P-38L-5-LO “44-53186” was one of a hundred thousand plus aircraft ordered in fiscal 1944 by the U.S. War Department. The P-38 design had been improving rapidly as this aircraft was being assembled in 1945. 44-53186 would be born as an “L dash 5” P-38, considered the best and most capable of the fighter P-38 variants. All of the combat experience and hard lessons learned by the USAAF were poured into this plane, making it the deadliest Lightning to date.

P-38L-5-LO 44-53186 was one seven hundred aircraft ordered as “L-5” Lightnings that
Lockheed began building in early 1945. This order was shortened during production with the last 380 aircraft being cancelled due to the war’s changing requirements. The first 320 planes produced were flown directly to modification centers or to storage. The 320 new P-38 airframes were divided into three groups as they rolled off the assembly line. The first group of 182 remained fighters and were upgraded with the latest fighter modifications to dash 6 standard and most flown to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation center in Kingman, Arizona for storage. The second group, which contained our feature aircraft 44-53186, was a bit more special. These P-38s were designated to become photo reconnaissance versions of the Lightning. Lockheed had created a modification center in
Dallas, Texas tasked with producing the photo-recon nose and associated modifications to turn the fighter into an unarmed and elusive platform for tactical photos. 63 of these planes were constructed as F-5G-6-LOs. As the war ended, the modified “186” was flown to Kingman, Arizona for storage. The last group of 75 Lightnings became night fighters, and were flown from Burbank to Fresno, CA. There they were modified to the P-38M-6-LO standard. These 75 examples of the two seat night fighters were rarely used in late 1946. Most were flown to Kingman as well, joining their sisters on the desert floor.

The Kingman group of 320 P-38L, F-5G and P-38M aircraft decreased, as a few had crashed during ferry flights and mishaps. In late 1946 roughly 300 P-38s remained. During the
surplus sales at the time, 37 of them found civilian buyers. 9 of these 37 survive today. Almost half of the current P-38s are from this small group of Kingman planes sold many years ago.

“44-53186” was sold to Kargl Aerial Surveys of Midland, Texas as NL62350 in March of 1946 for $1,250. Photo survey companies knew that postwar mapping contracts would be well served by the reliable and tough F-5G. Sold again to Aero Exploration Co. of Tulsa, OK in 1947, she worked there for four years before being sold to Mark Hurd Aerial Mapping in November 1952. Registered N505MH in 1958 she flew all over the continent before being parked in 1963 in Santa Barbara, CA. Eventually derelict with two other Lightnings, the complicated and tired F-5Gs had become exotic oddities past their economic prime.

This P-38 was not an ideal air racer and photo work was being done by more capable platforms. By 1965, there was little call for the utilitarian P-38. Over time the other two were disassembled and stored in the care of a local man who loved the aircraft. Our forlorn “186” was sold to Bill Harrah, hotel and casino owner and a noted car collector, for his car museum. Taken apart and shipped to Reno, Nevada she was reassembled, painted and placed on display for 15 years. Most had forgotten about P-38 “186” until she emerged in

Feb 45, Belgium, work on guns, heater to warm up engine

1982 as the new property of Frank Taylor, the latest winner at the Reno Air Races with his P-51 Mustang “Dago Red.” The old photo nose P-38 was trucked to Chino and reassembled in a hangar where the first deep survey of the airframe was taken. Recognized as a rare and special fighter plane, a new “fighter nose” was added to the plane and a meticulous restoration began to prepare the fighter for eventual sale. Acquired by the Doug Arnold collection, the restored P-38 was flown across the Atlantic by way of Greenland and Iceland by Mike Wright in 1989. Flown in the UK as “Miss Behavin” she spent almost a year on the Isle before returning to the USA in July, 1990.

Evergreen purchased “186” and had her restored as a P-38L over the next seven
years. Emerging in 1997, she was a showpiece and considered one of the best P-38
restorations to date. The P-38L was moved to McMinnville, Oregon, becoming a valuable crown jewel of the Evergreen Museum collection. The plane has been on display there since 1997. Still registered as N505MH, she was offered for sale in 2014.

