B-26K Counter-Invader Restoration ("Special K")

RickH · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:52 am

Hawkeye, best way to preserve it is put it back in the airplane and power it up occasionally. One dead radio on the shelf pretty much looks like another !

Old SAR pilot · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:24 am

The June edition of Combat Aircraft Monthly (Vol 11, No 6) has an article on the B-26's in Southeat Asia - "Counter-Invaders in Vietnam", and on p.60, there is a pic of possibly your bird in the air near England AFB circa May 1968.

Ken · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:12 pm

RickH wrote:

Hawkeye, best way to preserve it is put it back in the airplane and power it up occasionally. One dead radio on the shelf pretty much looks like another !

My opinion doesn't mean squat, but I have to second Rick's statement. Why would you not want the airplane to have all its original equipment, operational or not? Preserving the originals is admirable, but I hope you reconsider the means by which you accomplish the goal.

Ken

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:27 pm

So I have two opinions for keeping the original radios in the plane.

So, next question? Should I:

1.) clean them up and reinstall them
or
2.) take them apart, refurbish the cases to make them look new(er) and reinstall them.

Any decision has to go through management at Pacific Prowler of course, but I can make
recommendations.

RickH · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:34 pm

I vote for a sympathetic resto. Clean them up and reinstall.

Ken · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:48 pm

RickH wrote:

I vote for a sympathetic resto. Clean them up and reinstall.

Again, right on. Think of all the musuems who don't have original parts to work with. Everything done is the restorer's best guess of how something was mounted, how it was painted, etc. You guys seem to have a gold mine of originality. Clean it up and minimize future deteroriation, but please leave it as is. If it looks old - it's because it is!

K5DH · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 3:19 pm

Okay, for better or worse, I'll chime in at this point. . . :roll:

Most WIXers know that I'm the VFM "radio guy". Hawkeye approached me Sunday at the hangar on behalf of the Special K restoration crew, asking me if I could help them obtain a replacement set of military radio gear. He told me that their intent is to eliminate upwards of 200 lbs of dead weight by installing a set of cosmetically correct but gutted radios and dynamotors in place of the operational originals. We're talking about literally nothing but empty cabinets and dynamotor housings with all of the "guts" removed. I assume the idea is to save fuel, and there's no denying that those R2800s are going to be mighty thirsty. However, I'm not sure how much fuel they'll actually save by eliminating 200 lbs of weight from a 40,000 lb airplane (probably not much). I'm also not sure how much effect removing 200 lbs from the tail area would have on the airplane's CG (again, probably not much). In the end, dead weight is dead weight, and regardless of how you justify removing it, the less weight you have to lug into the air, the better off you probably are.

If it was my airplane, I'd restore the original radios -- cosmetically and electrically -- and leave them in place. The Special K crew intends to restore the airplane with its correct Vietnam-era equipment and livery, and in my not-so-humble opinion, for such a unique airplane, that's the only way to do it justice. Airshow visitors and museum guests will be duly impressed when they learn that the airplane is period-correct right down to a full complement of working, original military radios. What a great way to truly honor the Nimrods and the dangerous mission they performed!

That's my two cents' worth.

RickH · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 3:39 pm

I come from this with a little more insight than most as it regards A-26 operation in that I was heavily involved with the Collings Foundation Korean War A-26, "My Mary Lou". The original A-26 had a rough empty weight of 25,000 lbs, with a published gross of 35,000 lbs. If I remember correctly the K model mods upped the gross to 40,000 lbs. This was due to the uprated engines and the beefed up spar strap. So it's empty weight would be a little higher than the original.

We actually operated around 30,000 lbs. Nothing we added made any difference in fuel burn or performance. Their fuel burn can be planned at 200 gal per hour, no matter what you do, you are still feeding two R2800s. In reality we would run the engines in cruise at 1800 rpm and 30 inches, indicate 230 mph, and burn 180 gal per hour.

200 lbs ? The airplane will never even feel it !

Clean it up, put it back the way it was, and go FLY it !!!

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 7:44 pm

RickH wrote:

I come from this with a little more insight than most as it regards A-26 operation in that I was heavily involved with the Collings Foundation Korean War A-26, "My Mary Lou". The original A-26 had a rough empty weight of 25,000 lbs, with a published gross of 35,000 lbs. If I remember correctly the K model mods upped the gross to 40,000 lbs. This was due to the uprated engines and the beefed up spar strap. So it's empty weight would be a little higher than the original.

