3 Replies Latest reply on Jan 9, 2020 10:36 AM by John Heitz

    Seeking WWII Information on 1943 Vultee BT-13A

    Newbie
    John Heitz May 6, 2019 11:28 AM

      Greetings,

       

      I now own a 1943 Vultee BT-13A training aircraft and would like to find out what training base it was stationed with during WWII. Having searched on line and with the USAF library and several other resources I have not been able to locate this information.

       

      Manufacturer/Consolidated Vultee serial number 9642.

      USAAF/Military serial number 42-42564.

      Issued airworthiness certificate by the CAA/FAA in 1946.

      Original N number N61372. Currently registered as N818DM but N number change requested and approved by FAA and returned back to N61372.

       

      The oldest document I have been able to locate is a ferry permit authorizing the aircrafts last military flight from Ponca City, Oklahoma (a known RAF lend lease training base) to Wichita, Kansas in 1946. This rare aircraft has been restored to a very authentic and historically correct specimen of the 11,500 plus that were built from 1940-1944. I am attempting to gather as much of it's past that is possible using any resources available.

       

      Thank you for looking into this matter,

      John

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        • Re: Seeking WWII Information on 1943 Vultee BT-13A
          Jason Atkinson Ranger
          Jason Atkinson Expert May 8, 2019 1:35 PM (in response to John Heitz)

          Dear Mr. Heitz,

           

          Thank you for posting you request to History Hub!

          The information you seek may be on the aircraft history card for the airplane.  An Aircraft History Card (or the USAF "Individual Aircraft Record Card") is a compilation of the inventory history of a single aircraft, showing the location or controlling unit and status of that aircraft at a given time. Other information may also be included, such as airframe time, time since overhaul, and so forth. In most cases, this history covers the period from the acceptance of the aircraft by the controlling service until it is removed from that service's inventory. Aircraft History Cards are not an operational history of the aircraft. They do not include any information on missions flown, crews assigned, or markings. They do not generally include specific maintenance or modification information. The records for Army Air Forces (AAF) aircraft transferred overseas during World War II stop upon arrival in theater and do not resume until the aircraft either returns to the continental United States or is removed from the inventory.

          The collection United States Air Force Aircraft History Cards Microfilm (Collection ID: NASM.XXXX.0461) is in the custody of the National Air and Space Museum Archives and consists of duplicate microfilm of individual aircraft records for the United States Air Force (USAF). The microfilm covers aircraft owned by the US Army Air Service, Army Air Corps, Army Air Forces, USAF, and the National Guard starting in July of 1923 and including those dropped from the active inventory before June 30, 1955.  To access this collection contact the National Air and Space Museum Archives, 14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, VA 20151. The telephone number is (703) 572-4045 and the email address is NASMRefDesk@si.edu. You can also submit your request through their online Archives Research Request form.

           

          We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

           

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