On 27Jun06 I stepped into the office of Air Spray, a company located at Red Deer Industrial Airport, Alberta and specialising in Forest Fire Suppression. It is located 125 kms north of Calgary's Int'l Airport (YYC) and closer to Penhold than Red Deer.
I had been here before, in 1999, and noticed things had changed quite a bit. This was not only due to the dramatic fire on 16Oct00, but business had increased here and real estate had expanded.
After registering at Air Spray's office I was on my merry way.!

en.wikipedia.org:_Lockheed_L-188_Electra

N360Q c/n 1112 returned to the US in 2000. It featured in John Travolta's movie 'Basic' and it was sighted at Herlong Field,FL on 01Apr03 and 12Oct03; during Oct03 it was ferried to Red Deer and was reported in May05 operational as Tanker 83.
Air Spray had it registered C-GYVI on 18Sep03.
Source: Lockheed L-188 & L-1011 by Lundkvist Aviation Research, 1980. And my own records.

Since 2007 it has been stored at Red Deer Airport, many parts removed including the retardent tank.

The name 'Mandala' can still be read on the fuselage, reappearing through the white paint.

C/n 1082 first flew on 04Aug59 and was operated by Northwest Orient A/L (N123US), San Diego Padres, Aztec Aircraft Corp., Air California and sold to Mandala A/L in 1979.

The sad state of affairs in the cockpit; it is clear that PK-RLD is only used as spare parts supply.

Both PK-RLD (C-FVFI) as well as Tanker 83 C-GYVI were parked away in the field upon my REVISIT 24SEP07

Gutted...

This is the cabin, looking forward; photo below shows the aft.

Looking aft

Through the door of the donor aircraft (?) we see the beneficiary: C-GYVI.
In 2007 C-GYVI went into storage, it may well be that both aircraft were being stripped for parts at this time..?

So, where did all the Invaders go? Well, they are parked out in the field, stored and for sale...

Air Spray, one of Canada's leading companies in aerial firefighting, used the Douglas Invader for many years as the backbone of its fleet. In 2004 it was decided to retire them and 2005 was their first year of storage.

Propliner magazine featured a splendid article by Bob Petite in the No.107 (Summer 2006) issue, detailing Air Spray's history and celebrating the last season of Air Spray's Invaders.

Invader C-FTFB, Tanker 4

This is Douglas A-26C Invader C-FTFB tanker 4, c/n 28723.
By the time I am writing this, early Dec.2006, it has become known that it was sold to the Classic Aircraft Museum of Hillsboro, Oregon.
History of this WW2 warbird starts with its USAAF serial 44-35444 (c/n 28723).
Vance Roberts of Seattle,WA was owner during 1963-1969 and had it registered as N7656C.
Air Spray Ltd of Edmonton,ALB had it registered in 1971 as CF-TFB (Tanker 4, after it was converted as such at Chino,CA in 1975), later reregistered as C-FTFB.
It was damaged due to an engine fire at Calgary in Aug77, but was repaired.
It was named Miss Red Deer.
Source: www.warbirdregistry.org

A photo on Flickr.com, probably taken in Nov.2011, shows this A-26 being parted out for work on another A-26.

Invader C-FCUI, Tanker 12

This is C-FCUI (c/n 28803, B-26C) and I have seen it on station at Edson,ALB in 1999. 2005 was the first year
the Invaders remained inactive.
It wears a WW2-style nose art and is named 'Silver Fox'.

'Silver Fox'

Upon my RED DEER 2007 REVISIT I was shocked to see it was taken apart.

It was sold to Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum of Hillsboro,OR.
Officially registered as N26FK since 2007, but I found it not current in 2019. Not airworthy?

Here's another Air Spray A-26 which apparently made it to Hillsboro, Oregon...

