Kermit Weeks’ A-26 project has reached another milestone, taxiing for the first time since the machine began restoration following damage sustained by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
As previously reported, the aircraft (S/N 41-39401) reportedly saw wartime service with the 9th Air Force and served with the Van Nuys Air National Guard before beginning civilian use as N3457G / “Whistler’s Mother.” Later acquired by Weeks, the A-26 was damaged during the hurricane and trucked to Chino in 1997, where it is now being restored by Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman of Aero Trader.
Click below to check out the newly released video.
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Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks has shared a new update on his A-26 restoration, including footage of the machine coming to life, a “major milestone” in its progress.
As previously reported, the aircraft (S/N 41-39401) reportedly saw wartime service with the 9th Air Force and served with the Van Nuys Air National Guard before beginning civilian use as N3457G / “Whistler’s Mother.” Later acquired by Weeks, the A-26 was damaged during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and trucked to Chino in 1997, where it is now being restored by Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman of Aero Trader.
Kermit notes that they “are starting to make serious progress towards completion.” Stating “the airplane was already very original, but it’s being restored to an even higher degree of authenticity. When completed, there will never be an A-26B to compete with this one.”
Click below to check out the video.
[continue reading…]
Kermit Weeks has released an update on his Douglas A-26, which is currently undergoing restoration at Aero Trader’s in Chino CA.
As previously reported, the aircraft (S/N 41-39401) reportedly saw wartime service with the 9th Air Force and served with the Van Nuys Air National Guard before beginning civilian use as N3457G / “Whistler’s Mother.” Later acquired by Weeks, the A-26 was damaged during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and trucked to Chino in 1997, where it is now being restored by Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman of Aero Trader.
Click below to check out the new video overview of the recent progress.
[continue reading…]
Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks has posted a new video update on his A-26 project, which is currently underway in Chino, California.
As previously reported, the aircraft (S/N 41-39401) reportedly saw wartime service with the 9th Air Force and served with the Van Nuys Air National Guard before beginning civilian use as N3457G / “Whistler’s Mother.” Later acquired by Weeks, the A-26 was damaged during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and trucked to Chino in 1997, where it is now being restored by Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman of Aero Trader.
Click below to check out the video.
[continue reading…]
Fantasy of Flight (FoF) owner Kermit Weeks has released a new two-part series detailing the ongoing work on his Douglas A-26.
The aircraft (S/N 41-39401) reportedly saw wartime service with the 9th Air Force and served with the Van Nuys Air National Guard before beginning civilian use as N3457G / “Whistler’s Mother.” Later acquired by Weeks, the A-26 was damaged during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and trucked to Chino, California in 1997, where it is now being restored by Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman of Aero Trader.
The new videos, seen below, were filmed in January, three months after his last Kermie Cam series on the machine. Since then, the team has (among other things) returned the landing gear, wing flaps and flight controls to fully functioning condition and reworked wiring in the cockpit.
The machine will apparently be painted in olive drab and, like FoF’s B-25 and B-17, will feature nose art depicting Weeks’ wife, Teresa.
[continue reading…]
