What a wonderful treat for a A-26 fan like me! TheA-26 is my favorite plane from the WWll era. I met a man, years ago, who flew as bombardier in an A-28/B-26 in Korea My education continues Thanks!!
My Dad taught aerobatics during WWII and then sold Cessnas and parts in Denver. There was an scrap A-26 out back I used to play in. Dad had the head mechanic build me a go-kart out of airplane parts and the steering yoke was from the A-26 with the intercom button and machine gun triggers all set up as kill switches for the engine. My favorite WWII airplane along with the Mosquito. Fast and all kinds of firepower! Wish I still had the yoke, as I would send it to you.
My dad worked for Douglas after he graduated from Rice Institute in 1942. He designed the spoilers in front of the bomb bays. One of the biggest concerns they had was the bomb doors would override the rudder, making corrections impossible. The K model in Vietnam was re-skinned and the vertical fin modified to correct the problem. Great video and thanks for keeping them flying. I wish I could have shown this to dad, but he passed in 2016 at the age of 95.
Whenever I went to Chino I loved the smell of cow poop, it reminded me of the dairy fields next to my elementary school days visiting the Valley View dairy on school field trips. The dairy was within walking distance from my house. Those were similar days. Knots Berry Farm to the East, Knotts Elementary to the South where I went to school from kindergarten to 5th grade and the Valley View Dairy to the West. Beyond the dairy, was a Naval Base where the Blue Angels used to practice their shows. Now it’s a National Guard base where I attempted to enlist in the 12th Special Forces Group. Halcyon days!
My Dad transitioned from A-20s to A-26s in WW2, where he was a squadron commander, then flew A-26s again in Korea. 84 combat missions between the 2 wars. I wish I could catch a ride in an A-26.
I'm flying out of Chino often, Can't wait to see this plane back in the sky! Kermit you are an amazing person who keep up this work, thanks all for what you do, it will be honor to meet you one day.
thanks, Kermit. I absolutely love these walk around tours with the history of the plane mixed in to boot. It must be a pain in the butt to drag the camera around, but the end product is much appreciated. Please keep posting them!
Kermit, thank you for these videos. The ability to experience all these wonderful things along side you is a real treasure! Now get that Spit in the air so I can fly it vicariously through you!!!!
Thank you very much for these shots of the interior of the hangar and of this aircraft the Douglas A -26 being repaired for a possible flight. it is like even of a complexity these planes of the time and you Americans you have the means and the seriousness to revive these apparatuses. Congratulations to all of you Fantasy of flight, thank you for this excellent video.
It's always nice when my phone gives me a prompt saying Kermit has posted a new video. Sort of like Kermit says, when I grow up I want to be just like him!
My father took training in Chico. He ended up (army aircorp) in India on the Burmese front as well as some other bases helping with getting birds over the hump. He was a mechanic-machinist as well as base weatherman.
I mean this with the utmost respect.. I 100% appreciate Kermit taking his time to film himself sharing vintage aircraft that deserves to be enjoyed by the generations. Please give him a hand held gimbal camera.. He would be utterly enamored with even a Feiyu Tech G3 with a Hero 4.
There's still a few of these birds parked at Red Deer, AB - former Airspray tankers. Some sported the 6 gun/8 gun noses albeit plugged ports. They were always a head-turner when Airspray did their spring check rides 25-plus years ago.
hey Kermit, i love these videos, i just wrote my college application essay on my love for these amazing pieces of history, definitely want to take a trip to your museum soon. thanks for the videos
Very interesting... Especially the spoilers creating the dirty air flow in front of the bombs, to keep them from floating in the bomb bay after they were released...
Got an A-26 here at CYWG. Been there for a couple years since losing an engine on takeoff. Wish she could find a new home. Deserves some love. And a proper paint job. Owner painted it to resemble a Canadian F-86 based out of Germany. So bizarre.
