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Alaskan Aircraft


notinfringed
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The plane identified in #14 as a PBY is actually a Grumman Widgeon. (I can't remember the military designation.) The bottom photo in #17 isn't a Beech C-45 but a Lockheed-Vega PV-1 Ventura. The PV-1 looks a lot like the later PV-2 Harpoon, but this is an early war photograph (as indicated by the early war national insignia on the nose without the horizontal white bars either side of the star). The PV-2 came out later in the war.

Hope this helps.

 

Actually, it's not PBY or a Widgeon, it is a Grumman Goose (G-21).

 

The flyers that operated in Alaska had a much worse enemy then the Japanese...the weather!

I have done some flying in Alaska and to do what those guys did, in those days, in those conditions is over the top amazing....

I have never seen any accident numbers for the Alaskan operations, but it must be staggeringly high....

 

John

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Here are a few photos that came from a loose photo group with some Alaskan photos in it. Not sure if this is even Alaska. Mid 50's I suspect. Correct me if I am wrong, but these appear to be more B-26's. Can anyone identify the unit?:

post-2011-0-64974000-1422397031.jpg

post-2011-0-76830400-1422397040.jpgpost-2011-0-95957400-1422397048.jpg

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Here are some shots from the Alaska Highway near Whitehorse Canada. I'm not sure on the first one without being able to see the tail:

post-2011-0-91805000-1422399088.jpg

 

All of the rest of the pictures were really small, about the size of negatives, so I apologize for the low quality. C-47:

post-2011-0-99207600-1422399064.jpgpost-2011-0-10825300-1422399072.jpgpost-2011-0-10180500-1422399079.jpg

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The last album that I have scanned at the time is from a Man stationed on Attu with the 11th Air Force.

C-47s

post-2011-0-62602900-1422399920.jpgpost-2011-0-03010100-1422399928.jpg

 

PV-1 Ventura

post-2011-0-92301600-1422399952.jpg

 

B-26

post-2011-0-70412700-1422399977.jpg

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Possibly another Grumman?

post-2011-0-50601400-1422400194.jpg

 

PBY

post-2011-0-21538600-1422400204.jpg

 

I think these are OS2U Kingfishers in both float and wheeled configuration? If that is the case, it is pretty cool to see both in one picture

post-2011-0-69739100-1422400212.jpg

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That's all I have scanned for now. I may have a few more somewhere, but I have no idea when I will get around to scanning them. I hope you all enjoy them. Please post more if anyone has any in their collections. I have probably let at least 50 albums get away from me on Ebay pertaining to Alaska, so I know there are tons more out there.

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Here are a few photos that came from a loose photo group with some Alaskan photos in it. Not sure if this is even Alaska. Mid 50's I suspect. Correct me if I am wrong, but these appear to be more B-26's. Can anyone identify the unit?:

 

These are photos of the Douglas A-26/B-26 Invader. The original WWII designation was A-26, then changed to B-26 in 1948. Here is a link with more data on the aircraft.

 

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=285

 

Sorry, I can't identify the unit.

 

The aircraft in post #28 top photo is a B-24 type - note the four engines.

 

Nice photos!

 

Larry

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Great photos. I actually have a couple of those too.

 

I'm a big fan of the 54th FS P-38s. They did some amazing things with those early model 38s in some really horrific conditions

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Johnny Signor

I believe the A-26 Invaders are from the 90th Bombardment Squadron as their emblem was a pair of dice which you can see on the tail of the one in the foreground, they would have been with the 3rd Bombardment Group .

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I will have to dig out my slides of Alaska from 1972. I remember B-25's, C-47's/DC-3's, C-46's parked out at the Fairbanks airport.

There are actually two fuel companies here in town that still use the old DC series aircraft. If I remember correctly, Brooks fuel uses the DC-4's and Evert's Air uses a DC-6, and a C-47:

 

 

http://www.evertsair.com/pages/aircraft/aircraft.php

 

Cliff Everts, the owner of Everts Air, has several aircraft bone yards where he stores parts for his planes. He owns quite a bit of property near the airport, and has spare planes all around. It is really cool to see. One of my favorites is a Fairchild C-119 flying boxcar. I would love to see pictures of what it looked like in '72.

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There are actually two fuel companies here in town that still use the old DC series aircraft. If I remember correctly, Brooks fuel uses the DC-4's and Evert's Air uses a DC-6, and a C-47:

 

 

http://www.evertsair.com/pages/aircraft/aircraft.php

 

Cliff Everts, the owner of Everts Air, has several aircraft bone yards where he stores parts for his planes. He owns quite a bit of property near the airport, and has spare planes all around. It is really cool to see. One of my favorites is a Fairchild C-119 flying boxcar. I would love to see pictures of what it looked like in '72.

Still looking.

I also remember BLM aircraft at the Ft. Wainwright Army Airfield in the summer- C-119's with an additional single jet engine mounted on the top, C-47's/DC-3's and PB4Y Privateer's (I think that is correct- the Navy single tail derivative of the B-24). Where the deuce are those slides?

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I was at Ft. Wainwright in 1971 and 72 and I remember the Privateer and a white and red B-17 that was used for fire fighting duties. There was also a B-25 and a Flying Boxcar.

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I was at Ft. Wainwright in 1971 and 72 and I remember the Privateer and a white and red B-17 that was used for fire fighting duties. There was also a B-25 and a Flying Boxcar.

The "Flying Boxcar" may have been the C-119 with the added jet engine. I lived in Haines Hall (one of two big battalion size barracks, the other one was Pompeii Hall and housed the 808th Engineer Bn.) on the side of post near the Chena River right across the road next from the airfield. I was able to watch all the Army aircraft-- Otters, Hueys, Cobras, Mohawks, Flying Cranes, Chinooks, Kiowas and others.

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The "Flying Boxcar" may have been the C-119 with the added jet engine. I lived in Haines Hall (one of two big battalion size barracks, the other one was Pompeii Hall and housed the 808th Engineer Bn.) on the side of post near the Chena River right across the road next from the airfield. I was able to watch all the Army aircraft-- Otters, Hueys, Cobras, Mohawks, Flying Cranes, Chinooks, Kiowas and others.

That may be the same one that is still at the airport. I believe it has the added jet engine as well. I can try to get pictures in the next day or two. At some point I took pictures in the summer, but I cant find them for the life of me.

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Excellent thread. Great photos only seen a couple of those images before. Thanks for sharing.

 

I believe that the Alaska Aviation Museum still has a couple of operational Grummans and a PBY in long term restoration.

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Ok, so I ran by the airport today. Please forgive the lousy phone pics, but it was through a fence, and it was -20 today. This is the c-119 that, I assume, belongs to Cliff Everts.

post-2011-0-75536100-1423295318.jpg

Here is my feeble attempt at a close up of the nose art. It says "Know Fear"

post-2011-0-82258600-1423295339.jpg

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Fantastic! That has to be the C-119 I saw, too. Brings back memories and the cold. Another recollection-- The Chinooks at Wainwright in '72 were from the 222nd Aviation Battalion, the "Sugar Bears," and they had the Post cereals Sugar Bear as their emblem painted on the aircraft. I still have a 222nd DUI. I only wish I'd picked up O Company, 75th Infantry "Arctic Ranger" scrolls from the PX. 9th Infantry belt buckles, too (the 6th and then it became the 4th of the 9th Infantry were part of the 171st Infantry Brigade).

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