TEXAS 2015
~THE LONE STAR FLIGHT MUSEUM~

Photos © R.Leeuw

North American B-25J Mitchell bomber, serial 02344 (N333RW).

The Doolittle Raiders. I would come across more displays on this daring WWII raid in other Texas air museums.

The famous Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, serial 238050/U/2.
This B-17G was purchased in England, but the aircraft had served many years in France on survey work, before it was
acquired by Warbirds of Great Britain. The bomber flew across the North Atlantic in 1987, a noteworthy feat!
The aircraft then underwent a restoration for a period of three years and sits here proudly in pristine condition.

Boeing B-17G Fortress, 'Thunder Bird'.
Ron Mak shared a 1987 photo of this very same B-17, while at Duxford Airfield in England. Ron's Gallery #3

WW2 adversaries...

Douglas A-26 Invader, serial 41-39359. This 'Miss Million Airess' was not mentioned in my guidebook, and I found it was
registered to Marine Aviation Museum (a Delaware reg'd owner), same as N4818E I'd seen the day previous, next to
The 1940 Air Terminal Museum. Another common factor is both are attributed to the Vietnam War Flight Museum!
The Marine Aviation Museum was founded in 2002 by Houston,TX aviator Rick Sharpe and is dedicated to
educating the public about the service and sacrifice to the United States by the veterans of the Vietnam War.

39359 has been converted to an A-26C with the installation of a glass nose; it has not been determined when this was done.
Gerben Groothuis sent me a 2012 image (it already has that glass nose); check it out!

The Vietnam War Flight Museum has several more aircraft on display here: the Huey UH-1 helo and the Douglas A-1D
Skyraider; a C-47 was acquired in December 2006 and has since been undergoing maintenance and reconfiguration from
C-47 'Skytrain' to AC-47 'Spooky' gunship, this C-47 44-26558 is not yet on public display. N514AC c/n 26558 is
a likely candidate here, previously reg'd to Marine Aviation Museum (as are the A-26s), it was reg'd to the Collings
Foundation of Stow,Mass 28Jul2014. On Flickr.com I came across an image of 'Spooky' 927/EN, dated 22Oct2010.
Note there are more AC-47 'Spooky' gunships around, e.g. N2805J (also in a camo livery), coded '43-770/EN.

For illustration purposes Nigel Hitchman sent me this photo of N514AC 'Spooky' at Hobby Field in 2011.
The blurring was caused by shooting the photo through the fence.
The spot 'Spooky' is seen parked in, is where I came across Invader N4818E at William P. Hobby Airport.

In Jan.2017 I came across a similar clad C-47 on Google Maps. This led to some research of which the fruits
are published on Photos by Friends & Guests (47). At this time, and in recent years, N514AC (c/n 26558,
coded 45-927/EN) has its home at Mallards Landing, Locust Grove in Georgia.

Douglas DC-3-227B NC25673 (c/n 2213) is one smart looking vintage airliner!
I have the previous identities for her: NC25673, N130PB, N30PB and N130PB again.
Originally it had Wright Cyclone engines but they were replaced with P&W radials when operated by Trans-Texas Airways.
The museum is home to the Texas Hall of Fame and most of the aircraft, including this DC-3, are registered to this organisation.

UPDATE: on Facebook a video was posted dated 28Mar2017 with the remark: "Today the Lone Star Flight Museum
started our DC-3 for the first time in several years. The rh-engine had an electrical glitsch, but the left hand R1830
engine did come to life and produced some beautiful round-engine music." Posted by Stewart Bailey.
(Screendumps of this event on Photos by Friends & Guests Page 49)

Consolidated 28-5A Canso A, N68740 (c/n 407). Obviously space is at a premium here.
Previous identities I have for this 'pig boat': 9742 (Canada), N68740, (N6208H).
Registration N6208H had been reserved but not taken up and subsequently cancelled 25May11.
I have read the news that this Canso has been acquired by the Pima Air Museum this year, for static display.

As we see here on this photo by Luis Drummond: Canso A N68740 has found a new home at Pima's Air & Space Museum!
In Oct.2017 I revisited the Pima Air & Space Museum and found N68740 in a splendid display!

That Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon Navy BuNo. 37634 has a barely readible N-number: N6655D.
N6655D (c/n 15-1600) was reg'd to The Texas Hall of Fame on 14Jun1991.
The reference book 'Survivors' by Roy Blewett (Gatwick Aviation Society, 2005) showed N6655D at
Tucson,AZ but c/n 15-1600 (same aircraft!) in the index at Galveston,TX - maybe it changed home around that time.

The museum was set up in 1985 and obtained premises at Hobby Airport in Houston. All of the aircraft then came from
the private collection of Robert Waltrip. After a long search for a suitable exhibition site the museum openened in 1990
in a purpose-built facility at Galveston-Scholes airport, formerly Galveston Army Air Field.

The collection is displayed in two halls, connected and open to each other. I took the liberty to deal
with the multi-engined transport first. Now we turn to these warbirds.

Vought F4U-5N Corsair, 121881/RW (N43RW), named 'Annie-Mo'; previously Bu.121823 and 0434 in Argentina!