Great Video! BTW the stainless strip over the fuselage is to protect the aluminum from the muzzle gases from the top .50s. I believe those top .50s could only be fired straight forward with the early flat topped canopy. The later, and much better, clam shell canopy meant that they could not be brought down to horizontal. For many years I was the crew chief on A-26 41-39303 at the Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, Ca. Ours was an early model, Oct. '44 and still has the flat topped canopy but it is a non-flier.
Can't wait to see this finished. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion for aviation with us all Kermit. You're doing an amazing job! Great deal! :)
Been to Chino a few times; would love to be based there. Even looked at real estate in the area... and to be honest, I've looked at real estate around Orlampa too... pretty much for the same reasons: proximity to my favorite things at my favorite places. Also cool to hear Carl Scholl give a shout out to Scott Thompson of Aero Vintage Books; another fellow RV-8 builder and friend.
I had no idea the A-26 was meant to replace the beloved B-25. My dad flew B-25 missions in N. Africa in 1943 IIRC while assigned to Jimmy Doolittle's outfit, flying out of Tunis, Tunisia at the time. Later my father was a B-25 flight instructor at Morris Field (now Douglas International airport) in Charlotte, where he met my mother. Dad only ever had great things to say about the mighty Mitchell. And I heard in the video that this particular A-26 was with the 9th Air Force during WWII. Small world as much later I was an F-4E Phantom crew chief with the 9th Air Force's 4th TFW at SJAFB in NC during the Vietnam War. In 1972-73 we were temporarily assigned to the 8th TFW at Ubon, Thailand, under emergency war orders. This was for both Linebacker I & II aerial campaigns. Can't wait for Part 2 and... keep 'em coming Kermit!
Pete Kuhns They were also fast and could turn. I think some were credited with Air to air kills. Douglas built amazing aircraft that flew through multiple wars.
Quite the You Tuber. Thanks for sharing Kermit. Love your work. Looking forward to getting over to the US to see your amazing collection. Greeting from New Zealand. (P.s. we have two great Sunderlands in Auckland NZ)
Wow!!!!!! The P40 in the hangar is G-KITT! I spent years with the hangar 11 collection looking after and cleaning that aircraft! Seeing it leave was a very sad sight! That was the last thing I was expecting to see on this video! Didn't know where she had got to!!!
I had a girlfriend that lived in Chino about 20 years ago and believe me the cow smell was a lot worse back then. Some of the dairy’s have since moved away from the city. MooooooMooooo
Interesting can't remember seeing a Douglas A-26 but will say we have a few things in common noted you have an interest in boats as well as planes, I grew up on Guam had boats most of my life a captains license for small vessels and deep sea Merchant sailor as well as a big rig driver, in 1991 I gained my Private Pilot license which has had little use. We are both You-tuber's. Was shocked to see a DC-10 landing at an airport I was driving by 2 days ago in the big rig. Have enjoyed your videos for a couple of years. The last thing we have in common my first name is Kermit. :)
I've seen these video like three or four or five times every time you come back you see something you didn't see the first time but that was funny when he saw Kermit he was happy soon as he saw the camera his whole demeanor changed 3.53. funny
This craft will be a stunning show stopper she could tow old Glory on her entry to open things up. I'd name her " Shady Lady" the Queen of Van Nuys. The Donald Douglas aircraft corporation was extremely important to the history of our country. WWII was an incredible impetus to air craft development. For certain battle field conditions one could still use the high loiter time, firepower, ruggedness of the old A~26. Can't beat Olive Drab/ Dove Gray Kermi. Really an amazing man. Good work Kermit. Your work on our remembrance of our flying fighting air history is the work of a fine American. Skipper we still have bombs on board. Bombardier, no no I have salvoed! Well they must have hung up, you better try to free 'em boys, if we gotta land this shot up bird with 'em, well no good will come of it! Battle of Midway. The Devastators that came in at sea level, those men knew full well they had no chance. Talk about patriots, their bravery and commitment to their duty, Honored Heros. Those Dauntless's dropping down on the Akagi was a moment in time that said "Remember Pearl and the Arizona". Kermit I see you have some very good restorers at your projects. That is fine work I see. The zinc chromate on the interior of that ship appear as 1944. A demo of 12 fifty's on a low level attack would be awesome to recreate to hear her again.
