Warbird Information Exchange

B-25 Folks:

Read today in an old A/C issue of c.'75 about a derelict B-25 Mitchell at Salinas drag strip? Is this bird still there?? Any pics from your tourist visits?

p.s There was also a P-47 x PRANG being restored near San Juan, PR by some folks of the PRANG. c. 2005 Does anyone knows the status/whereabouts of it?? Pictures would be fine!

Tks in advance!

Since someone mentioned Puerto Rico...

Taxiing out for takeoff at SJU in late December, I noticed a gaggle of DC-3 / C-47 types parked on one of the freight ramps. Looked to be five or six of them. They were all missing their engines, props, and cowlings but appeared otherwise complete. I couldn't make out their markings from the brief glimpse that I got. Could have been the Four Star Aviation ramp (going from fading memories from days gone by).

On the PRANG ramp at SJU were several C-130s and a C-17.

EDIT: I just looked around the Salinas Speedway on Google Maps. No sign of any aircraft at or nearby the track.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

Maybe the guys at the Ramey AFB Historical Museum have some insight on where any of the warbird planes are located.

There were many B-25s flown via PR in the South Atlantic ferry to Africa and Europe.
At least one was civil Us registered to PR owners, that was 44-30937 N7693C / N198W. The FAA cancelled this registration in 2009.
Don't know where the plane went.

The B-25 looks like 44-86716/N2887G. Scott Thompson's B-25 Mitchell in Civil Service, page 116: "Noted as cut up at Salinas, Puerto Rico in Dec. 1982 and scrapped the following year."

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

The ANG facility at SJU has long had a static A-7 and an F-104 (I don't recall if they retained an F-16). Although I've never seen the P-47 in my many trips there, a quick google shows a restored P-47 in an indoor display; wish I had known.

Regarding the Four Star DC-3's, go to google maps and look just east of the airline terminal.

Interesting place, punishing climate for airplanes.

Ken

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

My last flight from BQN to Santo Domingo circa 2000 had quite a few old planes sitting at the airport. Many were fliers, mostly the Four Star fleet and some Connies.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
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PRANG Warbirds Folks:

Tks for the info & data provided.

As far as the B-25 fuselage, one version says that it was scrapped & another as recent as of Dec 2013 said that it was moved someplace else & that was still standing. The source could not provide any photos.

The P-47N is another story. It was saved fm a Tech Aviation School around San Juan, PR c. 1970s, later restored for awhile & then was later flown by a former PRANG CC. AAF 44-89320 is now at the Eglin AFB Museum. Via Matt/Wix. The pic below is c. 1972 on the P-47 Test flight around PR. Photo PRANG via AEC.

**Hangs head** and not even one picture posted here

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.

More recent online photo of the P-47 here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JAM%27s_P47.jpg

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

That photo is of a different Thunderbolt...also a veteran of the PRANG (as most of the surviving N-models are). This one is at the Peterson AFB Museum in Colorado Springs.

The Jug in question 44-89320 is at the USAF Armament Museum at Eglin.

I interviewed the players from the PRANG for my Thunderbolt Survivors book a number of years ago and have a bunch of photos of the restoration effort etc. Someday, when business allows I will have to finish that book.

Tim:

Good day!

Those Caribbean P-47s always seem to be an interesting topic! Do you have a picture of the PRANG #9320 as found at the tech school near San Juan PR??

Included is another S. of the border sample in FAG scheme #0568, AAF s/n UKn for now... but it is not a FAG sample. This is one of the 6 samples that flew over the Guatemalan skies c. 1954. 2 crash-landed or were forced to land due to ground fire damage at Tapachula, Mexico on the Pacific side of Guatemala just across the border. Photo via FAG 525.