Warbird Information Exchange

Being a resident of Cbus, I'm very interested to know that there was a major aircraft plant located here in the past. You'd never know, as I didn't, because aside from occasionally mentioning its WW2 use as a Curtiss-Wright plant building SB2C Helldivers, it's almost never brought up. Well, I want to know what WIX knows about it, because most of my other internet research on it has come up dry.

I know offhand that the A-5/RA-5 Vigilante was essentially "born" here, and the FJ Fury, F-86 Sabre (esp. the H Model), T-28 Trojan, T-39 Sabreliner, and the T-2 Buckeye (a bit obvious) were built at the plant. Is that a full list, or am I missing any? Any help with this would be great, as I'd love to know more about it.

OV-10 Bronco was born and built in Columbus too.

Jim

F-100 and parts for the B1-B

FYI-

Sabreliner/T-39 production was initially at Los Angeles, final Sabreliner production was at Perryville.

Tom-

Bob Hoover's book, "forever Flying" has some related incidents in it regarding Ops at Columbus.
Jerry

_________________
"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

I remember when I was a kid, my brother was on a DC-3 charter flight (1979 time frame) out of Columbus and I saw an OV-10 sitting by a hanger while I was waiting for him to leave.

By the way I just live down the road in Zanesville.

Mike

During WWII the Curtiss-Columbus facility built the SB2C Helldiver, SO3C Seagull and the SC Seahawk. The Helldiver production for the USAAF (A-25's) were all produced at the St. Louis facility.

My Dad reads WIX but doesn't post here and he sent me this when he saw this post:

Dave,

As you know, that was the plant that Murray shipped the F-86F wings to throughout the Korean War. I was our liaison engineer for Engineering changes and flew to Columbus for updates the first of every month. The contract was canceled the month that the war ended. Columbus was tooling up for the -H model at that time and we had been scheduled to build that model but never did.

It was a beautiful plant and the sight of so many F-86's on the line and in flight test was always stirring.

Dad

wish he had some pictures

Greetings...your post brought back quite a few memories of growing up in Columbus. This reply may get a bit long but its a rainy Saturday evening in our current home in Atlanta so I thought Id write a few things about the NAA plant there.

Growing up in Columbus during the 1960's was a magic time. My neighborhood in Reynoldsburg was packed with engineers from AT&T (where my Dad worked), North American Aviation/Rockwell, Batelle back when the midwest was a technology hotspot. With Lockbourne airbase to the south it was almost like having an airshow every day.

The R5A Vigis that were constantly were zooming overhead eventually gave way to the buzz of the OV-10A Broncos when the North American sign was replaced with a Rockwell logo. One of my best friends Dad did the weapon systems on the OV-10As and loved that plane.

Rockwell also did some B-1 parts as well as some VTOL fighter prototype that didn't make it to production.

The junkyard west of the plant had a "garage" sale in the late 1970's where canopies and other great stuff were sold off.

I think the wind tunnell still operates and was used by Indy car designers to test new body shapes.

Million Air as well as a DFAS check processing center now occupies the plant where some of the best cold-war era aircraft used to be produced.

My dad took me to a few open house events for NAA back in the mid-1960's. I remember as a small boy standing outside of the hangars amazed at their size (I think they were built to withstand bomb blasts).

One special moment for me was when I was with the CAF P-51 Red Nose running a rides event based out of Million Air a few years back. I stood in the same place 40+ years later wondering where all the time went. So much has changed but the NAA plant is still there to remind me of a great time I had growing up around airplanes.

Sure would be nice to see a modern day Vigi come out of there....[/img]

_________________
Rauhbatz
Commemorative Air Force
CAF Ohio Wing/Airbase Georgia Member
PT-19/26, T-34 CAF Pilot


Favorite quote from Wind, Sand & Stars - A. St. Exupuery "friends are like trees...when they are gone we miss their shade"

THe buildings that remain are part of where Skybus' offices were.

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"Anyway, the throat feels a bit rough...the legs have gone...but I'm still able to chant, so let's get going."

Joe Strummer, 1999

A few more thoughts on NAA in Columbus Ohio...

If you go into the CMH airport take the elevator to the second floor. There is a small set of pictures from the development of the airport that includes some near views of the NAA plant.

It also has some great pics and text around the old terminal at the SE part of the field. It was opened by Charles Lindbergh. The train tracks across the street would being passengers to the terminal where they would depart in Ford Tri-motors on the way west.

The area where the 94th Squadron resturant lies is where the old Navy barracks used to be.

On the East ramp where FlightSafety is located there used to be in the 1960's 2 B-25s that flew tropical fish from S America for distribution to the US.

At the East end of the airport where the current viewing parking lot lies there used to be some ammo bunkers located there. I remember sitting on them when I was a kid during a few airshows they held there.

The area around CMH airport used to be a hopping place when NAA and other industries were in full force. In addition, the suburbs were an idyllic place to grow up with all of the engineers that lived there. One of my neighborhood buddies used to have an F-86 canopy to play with!

