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51-16464 • N5161G • (N14YP) • N14Y• C-FLLA

N11BD

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• 51-16464 USAF #1001. L-20A No:2. Delivery 21-Nov-1951 Command AF-1. Available and accepted on 31-Oct-1951. Delivered 21-Nov-1951.

N5161G Civil Air Patrol, Maxwell AFB., Montgomery, AL. Regd May-1971.

Airworthiness Cert, 26-Jul-1977.

N5161G North West Helicopter Services, Stockton, CA. Regd Jul-1977.

N5161G Dan Vollum, Hillsboro, OR.  Regd Aug-1986.

N5161G Forrest L. Klies, Butte, MT. Regd 14-Jan-1987. Canx 08-Oct-2001.

N5161G Wayne Rudd, Basalt, CO. Regd 03-Oct-2001. Canx 09-Aug-2004.

N5161G Oak Holdings LLC., Paradise Valley, AZ. Pending 16-Sep-2004.  Regd 22-Oct-2004.

(N14YP) Jim Beauchene, Paradise Valley, AZ. Reserved 04-Jun-2004 (NTU).

N14YP Oak Holdings LLC. Paradise Valley, AZ. Regd 22-Oct-2004. Canx 06-Aug-2009.

Note: Total Time at Sale Aug-2009, 8,854 hours.

C-FLLA Laidman Lake Lodge, Carp, ON. Based Laidman Lake, ON. Regd 07-Aug-2009. Canx 27-Mar-2015.

Note: For sale Jul-2014  Listed at US$410,000.

Total time – As at Jun-2014  9,189 hours.

Mods include: Wipline 6100 amphibious floats, extended baggage area, tip tanks. Wipaire 5,370lb gross weight increase, Kenmore enlarged windows and bubble windows. Forward battery mod, Kenmore finlets, Extended engine forward mounts, Jasco alternator, Wipaire wing and aileron flow energisers.

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USAF History.

51-16464

Available and accepted on 31-Oct-1951 .Delivered on 21-Nov-1951 from the Toronto AMO (Air Material Overseas Unit) to the Air Proving Ground at Eglin AFB., Florida and the 3200^th Proof Test Squadron where it remained until Mar-1952.

It was then assigned to the Special Weapons (SPW) Command at Kirtland AFB., New Mexico and assigned to the 4901^st Support Wing from 26-Mar-1952 The SPW Command was renamed Air Research and Development (ARD) Command just five days later on 01-Apr-1952. On 18-Jul-1952 it moved to another ARD base, Wright Patterson, Ohio, and the Weapon Research and Development (WRD) Unit.

At Wright Patterson it appears that it had the designation of EL-20A, indicating that it was fitted with special electronic equipment from 23-Sep-1952 until 26-Oct-1952 after which it reverted to L-20A and returned to Kirtland and the 4901^st Support Wing from 28-Oct-1952 until 21-Dec-1952. Then with the 4901th Air Base Wing for a few days until 01-Jan-1953 before going back to 4901^st Support Wing until 01-Apr-1953. It suffered category 2 (minor) damage in a landing accident that involved a ground loop on 25-Feb-1952 at Kirtland AFB.

Still assigned to the ARD, a period at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field ensued from 01-Apr-1953 to 19-Jan-1954 with the 4935^th Air Base Wing and then back to Kirtland with 4901^st Support Wing until 05-May-1954.

A week at the Air Material Command and the OK Air City Depot, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, between 05-May-1954 and 12-May-1954 and then back to Kirtland on the 13-May-1954 with the 4901^st Support Wing and then the 4900^th Air Base Wing. It returned to Toronto, Ontario, at the end of June 1955 presumably for update or remedial work before going to the Air Material Centre at San Francisco in Feb-1956 to be prepared for shipping to Eniwetok, an Air Force Base in the Marshall Islands in the Mid Pacific, where it was allocated to the 4930^th Support Group between 28-Feb-1956 and 08-Mar-1956. Eniwetok Island was an Atomic Weapon Test site.

A chequered (or in view of the activities at Eniwetok, a glowing) career followed until in March 1956 it briefly returned to Toronto and then after brief visits to Air Research and Development at Kirtland with the 4900^th Air Base Group it passed through the Air Material Command at McClelland AFB on 8^th February 1956 before being shipped to Eniwetok again where it stayed until 31^st July. It returned to the Air Research Command at Kirtland with the 4900^th Air Base Group until 31-Aug-1956 and then the Air Material Command at Norton AFB between from 31-Aug until 30-Oct-1956. A longer period with the Air Research and Development Command at Indian Springs followed allocated to the 4935^th Air Base Wing and the Special Weapons WCF between 20-Oct-1956 and 28-Jan-1958. A short stay at Norton AFB in January and February 1958 preceded a return to Indian Springs AFB., between 12-Feb-1958 and 20-May-1959.

From 20-May-1959 until 20-Jul-1959 was spent at the Air Material Command Air Base at St Paul, Minnesota, attached to the North American Corporation Maintenance facility and after that a return at Kirtland with the Air Research and Development Command between 20-Jul-1959 and 20-Feb-1960.

A re-assignment to the Air Defence Command and the 478^th Fighter Wing at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota lasted from 20-Feb-1960 until Mar 1962 when it moved to Hagerstown, Maryland and allocated to the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation Maintenance Facility but at this stage we have no other information on this allocation.

In 1962 the aircraft was re designated U-6A and reportedly later converted to TU-6A.

Our next knowledge of the aircraft’s history is with the 381st Strategic Missile Wing at McConnell AFB, KS from 24-Aug-1965 until 15-Jul-1966 when it was reported as struck off charge 15-Jul-1966.

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