could it have been a military trainer??

[vetdrem]

While reviewing the logs for my '41 BF-65, it came to light that the first logs that I have are from Nov 1944. I was wondering if there is a way to determine if it was used as a military trainer during the first three years of it's life.

The first entry in the log says "11/26/1944 Forward 1446.40 (time in air).

I would think that it would be pretty hard to put 500 hours a year on a plane during that period with everyone out of the country going to war.

It is a Taylorcraft BF-65 Serial #3257, n-36441 incase someone has access to that type of record.

Not a big deal, just curious.

Louie

[M Towsley]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

Louie, it has been awhile since I had my L-2B but there was a phone number I called to have them check a military card for my airplane, (If I remember correctly). It would show any history and what happened to it when the military was done with it. Hopefully someone can jump in here with better info. It was just too long ago for me to give specifics.

On another note, more likely it may have been used in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. Which were civilian operators who taught civilian pilots how to fly with the intent of those new pilots going into the military. My father was a CPTP pilot.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

My 41 BF/L was "appropriated" in late 41 or early 42 and I was told it was used for coastal Sub patrols on the central Eastern seaboard. While there it had the engine pulled and replaced with a Continental. Shet was first built with a Franklin and the first buyer asked for it to be changed to a Lyc, so the paperwork is "interesting". There is NO paperwork on the Continental being put in. They sold her after the war with NO LOGS as a BC.
If someone knows how to get the history of planes held by the CAP or CPTP I would really like to see what it says about my plane.

Hank

[NC36061]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

Louie,

NC36061 S/N 3028 was built on July 1, 1941 and delivered to Phoenix, AZ on July 15th. By March 31, 1944, it had accrued 1226:55 TT. It was wrecked on July 31, at which time the TT was 1468:40, so that's over 200 hours in four months, and an average of about 40 hours a month since new. The "Application for Recertification After Major Repair" following the July, 1944 accident notes use in the CAP.

That matches up with your times almost exactly, and since there was no private flying being done during this time, I would guess it had to be in CPTP or CAP. I don't know where to look for those type of records, I used the logs and other paperwork and the FAA records CD to reconstruct a history, which is posted in the Taylorcraft registry page.

Dave

[M Towsley]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

Hank,

There would be no official records of CPTP use as they were owned by the civilian company utilizing the airplane.

I forgot about CAP use as both my parents flew the pre-war airplanes at our local airport in CAP, (and CPTP).

[RyanShort1]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

Richard Cole - Doolittle's copilot on the Doolittle Raid told me that he learned to fly in the CPTP in a Taylorcraft... that would be cool if it was in that program.

Ryan

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

Wouldn't you LOVE to get those old logs! Current owners would go WILD. They are probably in a government warehouse right next to the Arc of the Covenant waiting for Indiana Jones to ask for them. ;-)
Why in the WORLD did they remove all of them when they returned the planes to civilian use?
Hank

[1938BF50]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

27599 was sold on Oct 2nd, 1940 to Southwest Airways. By December of 1942 it had over 2000hrs and by mid 1947 it rolled past 4000hrs. Paperwork on the mortgage says it's use was "training and commercial use". The initial logbook is a Southwest Airways log from Phoenix/Sky Harbor.

[astjp2]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

That is 4 hours per day in the air, 5 days a week...for the first 2 years. tim

[Bird]

Re: could it have been a military trainer??

My bird had a lot of hours on it in the early 40's and it was completely rebuilt 2 times I believe which turned it into a Heinz 57.