Gerben Groothuis shared a number of images taken during 2017 in the US, struggling with their identities...
More of this batch can be seen on my gallery Searchfor...


Beech 18 at Nashua-Boire Airport,NH. (07Jun2017)

Bob Parmerter, expert on the Twin Beech, offered: "The Nashua, NH head-on view is of 1956 E18S N125X BA-192. Spent some time as C-FXKG for Gold Belt Air Transport, Pickle Lake 1996-2001 & suffered three (!) accidents (02Apr96 Webequie, ONT. lost control in crosswind landing, hit a snowbank; tail wheel & tail damaged. No injuries. 26Nov96 Muscrat Dam Arpt (MSA), ONT. in gear up landing. And 01Sep01 at International Falls, MN landed gear up. 1 uninjured.). N125X for Denis G. Lison & Michael J. Farrey, Mason, NH; reg’d 07Sep01. Current."

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Gerben wrote: 'I came across a few airframes in the yard of Aero Traders and am looking for (confirmation of)
their identities. Could this be TC-45J N45681/42-5682 ??? EMAIL
Photos taken in May 2017.

Gerben wrote: 'Not many B-29/B-50’s left, so one would expect these would have been identified. But no so.
I suspect this nose section stems from China Lake, or perhaps it is a replica used for a Hollywood film..?'

Someone offered: ".. Probably either 44-70049 or 44-84084". Based on johnweeks.com/b29/index.
"I think it’s neither of those as the cockpits were still with both of the B-29s at Borrego Springs last year and
this nose has been at Chino for ages." ¬Nigel Hitchman

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Unidentified Beechcraft 18/C-45’s in the American Airpower Museum (Farmingdale,NY)

The names on these planes have little significance; "Sack Time (Sally)" (C-47, below) is a tribute to WW2 B-24
while the name "Slick Chick" is also a tribute, to WW2 B-17 bomber (albeit here without the nose art).
Probably been from a collector for whom fun was more important than authenticity. Perhaps all from same collector?
A famous nose art painter was Eugene 'Gene' Townsend, go see 32ndbombsquadron.com/32ndart
Unidentified Beechcraft 18/C-45’s in the American Airpower Museum (Farmingdale,NY)
Titles that can be read: 'The Cockpit' + 'Slick Chick' + (no.3 has badge of AAM) + 'American Airpower Museum'
On the left, also at Farmingdale's AAM, an unidentified C-47 - named 'Sack Time'.
On the right: a similar nose not far away, on Long Island, in the Cradle of Aviation Museum (Garden City,NY - 04Oct2014)
On all of the above help on whatever details would be much appreciated! EMAIL

In the background at the Farmingdale museum is this strange contraption which seems to resemble a bomber/cargoplane?

Terry Fletcher provided the information: " 'Teacher's Pet' is a travelling exhibit!
Listed on Eurodemobbed website , click the photo for 51-0004, note says 'HU-16B N16CA modified to resemble
WWII Bomber'." Which Terry saw back in 2008 at New Smyrna Beach,FL ->see www.airport-data.com
And did you know: In 1970, Conroy Aircraft marketed a remanufactured HU-16A with Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop
engines as the Conroy Turbo Albatross, but only the single prototype (registration N16CA) was ever built. ¬Wikipedia

N3701G Serial : 44-8543

Model(s): B-17G / TB-17G / ETB-17G / JTB-17G Flying Fortress
Name: Chuckie (later renamed Madras Maiden, see relevant further down)
Last info: 2013

History:
Manufactured by Lockheed-Vega, Burbank CA
Delivered to USAAF as 44-8543.
- BOC: October 16, 1944.
- SOC: May 1959.
- Allocated to Cheyenne Modification Center, WY, October 1944.
- Transferred to Domestic Project 50A, November 1944
- Transferred to 4142nd AAF Base Unit (Air Technical Service Command), Patterson AAF, OH, September 1945.
-- Designated TB-17G.
- Transferred to 4000th AAF Base Unit (Air Materiel Command), Patterson AAF, January 1946.
- Loaned to Honeywell, Minneapolis, MN. November 1946.
- Transferred to 4152nd AF Base Unit (AMC), Clinton County AFB, OH, June 1948.
- Transferred to 2760th Air Base Group (AMC), Clinton County AFB, OH, March 1949.
-- Designated as ETB-17G.
- Transferred to 2750th Air Base Wing (AMC), Wright-Patterson AFB OH, September, 1949.
- Transferred to HQ Air Research and Development Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Oh, April 1951.
- Transferred to Wright Air Development Center (ARDC), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, January 1952.
- Leased to Federal Telecommunications Laboratory, Westchester MAP, NY, December 1952.
- Leased to Federal Telecommunications Laboratory, Teterboro AP, NJ, April 1957.
-- Designated as JTB-17G.
- Transferred to Arizona Aircraft Storage Branch (AMC), Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, January 1959.
- Dropped from inventory as surplus, May 1959.
American Compressed Steel, Cincinatti, OH, August 18, 1959-1960.
- Registered as N3701G.
Aero American Corp, Tucson, AZ, May 9, 1960-1961.
Albany Building Corp, Fort Lauderdale, FL, February 6, 1961.
- Operated by Leroy Brown, hauling freight, Bahama, 1961.
John B. Gregory, Fort Lauderdale, FL, May 15, 1962.
Donthan Aviation Corp, Dothan, AL, March 7, 1963-1979.
- Flew as sprayer.
- Damaged during fire-ant dusting, Cordele, GA, August 17, 1976.
William D. Hospers/Vintage Flying Museum, Fort Worth, TX, October 4, 1979-2010.
- Restored to airworthy status.
- Flew as 48543/Chuckie.
Gerald Yagen/Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach, VA, October 2010-2013.
- Fitted with chin turret and other military equipment.
Tillamook Air Museum, Tillamook, OR, 2013.
./end quote