The Collings Foundation is pleased to announce that this extraordinary P-38 will join the collection in 2016. She exemplifies the diverse uses these surplus aircraft satisfied during the immediate postwar period, and the utility of the F-5G for the mapping and survey industries. Currently restored to her original factory fresh state as a P-38L-6-LO, she will hold an important place in The Foundation’s collection of superb vintage aircraft.

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-Americans who served in the 447th bomber group and the 332nd Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Force during WWII. These young men included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air. They were named after the location where they trained, Tuskegee Airfield near Tuskegee, Alabama.

The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to racial discrimination, both within and outside the Army. They were denied military leadership roles and skilled training because many believed they lacked qualifications for combat duty. Before 1940, African-Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of the all African-American pursuit squadron. The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice. They became one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. (Picture: The flying skills of a U.S. Army Air Forces pilot of African-American descent, flying a Boeing Stearman, being graded at Tuskegee Airfield, Alabama, circa 1942).

Most Tuskegee pilots first trained in PT-17 Stearman aircraft, also known as the Kaydet (PT stands for Primary Trainer). The Stearman is well known for its solid flying characteristics and rugged construction. Boeing built over 10,000 PT-17 Stearmans during the 1930s and 1940s. Thousands of pilots flew this plane first during WWII.

Recently, the Collings Foundation acquired one of two known remaining PT-17s used to train Tuskegee pilots. Our Stearman (s/n 41-25454) is currently in Massachusetts. The other is in the Smithsonian. Stearman 41-25454 has a well documented history. The U.S. Army accepted the aircraft from Boeing’s Wichita Division in 1942. It was transferred to Tuskegee Institute Field, Alabama in 1943. Tuskegee Flight Instructor James J. Hyett (see picture middle right) used this Stearman on several training flights. On June 2nd, 1943 cadet Kermit Bailer made a forced landing in the aircraft, causing some damage. 41-25454 was repaired with 666.7 flying hours and was transferred to State Teachers College in Murfressboro, Tennessee. (Bailer went on to be a prominent civil rights lawyer in the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations). In November, 1944 this Stearman was sent to Bush Field, Augusta where it was stricken from U.S. Army records and moved to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for sale.

In 1995, 41-25454 was purchased by Joseph Armstrong. It went through a meticulous restoration bringing it back to “factory new” condition. The aircraft was kept at Bradford County Airport, Towanda, PA until it was transferred to the Collings Foundation in 2015.

The Collings Foundation will continue to operate Stearman 41-25454 in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen. It flies as tribute to those who overcame racial discrimination and persevered against adversaries to become one of the greatest fighter pilot groups in United States history. The Tuskegee are credited with some 15,500 combat sorties and earned over 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses for their achievements during WWII.

The Evergreen Aviation Museum collection in Oregon recently sold their P-38 Lightning and B-17G Flying Fortress to help the museum during a restructuring and reorganization. With generous donor support, the aircraft will be operated by the Collings Foundation.
The P-38 is a unique and rare survivor. This famous WWII aircraft helped turn the tide in both the Pacific and European theaters of war. The new B-17G will supplement our bomber tour. While similar to the beloved “909” in form and function, this B-17 has a slightly more fascinating (and clandestine) history.

The B-17G was a great bomber, but not perfectly suited for the war’s final days over Japan. In late 1945 new B-17Gs were no longer being camouflaged. They left the factory in gleaming bare aluminum. When the war ended, many new B-17Gs were being flown directly to long term storage, sold, or even scrapped. The postwar military found varied uses for B-17Gs. For example, our current “9o9” had been re-designated as a TB-17H or “Training Bomber” before becoming an SB-17G sea rescue aircraft with a Higgins lifeboat attached to the underside. Later, it became an A-bomb target and finally a civilian owned fire bomber.

The B-17G coming to us from Evergreen Museum (picture above) has a story that is a bit more complicated. While the US Air Force was getting into pressurized bombers and jet aircraft, large numbers of flying B-17s were doing dangerous atomic research work or else being expended as targets called QB-17Gs. Their durability and utility as drones also allowed other Air Force units to operate the B-17s in special roles for surveillance and agent insertion, as well as clandestine “eaves dropping” missions near and over hostile territory. During the 1950’s and 1960’s penetration of the Iron Curtain was an important goal for the CIA. This new organization, flush with money and political power, found in the B-17 a stalwart platform for difficult missions.

