Where are the warbird King Airs?

[Chappie]

I was flipping through International Airpower Review #11 and read the section about military King Airs. Whatever happened to the early Army U-21 variants that served in Vietnam? Most internet searches lead to Dynamic Aviation and talk mostly about current King Airs flying ISR missions over Derka-stan.

I just wonder if there is an old King Air 90 sitting out there somewhere with an interesting history that no one knows about. Gotta admit, if you found one and restored it with all the antenna, dipoles, bumps, and fairings and landed at Sun N Fun, it would be the talk of the flightline. An honest warbird with great cross-country capability!

Chappie

[Stoney]

12 years ago there was a hangar full of them in OK. Don't know if they are still them.

[JohnB]

There is a U-21 here at KSFF.
It was given to a mission aviation school as a maintenance trainer by the outfit that bought most of the ex-military aircraft.
I understand its PT-6s were swapped for a run-out pair.
It's still in gloss OD & white colors but its square windows have been over painted round to make it look like a King Air.

[careyvan208]

Many if not most of the U-21s were sold to Dynamic Aviation. Many of those have been modified for variuos other duties. Some are used for ISR
missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Others are used as aerial application . They are considered experimental as there is no FAA type certificate for them. The basic U-21 has a Queen Air fuselage mated to King Air 90 wings/tail.

[marine air]

I interviewed with them about 4 years ago in Bridgewater, Va. At that time they had about 120 King Airs. Maybe 80 flyable and 40 or so in the junkyard. I was told they bought up all the Army birds and then operated them for the Army as well as other contracts. That includes a mix of U-21's, C-12A's thru F's etc. Basically they operate the unpre
ssurized King Airs, the 90's, 200's everything except the B300/B350's because they require type rated pilots.
The U-21's and some 90's were being used to spray for contracts for the Dept. of the Interior releasing insects over swamps, in the Gulf, west coast, Alaska, etc. low level stuff where pressurization isn't required. They have a lot of international work going on also. A couple years ago the owner of Atlanta Salvage was at our airport picking up a crashed C-172. He said that Dynamic had been quietly going about the U.S. buying up all the King Air parts, and had purchased every airframe and item they could find in their salvage yard.

There have been at least two military "warbird " C-12As /KIng AIr 90s for sale in recent years. Courtesy Aircraft and Dynamic both had a C-90 in U.S. Army markings. It looked nice, had a cargo door and they were asking $430K. NOne of the military King Airs are aerobatic, but they are fun to fly.

[Invader26]

Flew with US Army in U-21's out of Thailand into Laos and Cambodia circa 1975. No markings on aircraft and we carried no personal ID or unit patches/markings. I guess we weren't there!

[Chappie]

Interesting information everyone, thanks. Marineair- Glad to see you got an interview with the Stolftzus crew. I've tried several times to get an interview about their Beech 18s that they converted to mosquito sprayers. There are a pair of them near my home that are still actively engaged "Fight The Bite".

Chappie