In looking at the mess we are in now I do wish the US would get back track and restore our country to former greatness.

_________________
Rauhbatz
Commemorative Air Force
CAF Ohio Wing/Airbase Georgia Member
PT-19/26, T-34 CAF Pilot


Favorite quote from Wind, Sand & Stars - A. St. Exupuery "friends are like trees...when they are gone we miss their shade"

McDonnell Douglas used to have a plant in Columbus as well. They built C-17 slats and wing leading edges there for one, not sure what else.

From GlobalSecurity Website:

Air Force Plant 85
Columbus, OH
Air Force Plant 85 was operated by North American Aviation Operations, Rockwell International Corporation. It covers 518 acres and 3.4 million square feet, all government owned. The plant has a high bay fabrication and assembly area, part of which is used as a machine shop, and flyaway capability from the Port of Columbus Airport.

AFP 85 was constructed in 1941 under the sponsorship of the Defense Plant Corporation (DPC). During World War II, the plant employed over 24,000 people and produced over 3,500 naval aircraft under contracts with Curtiss-Wright Corp. Production declined after the war, and Curtiss-Wright ceased operations in 1950. The Navy acquired the title for the plant from the DPC in 1950 and transferred the operation to North American Aviation, Inc. (NAA) as the Naval Industrial Reserve Aircraft Plant (NIRAP). Several new facilities and buildings were built from 1953 to 1964. Rockwell International acquired NAA in 1967. NIRAP Columbus was transferred from the Navy to the Air Force in 1982 and redesignated AFP 85. During the 197Os, the plant was virtually idle, with only 2,000 employees in 1979.

The plant produced the F-100 Supersaber, RF-6 Vigilante, T-2 Buckeye, T-28 Trojan, and OV-10 Bronco. As of 1986, it was the main subassembly point for the B-1B Nacelle, Wing Carry Through, and Forward Intermediate Fuselage assembly. The plant is also the assembly plant for the OV-10 and MX Peacekeeper guidance section structure, as well as the Shuttle Aft bodyflap, crew module components, and windshield canopy assembly.

Environmental studies since FY86 have identified 11 sites and 1 area of concern (AOC) at Air Force Plant No. 85. Historical operations at the installation involved use of solvents and petroleum products. Contaminants include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have affected groundwater, surface water, sediment, and soil. In FY94, the installation conducted supplemental investigations of pesticide contamination at the fire training area. In FY95, the installation began to remove soil contaminated with PCBs. In FY96, the AOC was closed under a letter of concurrence from the Ohio EPA, and the installation began a groundwater and surface water investigation. Fieldwork on the investigation was completed in FY97. In FY97, the Aeronautical Systems Center began using the State of Ohio’s Voluntary Action Program rules, which were codified in that year. The restoration of the fire training area was deferred, pending further analyses. The site may be closed after a risk assessment is conducted. In addition, Air Force Plant No. 85 property was sold, with sales proceeds to be used for environmental restoration.

Couple of pics of the place from the olden days at the following links:

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/ohiopix/Image.cfm?ID=3076


http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/ohiopix/s ... %2C%20Ohio)

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SHAEF1944
American Veterans Museum

There are a few other neat photos at the site Shaef1944 provided links to, including some of Helldiver production in Columbus.

A old neighbor of mine once said he worked there early in the wartime, building ailerons for the P-40.

Somewhere in my stuff I have an old C-W company newsletter that talks about the early efforts to set up the Columbus plant. An interesting little tidbit in there is that they set up engineering operations at the Ohio State Fairgrounds while the plant was under construction.

The PV Neptune 'Truculent Turtle" landed at CMH at the end of the its long distance record breaking attempt. Google this for more details as I recollect seeing a picture of it taxiing on one of the old cross runways (they are still in place).

Next to the 7up bottling plant on the west side there used to be (had not looked in a while) some WW2 observation towers. I think these were used for plant security.

Some other interesting Central Ohio avaition bits that I can relcollect on a Sunday morning (overcast too low to fly VFR!):

- George Page used to live in Reynoldsburg. He designed the C-46 and put the spinner on the Spirit of St. Louis back when he worked for Ryan. He used to come into the pharmacy I worked at in college.

- Rickenbacker ANG south of the city has a huge aviation heritage ranging from a glider training base to bomber training to Tuskegee Airmen. It was an rather interesting place back in the mid-1980's when Southern Air Transport used to be based there. All sorts of aircraft going in there as well as a few Russian IL-76 from time to time. Supposedly when the 121st FG flew A-7s it was the only chemical weapons rated squadron in the US. Lots of ghosts around that base....

Sorry, no Roswell Alien stories....sure was nice to be growing up in the middle of an aviation boom...sigh, sure wish we could get that industry back in the US....

_________________
Rauhbatz
Commemorative Air Force
CAF Ohio Wing/Airbase Georgia Member
PT-19/26, T-34 CAF Pilot


Favorite quote from Wind, Sand & Stars - A. St. Exupuery "friends are like trees...when they are gone we miss their shade"