Invader c/n 28987 was delivered to the French Airforce as 44-35708, based in Indochina.
It returned to the USAF on 10Nov55 and was put in open storage at Clark AFB on the Philippines, 1955-1958.
On Mark Engineering Co owned it during 1963-1966 and had it registered as N5530V.
Raytheon Manufacturing Co. of Bedford,MA bough it in 1969 and ownership continued until 1976.
Air Spray Ltd purchased it that year and registered it as C-GXGY, fighting fires as Tanker 10.
www.warbirdregistry.org

Registered N26PJ for PREMIER JETS INC of Hillsboro,OR on 20Mar2007. Airliners.net has several photos on N26PJ attending air shows in 2011. Nicknamed 'Lead Sled'. Not clear what the 2019 status is, it is current on the FAA's website N-inquiry but the registration is due to expire in 2019.
Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum

Invader C-FKBM, Tanker 20

A-26C C-FKBM Tanker 20 has contruction number 27415. This Warbird's USAAF serial was 44-34136.
It was stored at Davis Monthan AFB,AZ from Feb58. A few years later Madden & Smith Aircraft Corp of Miami,FL bought it during 1964 and registered it as N8017E.
Donaire Inc (of Phoenix,AZ owned it from 1966 until 1969); it was flown as Tanker C32.
T.W. Hammon (again of Phoenix,AZ) became owner in 1970. Kenting Aircraft Ltd of Toronto,ONT became owners from Aug72-1973 and registered it as CF-KBM.
Then Conair Aviation Ltd (of Abbotsford,BC) bought this airtanker (ownership: Aug73-1985) and had it flown as Tanker 20.
So did Air Spray Tanker Ltd when they bought and registered it as 02May85 (as C-FKBM); its last Certification of Registration was issued on 08Nov00 (for Air Spray 1967 Ltd).

Flickr.com has a photo taken in 2015 showing C-FKBM still stored at Red Deer. Anno 2019 it may very well be still there. EMAIL

A-26B C-GTOX Tanker 14 has c/n 27802

Invader C-GTOX, Tanker 14

The nose art has the name 'Hasta Luego' added

USAAF serial was 44-34523 and this Warbird's construction number is 27802.
On Mark Engineering Company (at Van Nuys,CA) converted it in 1963 and its civil tailnumber became N9174Z.
Garrett Corp. of Los Angeles and Phoenix,AZ became onwers during 1964-1977.
This Invader was modified for turboprop engine in the nose position.... Would have been quite a looker!
Air Spray became the owner in Jan.1982 and registered it as C-GTOX; it faithfully served as tanker 14, nicknamed 'Hasta Luego'.
Source: www.warbirdregistry.org

In Oct.2010 I learned that C-GTOX 'Hasta Luego' had been registered on 18Oct10 to Robin P. Murray of Strathmore,ALB. Anno 2019 believed to be still current (www.aerialvisuals.ca)

C-FPGP has served faithfully as Tanker 2; this A-26C Invader has c/n 29177.

Invader C-FPGP, Tanker 2

At the time of writing (Dec06) 'Golf Papa' has been ferried to Australia (Oct06) for a new owner: Randall MacFarlane; he intends to repaint in Korean War colours and fly it as 44-34364/BC-364 in the Australian airshow circuit.

This ferry flight to Australia was a show of strength: in spite of its age (built in 1945) it completed the 13.768 kms stretch victorious, in spite of encountering an earthquake and a tropical cyclone en route, arriving at Brisbane-Archerfield on 25Oct06. It was subsequently reregistered as VH-VNI for Aviation Investments Pty Ltd of Archerfield on 04jan08.
Early 2014 it was acquired/handed over to a new owner, CPK Nominees of Queensland. It was to undergo repairs, tests & evaluations before any proper use. VH-VNI probably hadn't flown until then.