Kermit, there was a group of A26's at the old Norton AFB in San Bernardino when I was stationed there in 1970. Rumor was they belonged to the CIA and were training for Vietnam (at least that is what I was told). I think I have some pics of them somewhere.
Oh yes , Carl. I once Inquired about a MK 8 MOD 0 from him , never got back to me, but then a short while later he put one up on Ebay. The F-80B gun door went Ebay too. Glad i have many better connections for my needs.
Gorgeous!!! I'm surprised there are no photos of the 9th AF unit this plane was with. What unit was it, btw? I can keep an eye out for photos in my meandering about the web.
Specially outfitted B-17s could carry fourteen thousand pounds with reduced fuel weight. Average load was four to ten thousand pounds. More than a Mossie, more than a B-26. Not more than a B-52. Tell Kermit to do his homework. Love the warbirds.
The Naked in Jamaica guys should do a screen-capture of that smiling face and use it in all their advertising! Oh the warm white sands...(and smell of old airplanes)... Is there anyone out there with knowledge of the Boardman Bombing range (North-central Oregon) in its olden days...the 40's? Reply and I'll get back to you
Kermit, have you tried contacting the 9th Air Force historian at Shaw AFB? He could have some of the photos and other historical documentation you're looking for regarding this aircraft's unit and activities. Let me know if you need contact information.
@ Kermit I have a important request of you. Please please buy a E-2C Hawkeye before its too late. The US navy is currently phasing out all E-2C hawkeyes and destroying them in Norfolk VA. There is a salvage yard they are chopping them up in NAS Norfolk. I would buy one if I could afford it but soon there wont be any left in the world. Right now you could buy one extremely cheap. I can assist you with contact # names, and who to talk to. I would hate to see such a beautiful plane lost forever.
What a wonderful treat for a A-26 fan like me! TheA-26 is my favorite plane from the WWll era. I met a man, years ago, who flew as bombardier in an A-28/B-26 in Korea My education continues Thanks!!
My Dad taught aerobatics during WWII and then sold Cessnas and parts in Denver. There was an scrap A-26 out back I used to play in. Dad had the head mechanic build me a go-kart out of airplane parts and the steering yoke was from the A-26 with the intercom button and machine gun triggers all set up as kill switches for the engine. My favorite WWII airplane along with the Mosquito. Fast and all kinds of firepower! Wish I still had the yoke, as I would send it to you.
My dad worked for Douglas after he graduated from Rice Institute in 1942. He designed the spoilers in front of the bomb bays. One of the biggest concerns they had was the bomb doors would override the rudder, making corrections impossible. The K model in Vietnam was re-skinned and the vertical fin modified to correct the problem. Great video and thanks for keeping them flying. I wish I could have shown this to dad, but he passed in 2016 at the age of 95.
Sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing.
Whenever I went to Chino I loved the smell of cow poop, it reminded me of the dairy fields next to my elementary school days visiting the Valley View dairy on school field trips. The dairy was within walking distance from my house. Those were similar days. Knots Berry Farm to the East, Knotts Elementary to the South where I went to school from kindergarten to 5th grade and the Valley View Dairy to the West. Beyond the dairy, was a Naval Base where the Blue Angels used to practice their shows. Now it’s a National Guard base where I attempted to enlist in the 12th Special Forces Group. Halcyon days!
My Dad transitioned from A-20s to A-26s in WW2, where he was a squadron commander, then flew A-26s again in Korea. 84 combat missions between the 2 wars. I wish I could catch a ride in an A-26.
I'm flying out of Chino often, Can't wait to see this plane back in the sky! Kermit you are an amazing person who keep up this work, thanks all for what you do, it will be honor to meet you one day.
thanks, Kermit. I absolutely love these walk around tours with the history of the plane mixed in to boot. It must be a pain in the butt to drag the camera around, but the end product is much appreciated. Please keep posting them!
Kermit, thank you for these videos. The ability to experience all these wonderful things along side you is a real treasure!
