Has the Vulture's Row SBD Flown Yet?

[Dan Jones]

Has the Dauntless flown yet?

[Mike]

Steve Hinton flew it a couple of weeks back.

[Jerry O'Neill]

Since it is not located very far away, hopefully the SBD's first public outing just may be at the California Capital Air Show in September.
They will be judging the National Aviation Heritage Invitational Trophy during the weekend.
The SBD would seem to be a strong candidate if it is entered!

Last edited by Jerry O'Neill on Wed Aug 09, 2017 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Mike]

Do any of Slattery's airplanes appear in public these days?

[OD/NG]

Do any of Slattery's airplanes appear in public these days?

My impression is that Slattery and his planes are maintaining a very low profile. I would guess that it has to do with his issues with the Federal government.

[JohnTerrell]

Some have been on loan to/on display at the "National Museum of WWII Aviation" (Colorado Springs), including the P-38, Tigercats, Skyraider and F3F.

[JohnTerrell]

The Vulture's Row/Slattery SBD has arrived in Colorado Springs at the "National Museum of WWII Aviation", where a number of Slattery's other warbirds are based.

Photo here: https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=5A2DA38D

[Dan Jones]

Is this airplane the first ex Lake Michigan SBD to fly again? Seems to me that it is.

[JohnTerrell]

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Last edited by JohnTerrell on Sun Aug 13, 2017 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Mike]

The question asked was whether this is the first Lake Michigan SBD to fly.

[JohnTerrell]

Then the correct answer of course would be, yes.

It is one of five of the type flying - four SBD's (Jim Slattery, Planes of Fame, Commemorative Air Force, Lone Star Flight Musuem) and an A-24 dressed like an SBD (Erickson Aircraft Collection).
The CAF and LSFM SBD's were, for a long time, called A-24's, but more recent research has shown that both were originally manufactured for the Navy as SBD's, and the confusion over calling them A-24's came from their time in the Mexican Air Force and re-importation back into the US (when they were re-imported back into the US, their Navy BuNo's were read as being partial USAAF serial numbers of early A-24's (that went to the Pacific), rather than the late-production SBD's they are).

Besides the Lewis F4F-3 and the Slattery SBD-4, both Lake Michigan recoveries already flying, the only other Lake Michigan recovery that I'm aware of in private ownership that could be restored and flown is the FM-2 55404, which is now in England (reg. G-WCMO).

[Mike]

John, do you know where the SBD project that was once with the USS Hornet Museum at Alameda ended up?

[Steve Nelson]

The Vulture's Row/Slattery SBD has arrived in Colorado Springs at the "National Museum of WWII Aviation", where a number of Slattery's other warbirds are based.

Photo here: https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=5A2DA38D

Dang..I was just there three weeks ago. In the immortal words of Agent 86 Maxwell Smart: Missed it by that much...

SN

[JohnTerrell]

Mike, I've seen mention that it is now at the Castle Air Museum undergoing long-term restoration (in need of a lot of work).

I was thinking, the Palm Springs SBD was recovered from Lake Michigan - is it actually owned by the museum, or just on loan from the Navy? I know the restoration was considered to static only, but if it is free of Navy grasp, there is always the potential to see it fly in the future(?).

[OD/NG]

Mike, I've seen mention that it is now at the Castle Air Museum undergoing long-term restoration (in need of a lot of work).

I was thinking, the Palm Springs SBD was recovered from Lake Michigan - is it actually owned by the museum, or just on loan from the Navy? I know the restoration was considered to static only, but if it is free of Navy grasp, there is always the potential to see it fly in the future(?).

The Palm Springs SBD is owned by the Navy and will never fly.