AIRLINES

MYSTERY BIPLANE

I enjoyed the photographs of the most unusual aircraft that you ran in the July issue. However, I am clueless about the identity of this early flying machine. seeing the photographs got me digging through my own shots of aircraft. Back in February 1980, I landed at the small (and now defunct) Quartz Hill Airport near Palmdale, California. I took a couple of shots of an odd-looking biplane I was unable to identify. Much in the same manner of your July photos, I am wondering if the staff of Air Classics or its readers can identify the plane.

Sonny Weston

Bakersfield, CA

Editor's Note: Mr. Western certainly photographed a strange-looking creation. However, we checked the FAA database and found that the civil registration N59319 is still being carried. The aircraft is a modified (very) Stearman that was built in 1941 with the c/n 75-1716. The plane was in the restricted category and utilized for agricultural work (as evidenced by the spreader under the fuselage). As can be seen, the fuselage and wings have been considerably revised. Also, the tractor tires are a nice touch!

FAREWELL TOMCATS

I thought readers might be interested in these photos of the last Navy F-14D Tomcats which have recently completed their final operational cruise. On 10 March 2006, the F-14Ds of VF-31 Tomcatters and VF-213 Black Lions of CVW-8 returned to NAS Oceana after a six-month deployment in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The massive 22 aircraft flyover by the F-14s of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Air Wing celebrated the end of 33-years of honorable service with the US Navy. From the fall of Saigon to the fall of Baghdad, the Northrop Grumman F-14 has been the Navy's premier fighter aircraft.

Because of rising cost and man-hours required to maintain the aircraft operationally, it was decided to retire the Tomcat. However, the airframe with all its modifications is still one of the world's most awesome weapons systems. By the middle of September 2006, the last Tomcats of VF-31 will be retired to the "bone yard" at Davis-Monthan AFB. The aircraft's retirement will be of interest to your readers as the airframes will soon appear in many of the world's museums. Some may also be sold to a private contractor for various uses. At some later date, they may even enter the world of Warbird ownership, just as have the Tomcat's predecessors.

Along with the passing of the F-14 into history, the US Navy will also lose its last two FITRONS (VF/Fighter Squadrons). The F/A-18 Hornet, which will replace the Tomcat, and the VFA Squadrons, which will replace the VF Squadrons, have the primary task of Strike/Attack.

Bill Tate

Navarre, FL

DELAWARE GOONEY BIRD

The letter titled "Derelict Gooney Bird" in my recent Air Classics immediately caught my attention. To address Bill Brannan's concerns about the deteriorating condition of the vintage aircraft, a few phone calls have provided the following information. The aircraft is DC-3 N18111. It was manufactured by Douglas for the fledgling United Airlines and it was delivered to the company on 21 October 1937. United eventually sold it Shawnee Airlines, where it saw continued passenger service. The plane eventually passed through several ownerships and was removed from service in July 1987 and stored in Sarasota, Florida.

One website indicates that the plane was in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1999, but the owner was not identified. Shortly thereafter, the DC-3 was purchased by Specialty Restaurant Corp., owners of the Air Transport Command restaurant chain and moved to its present location beside heavily trafficked Route 13 in New Castle on the southeast corner of the Greater Wilmington Airport. The plane was positioned next to the entrance to the ATC restaurant and brush painted an olive green with invasion stripes. It served as a static display for the 1945 WWII airdrome motif of the restaurant that includes bomb-damaged building, jeeps, Red Cross ambulances, and a GMC 2.5-ton cargo truck. A unique feature of this aircraft is that the passenger door to the cabin is located on the right side of the fuselage.

During its life as a static display, weather and lack of maintenance have visibly taken their toll on the aircraft as well as the other vehicles. The fabric control surfaces of the aircraft have disintegrated, corrosion has created holes in the skin of the fuselage and engine cowlings, tires are flat, its rudder is missing and wiring harnesses are hanging from the cockpit ceiling. Both the right wing and engine are off and on the ground.

Earlier this year, as part of a privately-funded effort, the Delaware Air National Guard and the Delcastle Technical High School's Aviation Technology Program implemented a restoration program for the aircraft. They lifted and reattached the wing and moved the engine to the Delcastle workshop for repairs. Unfortunately, the SRC management decided to close their less-profitable restaurant sites, so the Delaware facility was permanently closed on 29 March. Consequently, the project has been put on indefinite suspension. Further restoration on the aircraft cannot continue until the fate of the former restaurant has been determined. At this point, it is not know if the 1937 aircraft and other WWII era vehicles are for sale, auction, or will be scrapped. The website Info@SRCMail.com provides additional contact information for anyone interested in the aircraft.