Now get that Spit in the air so I can fly it vicariously through you!!!!
Thank you very much for these shots of the interior of the hangar and of this aircraft the Douglas A -26 being repaired for a possible flight.
it is like even of a complexity these planes of the time and you Americans you have the means and the seriousness to revive these apparatuses.
Congratulations to all of you Fantasy of flight, thank you for this excellent video.
It's always nice when my phone gives me a prompt saying Kermit has posted a new video. Sort of like Kermit says, when I grow up I want to be just like him!
Total eye candy for an ex-jet mech
Thanks so much for sharing this video.
Hands down my fav aircraft. Such a powerful and amazing design that went through 3 wars. It will be amazing to see it fly again.
My father took training in Chico. He ended up (army aircorp) in India on the Burmese front as well as some other bases helping with getting birds over the hump. He was a mechanic-machinist as well as base weatherman.
I mean this with the utmost respect.. I 100% appreciate Kermit taking his time to film himself sharing vintage aircraft that deserves to be enjoyed by the generations. Please give him a hand held gimbal camera.. He would be utterly enamored with even a Feiyu Tech G3 with a Hero 4.
There's still a few of these birds parked at Red Deer, AB - former Airspray tankers.
Some sported the 6 gun/8 gun noses albeit plugged ports.
They were always a head-turner when Airspray did their spring check rides 25-plus years ago.
This is beautiful!!! People rebuilding history!
She looks sweet!! My father was a gunner on an A-26 out of France in 1944-1945 in the 9th Air Force, so it will be good to see this one flying again!!
What and awesome project - .....and that comment made @ the14:16 mark "..20 - 50 cals in the same direction !..." - wow -
hey Kermit, i love these videos, i just wrote my college application essay on my love for these amazing pieces of history, definitely want to take a trip to your museum soon. thanks for the videos
Very interesting... Especially the spoilers creating the dirty air flow in front of the bombs, to keep them from floating in the bomb bay after they were released...
Got an A-26 here at CYWG. Been there for a couple years since losing an engine on takeoff. Wish she could find a new home. Deserves some love. And a proper paint job. Owner painted it to resemble a Canadian F-86 based out of Germany. So bizarre.
I didn't want this to end!
Thank you, Mr. Weeks
Part two will be coming up next week.
Great Video! BTW the stainless strip over the fuselage is to protect the aluminum from the muzzle gases from the top .50s. I believe those top .50s could only be fired straight forward with the early flat topped canopy. The later, and much better, clam shell canopy meant that they could not be brought down to horizontal. For many years I was the crew chief on A-26 41-39303 at the Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, Ca. Ours was an early model, Oct. '44 and still has the flat topped canopy but it is a non-flier.
Can't wait to see this finished. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion for aviation with us all Kermit. You're doing an amazing job! Great deal! :)
Beautiful Aircraft! I can't wait to see it fly.
Aero Trader is where I used to watch B-25’s, F4U’s and P-51’s being flown and worked on.
we have a sometimes ugly world, always glad you make videos and seems like besides hurricanes, you always have a good attitude. thanks !
Always love it when you do airplane updates, can you do a walkthrough of your storage facility again to show us some of your warehouse projects?
11:12 LoL. "Somebody's got to pay the bill." My family had a dairy in Chino there so I grew up with all of that.
Really enjoy these kind of videos! Thanks for sharing the experience.
always loved the A-26. what a neat plane
Been to Chino a few times; would love to be based there. Even looked at real estate in the area... and to be honest, I've looked at real estate around Orlampa too... pretty much for the same reasons: proximity to my favorite things at my favorite places. Also cool to hear Carl Scholl give a shout out to Scott Thompson of Aero Vintage Books; another fellow RV-8 builder and friend.
So awesome! I love these updates and your videos! Thank you for sharing and preserving history!
I had no idea the A-26 was meant to replace the beloved B-25. My dad flew B-25 missions in N. Africa in 1943 IIRC while assigned to Jimmy Doolittle's outfit, flying out of Tunis, Tunisia at the time. Later my father was a B-25 flight instructor at Morris Field (now Douglas International airport) in Charlotte, where he met my mother. Dad only ever had great things to say about the mighty Mitchell.