UPDATE Aug.2016: "Reevers Warbird Roundup (www.reevers.com.au/tag/aircraft/ or www.facebook.com: ReeversWarbirds) have decided to sell their Douglas A-26C C-FPGP, which arrived in Australia in 2006.The sale is considered necessary to free funds for the restoration of their Mitchell project." -Scramble magazine, 'Warbirds', #447 august 2016.
By this info I can only conclude that registration VH-VNI has not yet been formally taken up..?
In 2017 I learned that the sale was postponed, prior to a re-assessment of the costs to bring it back to fly again.

April 2019 had Reevers publish photos of the yellow A-26 disassembled at Archerfield (Brisbane) and put on transport 'for the long haul to South Australia'... No further details on owner, except "..Once home these sections will be reunited with those sections currently in storage and the long process of creating a work schedule will begin."
Their homebase is at Parafield, Adelaide: 'Adelaide Warbirds'..?

A closer look at the nose art of Tanker 2: 'Holy Smoke'

Life for this Douglas Invader, c/n 29177, started with the military as 44-35898.
Its civilian history started with ownership by Lear Inc. of Santa Monica,CA (1961-1964), registered as N3328G.
Lear Siegler Inc of Santa Monica,CA bought it in 1966.
Aerospace Modifications (Coatsville,PA) purchased it in 1969. It flew as race '76' !
Air Spray Ltd purchased it all the way back in July 1971 and had it registered as CF-PGP, Tanker 2.
The official registration was slightly altered in Air Spray Ltd, Red Deer in 1976 (previously located in Edmonton. The tailnumber was changed too: C-FPGP; but it remained Tanker 2.
www.warbirdregistry.org

Invader C-FOVC, Tanker 56. See also on my ARCHIVE: SCANNED COLOR SLIDES #3

C-FOVC Tanker 56 is c/n 28776; this RB-26C had to relinquish its lefthand engine.

Tanker 56: 'Safe Passage'

The noseart also states:Forever In Memory Nancy Caldwell

The following information was also learned from Bob Petite's extensive article Air Spray Invader Retirement, in Propliner magazine no.107 (Summer 2006); it paints a clear picture of what kind of aircraft the Douglas Invader is.

All the Air Spray Invaders were WW-2 vintage, built during 1943 and 1944.
Considering these Warbirds, one immediately notices the big Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engines (each capable of 2.000 hp)... they seem to overpower the sleek lines of this rugged, speed demon!
Its large, electrically-operated, double-slatted wing flaps provide better lift and drag than conventional flaps: a useful attribute in the demanding airtanker role.
Typical take-off distance at gross-weight is 4.000 feet, but take-off on a hot day at higher elevation airport will take a lot more runway.
But once airborne and cleaned up, the impressive cruise speed of 225 knots will cover the distance to the fire quickly. The maximum range is 1.250 nautical miles, with an endurance of 5 hours, but operationally the aircraft is usually topped up with fuel after 3 hours or during a lull in the fire action.
Specifications show a wartime load of 4.000 pounds and the airtanker was modified to carry 760 imperial gallons of slurry fire retardant in a specially designed tank, weighing 8.700 pound. The 2 bomb doors are independent and operate by either an hydraulic or air compressor pneumatic system, with an emergency manual system as backup.
When the bombdoors are opened, air vents pop open on the top of the fuselage; this way air is forced into the tank and will help to drop the entire load of retardant in one and a half second!
Air Spray redesigned the cockpit instrument panel, moving the flight instruments and gauges along with navigation and radio packages.
All the trim controls are manual, with no flight control boost or autopilot. Consequently, the A-26’s maximum allowable speed of 310kts is seldom attained, as the flightcontrols become very heavy. However, when properly flown, at the recommended speeds and power settings, the A-26 Invader is highly manouvrable and a very effective airtanker.

Tanker 36 is C-FAGO, Douglas A-26C Invader with c/n 28735.

