Warbird Information Exchange

No, not some follow-on to the F-22, rather the old Douglas SBD Daultless.
In reading Francillion's excellent Douglas Aircraft the other day, it said some A-24s (the USAAF designation for the type for those of you who haven't been paying attention ) were kept after the USAF was formed in 1947 and since the "A"-Attack designation was done away with, the A-24s were redesignated as fighters.

It said some were kept by the USAF until the early 1950s.

Anyone know more or have photos?

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From Wikipedia;

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old school enthusiast of Civiltary Warbirds and Air Racers

Corrective vision version:

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcomi ... 2000571269

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That's the only one I've seen...any other F-24 photos out there?

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
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It's interesting how many WWI and pre-WWII designs made it into the new USAF. and post war Navy. The PT-19 made it and the Waco CG-4 glider althought it was redisignated CG-15.

The Waco CG-15 was a separate though similar design. It was not a re-designated CG-4

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A single Douglas A-20 made it to the USAF: its record card shows a redesignation as TB-20H s/n 44-466, which was in USAF service until August 1948, then dropped from the inventory and scrapped.

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Scott Thompson
Aero Vintage Books
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I started a similar thread awhile back asking for postwar shots of wartime aircraft that few made it to USAF days.

The CG-15 shots are rare, though there are some nice color photos in an old David Menard book, other than that, few.
I can't say I've seen the USAF A-20 (I guess since there was just one in service they didn't bother to redesignate it...I suspect it would have been F-20).
Also, shots of Army (or any USAF) L-4 shots seem to be rare, likewise P-61 and it seems like we keep seeing the same EZB-24 aircraft (the same one that's at the AAM at Duxford) with post 1947 markings.



As John said, that's not accurate.
If they would have change anything post -1947, it would have been the type symbol, not the model number.
And in fact the CG designation did go away in 1947, all gliders became simply "G"...and they remain so to this day.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

Re the A(F)-24: Anybody notice this listing from Baugher? (spelling corrected)

I'm guessing someone saw the photo and mistook the 8 for a 9 since the crew step cut through the number.


Scott, did any A-20s land in Japan at the end of hostilities? My dad says he saw some there in '47 (and he knows the difference between an A-20 and an A-26).

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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)

I've seen photos of an Air Transport Command CA-20J...(to transport ferry crews perhaps?), so one could have been in Japan...but probably not in 1947.
Maybe an RAAF or Dutch example?

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
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The 417th BG equipped with A-20s was moved from bases in Okinawa to the Itami Air Base in November 1945 as part of the occupation forces. The group was de-activatated shortly afterwards but it is quite probable the aircraft were left there and eventually scrapped on site. The 3rd BG with its A-26s were also part of the occupation forces and were still there in 1950 when the North Koreans invaded South Korea.

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Scott Thompson
Aero Vintage Books
http://www.aerovintage.com
WIX Subscriber Since July 2017

LOL...nobody outdoes WIxers at post digression!


NOW...about that extra pic of F-24A (RF-24A? QF-24A?) 42-6783:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--qgGXtUI9AM/V ... 2%2529.jpg


And for a little more info about her you can try scrolling here:

http://replicainscale.blogspot.com/2015 ... s.html?m=1

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Looking close at the enlarged photo of the F-24 could not help but note the stenciled notation "Flight Test Division, Wright Field".

JDV

So we have photos of 783...was it the only one?
Perhaps the authors have it wrong, instead of suggesting that multiple A-24s survived to serve in the USAF that one survived.
Wonder what it did at Wright Field...photography, dive tests?

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
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I'm guessing Wright Field had at least two in the late 1940s.

One source (albeit online) I've seen indicates that 42-6783 was rebuilt as a QF-24A--a radio-controlled drone--and assigned the new s/n of 48-044.

Another aircraft was rebuilt as a DF-24B--a drone control aircraft--and assigned a new s/n of 48-045. Baugher does not list a previous ID for this airframe.

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