And I heard in the video that this particular A-26 was with the 9th Air Force during WWII. Small world as much later I was an F-4E Phantom crew chief with the 9th Air Force's 4th TFW at SJAFB in NC during the Vietnam War. In 1972-73 we were temporarily assigned to the 8th TFW at Ubon, Thailand, under emergency war orders. This was for both Linebacker I & II aerial campaigns.
Can't wait for Part 2 and... keep 'em coming Kermit!
Outstanding video with another quality build. Five stars.
Oh man Chino looks amazing
Fantastic show Kermit, cant wait to see you fly it ;)
Fancy seeing you here.
jengarrr!!! :D
Jengar AND Ash lol
I don't think that shifty-eyed fellow got the glasnost reference, but I nearly fell off the chair laughing. Thanks fer takin' us along
Had no idea these planes were so advanced. And OG (over gunned)! Awesome video thank you!
Pete Kuhns They were also fast and could turn. I think some were credited with Air to air kills. Douglas built amazing aircraft that flew through multiple wars.
when i was a kid there was a very large fleet of a-26 water bombers at my local airport. theyve since been replaced with lockheed electras
Quite the You Tuber. Thanks for sharing Kermit. Love your work. Looking forward to getting over to the US to see your amazing collection. Greeting from New Zealand. (P.s. we have two great Sunderlands in Auckland NZ)
Wow!!!!!! The P40 in the hangar is G-KITT! I spent years with the hangar 11 collection looking after and cleaning that aircraft! Seeing it leave was a very sad sight! That was the last thing I was expecting to see on this video! Didn't know where she had got to!!!
cessna119 message me if you want to see current pics of G-KITT
Bailey Black would love to!!!!!!!!!! Miss the old girl
cessna119 how would I message them to you? Email?
Great video! Looking forward to visiting Fantasy of Flight in December!
I had a girlfriend that lived in Chino about 20 years ago and believe me the cow smell was a lot worse back then. Some of the dairy’s have since moved away from the city. MooooooMooooo
Interesting can't remember seeing a Douglas A-26 but will say we have a few things in common noted you have an interest in boats as well as planes, I grew up on Guam had boats most of my life a captains license for small vessels and deep sea Merchant sailor as well as a big rig driver, in 1991 I gained my Private Pilot license which has had little use. We are both You-tuber's. Was shocked to see a DC-10 landing at an airport I was driving by 2 days ago in the big rig. Have enjoyed your videos for a couple of years. The last thing we have in common my first name is Kermit. :)
My father Col. Ron Peters flew 52 missions in Korea..Came back to Ky and flew the P51-D for the Ky Air National Guard.
Great stuff! " Oh, course I have a life. I just choose to spend it watching Kermit Weeks videos."
"And we have one of my sabres over here" damn I wish I was him.
I've seen these video like three or four or five times every time you come back you see something you didn't see the first time but that was funny when he saw Kermit he was happy soon as he saw the camera his whole demeanor changed 3.53. funny
This craft will be a stunning show stopper she could tow old Glory on her entry to open things up.
I'd name her " Shady Lady" the Queen of Van Nuys.
The Donald Douglas aircraft corporation was extremely important to the history of our country. WWII was an incredible impetus to air craft development. For certain battle field conditions one could still use the high loiter time, firepower, ruggedness of the old A~26. Can't beat Olive Drab/ Dove Gray Kermi.
Really an amazing man. Good work Kermit. Your work on our remembrance of our flying fighting air history is the work of a fine American.
Skipper we still have bombs on board. Bombardier, no no I have salvoed!
Well they must have hung up, you better try to free 'em boys, if we gotta land this shot up bird with 'em,
well no good will come of it!
Battle of Midway.
The Devastators that came in at sea level, those men knew full well they had no chance. Talk about patriots, their bravery and commitment to their duty, Honored Heros.
