Warbird Information Exchange

Hi All,

This may or may not be a silly question to ask, but since the movie has been on cable TV recently, it got me to wondering. Does anyone know how many aircraft were converted to the "Tora Bird" configuration, how many of each type, and how many are still in existance today and flyable ?

Thanks in advance,

Paul

I know 9 Val types were created for the movie, and only 4 exist today!

_________________
"Keep 'em Flying!"

Check out this link to Mike Henniger's list of Tora Aircraft.
Jerry

http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Other.html

I have been so busy building up the site, I forgot to tell anyone that I put the latest and greatest up at that link. Thanks for posting Jerry.

As for the Tora list, the section on the Vals (if I remember correctly) needs some work. I think there are one or two birds listed twice, but until I get my hands on a good source of info for older N-number (civil registrations) I am unlikely to solve the mystery of which entries to pair up. On another point... there was a Strearman that appeared in the film. Apparently it survives today on the Hawaiian Islands someplace. I would like to know more about this airframe, especially the contstruction number. If anyone can help, let me know!!!

Regards,

Mike

_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... php?t=7181

Here's one of them.....

_________________
One day I looked up and he's pushing 80...
He's got brown tobacco stains all down his chin.
To me he's one of the hero's of this country, so why is he all dressed up like them ole men....

Paul,

Recreating the Japanese Naval Air Force

By Charles D. Angel, and copied from The Spring 1996 DISPATCH magazine of the CAF

In all, 25 replica Zeros, nine Kates and nine Vals were built in California by Stewart-Davis and Cal-Volair. Fiberglass torpedoes were added to the Vals. A few of each type had fitted three-bladed props, gear-cased engines and tail hooks for close-up scenes and carrier landings. In addition, 19 other AT-6s were modified in Japan using the "California pattern" by the Kawasaki Aircraft Co. for a second unit filming in Japan.

For further details of the aircraft used by the Tora Tora Tora team see www.toratoratora.com/we_are/our_planes.htm


Needle

Dont forget about the cut up of some BT-13 tail sections as well to create the birds into Tora birds.

there were also quite a few original warbirds that were preverbial sacrificial lambs all in the name of celluloid & money. what a shame!!

_________________
tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Needle,

Thanks for posting this.



That is a very good break down of the modifications to the various types.



I checked your list and it looks like my list is up-to-date regarding the tie-ups of the civil registrations to markings.

Mike

_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

Hi Mike,

According to my list there is at least 8 if not 9 Vals still flying/flyable. Whether or not all of them are maintained that way is another question.

Mike

_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

There is one question from the Val section of the list. One of them was marked "AI-234" at one time. It may have been registered N22009 or N2200S. Does anyone know which registration it was?

There are also to Vals on the list that I don't have IDs for...
N63227, "AI-201"
N18102, "AI-245"
This are likely duplicate entries for the other Vals on the list, and simply previous civil registrations to the airframes currently operated under different civil registrations today. Do any of you know the identities of these two airframes (c/n or s/n)? WD4 doesn't list Vals, and I don't know how to look up past civil registrations.

Mike

_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

Nothing major, but a small correction to the above. The fiberglas torpedos were added to the KATES, not the Vals.

In addition, if you watch the film closely, and have a chance to examine some of the productiion stills, they used some basically un-modified AT-6 in many of the deck scenes that were filmed in Japan. They are used to fill the bacground and are not featured in the camera. Also, I don't believe any of the three flyable Kates built in Japan were used on the Carrier set. All you get to see on the carrier deck are a few modified T-6/Zeroes and straight T-6's acting as Kates in the background. Theye are most prevelent in the take-off start-up sequence, and the landing sequence when Fuchida returns to the carrier near the end of the film.

Watch and you'll see them. There are records showing that upwards of 25 T-6's were used in Japan for filming.
Jerry

I lived near by when these were being made and wish I had a camera then. I think if you check that most of the T-6s were Harvards from Canada. I didn't see them leave as I had to go fly in "Catch 22".

One of the Vals, owned by Charlie Angel, was destroyed in a hangar fire in Conroe, TX, in June, 1994.

Another, owned by the CAF, was damaged severely in Hawaii during the filming of the movie, "Pearl Harbor". It was operated and maintained by Gene Armstrong in Jal, MN.

_________________
If God had wanted man to fly behind a flat motor, Pratt Whitney would've built one.

There may be someone out there to confirm this one, but I had heard that Apollo/Shuttle Astronaut Fred Haise was involved in the crash of a VAL back in the 1970's and had recieved some burns from it. I don't know if the aircraft was totalled or not.
Jerry