Warbird Information Exchange

I was thinking of a civilian aircraft built for the military, surpluses soon after and given a splash of civilian paint. The tubing looks like landing gear to me. The handle is a great clue.

CoastieJohn;

Thanks for the information on Frank Wharton. My sister is on Ancestry and has been working the problem and she got as far as you did. I've also been in touch with noted wreckchaser Pat Macha and he has no records on this wreck. I'm planning on going back next weekend to see if there are any other clues I've missed at the crash site.

Since it appears to be a civil type and not a warbird (which seem to have an abundance of experts capable of ID-ing parts) remember to utilize the specialists in civil aircraft of the period.

Having a friend who is well connected in that community has made me aware of all the experts and restorers out there.

Get some good photos of unique parts, or substantial remains or unique bits like that suspected interior handle and ask civil experts.

This group is highly recommended and the people behind this know a great deal about many civil types of the period...they would be my first place to ask:

http://www.historicaircraftrestorationmuseum.org

Likewise, the Antique Aircraft Association has a lot of experience and know-how:
http://www.antiqueairfield.com/aaa/

The Vintage group of the EAA:
http://eaavintage.org

If you suspect it's a Staggerwing/GB/UC-43, ask these folks:
https://www.beechcraftheritagemuseum.or ... about.html

Howard GDA/GH:
http://www.howardaircraft.org

Stinsons:
https://stinsonowners.org

And a lot of WACOS were impressed:
https://www.nationalwacoclub.com

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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.
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I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

John B; thank you very much for the links! I'll try that avenue next...

I thought I'd update this page with a final posting. After much digging around (both at the crash site and online), I've determined that the aircraft was a Howard DGA. The confirming piece of the puzzle was the flying wire support that was partially buried under branches. The support matches one from a known DGA crash site in southern California. The top photo is from the SoCal crash site. The bottom photo is from the crash site I found outside the CA Bay Area. I still don't know when the crash happened, but think it was in the 1957-1961 time frame. I'll keep digging. Again thanks for the help here!