Bomber_12th
February 21st, 2016, 07:23
This aircraft, P-40B 41-13297, was stationed at Wheeler Field, near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941. It suffered a landing accident in October 1941, and was inside a hangar, undergoing repairs, at the time of the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. The aircraft flew again on January 9, 1942, but crashed a few weeks later, while on a familiarization flight, which took the life of Lt. Kenneth Sprankle. The remoteness of the crash site, in the Hawaiian hills, meant that it remained abandoned until 1985, when it was rediscovered. The remains of Lt. Sprankle were recovered and given a proper burial, and the aircraft was later recovered in 1989. Headed by "Project Tomahawk", a restoration began in the early 90's to return the aircraft to flying condition (at a time when there were no P-40B/C's flying), utilizing parts from two other early-model P-40 wrecks as well.
By the early 2000's, the project had been sold to Stephen Grey (The Fighter Collection, Duxford). The project was then sent to California Aerofab for completion (a little-known warbird restoration company, but that has been responsible for the restoration of a P-40B, a P-40C, a Hawk 75, a P-36, and a P-47G fuselage - all for Stephen Grey - as well as a Flugwerk Fw-190). The aircraft was completed and first flown in 2007 at Chino, CA, painted in the same markings it had when stationed at Pearl Harbor in 1941 - the test flights were made with Steve Hinton at the controls. The aircraft was soon shipped over to Duxford, England where it was based/operated regularly until 2014, when it was sold to the Collings Foundation (US). In late summer of 2014, the aircraft arrived at New Smyrna Beach, FL, at American Aero Services, for assembly and test flights for the Collings Foundation. Unfortunately on its very first test flight back in the US, the CF test pilot lost directional control of the aircraft on landing roll-out, resulting in a ground loop, gear collapse, and substantial damage. Following more than a year of repairs/rebuild work, and new, more accurate paint (same markings), the aircraft was flown again about a week ago, with Steve Hinton at the controls, at New Smyrna Beach, FL.
(One interesting little tidbit about this aircraft - the engine used in the restoration (a very rare 1710-15) can be traced to having been shipped to China for use with the A.V.G./Flying Tigers, though somehow the engine made it back to the US at some point. During the rebuild of the engine, many inconsistencies were found, not matching original drawings/manuals, as the engines produced for the A.V.G. were very much custom-built at the factory.)
In light of the aircraft recently flying again, here are some shots I took of a flight with the A2A P-40B, featuring a repaint of this very aircraft, flying from New Smyrna Beach, FL (the repaint, which was made prior to the real aircraft recently being repainted, actually matches closer to how the real aircraft looks now, rather than before (now with more accurate shades of early-war olive drab/grey)). It is the only combat plane flying today that was present during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
If you don't already have it, the repaint is available here: http://mikesrepaints.com/p40.html
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_1_zpss9lhyyz1.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_1_zpss9lhyyz1.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_2_zpsvqdyd1b6.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_2_zpsvqdyd1b6.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_5_zpsppyseqmr.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_5_zpsppyseqmr.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_3_zps70befowi.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_3_zps70befowi.jpg.html)
By the early 2000's, the project had been sold to Stephen Grey (The Fighter Collection, Duxford). The project was then sent to California Aerofab for completion (a little-known warbird restoration company, but that has been responsible for the restoration of a P-40B, a P-40C, a Hawk 75, a P-36, and a P-47G fuselage - all for Stephen Grey - as well as a Flugwerk Fw-190). The aircraft was completed and first flown in 2007 at Chino, CA, painted in the same markings it had when stationed at Pearl Harbor in 1941 - the test flights were made with Steve Hinton at the controls. The aircraft was soon shipped over to Duxford, England where it was based/operated regularly until 2014, when it was sold to the Collings Foundation (US). In late summer of 2014, the aircraft arrived at New Smyrna Beach, FL, at American Aero Services, for assembly and test flights for the Collings Foundation. Unfortunately on its very first test flight back in the US, the CF test pilot lost directional control of the aircraft on landing roll-out, resulting in a ground loop, gear collapse, and substantial damage. Following more than a year of repairs/rebuild work, and new, more accurate paint (same markings), the aircraft was flown again about a week ago, with Steve Hinton at the controls, at New Smyrna Beach, FL.
(One interesting little tidbit about this aircraft - the engine used in the restoration (a very rare 1710-15) can be traced to having been shipped to China for use with the A.V.G./Flying Tigers, though somehow the engine made it back to the US at some point. During the rebuild of the engine, many inconsistencies were found, not matching original drawings/manuals, as the engines produced for the A.V.G. were very much custom-built at the factory.)
In light of the aircraft recently flying again, here are some shots I took of a flight with the A2A P-40B, featuring a repaint of this very aircraft, flying from New Smyrna Beach, FL (the repaint, which was made prior to the real aircraft recently being repainted, actually matches closer to how the real aircraft looks now, rather than before (now with more accurate shades of early-war olive drab/grey)). It is the only combat plane flying today that was present during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
If you don't already have it, the repaint is available here: http://mikesrepaints.com/p40.html
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_1_zpss9lhyyz1.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_1_zpss9lhyyz1.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_2_zpsvqdyd1b6.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_2_zpsvqdyd1b6.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_5_zpsppyseqmr.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_5_zpsppyseqmr.jpg.html)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Bomber_12th/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_3_zps70befowi.jpg~original (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/Bomber_12th001/ph_p40_3_zps70befowi.jpg.html)