Its military serial was 44-35456 and it was delivered to the USAAF as such. its military ended at Davis Monthan AFB,AZ when it was put in storage during July 1956.
As N330WC Western Contracting Corp. of Sioux City,IA owned it from 1963 to 1970.
Aero Union Corp. of Chico,CA bought it in 1972, but that same year it was sold to Conair Aviation Ltd (Abbotsford,BC) and they owned it until 1983, registering it as CF-AGO, flying it as Tanker 26.
The undercarriage collapsed on landing at Fort St.John,BC on 14Apr80.
Air Spray Ltd (the of Edmonton,ALB) bought it on 20Apr83 and registered this Invader as C-FAGO.
With Airspray it became Tanker 36 'Dragon Lady'.
From: www.warbirdregistry.org

Upon my visit in Sep.2007 I found it had gone... It found a new home at Minter Field Air Museum, Shafter,CA (near Bakersfield).
Sean Keating wrote me: "it was 'Dragon Lady' in Korea, so it became destined for preservation and one can find an illustration in a book called "A26 in Action" by Squadron Signal Publications…"

See how I found Dragon Lady at Minter Field myself in May 2008... Its new tailnumber N5625S had not yet been applied then.
When in April 2019 I checked the FAA's N-inquiry website I found that N5625S had been registered on 29Oct2015 to Wade C. Eagleton of Bakersfield,CA.

Invader Tanker 36: 'Dragon Lady'

John Olafson kindly forwarded additional info as was provided to him by Robert Finch:
"You said that you would like to read the log book of this aircraft. I can tell you the first entries!
It was sent directly into storage at Piote,TX, in 1945. It was pulled out of storage in 1950 and flown to Hill AFB,UT and modified into an RB-26 for use in Korea by the 162nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing.
It was delivered to the 162nd at K-2 Tague, Korea in early 1951, which had become the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing.
44-35456 flew night photo reconnaissance missions until the end of the Korean War. The 12th TRS was then transferred to Japan, and subsequently converted to RB-66 aircraft. The RB-26's were sent to Vietnam for use by the French Air Force.
Most were returned to the USAF in the late 1950's. The majority were sent to Davis-Monthan AFB,AZ where they were either sold on the civilian airplane market, or scrapped...
44-35456 and 44-35457 were sold to Airspray. Another 162nd RB-26 that was sold to Airspray was 44-35323. It is still flying as part of the Planes of Fame Museum, Grand Canyon, Arizona."

"I am Janis Welsh, formerly Janis Hamilton, the daughter of Don Hamilton, the owner of Air Spray.
I am presently living in California but still keep in touch with the business of Air Spray.
Your information and presentation of the fleet is very well done. I look at the pictures and have memories coming up with the B-26’s and the pilots who flew them...
Those planes all have stories to tell !
I have fond memories of Tanker 36 AGO, as it was the tanker I got a B-26 endorsement when I was about 18 or 19...
And in Tanker 98 we went for a fun training flight, only have the gear collapse on take-off ! I think my father would have killed me if he knew I was riding along, except that he was so worried when he saw the plane tipped over, half way down the runway.
Thanks for the memories!"
Janis Welsh

Air Spray's Tanker 98 is Invader C-GWLT, it has c/n 28057.

Invader C-GWLT: Tanker 98

Its USAAF serial was 44-34778 and its civilian career began with Raytheon Manufacturing Co. of Bedford,MA who owned it from 1954 to 1972, registered as N67943.
Air Spray Ltd bought it in May 1975 and registered it as C-GWLT. First it was flown as tanker 7, later it became Tanker 98.
Source: www.warbirdregistry.org

Ron Lapp sent me images in April 2008 of 'GWLT's rebirth as a Canadian warbird !!
By April 2019 I found it for sale on Platinum Fighter Sales, posted on Warbird News (23Jan2019). After more than a decade of ownership, the owner had decided to part with this magnificent A-26. Offered for sale at US$350,000 with Platinum Fighter Sales.
Let us hope it finds a good home.