Organized in 1951 in a company called Western Enterprises Inc. of Taiwan, and working with crews sourced from Civil Air Transport (CAT) of Taiwan, five B-17s entered service and began training for missions over mainland China. These planes were drafted into the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF). Between 1954 and 1959 CIA Operations flew these few B-17s extensively over the Chinese mainland. Because they were not supposed to be there, CIA operatives “sanitized” the planes, preventing them from being identified as US military aircraft. The serial number and data plates were removed from all the aircraft, and their USAF military records were ended with an LI code or (loss to organization outside the USAF). These B-17’s were painted flat black and identified by three digit serial numbers. The planes had racks where a serial number could be switched by sliding in a new number plate. Our new B-17 is the sole survivor of these five special mission aircraft that fought in the cold war. It is a veteran of an unknown number of dangerous missions over mainland China hiding from Mig 17s! A survivor of secret Cold War aerial combat! The five RoCAF B-17Gs were numbered “739”, “357”, “815” and “835” and“639”(Evergreen’s B-17). During these dangerous missions three were shot down by the PLAAF or PLA (People’s Liberation Army Air Force).

• “739” lost over Fujian May 26, 1954 by AAA, crew of four killed.
• “357”shot down over Jiangxi on June 23, 1956 by a PLA Mig 17, eleven killed.
• “815” shot down over Guandong May 29, 1959 by a Mig 17PF, fourteen killed.

The fourth surviving B-17 RoCAF “835” was given to Air America in August 1960. The fifth B-17 known as “639” was later identified as 44-85531 and ended up at Clark Field, Luzon in the Philippines. It is believed this veteran of secret Chinese over-flights was retired between 1958 and 1960.

After 15 years outside the continental US, the B-17 “639” was brought back to California. While in Burbank she was modified to carry the Fulton Skyhook (picture top right), a system designed to recover agents and material from places that could not be reached by helicopter or STOL aircraft. Seen in action during the 1965 movie “Thunderball,” this B-17 with a Skyhook snatches James Bond and Domino Vitali from a raft in the closing scene (see picture right). This was three years after a real intelligence caper that truly was movie worthy, the execution of “Operation Coldfeet” during 1962. Two agents parachuted down to an unattended floating Soviet Drift Station NP8 in the Arctic Ocean. After removing research equipment, they returned to the B-17 via a Fulton pickup with secret information from the clandestine floating Soviet station. In 1962 the plane was registered to Intermountain Aviation, another CIA front company. This B-17 was used sparingly until perhaps 1969. During that year she was converted to an air tanker, then used as a firefighter until 1985. Trying to distance itself from the company’s CIA roots, Evergreen repainted and eventually reregistered N809Z as N207EV.

Restored as a B-17G with a full set of turrets, N207EV was flown for a few years before moving to the Evergreen Museum in Oregon for display. Once transferred to the Collings Foundation, this B-17 will undergo a detailed inspection and restoration to flight-worthy status. This brilliant, polished and unique B-17 will be a fantastic addition to the national Wings of Freedom Tour, and further the outreach of the Foundation.

Born in 1878, Glenn Curtiss was an aviation pioneer of the United States aircraft industry. Curtiss began his career building bicycles. Mastering the day’s best technology, he moved on to create intricately designed motorcycles. Testament to his ingenuity was his ability to make the most efficient parts from crude materials. For example, his first motorcycle sported a powerful carburetor fabricated from a tomato soup can with a gauze screen. In 1907, Curtiss raced his V-8 motorcycle to a speed record of 136 mph. His success in engine design propelled him into aviation.

The 1900s took off with a fanatic craze of flying machines. In 1909, Glenn Curtiss contributed his Curtiss Pusher to this growing industry. The elaborately constructed plane captured the imagination of people worldwide. Unique design features of the bi-plane include positioning the propeller and revolutionary Curtiss OX-5 engine behind the pilot.  Curtis continued to innovate for decades, developing new models of aircraft until his death in 1930.

