Naval Air Museum Pensecola FL

#63 is NOT a Douglas Devastator… it is a Vought Vindicator.

Here is a Devastator:

sore point amongst our American colleagues that there isn’t a Devastator in the collection yet. Hopefully with the different leadership within the museum – viz the Helldiver and Birdcage Corsair recoveries, that might change.

Interesting to follow the development of the outdoor collection on GE (30°21’11.77″N 87°18’17.04″W) between Jan 31, 1994 and Apr 25, 2010

Pensacola Museum

I was there in 1998 while on a weekend off from a course I was doing in Morgan City, LA. It was well worth the journey. The guy that took me had been the crew chief of the Bell Huey Cobra that hangs just inside the first display hall.

Unfortunately I did not have a digital camera at the time, only a point and shoot 35mm, if I can, I will look back and see if I can scan in some images – some of the stuff there was amazing, and I thoroughly recommend anybody who can to go and see it…

Scotty

Ah thanks for those, Bager the Vindicator/Devastator was the one type in the pics that I was really pulling my hair out over!
Al in fairness you have filled in the gaps and, shall we say, attenuated my second list!:D
As I understand it the Fleet and Consolidated N2Y-1 are the same, also I know its an earlier mark R4D shown, the ‘8’ refers to the number showing on the nose, not R4D-8!
I am embarressed about the Skystreak though:o
It was fun though.

Exhibit types

I think the gondola (Photo No’s 41/42/43) is from a Type K.88 US Navy Blimp used for coastal recce.

There may only be two survivors, of which this is one. The other lies in large pieces outside the now-defunct RAF Millom Musum, Cumbria.

It is, or was, owned by an airship preservation group and acquired by Millom about 2-3 years ago. As far as I know it is for sale through the liquidators (see separate thread).

It has been well and truly cherry-picked though (before it got to Millom) and is missing instrument panels, control wheel, throttles, seating, etc, etc. The engines, cowlings and mounts have gone too but the Vee-shaped support pylons and fairings are intact.

Anon.

Some remarks on the first list:

44 Franklin PS-2 Glider
74 Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak, not Skyrocket
97 Douglas R4D-5, not R4D-8 (but there is also an R4D-8 in the collection, see attached picture)

Al

PS I’m still waiting for any corrections to my list, I can’t have got them all right!

Ok. Let’s start with your second list…:D

1 Fokker D.VII
5 Curtiss F6C-1
8 Beech GB-1
9 Hanriot HD-1
12 Curtiss Model F
14 Consolidated N2Y-1
15 Nieuport 28
16 New Standard NT-1
18 Douglas RD-2 Dolphin
19 Ford RR
20 Thomas Morse S4C Scout
23 Curtiss A-1 Triad Replica

Al

Having visited this museum last year I can thoroughly recommend it. Truly world class.

#63 is NOT a Douglas Devastator… it is a Vought Vindicator.

http://www.wwiivehicles.com/usa/aircraft/dive-bomber/vought-sb2u-vindicator.asp

Here is a Devastator:
http://www.military-aircraft.org.uk/bombers/douglas-tdb-devastator.jpg

They look just right to me Bruce, don’t forget until the toned down grey scheme of the mid 1980s onwards naval aircraft were finished in high gloss, partly to give greater resistance to salt environments and its corrosive effects.
There are exceptions, such as some WWII and Vietnam era combat types but these seem suitably duller in the collection.
After a while in service carrier and coastal based aircraft tend to dull down a bit though.

PS I’m still waiting for any corrections to my list, I can’t have got them all right!

Lovely collection; is it me, or are the majority of the aircraft just a bit too glossy….?

….they look loved.:)

Luckily I’m a fan of the NA Savage and the Grumman Guardian, I should have added more info to the latter.
The one pictured is the AF-2S strike half of a Guardian pair, the other Guardian carried the ANAPS-20 search radar and was designated the AF-2W and they worked as a hunter killer pair.
Obviously types such as the Tracker and Gannet combined the two tasks within one airframe and was the better layout.
The Savage was a carrier based tactical bomber, it’s two radial piston engines are obvious but also hidden in the tail is an Allison T-33 turbojet, it was replaced by the Skywarrior, after the XT-40 turbo-prop powered A2J ‘Super Savage’ lost out to it.

I’ve never heard of the TDR-1 either, thanks to Contrail for that one!

Lovely collection; is it me, or are the majority of the aircraft just a bit too glossy….?

This had me too rivetted.
There was much late-night hair-tearing and consulting of books over No.72, which looks to me like the lovechild of a Fairey Barracuda and an Avenger. I had never heard of the Grumman Guardian, or for that matter the AJ Savage.
Thanks for the information about no.67, the TDR-1 was also new to me!

This has been quite a fascinating trip through some of the more obscure back alleys of US naval flying history. Fabulous museum too, looks to be so worth a few visits!

Image 40 is of a Cessna JRC-1 – better known as the “Bobcat” and depending on the configuration and military operator alternatively designated variously as AT-8 / AT-17 / T-50 / UC-78.
Tim

ANORAK ALERT:

T-50 was its original civilian designation, not a military one.

67. Is the TDR-1 assault drone

I’ve had a crack at some of the earlier ones, some are helped by the USN designations on the tails.

1 ?
2 Sopwith Camel
3 Grumman F3F-2 0976
4 Boeing F4B-4 9029
5 Curtiss F6C
6 Curtiss F7C-1 7667
7 Grumman FF-1 5-F-1
8 Beech 17 GB
9 ?
10 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny?
11 Grumman JRF-3 Goose V190
12 Curtiss
13 Curtiss N2C-2
14 Fleet N2Y1-1 8605
15 Nieuport?
16 Fleet?
17 Curtiss NC-4 ‘Nancy’
18 Sikorsky?
19 Ford Trimotor
20 ?
21 Curtiss SNC-1 05194
22 Lockheed Electra
23 ?
24 Curtiss BFC-2

Image 40 is of a Cessna JRC-1 – better known as the “Bobcat” and depending on the configuration and military operator alternatively designated variously as AT-8 / AT-17 / T-50 / UC-78.

