388

C-GTBV departing Trout Lake, North Bay, Ontario.

Photo: Nico Anello © 10 July 2023 - Aird Archives

C-GTBV at Campbell River - CYBL.

Photos: Bob Kobzey © 13 September 2021

C-FKAI at Thunder Bay - CYQT, Ontario.

Photo: Keith Fox © 19 May 2020

N554BB after Wipare transformation to Turbine.

N17393 at Baldwin, Wisconsin, back from Oshkosh visit.

Photo: Gordon Reid © August 2006

N17393 showing her old USAF heritage.

N-9825F at Rotterdam - EHRD.

51-16568 at RAF Chelveston.

Photo: George Trussell © 28 May 1960

51-16568 on a round trip Alconbury to Prestwick.

Photo: Tom MacFadyen © 01 March 1959

51-16568 with 47BW at Alconbury Armed Forces Days.

Photo: Peter Keating © Unknown date -- Aird Archives - aflyinghistory.com

Photo: Robin A. Walker © 17 May 1958

51-16568 visits Prestwick Airport.

Photo: Tom Macfadyen © 30 June 1955

388

51-16568 • N9825F • 51-16568 • N17393 • N554BB • C-FKAI

C-GTBV (2)

• 51-16568 USAF #1192. L-20 No: 193. Command AF-1. Delivered 16-Oct-1952. Built as L-20A and re-designated U-6A in 1962.

• Was noted at RAF Sculthorpe 19-May-1956 with 47th BW USAF.

• N9825F USAF Chelveston Flying Club, UK., by Jul-1961.

• 51-16568 Returned to USAF Sep-1962.

• 51-16568 California ANG.

• N17393 South Dakota Schools. Regd Jan-1972.

Airworthiness Date: 09-Aug-1979. Experimental to show compliance with FAR.

• N17393 James R. Kinney, Vermillion, SD. Regd Sep-1978.

Note: For sale Feb-2008 for $260,000US and tt 6,990 hours.

Mods include: Wipaire cabin extension, battery firewall relocation, modified baggage door, parachute jump steps.

• N17393 Skydive Inc., New Richmond, WI. Regd 06-May-1986. Canx 17-Nov-2008.

• N17393 Reserved to Wipaire, South St. Paul, MN. 12-Dec-2008. Canx 20-Mar-2009.

• N554BB Wipaire, South St. Paul, MN. Regd 20-Mar-2009. Canx 27-Mar-2009.

• N554BB Chevron USA Inc., Picayune, MS. Regd 23-Apr-2009. Re regd 17-Aug-2016. Canx 10-Jul-2019 on export to Canada.

• C-FKAI 1949261 Ontario Ltd., Thunder Bay, ON. Regd 01-Aug-2019.

• C-GTBV (2) Guardian Aviation Limited, Parry Sound, ON. Regd 04-Jun-2021.

tt 8,942.4 hours (Feb-2023) Noted For Sale.

• Current •

USAF History

51-16568 was made available on 03-Oct-1952 and accepted on 16-Oct-1952 by the 6600^th Air Depot AMO (Air Material Overseas Unit), at Downsview, ON., after which it was delivered to the Tactical Air Command at Sewart AFB., TN., and joined the 5^th Liaison Squadron on the same day, a deployment that lasted until 03-Mar-1953. It stayed at Sewart when attached to the 324^th Medium Troop Carrier (TCM) Wing before moving to Donaldson / Greenville, AFB., SC., and the 7^th Liaison Squadron on 19-Mar-1953 with a deployment to Larson Air Force Base, Grant County, WA., (or possibly Lawson AFB., GA) between 22-Jun-1953 and 18-Jul-1953 before returning to Donaldson remaining until 08-Sep-1953.

It was now assigned t the Air Material Command and was moved to Davis Monthan AFB., AZ., for a period of storage with the 3040^th Aircraft Storage and Disposition Group . It remained until 28-Jun-1954 and then passed to McLellan AFB., and the Sacramento Air Depot for preparation of its next deployment. It moved to the San Francisco point of Embarkation on 23-Sep-1954 and five days later was transported to Germany having been assigned to the Air Force Europe Command. It joined the 7485^th Air Depot Wing at Erding on 28-Sep-1954.

It now moved to the UK joining the 47^th Bombardment Wing (Tactical) at RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk arriving on 11-Feb-1965 and with a trip to Vergiate in Northern Italy for attention at the Aermacchi facility between 23-Jul-1956 & 17-Mar-1956 and a deployment to RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire, between 22-Apr-1959 and 05-Aug-1959 it remained until 11-Jan-1962. It is however recorded as receiving the civil registration N9825F whilst operating with the USAF Flying Club at Chelveston, Northamptonshire during 1961 and 1962.

Emblem of the 47^th Bombardment Wing

It is next recorded as having been assigned to the Strategic Air Command with the 310^th Strategic Aerospace Wing (later Space Wing) at Schilling Air Force Base, Salina, KS., staying until 22-Apr-1963 after which it passed to the Air Material Command and the Fairchild Aircraft Company Facility at Hagerstown, MD. From here it went into storage at MASDC, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ., from 07-Apr-1965 until 24-Sep-1965 when it returned to service with the 129^th Air Commando Group, part of the Californian Air National Guard at Hayward Municipal Airport, CA., until at least 31-May-1967..

Emblem of the 310^th Space Group

Note: The emblem remained the same through several incarnations apart from the label.

It appears that the aircraft was subsequently stored at Warner Robins AFB., with the Air Material Command and then was struck off from the USAF inventory on 17-Dec-1971 after which it transferred to the civil register.