Members' Aircraft
Many of our members have warbirds of their own. It is difficult to name them all, but here are a few of the ones more commonly seen around our hangar.
Mitsubishi "Zero"
This airplane is the newest addition to our hangar. It is actually a heavily modified AT-6 and was built for the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!" Look for it on the airshow circuit flying with the Kate and SBD in aerial reenactments of Pacific Theater battles fought during WWII. Check it out at www.JapaneseZero.net.
Nakajima B-5N "Kate"
This airplane is actually a heavily modified AT-6 with fuselage plug and BT-13 tailfeathers. During filming of the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!", they needed Japanese torpedo bombers. Unfortunately, none exist any longer because the Japanese were forced to destroy all of them after the war. So the movie producers decided they would make some...(see more aerial shots, photo 1, and photo2). You can find out more at www.japanesebomber.com.
Harvard Mk IV
The Canadian version of of the AT-6, this airplane was license-built by Canadian Car and Foundry. This airplane is easy to spot due to its unique paint scheme. Check out the web site at: www.jsbird.net.
North American SNJ
The Navy version of the AT-6. This airplane has almost all the original equipment and is in very good condition. The paint scheme is similar enough to our SBD-5 that casual observers sometimes mistake it for the SBD. This airplane (and instructor) is available for instruction at a very reasonable price. The SNJ and Capt. Jim Buckley are Famous!! The SNJ appeared on Good Morning America with the Tuskegee Airmen.