Global warrior

Air Classics, Mar 2003 by O'Leary, Michael

BUILT IN NEW YORK, FLOWN BY THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE, REBUILT TO AWARD-WINNING FLYING CONDITION IN NEW ZEALAND, TONY BANTA'S P-40E KITTYHAWK IS A CAT WITH MORE THAN NINE LIVES!

Few flying experiences can be more pleasing than piloting a single-engine Warbird above the lush green landscape of upstate New York. However, on 11 May 1995, the pilot of Curtiss P-40E N940AK had a lot more on his mind than enjoying the passing scenery. The Allison V-1710 engine had fallen silent after suffering a fuel-induced engine failure. He had to find a place to land - quickly.

Lowering the gear and flaps, the pilot selected a cornfield. The landing was more ol a semi-controlled crash, and the rare fighter slammed into the crop, tbe cars of corn battering the aluminum as if they wore bricks. The landing gear was shoved up through the wings, and the propeller, the distinctive chin cowling, coolant radiators and oil cooler were all damaged beyond repair. When it came to rest the historic fighter, wearing the markings of the famed American Volunteer Group, was a sad sight.

The wreck was sold to another individual who intended to restore it. However, the pilot had second thoughts and sued the new owner in an attempt to retrieve the fighter. Eventually its new owner prevailed, and in November 1997 he sold the aircraft to well-known Warbird pilot Dick Thurman.

Dick had the wreckage trucked to Stallion 51 in Florida for eventual restoration, and the wings were then shipped to Square One at Chino, California, for rebuilding. Then, before work could begin, the original owner sued Dick. Thurman put the project on hold while the lawyers fought it out.

Still wanting a P-40, Dick saw that a P-40K that had crashed in 1995 while with the Alpine Fighter Collection in New Zealand was for sale. He struck a deal, and the wrecked P-40K was sent to New Zealand's Pioneer Avspecs for a complete rebuild. Upon completion it was sent to the USA in May 2000. Dick was absolutely delighted with the quality of the work, and the fact the restoration was done on schedule, something of a rarity in the Warbird rebuilding business.

As a result, Dick shipped the wings of N940AK from Chino in June 2000 so that Pioneer Avspecs could start the rebuild. Then he started thinking that two P-40s were perhaps one too many, and in May 2001 he sold N940AK to new Warbird collector Tony Banta. "I always wanted a P-- 40," says Banta. "Even as a kid, I knew what they were and thought they were cool airplanes." With the deal struck, all Tony had to do was get the fighter rebuilt.

Banta assigned Simon Brown as project manager to oversee the P-40 through its rebuild. Simon knew Dick Thurman, had seen the completed P-40K, and was very impressed. They met with Garth Hogan, owner of Pioneer Aero Restorations, in Los Angeles, a deal was struck and the P-40 was soon on its way to New Zealand.

Pioneer Avspecs had rebuilt Ray Hanna's P-40E, the P-40N belonging to Charles Darby and Hogan, and Dick's P-40K. The company is a joint-venture operation, combining Avspecs (Warren Denhold) and Pioneer Aero Restorations. Operating from Ardmore Airfield, just south of Auckland, both companies did their own restorations, but the owners decided to combine forces to create a P-40 mini-production line.

Simon Brown states: "AK940 is probably one of the most original P-40 projects that has survived to date. According to P-40 historian/owner Charles Darby, AK940 had more original equipment in it than any other P-40 he had seen in civilian ownership. Charles noted that the original equipment installed in the cockpit was built to P-40D specification - making for an interesting history. Charles helped with supplying parts and also historical data to ensure that the P-40 was restored as accurately as possible."

Even though the airframe was pretty complete, Simon says that "everything needed to be rebuilt! The wings had originally been torched off when the plane was a gas station display in Canada (see sidebar). During the plane's first rebuild the wings had been spliced, using FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] non-approved methods. Also, the gear going through the wings had done a huge amount of damage."

The project was begun by rebuilding the wings. They were completely blown apart, and all-new spar extrusions and new ribs were built by Ken Hake in Kansas and shipped to New Zealand. Fitted in custom-made jigs, the wings were reconstructed and finished with new skins.

"Interestingly, the fuselage had suffered fairly minimal damage in the crash when compared to the wings," Simon relates. The restorers were initially going to repair the damage and then repaint the fuselage. However, when the paint was stripped it was discovered that many people had cut their names and applied graffiti to the aluminum. Simon and Tony visited Pioneer in June 2001 and Tony says that, after seeing the damage: "Quality was paramount in the restoration and I made the decision to have the aircraft completely reskinned."

Tony also saw a cleverly-designed second seat that had been installed in the P-40N. By using removable armor plate and removable side panels, the seat is completely concealed when not being used. "It's always fun to take someone along to experience a bit of history," said Tony, "so I decided to have a similar seat installed." During this visit they also decided to build a new tailplane and new control surfaces. Brand-- new coolant radiators and a new oil cooler were manufactured in New Zealand.