Douglas A-26 Invader Movements Downunder

The Invader during the disassembly process at Archerfield, near Brisbane, Australia. (Photo via Reevers)


The Invader during the disassembly process at Archerfield, near Brisbane, Australia. (Photo via Reevers)
The Invader during the disassembly process at Archerfield, near Brisbane, Australia. (Photo via Reevers)

Reevers Warbirds has commenced the move of their Douglas A-26C Invader from Archerfield Airport in Brisbane, Queensland to her new home at Parafield Airport in Adelaide, South Australia.

The Invader's main instrument panel. (Photo via Reevers)
The Invader’s main instrument panel. (Photo via Reevers)

This Invader once flew with the US Army Air Force as 44-35898, and technically became a B-26C in 1948, along with the other Invaders remaining in the U.S. inventory, following the retirement of the Martin B-26 Marauder. She first joined the US civil registry in 1961, becoming N3328G under the ownership of Lear Inc. (of Learjet fame). John Lear, William Lear’s son, flew her during the 1968 Reno Air Races as Race 76, with an average track speed of 284mph…. certainly not a world-beater for the day, but not bad for such a large aircraft! Air Spray Ltd. or Red Deer, Alberta bought the Invader in 1971 and converted the vintage attack aircraft into a fire-bomber. She received an all-over yellow paint scheme with black trim, the company colors, and a large number 2 on her tail. The Invader served faithfully in the fire-bomber role for the next three decades, with her last fire-fighting season being in 2004 at around the time when the company was winding down their prodigious fleet of A-26s (they owned 22 examples at one point!). Randall McFarlane, bought the aircraft in 2005 and had her flown to Australia in an epic, multi-stage flight in October, 2006. Sadly McFarlane did little with the aircraft once she arrived downunder, and she has been dormant ever since. Reevers bought the aircraft in 2014 adding her to their growing stable of fascinating projects.

The Invader following removal of her nose assembly. (Photo via Reevers)
The Invader following removal of her nose assembly. (Photo via Reevers)

The Invader's nose assembly. This clearly was once a six-gun nose for Invaders used in ground-attack operations. (Photo via Reevers)
The Invader’s nose assembly. This clearly was once a six-gun nose for Invaders used in ground-attack operations. (Photo via Reevers)

Present work on moving the Invader involved removing the flight control surfaces, horizontal stabilizers and the nose section. These parts have already made the 1,200 mile journey to Adelaide. Next, the team will break down the wings and fuselage and transport these by road to her new home as well. The aircraft will initially go into storage while Reevers assesses what needs addressing to return her to flying condition, and how best to do it.

Separating the starboard horizontal stabilizer from the airframe during the recent disassembly of Reevers' A-26 Invader. (Photo via Reevers)
Separating the starboard horizontal stabilizer from the airframe during the recent disassembly of Reevers’ A-26 Invader. (Photo via Reevers)

One of the Invader's elevators following removal from the airframe. (Photo via Reevers)
One of the Invader’s elevators following removal from the airframe. (Photo via Reevers)

The Invader's empennage following removal of the starboard elevator and horizontal stabilizer. (Photo via Reevers)
The Invader’s empennage following removal of the starboard elevator and horizontal stabilizer. (Photo via Reevers)

Some of the Invader's disassembled control surfaces and other parts being readied for the 1,200 mile journey to Parafield Airport in Adelaide, South Australia. (Photo via Reevers)
Some of the Invader’s disassembled control surfaces and other parts being readied for the 1,200 mile journey to Parafield Airport in Adelaide, South Australia. (Photo via Reevers)

As already mentioned, Reevers has a fascinatingly eclectic collection of aircraft in their stable, and seem to have a penchant for apparently lost causes. First among these perhaps is B-25J Mitchell 44-31508, which sat forlornly outside in Franklin, Virginia for over a decade. She was in a terrible state when Reevers stepped in to rescue her. WarbirdsNews covered the recovery back in 2015. Reevers has made great progress with this aircraft, rolling her out for the public earlier this year following a lot of work to get the Mitchell presentable again. They aim to restore her to flying condition, which will likely take several more years of hard work.

Reevers' B-25J before the real restoration work commenced. (photo via Reevers)
Reevers’ B-25J starting to go back together last year. (photo via Reevers)

Reevers B-25 at her rollout ceremony in April this year. There is still much work to do, but she has come forwards very quickly from where she once was. (Photo via Reevers)
Reevers B-25 at her rollout ceremony in April this year. There is still much work to do, but she has come forwards very quickly from where she once was. (Photo via Reevers)

Reevers also has a North American Yale project, and incredibly, a Republic P-43 Lancer in their sights as well, but more on that another time. WarbirdsNews will be bringing you more information as it arrives on these fascinating projects!

The North American Yale inside Reevers' hangar at Parafield Airport. (Photo via Reevers)
The North American Yale inside Reevers’ hangar at Parafield Airport.  (Photo via Reevers)


With much thanks to Phil Buckley for bringing us this story and providing a lot of information for the article, and to Reevers Warbirds for providing the images!

5950b96b53fca257ead878469b70e12a?s=150&d=mp&r=g

Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.

After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.

Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.

Array
About Richard Mallory Allnutt (Chief Editor) 1060 Articles
Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends. After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups. Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.

Be the first to comment

Graphic Design, Branding and Aviation Art

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*