We actually operated around 30,000 lbs. Nothing we added made any difference in fuel burn or performance. Their fuel burn can be planned at 200 gal per hour, no matter what you do, you are still feeding two R2800s. In reality we would run the engines in cruise at 1800 rpm and 30 inches, indicate 230 mph, and burn 180 gal per hour.

200 lbs ? The airplane will never even feel it !

Clean it up, put it back the way it was, and go FLY it !!!

Lovin it!!!!

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 9:34 pm

We did talk about the weight of the radios, but I think more of the intent was to preserve them. However they were meant to fly around in that plane and I do agree there is something to be said for preserving the airplane complete and original. I think it would be cool to have it all installed and original.

I can replace a couple handfuls of rusty screws with fresh ones and clean and repaint all of them for fairly little effort. If it were my decision to make, I would want the restoration to be nice, but not perfect; like it had been in Vietnam for a couple of months... (ours didn't go to SEA by the way. Stateside all the time)

I'll discuss with the owners and do as they wish.

RickH · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 9:58 pm

Hawkeye, that aircraft is a literal time capsule. In this case less is more. It would be best if the paint is left out of the equation.

It may not have gone to Viet Nam, but it is the last operational type of its kind. Because of the AF policy it is one of darn few to survive at all. As such, she represents all of those that did go to Viet Nam.

NImrodA26 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:23 pm

RickH wrote:

It may not have gone to Viet Nam, but it is the last operational type of its kind. Because of the AF policy it is one of darn few to survive at all. As such, she represents all of those that did go to Viet Nam......................

And it is apparently the sole surviving aircraft of the 10 that did not go to SEA. The only 3 I know of that are left in the US (none of which are apparently airworthy) are 653 at Pima, 666 at Hurlburt Field, and 676 at NMUSAF. 671 was at Florence, but was scrapped in 99. This is definitely a significant piece of history. Many don't realize that while there were just over 2500 A-26's built, there were only 40 airframes modified to the "K" version. Subtract the ones that disappeared to conflicts other than SEA, the ones lost in SEA, and the numbers really dwindle down.
From June to late Nov. 66, 8 were initially deployed to NKP, with 2 more being ferried over after our first two
losses. During my time at NKP, there were never more than 8 aircraft there. At the peak, I think there may have been 15 or 16 in late 68 or early 69.
Save everything you can!
Randy

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:28 pm

RickH wrote:

Hawkeye, that aircraft is a literal time capsule. In this case less is more. It would be best if the paint is left out of the equation.

It may not have gone to Viet Nam, but it is the last operational type of its kind. Because of the AF policy it is one of darn few to survive at all. As such, she represents all of those that did go to Viet Nam.

This is EXACTLY the way to look at it. I collect vehicles of the Vietnam era. As much as I would LOVE to think that one of my truck was in RVN, I can confidently say that the chances are slim. I put my trucks together EXACTLY how they would have been seen in 1969-70.

"Special K" is one of those that fate just kept her stateside. Neverless she is still here and flying. Just make her a proud girl and let her represent her sisters that gave the good fight and to those who flew and maintained them.

Ken · **Posted:** Tue Jun 08, 2010 2:58 am

RickH wrote:

Hawkeye, that aircraft is a literal time capsule. In this case less is more. It would be best if the paint is left out of the equation.

Rick is on a roll. If you're not already savvy on how to stop any existing corrosion and preserve those units "as is" I'm sure there are any number of talents available via WIX, NMUSAF, Smithsonian, etc who would assist. Again, restorers tear their hair out trying to match a particular paint color or finish. Yours is already original, be thrilled! What a tribute to a great airplane.

If the owners say "Paint it purple", then that's their right - otherwise preserve 'em, warts and all.

Ken

hawkeyepoole · **Posted:** Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:40 am

It's all a great honor to me just to be allowed to even touch this airplane. Not having the decades of experience so many others of you have, I must defer to the greater knowledge. I can see many sides to the restoration puzzle: those who would make a restoration look as if it just left the factory, those who like the '100 mission look' and those who would preserve 'as-is'.

My father-in-law's best friend Major Stanley Voiaziakis is a docent at NASM in DC. He showed me the one of the most expensive airplane restoration in the Smithsonian's history (I think Enola Gay has surpassed that now) and right next to it is a P-61 Black Widow that follows the new paradigm of preservation, not restoration.

I'm just hoping we can raise the money soon for the real work to begin on the rest of the airplane! Anyone can donate at http://shop.pacificprowler.org

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B-26K Counter-Invader Restoration ("Special K")

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