Tim

Thanks Judwin, couldn’t resist that challange and has got me out of the dreaded shopping!
I started at #25 as I’m not so well up on wires and cloth (will have a go latter though!), but this is what I could come up with without cheating by looking on the Museums website. The designations are the basic type ones that I could come up with, and in most cases not sub-mark specific, the last number is the serial or code that is showing on the aircraft.

25 North American SNJ Texan
26 Zero
27 Beech SNB Expediter 771
28 Curtiss C-46 Commando
29 Grumman F4F Wildcat
30 Grumman F4F Wildcat 3872
31 Vought F4U Corsair late 18
32 Vought F4U Corsair early 86
33 Grumman F6F Hellcat 17
34 Grumman F7F Tigercat 12
35 Grumman F8F Bearcat 100
36 Sikorsky R-4
37 Grumman JF2 Duck 149
38 Grumman Widgeon V212
39 Douglas JD-1 Invader 2
40??
41 gondola
42 gondola
43 gondola
44 glider
45 Nakajima Frank
46 Boeing Stearman N2S
47 Timm N2T-1 312
48 N.A.F. N3N floats
49 N.A.F. N3N-3 3046 89
50 Ryan NR-1
51 Sikorsky OS2U Kingfisher 24
52 Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk
53& 54 Consolidated PB2Y Coranado
55 Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer V514
56 North American PBJ-1Mitchell MB22
57 Deskinned PB1Y Catalina
58 Consolidated PB1Y Catalina
59 Consolidated PB1Y-5A Catalina
60 Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon 291
61 Douglas Dauntless
62 Brewster Buccaneer VS5
63 Douglas Devastator? 9-B-12
64 North American SNJ Texan 132
65 Vultee SNV Valiant
66 Grumman TBM Avenger
67 ??
68 Douglas R6D 424
69 Lockheed T-33 TV-2 131816
70 Douglas AD-1 Skyraider 405
71 Douglas EA-1 Skyraider 35018
72 Grumman Guardian bomber 30
73 Martin AM-1 Mauler 139
74 Douglas Skyrocket
75 McDonnel F2H-4 Banshee 201
76 McDonnel F2H-2P Banshee 2
77 Douglas F3D Skyknight 2
78 Douglas F4D Skyray
79 Vought F7U-3M Cutlass 129655
80 Grumman F9F Panther 311
81 Grumman F9F-6 on Cougar 211
82 Grumman F9F-6 on Cougar 401
83 McDonnelL F1H Phantom 3
84 North American FJ-2 Fury 755
85 North American FJ-4 Fury 9486
86 Sikorsky HO3S Dragonfly 235
87 Sikorsky HO4S
88 Sikorsky HO5S WB
89 Sikorsky HR2S Mojave HRM-461
90 Hiller HTE
91 Bell 47 early
92 Bell 47 late
93 Pisecki HUP-3 147607
94 MiG-15 70007
95 Stinson UY-1 60466
96 Lockheed PV2 Neptune ‘The Truculant Turtle’ long-range record aircraft
97 Douglas R4D 8
98 Convair R4Y / C-131 615 141015
99 DHC-3 U-1 Otter 699
100 Grumman HU-16 Albatross 7236
101 Bell ‘Huey’ 301
102 Bell ‘Huey’
103 Grumman WF-1 Tracer 711
104 Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star 3
105 North American OV-10 Bronco
106 Douglas A3D Skywarrior 135418
107 Douglas A-4 Skyhawk 303
108 North American RA-5 Vigilante 156624
109 Bell Huey Cobra
110 North American AJ Savage
111 Lockheed C-130
112 Lockheed C-130 798
113 Sikorsky CH-53
114 McDonnel F3H Demon 301
115 Grumman F11F Tiger
116 McDonnel Douglas RF-4 Phantom II 7349
117 McDonnel Douglas F-4B Phantom II 101
118 Vought F-8 Crusader 201
119 Vought A-7 Corsair II
120 Kaman Seasprite 07
121 Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King 60
122 Sikorsky HH-3 Pelican
123 Sikorsky SH-3
124 Sikorsky H-34 YL42
125 Sikorsky HH-52
126 Cessna OA Birddog
127 Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune 141234
128 Martin P5M-2 Marlin
129 Grumman S2F-3 Tracker 334
130 Beech Mentor
131 North American T-28 Trojan
132 Grumman C-1 Trader
133 Bell Jet Ranger 64
134 Grumman A-6 Intruder 500
135 Grumman A-6 Intruder 511
136 Vought A-7 Corsair II 312
137 Douglas C-9B Skytrain II 511
138 Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight 00
139 McDonnell Douglas F-18
140 Grumman F-14 Tomcat 204
141 Grumman F-14 Tomcat 201
142 GD F-16 ‘Agressor’
143 Lockheed P-3C Orion 152151
144 Lockheed S-3 Viking 700
145 North American T-2 Buckeye 807
146 North American Sabreliner 160056
147 North American T-39 Sabreliner 150985
148 Gulfstream I TC-4 155722
149 Douglas TA-4 Skyhawk 700
150 Douglas A-4 Skyhawk 7813
151 Northrop T-38 Talon 15

I’m absolutely fascinated by #67 (light twin with three bombs underneath), I thought I knew my USN types but I can’t recognise that aircraft at all?

Excellent pictures of a fantastic collection, would love to visit one day.

Pensacola Museum

Gobsmacked!

Anon.