charlielima 328 Posted May 21, 2009 I was driving back from our district office to the fire warehouse when I saw the distinct shape of 2 Dark, DARK, folded wings with an abnormally large 4 bladed propeller surely connected to a Wright R-3350-26WA parked at Bryant Field in Bridgeport California. Wow a black bottomed Sandy with a TC tail code. Before I made my turn on the dirt road towards the warehouse I could see the window, faint door outline, and scoop over the radar operator's space. Yup. AD-4N. Oh well, He has a real AD and I don't. He could paint it any way he wants. He did choose one of the meanest historical Sandy Skins imaginable. A couple of middle aged yuppies where crawling all over it and mis identifing everything but the motor, cockpit and the exposed gun on the starboard side that has the spray cover removed. The 2 "pleasant gentlemen" informed me what a strange airplane to have 10 or 11 cylinders. They argued for a while whether one of the jugs was an air intake or not. Of course me being a non confrontational coward suggested that the wright cyclone might have 18, 2 rows of 9 cylinders and perhaps this airplane was designed in the 2nd world war as a bomber and to defend itself in a furball and eventually escorted combat SAR helos over Vietnam. I also suggested that this particular bird most likely saw French service in Africa and that is why we are most lucky to see and touch this wonderfull machine today. They treated me like a kook as I did they. Anyway I didn't take any pictures but here is the best link to N65AD I could find: http://www.heritageflight.org/Aircraft_Pag...ider_1_main.htm Gloppita gloppita! :ph34r: CL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ST0RM 145 Posted May 21, 2009 (edited) That is awesome! You don't see many SEA painted Spads. -S Edited May 21, 2009 by ST0RM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
charlielima 328 Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) Its still here. My thought was that it was staged here for a Memorial day fly over somewhere. Nope. Down Mechanical. The word in the economy is he lost a magneto and dead sticked in and nobody heard it come in. I'm a tad skeptical on that story. 2 magnetos? Slipstream noise and even a dead engine windmilling would make some sound. That would be a bitchin' sound file to have as we are heading back to the boat, get feet wet, loose the engine and turn towards redcrown or any smallboy to shorten our swim. If I was driving my AD and lost a magneto I would definatly pick the closest field and land rather then join the "I wrecked a war bird club". And it is cool having an AD parked at our field. :ph34r: CL Edited May 25, 2009 by charlielima Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+ST0RM 145 Posted May 25, 2009 If you can score some pics of your own. Please do so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