Vought F4U-5N 'RW/21' 'Annie-Mo'; it must be a feast to see it fly, but hell to taxi!

Consolidated Vultee BT-13A, BI-78 (N56478; serial 7356, manufactured 1941). FAA's N-inquiry shows at time
of writing N56478 was, and still is, reg'd to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum (Dallas,TX) - since 08Nov2000.

This one has in (very) small white letters the registration N17VF.
The Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat looks great in the Gloss Sea Blue colors of VF-17.
By June 2005 it was registered N17VF, but this seems to have lapsed?

But where are the Thunderbolt and the Bearcat which I had listed too as part of this collection?

Douglas A-24B Dauntless 42-54682 (N93RW, mfr 1943) - flew with the Mexican Air Force at one time!

Now this one did not appear in my Air-Britain reference guide, so it may well have been swapped with some I now
found missing. It is a Messerschmitt 262 replica, built in 2002 by Classic Fighter Industries. It is reg'd N262AZ,
18Jul08 to The Collings Foundation; it shows serial 501241. The DC-3 is also registered to the Collings Foundation.
en.wikipedia.org: Messerschmitt_Me_262

Nigel Hitchman wrote me in Dec.2015:
" I've not seen the Collings Me.262 at Galverston before, that is usually at Ellington.
I see Collings and Lone Star seem to perhaps be building their museum together at Ellington, according to one source..?"

The Bell UH-1H 'Iroquois' or simply 'Huey' 74-22490. I have no details of the Bell Cobra, but expect this
Bell TAH-1P 'Huey Cobra' 76-22599, reportedly also part of the Vietnam War Flight Museum collection.

One of my favourite warbirds: Douglas A-1D Skyraider, '126-822/TT' "Uncle Ho's Nightmare" (NX91945).
This Skyraider belongs to the Marine Aviation Museum / Vietnam War Flight Museum.

North American AT-6D Texan, 'ANG 04566' (N566TX).
It seems it can be made available for pleasure flights, now that would be something, eh?

Boeing-Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet, BuNo.07718 (N84LK)

Boeing-Stearman N2S-5 / PT13D Kaydet, N75272

Cessna UC-78B Bobcat N51469 (c/n 6644), previously 43-32706; under restoration.

Shrunk in the dryer? N427EK I found to be a Renegade Spirit Biplane. Wikipedia

While I could not find the Grumman Cats that were supposed to be in this collection, I did find the Grumman TBM-3
Avenger somewhat hidden in the back. N700RW was previously BuNo.69329 and N73642.

Found this to be created by artist and metal craftsman Jason Barnett; he wrote on the WIX forum:
"I used a section of the roof from the badly damaged Lockheed Lodestar that I once had. It has yielded a LOT of art pieces!"
This must be the former N43WT Lodestar (c/n 18-2565) see on Gerben's Propliners & Warbirds

The following picture was published by Robbie Stuart on the WIX (Warbirds) forum in Feb.2016:

On that WIX post the following info was included:

It gave me great pleasure to find the Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer still at the museum; but only just!
N3739G (c/n 59819) was sold to the Pima Air Museum this year, like that Canso A above, and is in final disassembly
for its transport. This specialised project was being carried out by 'Worldwide Aircraft Recovery Ltd' (website).
In august 2017 I noticed they were involved in the transport of a C-121 for many years stored at Helena,MT.

Since the 1990s this PB4Y-2 N3739G has been with the Lone Star Museum, but Pima Air Museum is a good home too!
As Tanker 30 it flew with T&G Aviation, in the aerial firefighting role.

Truly a dinosaur of a bygone era and worthy of preservation.
By Dec.10th I was assured: "The Privateer is now at Pima, and already repainted in a full 3 tone WW2 Navy camo."

Careful disassembly if such a warbird is indeed a specialised project.

Luis Drummond was able to document in March 2016 how PB4Y-2 N3739G was being pieced together at Pima's Air Museum:

In Oct.2017 I revisited Pima Air & Space Museum and noted 59819 in a fine display!

27 April 2000 Certificate of airworthiness for N81Y (AT-11, 42-37240) issued.
This website www.aerialvisuals.ca provided the following details: "Ca.1942 taken on Strength/Charge with the United States
Army Air Force with s/n 42-37240. 29Apr91 to Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, Galveston, TX with tailnbr N81Y. 27Apr2000: Certificate of Airworthiness issued for N81Y (AT-11, 42-37240)." FAA's N-inquiry has a different aircraft reg'd as such.
I would welcome details! I had listed a Beech H18S N954 (BA-670) here, did not see it..

LINKS
TEXAS 2015
The 1940 Air Terminal Museum at William P. Hobby (Houston) Airport
Highland Lakes Squadron (CAF), Burnet
Ghost Squadron, Central Texas Wing, San Marcos
Texas Air Museum - Stinson Chapter (San Antonio)
Cavanaugh Flight Museum (Addison)
Vintage Flying Museum, Ft. Worth
Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas

EXTERNAL
Lone Star Flight Museum - www.lsfm.org

Reactions / comments welcomed (always include the url you refer to!)