Those Dauntless's dropping down on the Akagi was a moment in time that said "Remember Pearl and the Arizona".
Kermit I see you have some very good restorers at your projects. That is fine work I see. The zinc chromate on the interior of that ship appear as 1944.
A demo of 12 fifty's on a low level attack would be awesome to recreate to hear her again.
So is he planning on restoring this to be fully operational? What a cool aircraft, you don't see many videos of them.
Kermit, there was a group of A26's at the old Norton AFB in San Bernardino when I was stationed there in 1970. Rumor was they belonged to the CIA and were training for Vietnam (at least that is what I was told). I think I have some pics of them somewhere.
My grandfather was a pilot of both a B-25 and later a B-26 in the war
Just wow.
Awesome aircraft!
Oh yes , Carl.
I once Inquired about a
MK 8 MOD 0 from him , never got back to me, but then a short while later he put one up on Ebay.
The F-80B gun door went Ebay too. Glad i have many better connections for my needs.
VERY VERY NICE!!!
Gorgeous!!! I'm surprised there are no photos of the 9th AF unit this plane was with. What unit was it, btw? I can keep an eye out for photos in my meandering about the web.
WOW what a plane !!!
If you are prone to taking requests...... any word on the future of your Lancaster ? Been to FF several times and love these videos.
Wow, lovely plane. Will you ever do a kermie cam of the Spitfire XVI? Love your videos
Once we get her up and running. Working on it.
Waiting on that too.. watched the last engine run.. huge Spit fan!
The spoilers just create a small area of low pressure so that the bombs are less likely to be pushed back in by the airstream.
My grandpa worked on the K model of this during Vietnam
"Spoilers" and story of why, were first used on Boston, A20.
Specially outfitted B-17s could carry fourteen thousand pounds with reduced fuel weight. Average load was four to ten thousand pounds. More than a Mossie, more than a B-26. Not more than a B-52. Tell Kermit to do his homework. Love the warbirds.
The Naked in Jamaica guys should do a screen-capture of that smiling face and use it in all their advertising! Oh the warm white sands...(and smell of old airplanes)...
Is there anyone out there with knowledge of the Boardman Bombing range (North-central Oregon) in its olden days...the 40's? Reply and I'll get back to you
Kermit Weeks is the "Naked in Jamaica" guy. It's his rum brand.
Do you ever rest??? Lol. Keep going love your videos. Was that a B-17 G model we drove past at the entrance?
when this gets finished can you make a video of the flight back?pleas
I wanna ride in that thing!
good video
Hey Kermit, when you're ready to bring her home let me know if you need a co-pilot ;)
That is one cool airplane.
Too Cool
Kermit, did you buy any old warbirds from Jr. Birchnal in Paris, Tx?
Yes, the B-17 Susie Q.
Is the indo saber coming from a round about ?
Carl Scholl, any relation to Art Scholl? I knew and crewed for him back in the 70's.
No
I'm curious about the boeing 100.
Active only at YT? FB not? Thx
Man your my hero lol
Do you need ballast to fly this? I can provide some, in any seat you want!!! Lol
Did he say he owned a sabre? I didn't realize he owned any turbine powered aircraft. Id like to see a turbine aircraft on kermie cam.
I think he said "one of my sabres".
Kermit, have you tried contacting the 9th Air Force historian at Shaw AFB? He could have some of the photos and other historical documentation you're looking for regarding this aircraft's unit and activities. Let me know if you need contact information.
"That was awesome"
Glasnost...Russian period of time...Glass nose...Lol! Did the other guy get that? :)
🌠🤲
8 Guns !!!!!!! Naturally.
@ Kermit I have a important request of you. Please please buy a E-2C Hawkeye before its too late. The US navy is currently phasing out all E-2C hawkeyes and destroying them in Norfolk VA. There is a salvage yard they are chopping them up in NAS Norfolk. I would buy one if I could afford it but soon there wont be any left in the world. Right now you could buy one extremely cheap. I can assist you with contact # names, and who to talk to. I would hate to see such a beautiful plane lost forever.
N