Warbird Information Exchange

BT-13 ID Plate Folks:

Can someone provide close-ups of the cockpit Vultee Aircraft Corp/AAF ID plates? any other exterior ID plates on the BT-13 & locations?

We are looking for close-ups pictures of the Mod plates found on the wings and inside the fuselage also. Tks C/w.com

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FAH619®

I recovered three BT-13 hulks from East Texas back in the late 1990's and the only data plate I recall was attached to the roll-over structure betwen the two cockpits. The cockpits were fairly stripped otherwise, so there may have been others.

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Tks Rob! There are 2 small ID plates underneath each side of the H/stab. Plz send me some pics my way if you still have them.

Any info/data of the late Bob Bean trading BT-13s to the Pima County Museum?

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FAH619®

All of the major structures on the BT have part ID and mod plates. The early ones are made of aluminum, but later ones were made of phenolic. Do you need to manufacture some? If so, they are several sizes. I recall seeing 4 or 5 different sizes of plate on my project. PM me to let me know exactly what you need and I'll try to get the right photos for you, but some of my phenolic plates are pretty rough.

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REMEMBER THE SERGEANT PILOTS!

BT-13 Folks:

Showing here is the only surviving Honduran AF BT-13 S/N UKN (at this point) while at the Toncontin boneyard c. 1975. The sample included was 1 of 10 acquired between 1946-1947.

http://www.catrachowings.com is following-up the history of this plane on its forum trying to find out is AAF ID. Any info/data about the history of these planes flown out of Miami via Cuba & Mexico will be welcome. Tks
C/w.com

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FAH619®

BT-13 Folks:

The poss exist that a tourist may have taken some pictures of this aircraft at the United Nations Park, (El Picacho Hill) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras fm c. 1969-1976. Plz contact us at catrachowings@yahoo.com for details. Tks. C/w.com

This is how Vultee BT-13 poss FAH 60 looked like c. Jan-1976.

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FAH619®

Hello Sir:

Your post on this BT-13 brings up some questions:

First, do you think there are still any Corsairs in Honduras or El Salvador?

Thanks,

Chris

Chris:

The current inventory of Corsairs in Honduras/El Salvador is as follows:

Honduras AF:(FAH)

1. One F4U-5N/ Buno 124715, FAH 609 on display at FAH Museum, Tegucigalpa.
2. One central fuselage and wing of the F4U-4 FAH 617.


El Salvador: None on display.

However, for those of you interested in marine archaeology/ poss recovery of FAS 219, there is another FG-1D fuselage that was shot down by friendly forces off shore (about 200 ft deep) near La Union Bay, El Salvador. Circa 1969. It should still be there! That pilot lives now in Canada. Write us PM for details. F4U Buff/FAH 619

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FAH619®

Hi FAH 219:

Did you hear about the scrapyard in Panama? I read that there were A-20s and P-40 there. A guy as a kid stumbled across it after WW2, and he and his buddies would "play war" around the planes. He said it was overgrown by the jungle.

Thanks,

CHris

Chris:

Yes I have. If your friend still remembers the "exact" location of that scrapyard of WW II aircraft near Albrook AAF, Howard AB in the Canal Zone area plz let us know PM.

I'm familiar with the area, looked/searched in vane for info/data of the place but nothing conclusive ever came up. The Panamenian jungle is unforgiven.. it pretty much swallows everything with time. Boneyard Buff/FAH 619

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FAH619®

FAH 619:

Of course the palnes didn't just disappear, so they must be still there. Maybe we can colloborate on this. He wasn't my friend who told me, but it was in article in Air and Space Magazine.

I'll try to look up his name.

Thanks,

Chris

Hi FAH 619:

Did you try Satellite photos? I'm sure some outlines of the runway are still visible..

Chris:

No Sat pics yet! But I found some aerial shots of certain airports/runways. To give you an idea. This is Albrook Field as seen from the air looking SW. Photo Panana CC

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FAH619®

Chris: ..and now the pic Albrook Field, Panama circa 1950s.

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FAH619®

Hi FAH 619:

I don't see the photos, but try terra server for satellite photos. They give you 15m resolution. You can see the numbers on a runwway, and at the least the runway outline!