329

51-16536 • N5163G

N2SF

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• 51-16536 USAF #1139. L-20A No: 140. Command AF-1. Delivered 30-Jul-1952. Built as L-20A and re-designated U-6A in 1962.

• N5163G Civil Air Patrol Inc., Maxwell AFB., Montgomery, AL. Regd May-1971.

Airworthiness Cert: 01-May-1973.

• N5163G Patrick P. Green, Burnsville, MN. Regd Apr-1978.

Accident: Chippewa Falls Wisconsin. 28-May-1978. Following parachute drop wings buckled whilst recovering to ground in a spiral descent through break in clouds Substantial damage to aircraft and pilot uninjured. CHI78FEP37

• N5163G Kapowsin Air Sports Inc., Kapowsin, WA. On USCAR at 02-Mar-1990.

Accident: Kapowsin, AK. 17-Sep-1989. During initial climb engine stopped at approximately 200 ft. Tanks changed and engine restarted but again cut out. During subsequent forced landing airplane nosed over. Substantial damage to aircraft, Pilot and six passengers suffered either no, or minor injuries. SEA89LA174

• N2SF (1) Airlease Inc., Renton, WA. Regd Jun-1990.

• N2SF (1) Sound Flight Inc., Renton, WA. On USCAR at Feb-1992 &01-Oct-1994. Regd 27-Apr-1995. Canx 07-Apr-2003

Note: Rebuild at Kenmore Air, Kenmore, WA. Late 1995.

• N2SF (1) Airlease Inc., Kenmore, WA. Regd 16-Apr-2003. Sound Flight Markings in June-06, so presume leased back.

Note: Repainted at Sealand Aviation Ltd., Campbell River, BC. Apr-2006.

Note: Shown on Southeast Aviation website as operating with them.

• Note c/n 329 was being rebuilt by Kenmore Air Harbor, noted and photographed in early stages on 12-Sep-1995. Interesting story still being researched relates to c/n 565 which is now N6653K.

USAF History

51-16536 was made available on 16-Jul-1952 and accepted on 22-Jul-1952 by the 6600^th Air Depot AMO (Air Material Overseas Unit), at Downsview, Ontario. after which it was delivered to the Tactical Air Command at Donaldson AFB, Greenville, SC.,  where it was assigned to the  to the 4^th Liaison Squadron on 31-Jul-1952.

In preparation for transportation to Europe it was assigned to the Air Material Command and the 2847^th Transportation Control Depot (TPC) Wing at Newark, NJ., from 13-Dec-1952. It arrived in Germany at Neubiberg and was assigned to Air Force Europe from 23-Jan 1953 being initially allocated to the 86^th Fighter Bomber Wing at Neubiberg remaining until 18-Feb-1953. It was then allocated to the 85^th Air Depot Wing at Erding remaining until 24-Mar-1952 after which it passed to the 4^th Liaison Squadron at Furstenfeldbeck until 04-Feb-1954. It then was allocated to the 7030^th Headquarters Squadron at Landstuhl remaining until 06-Jun-1954. It then moved to France joining the 7002^nd Air Base Squadron at Chambley Bussieres until remaining at the same location it passed over to the 21^st Fighter Bomber Wing on 24-Dec-1954. Here it remained until 04-Jan-1958.

Back to Germany now and it saw service for six months at Sembach with the 66^th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing and then until 25-Jun-1958 with the 7127^th Support Wing. Meanwhile the 66^th TR Wing had nominally moved to Laon, in France, to supposedly accommodate the requirements of its new RF-101 Voodoos and our Beaver, 51-16536 moved as well to support them. However the Laon runway was deemed unsuitable and the Voodoos and they were therefore deployed to Phalsbourg-Bourshied. The Beaver operated from Phalsbourg between 01-Jul-1978 and 04-Aug-1958 and again 24-Jan-1959 and 02-1960 otherwise operating from Laon and finally stayed there until 17-Feb-1964 when it returned to Sembach in Germany and was allocated to the 3^rd Medium Transport Wing.

66^th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing

The aircraft’s further USAF history is still to be researched.

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