Original Pusher parts and engines were thought lost to history until the Collings Foundation came across some remarkable treasures; 84 original Pusher air frame parts, ribs and spars in a Massachusetts attic and an OX-5 engine in a Pennsylvania basement. This launched an extraordinary restoration effort.

Century Aviation, based in East Wenatchee, Washington, took on the project. This team of world-class aircraft restoration experts is known for its displays at the Smithsonian and the Air Force Museum. They were pleasantly surprised to find the Pusher Aircraft parts arrive wrapped in August, 1915 Boston Globe newspapers. Over a two year period Century Aviation has meticulously restored and re-built the Pusher to airworthy condition. The aircraft will debut at the Ocean Reef Club Vintage Weekend in Florida.  From there it will go to SunN’Fun and Oshkosh, before moving to the Foundation’s Stow, Massachusetts
museum in 2016.

This  article is featured in the 2015-2016 Collings Foundation magazine:

Collings Foundation –  A view of the lower ground level of the hanger. Clockwise from upper center: Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, North American AT-6 Texan, Grumman G-21 Goose, Waco UPF-7 biplane, Boeing PT-17 Stearman “Kaydet,” VW Kübelwagen, Fieseler Fi-156 Storch observation aircraft, VW Schwimmwagen, V-1 buzz bomb.

2015 has been a year of great accomplishments at The Collings Foundation. We have made steady improvements to our living history programs and fantastic additions to the Foundation’s collection of rare historic artifacts and aircraft. The Collings Foundation is continuing its 36 year tradition of presenting history and education in captivating
and continuously evolving ways.

The big news for 2015 is the great number of historic aircraft being added to our flying collection or nearing restoration completion. Highlights include the B-17 Flying Fortress and P-38 from Evergreen Museum coming to the Collings Foundation. These aircraft are in superb condition. With a small amount of restoration work they will be soaring across the skies again, honoring our WWII Veterans. One of the world’s prettiest planes, a Waco bi-plane, arrived at the Stow facility. This aircraft has been fully restored and looks better than new. The 1909 Curtis Pusher project has just been finished. This unique and rare airplane made incalculable contributions to aviation design and technology. The Foundation’s TF-51D Mustang will be complete and ready for the 2016 National Wings of Freedom Tour. As you can imagine, we are all looking forward to seeing this beautifully restored Mustang take to the air. (Note to all the P-51C “Betty Jane” fans: Don’t worry! She is going back to American Aero for a thorough maintenance and cleaning.)

The exhibit plans for the new American Heritage Museum expansion at The Foundation’s Stow, Massachusetts headquarters are extraordinary. Over the last two years the Collings Foundation has been working with Boston Productions, Inc. to develop designs for a world-class museum focusing on American heritage and defense of freedom. Along with the inspirational plans has come uninspiring interaction with the local Stow Planning Board. After two years of plan submissions, addressing all concerns, re submissions and approvals, the Planning Board determined that The Collings Foundation’s museum and living history programs are not “primarily educational.” As you can imagine, this strange twist came as quite a shock.

We eagerly anticipate starting the 2016 National Wings of Freedom Tour with the B-17 Flying Fortress “Nine 0 Nine,” the B-24 Liberator “Witchcraft” and the new TF-51D
Mustang “Toulouse Nuts.” As we celebrate the end of our 26th year, The Wings of Freedom Tour has made 3,043 stops! We are looking forward to starting our 27th year on January 15th with stop #3,044 in Stuart, Florida. Please check the schedule on our web site for national Tour locations, dates and times.

The living history events hosted at the Collings Foundation’s headquarters are improving by leaps and bounds! These opportunities offer personal involvement, the most effective way to connect with history, technology, science and engineering. Our 2016 calendar includes American Elegance on June 18th &19th, Race Of The Century on July 30th & 31st, and the WWII re-enactment Battle For The Airfield on October 8th & 9th.

All of these amazing programs, restorations and collections are made possible through the dedication and financial support of people all around the country. We hope you will make a tax deductible contribution to the Collings Foundation (501(c)3 educational non-profit). Your support makes all of this possible. Looking forward to a fantastic 2016, and sharing our American history with you.