corps Trainer
Canadian/RAF version called "Harvard."

This North American SNJ-4 was originally built in 1943. It was delivered to our Wing by truck in many pieces. The restoration is being completed from a number of different SNJs.

Crew Chief: Joe Peppito
SNJ-4 Crew: John Jones; Keith Bailey; Howard Ulm.