Warbird Information Exchange

I flew the U-11 to Victoria, TX, (former Foster Field) Sunday and was surprised to see a couple of warbirds on the ramp.

One appeared to be an old C-131 in Coast Guard markings. A guy at the FBO said someone bought it without checking it out first. When he sent a mechanic to get it ready for flight, he found a bunch of stress fractures, making it unairworthy. A ferry permit was able to be acquired anyway, and the plane flown to KVCT. There it sits, as the owner doesn't have the money to do the massive repairs.

Off the right wing tip was a special treat. A silver MiG 21! The N-number returns to a 1976 MiG 21, registered to Gary Dean Lewis of Baytown, Texas. It looked to be in pretty good shape, from my distant vantage point.

Anyone know any more about these planes?

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Mike

Sorry I don't have pictures. The next time I go that way I'll try to remember my camera!

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Mike

Wow! Victoria has an airport!

Sorry, couldn't resist! It is the only sizable town in the middle of nowhere, that's why I drove through it when I went home from college back home to Bay City. Lots of miles on those Texas two-lanes!

Victoria, looks a little different now Digger.

The C-131 is the one that used to be at Chino. Doesn't have stress fractures it has corrosion and it belongs to the 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport, Houston.

Gary used to base the Mig at EFD. It was one of the first Migs to fly in the US. They thought they were going to have people beating their door down to make them rich on the airshow circuit. Tried to tell them, they didn't want to listen....

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

...and I don't imagine that the Mig21 just "sips" fuel. Little wings + Big Engine =Huge$$$$. Well at least parking out in the sticks probably saves a little.

I has probably been close to 20 years since I drove through Victoria. At that point it looked like a town stuck in the 1950's. The grand old courthouse downtown is an awesome old edifice (if I'm thinking of the right one). I went through several towns along the way.

Thanks, Rick, for clearing the story up on the C-131! Corrosion problems makes more sense than stress fractures. What are the plans for it now? Is it going to make it to Hobby eventually?

I wonder what the status on Gary's 21 is?

Foster Field was a wonderful place, until the F-100's arrived and were too heavy for the ramp. The big squares of concrete started sinking under their weight. So a very bright person decided to drill holes and pump tar under them. When the hot, Texas summer sun started heating the ramp up, tar came bubbling up through all the expansion joints. Aircraft that had wheels over one, got stuck! It's my understanding that is why they shut the base down.

The man who taught me to fly, Sandy Sansing, was based there during WWII for gunnery training in P-40's. Sandy is from Bay City, just a short ways away. He told me that he flew over there just one time, doing a little buzzing. The newspaper article came out as to how no damage was done in the enemy attack on Bay City! He decided he wouldn't fly over his home town any more.

I believe Tex Hill once told me that he was also assigned there. A lot of history, but not much left of it these days.

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Mike

the Coast guard plane is a Martin 404, not a C131. It did come from california however, through Gainsville Tx ( where my dad worked on it) and then onto the 1940's Museum. Hope that clears it up a bit
cheers
Simon

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"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"

There used to be a F-101 displayed there. IIRC

You can also find Aloe field. the new loop crosses the runway.
We did quite a bit of exploring there one day.
Was a drag strip there too, in the 60's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzkMhKJQ_zw

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"I've already got four, and I've got thirty cornered" Lt Paul Pablo VF-14 USS Essex

Thanks, Simon! I thought something didn't quite look right with that C-131. I've never seen a 404 in war paint, I guess that's what threw me off. Cool history about it. Thanks!

What's the story about Aloe field? I didn't know about it.

I didn't see the F-101, but I remember it. It might still be there. I'll look next time I'm there. As I recall, the 101 came from EFD, and was a NASA bird before the former Crossroads Wing of the CAF acquired it for airport decoration. They wanted a HUN, since they were the last planes stationed there, but they figured they would take what they could get.

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Mike

I knew the C-131 was a Martin, should have corrected that myself.

The F-101 was actually a 147th FIW aircraft. Watched them load it onto a truck. It had sat out in the dirt for so long it had sunk into the mud past the axles !

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

On the tail of the Martin was "CV-3A". I wonder if that is the designation the Coast Guard gave it, or did it have a different meaning?

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Mike

There were actually several fields around Foster Field.
Aloe: http://www.airfields-freeman.com/TX/Air ... .html#aloe
Nursery: http://www.airfields-freeman.com/TX/Air ... ml#nursery
Fannin: http://www.airfields-freeman.com/TX/Air ... tml#fannin

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"I've already got four, and I've got thirty cornered" Lt Paul Pablo VF-14 USS Essex

I've seen Nursery Field from the air many times, enroute to and from Victoria from San Marcos, and always wondered what it was. Thanks! Now I know! I'll have to ask Sandy Sansing about these fields and see if he landed on any of them back in WWII.

The Aloe lay-out reminded me of the old coastal defense base to the south of Victoria, between the bay and the gulf. I flew over it for the first time in 20 years last Sunday, and it sure has changed. There were no buildings there then, just a burned out hulk of a T-28 that had been stolen from the 149th at Kelly AFB (I was told by the owner of the property then). Now there are a lot of buildings scattered on the ramp and some runways, but not the main one that everyone used. Looks like they still do, judging by the way the grass is worn away on it.

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Mike

Rick - do you know where this Voodoo went?

-Derek

The Coast Guard operated two Martin 4-0-4 aircraft out of Washington Airport. Ordered in 1951, the aircraft were delivered in 1952 and were designated RM-1, then RM-1G, with the Martin numbers 14290 and 14291. The Coast Guard aircraft numbers were 1282 and 1283. With executive interiors installed, the aircraft were later designated RM-1Z until 1962 when they were designated VC-3A. The aircraft were retired from Coast Guard service in 1969, and assigned to the Navy with BuNos 158202 and 158203.

From "U.S. Coast Guard Aircraft Since 1916" bu Arthur Pearcy.

Bob