T-6 Mosquito and a Lincoln Head Penny

[Misterg97]

This is my photo of the T-6 in the AF Musuem ... If I asked, what's with it and a Lincoln head penny? ... Can anyone here answer?

[The Inspector]

The ones placed under the P&W shield on the sump @ the factory for 'good luck'?

[Misterg97]

Give the man a cigar! .... Thanks for the quick reply ... it was pointed out to me by an ex T-6 pilot who was visiting one day and asked to see our T-6.

Is there a way you can verify that they were placed at the factory as he did not know where the penny came from.

[The Inspector]

Not without prying the badge off and ruining it since the crimping process took a while in the factory to keep from crushing the fired enamel on the badge. If you are a connoisseur and obsservant you can find badges that say on them 'built by BUICK or STUDEBAKER or FORD' under the eagle.
The idea was one of those 'for the boys' deals that happened in the factory to boost morale among the workers.

[planenutti]

Is it not true that the P&W engines that get overhauled these days get a new penny, minted in the year of the overhaul?
Bob

[Dan K]

Not just 1340's either...P&W's of all sizes carry them. Interesting read:

http://www.amtonline.com/publication/ar ... =1&id=4204

[The Inspector]

It's nice to hear that the tradition continues to this day!

[N3Njeff]

Dont think this still happens on new production jet engines!!!! Cheap bastards just put a Sticker on em now!!!

BTW..........there is a way to get the porcelin ones off without cracking them.

[JohnB]

I believe Studebaker just made Wrights under license.
Many/most of ther flying Flying Forts have at least one Studebaker engine.

I'm a member of the Studebaker Drivers Club ( I have a freshly restored 63 Avanti in my collection) and its very proud of Strudebakers war work and I've mentioned this before but a club member makes very nice T-shirts with reproductions of Studebakers aviation-themed wartime advertisments.

[planenutti]

for years we had two Studabakers on the Lodestar, they worked great

[Dave Homewood]

So where does the Mosquito in this thread title come into all of this??

Do the Yanks call a Harvard a Mosquito?

[planenutti]

The Mosquito comes into the thread as that is what they called the T-6's used as FAC's in Korea.

[The Inspector]

Korean War call sign for AT-6 'FAC' operations, hence the rockets under the wings on the example in the photo-

[Holedigger]

I have seen newer pennies in rebuilds, it is a cool tradition.
On the Studebacker front, our old Studebaker showroom downtown St Petersburg, FL, was saved from demolition and restored/reused, it has ceramic Studebaker emblems as architectural decorations, very cool!

[Second Air Force]

Dont think this still happens on new production jet engines!!!! Cheap bastards just put a Sticker on em now!!!

BTW..........there is a way to get the porcelin ones off without cracking them.

I've got a belt buckle that my uncle gave me thirty years ago with a porcelain badge affixed to it. He got it while he worked at Boeing/Wichita, from an unsuspecting 4360.

S