A nice profile of C-GWLT can be found on www.vintagewings.ca/.../Badass-Invader

A-26C Invader, C-FZTC Tanker 13, has c/n 29136 and this warbird too, awaits things to come.

USAAF 44-35857 turned civil in 1964 when Madden & Smith Aircraft Corp. of Miami,FL, bought it. It was registered as N9300R.
The next owner became Consolidated Air Parts Corp. (Los Angeles,CA) during 1966-1969.
It was stored unconverted, marked as NY ANG, Tucson,AZ, in 1969.
The Forest Patrol Ltd bought it in July 1971 and had it registered as CF-ZTC.
J.D. Irving purchased it in 1979 and changed the registration to C-FZTC.
Air Spray Ltd bought it soon after, in Aug79, and it became Tanker 14, later 13 'Lucky Jack'.
From: www.warbirdregistry.org

Anno 2019 believed to be still at Red Deer (a 2014 photo on www.aerialvisuals.ca)

This A-26B is C-GPTW Tanker 26, c/n 18800.

Its USAAF serial was 43-22653 and this Warbird was bought in 1963 by Idaho Air Tankers Inc. of Boise,ID.
It was registered N9402Z. Reeder Flying Service (Twin Falls,ID) became the new owners in 1966, this lasted
until 1972; they flew it as tanker 26.

Tanker 26 by Photoshop

Air Spray Ltd bought it in 1989 and had it registered as C-GPTW, Tanker 26.
www.warbirdregistry.org/a26registry/a26-4322653.html

Tanker 26 made it to Sydney (Bankstown), Australia. Tailnumber C-GPTW had been cancelled from the Canadian register and this Invader will be restored to WW2 bomber with its original serial 43-22653 (code 'CP2') of the 572nd Bomb Sqdn / 391st Bomb Grp, as flown from Nordholz,Germany may 1945. [Source Scramble #378, nov.2010].
Anno 2019 believed to be still current but its new home in Australia did not see it brought to flying status...
A 2012 update read "..restoration to airworthy status by Nick Leach. However that was not to happen and the aircraft now resides at the Australian Aviation Museum at Bankstown and will be restored to static only." In 2014
it looked very sad: www.jetphotos.com. I don't think it was ever assigned an Australian registration.
Sad.
Also sad: Australian Aviation Museum was instructed to vacate the premises at Bankstown; I think that was in the works in 2005 when I visited. Now th etime has come. The website states: "..the future of the Australian Aviation Museum is unsure. Without a new location for the museum secured and less than one year to go before the premises need to be vacated, the Board has made the decision to relinquish possession of most of the larger aircraft, opting instead to establish and develop their Aviation Resources Reference Library which will house over 14.000 books, memorabilia and artefacts."
Sad, sad, sad.

Numero Uno: tanker 1 is C-FPGF with c/n 29154 (A-26C).

This Invader flew as 44-35875 for the USAF/USAF.
The date of purchase by Rock Island Oil & Refining Co. of Wichita,KS is as yet unknown. It was registered to them as N4816E.
DM Air Enterprises Ltd (of Vancouver,BC) owned it during 1963-1965; the tailnumber became CF-PGF.
Air Spray Ltd bought it in 1970, changed the registration to C-FPGF and flew it as Tanker 1.
www.warbirdregistry.org

The nose art depicts a fireman putting out a fire: "If'n Ah Sez Out, Ah Means Out"
But it seems those days are over.

On my page Red Deer Revisited (24Sep07) one can see which Invaders remain as well as parts lying about...
Anno 2019 I believe C-FPGF still to be at Red Deer.

A different look at things..

Douglas DC-4, C-GBAJ Tanker 14

Next door is a hangar of Buffalo Airways and so I ambled over...
See my page Buffalo Airways at Red Deer (2006)

Back to CANADA -2006-

+++Red Deer Revisited -24Sep07-

External link: en.wikipedia.org:_List_of_surviving_Douglas_A-26_Invaders

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