Unknown A-26

[T J Johansen]

Does anyone know this A-26? The serial on the tail might be wrong though. I have a feeling this one was fixed up for eventual display on an AFB, but definately not sure. The late John Kerr e-mailed a photo to a lot of people of this one shot 3/4 rear years ago asking for details, but I never heard back any conclusion. This photo is shot at Van Nuys I believe, and the date is possibly the late 70s.



T J

[zorro9]

TJJ:

Hi!

Hi! is this the only angle?? What's the N Reg by any chance? It appears to be of those samples fm S. of the border that came c. 70s.

[flightsimer]

Well the serial on the tail appears to be (4)4-35226.

I did a search on that, but the A-26 that came up with that serial had been converted to a VIP aircraft and wore a civilian scheme into the 90's. It was registered as N401Y. There are four sites that reference this tail number. Two have 35226 listed as the serial and two have 35326. The FAA says construction number 29605, but all the sites say 28605.

Here is it's registry listing
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/a26regis ... 35326.html

I also looked into it possibly being 35228. That plane was involved with some sort of accident in France with two other A26's, 34521 and 35953.

[cooper9411]

I have no information on the A-26 in the photo but A-26 Invader ser.#44-35326, c.n.#28605, N401Y sat derelict in Rockford Illinois until 2011 when we disassembled it for transport to a museum in Indiana. Search here on WIX and you'll find the post telling all about it.

[flightsimer]

I have no information on the A-26 in the photo but A-26 Invader ser.#44-35326, c.n.#28605, N401Y sat derelict in Rockford Illinois until 2011 when we disassembled it for transport to a museum in Indiana. Search here on WIX and you'll find the post telling all about it.

However cooper, this plane (N401Y) is also listed as being 44-35226 on two other sites. Can you confirm this plane was indeed 326? If so, then the pictured aircraft above may be the true 44-35226.

[T J Johansen]

Thanks to all who has responded.

I did find the other photo which is shot from the rear, and that clearly shows a stock Invader. Both shown here:





The serial on the tail is 44-35226, which it may or may not be. However I have a feeling it isn't. But we'll see. N401Y at Vincennes, IN is as far as I know 44-35326. In any case these airframes are without a doubt two different airplanes. Unfortunately no N# is visible, nor can I see the exact details of the nose- art. Having checked the first photo with shots of N6840D from the same location (discussed here on WIX previously) I am fairly confident we're talking Van Nuys, and they seem to be shot at the same time (note similar details in both photos).

According to Michael O' Leary's book Bombing Twins there was apparently several B-25/ A-26s being flown out of Van Nuys in the late 70s on dope runs. Almost under the nose of the FBI it seems! Maybe this is a feeble attempt to disguise a drug runner as a warbird. Several 26s in the Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale area tried that route during the same timeframe.

So, are there any old- timers from Van Nuys here on WIX (or does any of you know anyone) that remember seeing this 26 sitting at VNA in the late 70s to early 80s? Speak up now please!

T J

[cooper9411]

From all the documentation that was with the aircraft N401Y is in fact 326. The A-26 in Vincennes has a completely different nose from the one pictured as it was one of On-Marks conversions so there are more windows that were installed and bomb bay doors replaced with solid belly section, thankfully the former owner had a stash of parts/pieces that included original doors.

[T J Johansen]

Does anyone here have Air Classics magazine from the years 1976-80 and can check something for me? There was apparently an article on the late Milt Stollak who refurbished A-26s, and then traded them back to the USAF for their heritage program in the magazine during this timeframe. Unfortunately my library from those years are far from complete. I am kinda hoping this unknown A-26 is one of his former Invaders. His address at the time was Burbank, but I don't know if he operated out of said airport.

T J

[Snake45]

Does anyone here have Air Classics magazine from the years 1976-80 and can check something for me? There was apparently an article on the late Milt Stollak who refurbished A-26s, and then traded them back to the USAF for their heritage program in the magazine during this timeframe. Unfortunately my library from those years are far from complete. I am kinda hoping this unknown A-26 is one of his former Invaders. His address at the time was Burbank, but I don't know if he operated out of said airport.

T J

I have those magazines and have read them so many times there's not much ink left on the pages and I don't recall ever reading about such a man or his project. I am and always have been a bit of an A-26 nut so I'm pretty sure I'd remember such an article.

There might have been a letter to the editor about this. OR it might have appeared as a very brief item in the monthly Warbird Report section. OR it might have appeared in Warbirds magazine or one of the other Challenge "sometimes" publications--I have quite a few of these but by no means a complete collection. OR maybe it was in another magazine entirely. Come to think of it, it's possible I'm missing one or two issues of AC from 1980 owing to my extreme poverty that year, and it could have appeared there (if in fact I am missing any '80s).

If you or anyone can tell me the exact issue of AC it was in, I'll be glad to pull it and even scan the entire article for you. But to be honest I simply don't have the time to dig out five years of the magazine and look through them page by page.

[T J Johansen]

I just found some late 80s AC which included an index of content over the years. Found nothing that resembled an article about this. I remember being told by a member of his family that there had been an article. Unfortunately the contact info went to @%&? with my Hotmail account years ago.

Well, we tried...

T J

[bonzo]

I too think this is the north end of van nuys, but a few things look a little different{the trees}. The name you mentioned doesnt seem right, My memory says something like Milo Slovak, but I really dont know for sure.
Matt Jackson was involved in a couple of what I think are A 26s at Van Nuys, maybe he can help.
One of the jr hi classmates in 1956 or so said his father had a converted executive one, that had the side windows moved so they were opposite each other, never saw it, but the kid had money. Based at Van Nuys, and I think the picture might go back around that era.
Bonzo