The Erickson's B-17G named 'Chuckie', after the previous owner's wife, saw the move to Madras offering an opportunity for a name change: 'Madras Maiden'. SEE MY 2014 VISIT TO MADRAS!

Gerben Groothuis wrote me after reading my 2015 Galveston - Lone Star Museum report.
He wrote:"I enjoyed your photos & report of your recent trip to Texas. I have visited this particular aviation museum in Gaveston three times.
The first time was in 2004, so quite a bit earlier before that fateful day when Hurricane Ike did its destructive work here!
The second time was in Dec.2010 and the museum still showed the effects of that 2008 storm. They had to change a lot to deal with all that damage they'd suffered.
The last time I visited was in Aug.2012.
Nice to see you noted yet again other gems in the collection!

Here are a few results from the 2004 visit:

Clockwise:
Lockheed C-60A Lodestar, 'N43' (N43WT (42-56072) US Navy m/s); Photos by Friends & Guests (44) shows larger image
<Michael Bludworth added here:"... the museum wanted the engines of that Lodestar for their B-17.">
Supermarine Spitfire, N97RW ('TE392/ZX-Z'). Is it the same now on display at RAF Leeming,UK: Flickr.com ???
Lockheed P-38L Lightning, N9005R/44-53095); history I found on Geoff Goodall's website
TB-58A Hustler, 0668. Perhaps 'YN-58, 55-0668 (conv. tot TB-58) preserved at in Arkansas at Little Rock AFB'; see HERE
Michael Bludworth added:"that TB-58 at Lone Star was the one used as a chase plane for the XB-70; it came
down from the SW Aerospace Museum in Ft. Worth after it was closed."

Notes from the Webmaster,RL
In Peter J. Marson's Air-Britain publication 'The Lockheed Twins' I found some additional information.
First about Lockheed P-38 Lightning, N9005R:
P-38L (8350) 44-53095 - ex/ FAH-506 Bob Bean Acft 02Feb60. William Ross Enterprise Inc (1970).
To Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston,TX.
Googling I found on www.air-and-space.com the following:
"P-38L NL38TF was delivered to the US Army Air Corps as 44-53095. Its construction number is 422-8351.
It was modified as a two-pace P-38M night fighter. After the war it was purchased by R. A. Wardell and R. W. Martin of Jacksboro,OR in 1946 and registered as NL67745.
It was acquired by the Fuerza Aerea Hondurena as FAH503 and was later assigned FAH506.
It was struck off charge by the Fuerza Aerea Hondurena in 1960. Bob Bean Aircraft of Blythe, California acquired it on 02Feb1960 and registered it as N9005R.
William Ross of Elk Grove Village,IL bought it in 1969 and flew it as 453095 Der Gabelshwanz Teufel.
Robert L. Waltrip and Air-SRV of Houston,TX acquired it in Nov86 and sold it to the Lone Star Flight Museum in 1988.
It was damaged in an accident at Galveston, on 04May97.
It flew as Putt Putt Maru #100. Tom Blair of Kissimee,FL bought it in 2007.
It has been registered to Commanche Fighters LLS of Houston,TX since 06Nov2008. It flies as Thoughts of Midnight #120."

