Chicagoland's Only Aviation Museum
Classic Flight: Museum and Airport News
Notice: this article has been reproduced as
originally published.
Raising an Invader
By Robert Atac
Parked on the corner of North Avenue and Powis Road in a static display from
the fall of 1995 to the summer of 1997, the museum owned A-26 Invader was
visible to all who traveled on North Avenue. Previously in the fall of 1994,
Lawrence Matt and Bob Knoll reconditioned the Invader making it flyable. As soon
as the aircraft was able to be flown, Irv Lewandowski and Jack Rogers flew the
aircraft into DuPage Airport. During the summer of 1997, Lawrence Matt, Russ
"Buzz" Stahmer, and Emil Moreno began efforts to restore the aircraft
to a flight safe condition once again. This restoration was necessary to move
the aircraft from DuPage Airport to Aurora Airport with the museum, because
ground transport of the aircraft was prohibitively expensive. Due to its
historical significance, the museum is working diligently to retain this
aircraft as part of its historical aircraft collection.
History of the A-26
The A-26
Invader had one of the longest service lives of any American warplane,
serving in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Designed and manufactured by the Douglas
Aircraft Company, it first flew in 1942 but due to production delays was not
used operationally until 1944. With 22 50 caliber machine guns the A-26 had the
most awesome concentrations of firepower of any World War II aircraft. Unlike
the B-17, B-25 and B-24 bombers, the A-26 used remote controlled gun turrets
above and below the airframe. The remote turrets solved the problem of wind
buffet and also allowed the guns to swing faster than possible with hand held
guns. Tasked with the job of disrupting German logistical support routes, the
47th BG flying the A-26 flew around the clock and did pioneer work in night
interdiction against enemy supply routes. Losses were relatively light, thanks
to the beefy airframe, and on numerous occasions severely damaged aircraft made
it home safely. Production of the type ceased at the end of World War II with a
total of 2,450 manufactured. It was the last twin engine propeller driven bomber
to be built for the US Air Force.
A-26 Bs and Cs conduct a bombing mission over Germany
When the North Korean army poured over the DMZ into South Korea on
June 25, 1950, the US was ill prepared to fight a war. The 3rd Bomber Group
flying the A-26 was pressed into service to provide cover for evacuating US
personnel and their dependents from Korea. Soon after they received offensive
orders and began to pound North Korean forces that were south of the DMZ. The
3rd BG took out most of the North Korean air force during a single raid on the
main enemy airbase in Pyong Yang. A total of 25 aircraft were destroyed on the
ground along with one Yak-3 being shot down in the air. Thereafter, the A-26
shifted to its traditional role of ground interdiction and support. This was
critical as the US and South Korean forces were pressed into a very small region
called the Pusian Perimeter. Had it not been for the air support of the A-26,
the North Koreans would have easily overrun the entire country. The A-26
distinguished itself throughout the war. In fact, the last bombing mission of
the war was carried out by the 3rd BG shortly before the truce went into effect,
a fitting climax for the aircraft which also carried out the first attack of the
war.
An A-26 C is being loaded for an operation in Korea
The A-26 was once again pressed into service in the early 60s as a
counter-insurgency aircraft twenty years after its first flight in 1942. Due to
the unconventional nature of the guerrilla type conflicts in Southeast Asia, the
US did not want to use its front line bombers such as the Douglas B-66 and
Martin B-57s. A total of forty aircraft were modified by the On Mark Engineering
company for use with the Special Operations Squadron (SOS). The modified A-26
aircraft had rebuilt wings and fuselages. These aircraft operated out of Nakhom
Phanom (NKP) Airbase in Thailand and were used primarily for night interdiction
on the Ho Chi Minh trail. The last A-26 was removed from service in 1972. This
aircraft in now displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Raising the Invader
The first step in resurrecting the Invader was to un-stick the engines. Over the
past years the engines became locked due to lack of use. Larry removed all of
the spark plugs and injected a penetrating oil into each cylinder. After several
days, he slowly rocked the props back and forth by hand until the pistons broke
loose. He had to repeat this operation several times until the props could turn
a full 720 degrees. Once the props could turn then work began to replace worn
and missing engine components. This task took several weeks. One of the engines
was missing most of the engine accessories and both engines were missing
starters. The starters and other components were located in the stock room and
were inspected and installed on the engine. As soon as the starters were
installed they were used to motor the engine to further exercise the internal
mechanisms. At last, with new fuel pumps, starters, and other miscellaneous
components, the engines were started. Great clouds of smoke billowed out of the
exhaust as the penetrating oil and engine oil was burned out of each cylinder.
Once again the Pratt & Whitney R-2800s roared to life with a sound that can
only attributed to a 2,000 hp radial engine. The engines have been started now
several times at low power.
The cowling will be put back on the engines, and they will be started and run
at cruise power and then at takeoff power. Larry will check for proper manifold
pressure and RPMs on each engine to make sure that each cylinder is properly
functioning. At this time, the aircraft will be taxied to verify proper brake
operation and good steering function. Once the takeoff power runups are
conducted several times, the engine oil will be removed and the oil screens will
be checked for bits of engine metal. Presence of metal in the screens is not a
good thing. It usually means that the main bearing or other moving part in the
engine is failing. Hopefully all will be OK. Once the oil screens are checked,
the engine will again be filled with oil and further engine tests will be
conducted. The aircraft will go through a series of ground tests including high
speed taxi tests before being cleared for flight.
At the same time the engines were being worked on, the airframe was being
inspected for corrosion, cracks and other nasties. Larry has reported that the
wing spar, and aircraft is in good condition. A little cleaning, and TLC will
make the airframe ready for future restoration at Aurora. The door hinge will be
replaced and cables installed to make the door functional. The cockpit has been
cleaned up. Each switch has been sprayed with contact cleaner and exercised.
Some of the cable actuators were rusted and were replaced. The propellers have
been cycled from low to high pitch with the engine running and seem to be
working properly.
The A-26 resurrection team has been working hard to make sure that one of the
most historical aircraft at the museum can be brought with us to Aurora. When
you seen them, thank them for their efforts as I am sure we will appreciate them
in the years to come. I am personally looking forward to flying chase on the
A-26 on the trip to Aurora with a cameraman in the back seat videoing and taking
pictures of the event!
Air Classics Museum of Aviation
43W624 US Route 30
Sugar Grove, IL 60554
Phone: (630) 466-0888
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E-Mail: webmaster@airclassicsmuseum.org
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URL: http://www.airclassicsmuseum.org
