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

[A26 Special K]

March is roaring by and it will flying time again soon. Our first airshow is at Waco the first weekend of April. We can hardly wait to do some test and training flights to get ready for that. Our ground school class will kick off the training cycle this coming Sat. We still have quite a few items left to check off the inspection list but most of the hard ones are completed. We are really looking forward to resuming flight operations!

[A26 Special K]

An engine run showed the new aux fuel tank is feeding normally and has no leaks. We installed new scupper drains on both tanks and were rather surprised by the left side. It didn’t want to even spit when we poured mineral spirits into it for the test. A little investigative work found evidence of a mud plug left by an insect. Cleaned same and it now works as advertised. We will continue some test runs on engines and fly sometime next week although the weather forecast is not the best for then.

[airnutz]

Grooaannn...mud daubers, the national bird of Texas...

[A26 Special K]

Actually, not Texas mud daubers, but Montana looks like. But those varmints have no respect for state borders. The CAF T-34 that sat outside in Florida before it was restored had a mud dauber nest in the fuel vent on the left side. We kept wondering why the tank would barely feed and it took some time to figure it out. Who knew?

[airnutz]

Diabolical little creatures...tag-team mud daubers!

[A26 Special K]

If the weather cooperates, we are planning to take Kay to the Heart of Texas Airshow in Waco this coming weekend. It is a two day event so if we don’t make it there on Saturday, we will try again on Sunday. We will have her on static display so be sure to drop by and visit. We will be offering cockpit tours, new T shirts and hats along with several other new items.

[A26 Special K]

We are fogged in this morning with an area of thunderstorms headed towards us from the west followed by another wave from the south this evening. Kay is staying at home instead of going to Waco. We are disappointed to miss an opportunity to share her with show goers. We feel for the folks who have worked so hard to produce the Heart of Texas airshow. Hopefully they can salvage something out of it tomorrow.

[A26 Special K]

Kay is going to participate in a flyover of the Gainesville Tx parade on Saturday 13th at 10 am, weather permitting. We seem to be in a weekly pattern of rain storms on the weekends right now. Gainesville was home to a Division sized Army camp during WW2 along with an airfield that trained pilots in various fighters such as the P-47. There was also a substantial POW camp as well. The city honors all Medal Of Honor recipients each year with several activities including a parade with WW2 aircraft flying overhead. We will be proud to join in the ceremonies. Kay served in England during WW2 in 1945. When we stripped the paint, there were ghost images of her old markings on the fuselage from then and the Korean era.

[A26 Special K]

Unfortunately, the weather forecast is bad enough for Saturday that Gainesville has cancelled the MoH Parade and flyover. All events will be moved indoors. Kay will stay in the VFM hangar and possibly fly on Sunday afternoon for a quick check for maintenance that was completed over the winter. Our next event is a static display on April 27th at the Fort Worth Aviation Museum’s Props and Hops celebration. Good food and live music plus several visiting aircraft to see. Come visit with us there!

[A26 Special K]

Kay will arrive at the Abilene Airshow on May 3 about 3 pm. She will fly in the show on May 4 that opens at 8 am and the flying portion starts about 12:30. We will have new hats and T shirts for sale. Come see us there!

[A26 Special K]

Hops and Props turned out well. Fun day! Abilene is on the agenda for next Saturday if Ma Nature cooperates. On Sunday, we may drop in on the Temple show. Corsicana show is still on for May 11. Barksdale will be May 18. VFM Fly Day is May 25. Busy times for us, but something we have been working toward for nearly 9 years. There are some exciting events coming up in the Fall season. Hope you can come see Kay and visit with us.

[A26 Special K]

The Abilene and Temple shows were successes in spite of slow starts due to weather. It all worked out. Now we are sweating the rain forecast for Corsicana next w/e. Something new we just got are Special Kay Challenge Coins. Go to our public FB page for a looksee. No membership or login required.
http://www.facebook.com/a26specialkay

[A26 Special K]

Unfortunately, the Corsicana folks had to postpone their show until the Fall due to heavy rain creating mud puddles out of the parking lots and viewing area. We hope they find a good alternate date. Next weekend, we will be on display at Barksdale AFB during their show with the Snowbirds for Sat/Sun if Ma Nature is cooperative. See you there hopefully! This is possibly our last show until September. We will try to do part of our winter maintenance program during the summer so we can get an earlier start next year.

[A26 Special K]

Barksdale was a blast!! We had a great show. The Barksdale folks really took good care of us and the visitors were super. We just picked up a 4th of July celebration at the New Braunfels Airport. That should be a grand event with several Warbirds, live band and a bbq. Drop by to see us if in the area.

[A26 Special K]

The Vintage Flying Museum is having “Fly Day” on Sat, 25th from 0800 to 1700 hours. Rides are available on the C-47, A-26 Night Mission, PT-19 and T-34. Flybys are expected from our neighbor, Lockheed Martin/Carswell and may include an F-35 or others. Kay will be on display and cockpit tours will be available. Be sure to come visit. For more info, go to http://www.vintageflyingmuseum.org