For c/n 18-2565 I found an extensive history in Peter Marson's 'Lockheed Twins' (published Air-Britain, 2001):
C-60A - USAAF 42-56972 17Aug1943. To Dallas, Mod Center for AAF Training Command, RFC 14 May1945.
Ferried Bush Field.GA to Miami,FL in June 1946.
Sold by WAA to Mason & Dixon Line 05Jun46 as NC66076, tf Mason-Dixon Airlines Inc, 22Jul46.
Converted civil variant 18-50 by Joseph Capece & N Y Webb.
Probably to C-804 Cia Trasandina SA, ret Jean Model as NC66076 29Nov47, reconverted to 18-56 01Dec47.
To Miranda Bros Trading Corp 02Dec47, E-16647 16Dec47 to ZS-DAZ (same owner).
To Bell Aviation South Africa (Pty) Ltd 13Aug48.
Stored Blackbushe,UK Nov48-May49 at least.
Sold Saudi Arabian Airlines as SA-AAH, but never delivered. Stored Gatwick,UK.
Sold by Govt of Saudi Arabia to Peter D. Freytag c/o American Aircraft Corp as N17A, 18Dec51.
Delivered as SA-AAH to USA via Prestwick 21Dec51.
Combs-Hayden Avn Co 01Feb52, Manley Aviation 26Sep52, to Combs-Hayden Aviation Company 12Aug53, tf Mountain States Aviation Inc 12Aug53, J.C. Dozier 30Sep53, Aircraftco [sic] Inc 04Apr56, Mechanical Products Inc 30Apr56, Ray Smith Transport Company 23Oct56, rereg'd N43RS 28Dec56.
To Blake C. Tucker dba Blake Tucker & Company 17Jun66, Robert B. Payne & William M. Peyton 12Dec66, Web Thomas Acft Sales Inc 24Feb71, rereg'd N43WT 21Aug71.
To Alexander C. & Robert C. Sweet dba Flying Circle Enterprises 03May72, John S. Matthews 23Nov83.
Seized by City of Zephyr Hills, Pasco County, Florida for drug smuggling prior 23May85!
To Kermit A. Weeks 05Dec87, Can Am Capital Corp. 11Oct89, rereg'd N107CA 03Jan90.
Stored Zephyr Hills,FL Mar90, still as N43WT.
Registry cancelled Apr96 'at owners request'.
Current at Lone Star Flight Museum,TX as BuAer'29626', US Navy c/s.
Reg'd Texas Aviation Hall of Fame 17Nov98.
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The reference book 'Survivors' by Roy Blewett (Gatwick Aviation Society, 2005) showed 18-2565 at Galveston,TX
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I also found: Chris Kennedy on Aero Visuals (26Oct2010): "I don't know if it belongs to the museum or should be a separate listing, but there is an aircraft fuselage at 29 16 26.67 N 94 51 23.74 W. It looks like it might be a PV-2 or one of the similar models."
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This website www.stormn69.org/2012/Lodestar.html (2012) has:"After being hit by Hurricane Ike in Galveston, the plane was pushed off to the side of the runway for a few years. The Lodestar had been completely submerged in salt water from the hurricane storm surge (about 12ft of water!). It went through several owners after the storm and finally it was hauled to a local scrap yard where I (Jason Barnett; 'carlisle1926' WIX forum) stumbled upon it."
When I checked the WIX forum I found a thread about the festive opining of art work, titled 'Waddy's Wagon', done by Jason Barnett, commemorating a B-29 named 'Waddy's Wagon' which flew in the Pacific (20th Air Force, 73rd Bomb Wing, 497th Bomb Group, 869th Bomb Squadron) and was lost with its crew on 09Jan1945, while escorting another B-29 back from a bombing raid on Japan."
And during that occasion Jason told: "The nose art is done on material from an airplane that was scrapped. I used a section of the roof from the badly damaged Lockheed Lodestar that I once had. It has yielded a LOT of art pieces."
The subject here, the artwork, can be seen on my visit to the Lone Star Galveston Museum (2015). A photo of Lodestar N43WT in its prime see Photos by Friends & Guests page 44 (Gerben Groothuis & Michael Bludworth).
www.jasonbarnettartist.com

Jason added (25Jul16): "Lockheed C-60 N43WT was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008. The wings, entire tail surfaces, and engines had already been removed long before the hurricane.
I was told the plan was for the new owner, who had purchased the plane some time before Hurricane Ike struck, was to truck the fuselage to a new home about 100miles away; but the hurricane destroyed it before that happened. Oonly the wings and other parts had already been trucked out.
I bought the horribly beat up remains and later cut it up to make artwork pieces such as the subject of this thread. It was a sad ending for such a neat plane, but it lives on as artwork now in a lot of homes, offices and museums."

Gerben wrote: "after my first visit here in 2004, I visited again in Dec.2010. The museum still showed the effects of that 2008 storm, Hurricane Ike. They had to change a lot to deal with all that damage they'd suffered."

Lockheed PV-2D 37634; history of this warbird can be found on My 2015 Galveston visit
The reference book 'Survivors' by Roy Blewett (Gatwick Aviation Society, 2005) showed N6655D
at Tucson,AZ but c/n 15-1600 (same aircraft!) in the index at Galveston,TX - maybe it changed home around that time.

The imposing TB-58A Hustler also suffered damages when a great flood rushed into the museum.
I did not see it upon my 2015 visit to the Lone Star (Galveston) Museum, perhaps sold to generate funding for repairs.
Could this be 'YN-58, 55-0668 (conv. tot TB-58) preserved at in Arkansas at Little Rock AFB'; see HERE
Michael Bludworth added:"that TB-58 at Lone Star was the one used as a chase plane for the XB-70; it
came down from the SW Aerospace Museum in Ft. Worth after it was closed."

The famous B-25J Mitchell WW2 bomber, (N333RW) '02344' 'Doolittle Raiders'.

Consolidated 28-5A Canso A, N68740 (c/n 407)
I've read somewhere that it may also have been sold and will change owner somewhere in 2016

Since the 1990s this PB4Y-2 N3739G has been with the Lone Star Museum, but upon my visit in Nov.2015 I
found it being disassembled for transport to the Pima Air Museum in Arizona, where its arrival soon after was confirmed.
There is another image, taken in 2012, further down this page.

The top two, Beech AT-11 Kansan and the Cessna Bobcat are described on my 2015 page.
N75272 is a Boeing-Stearman N2S-5 / PT13D Kaydet; in 2015 I noticed its engine was again in place.
'ANG 04566' is a North-American SNJ-6 Texan; Joe Baugher's website showed:'ex/ USAAF 42-85493 (c/n 88-17274) to civil registry as N777WS; registration N566TX reserved 18Jul2008, taken up 20Aug2008.' When I checked FAA's
N-inquire database (22Feb2016) I found N566TX reg'd 01Feb2008 to Texas Aviation Hall of Fame.

And on 31Jul12 Gerben again visited the Lone Star Museum at Galveston; here are some of the images he sent along.

Since the 1990s this PB4Y-2 N3739G/'C30' has been with the Lone Star Museum, but upon my visit in Nov.2015 I
found it being disassembled for transport to the Pima Air Museum in Arizona, where its arrival soon after was
confirmed. There is another image, taken in 2011, on this webpage (scroll upwards).

A beautiful shot of Douglas A-26 Invader, serial 41-39359; it is named 'Miss Million Airess'.

Clockwise:
Boeing Stearman PT-17 (N2S-5) Kaydet, N450TG (Serial No. 75-8665). Registry on N-inquiry found unknown (23Feb16)
TF-51D Mustang, NL4151D/(FASalv 404)/'42-106805/CS-F'; 'Galveston Gal' - its sad fate described on my page HERE..
'T-6G'/(SNJ-5) Texan, N566TX/(Bu85053)/'50-4566 TX ANG'
Cavalier T.2, NL20TF/'44-63187/WZ-Y'/(FABol521)

Soon after, on 19Oct2015, Gerben took a peek at Pontiac-Oakland County Airport and spotted these three propliners

Convair CV580 N151FL, operated by the IFL Group
In my database I have notes dating back to the early 1990s of c/n 51: N5810 Richmor Aviation (converted
Convair 340-38), operated by Westates Airlines; in storage area at Kelowna,BC ('basic TWA'c/s) Jul96;
rereg'd for IFL Group/Contract Air Cargo as N151FL on 30jul98. Noted at London,ONT on 04Aug02, probably
on carparts cargo flight. Then on Detroit/Pontiac as 'looking airworthy' on ..Sep03.
And again at London, Ontario on 22Jun05.

Convair C-131B N7813B/(53-7813; c/n 265); it is obviously stored here.
My notes stated 'stored at Pontiac, noted there on 16Jul08 as 'wfu', but with Gulf & Caribbean Cargo-titles'.
See also Photos by Friends & Guests Page #58 & Page #68

UPDATE! Jackson Baumstark wrote me in Feb.2025: "I was browsing your website and came across convair C-131B N7813B. I wanted to write to give an update on that airplane. It was purchased by the Yankee air museum at Willow Run airport in 2018. and made the short ferry flight to Willow Run in 2019. The airplane is currently housed in their Cold War hangar, right next to the P2V tanker 45. I have included a picture of N7813B that I took in 2021."

Convair C-131F N8149P (ex/ BuNo.141009; c/n 292); also owned by the IFL Group but I came across
N8149P when it was operated for the Beaufort County Council, as a sprayer! See MY REPORT, visit to
'Frogmore Int'l Airport' in South Carolina

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