A-26 Silver Dragon

[digiartist]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knows the true identitiy of the A-26 'Silver Dragon' of the the 386th BG?
I know the restored version is based on a pretty poor photo of the nose of the real one, and perhaps on a decal sheet that suggests the code RG C of the 552nd BS.
Is there any suggestion that the code or even the squadron affiliation is correct?

Any help would be most welcome.

Thanks!

[edwest2]

Hi,

What is the tail code of this aircraft?

[RSwank]

From Joe Baugher:

44-34104 (B-26B, cn 27383) sold on commercial market as
N9484Z. To Nicaragua in 1963 as
FAN 420. Reserialed FAN 604. Became N99420 in 1977 trade. Now
registered as N99420 with Military Aircraft Restoration Corp of
Anaheim, CA.

https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N99420

Photos above and video below, show nose wheel collapse while landing at Oskosh, July 25, 2016.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMctfB1SKFQ

[digiartist]

Hi Ed and RSwank,

I'd assumed that the restored Silver Dragon was probably painted that way because of the cool dragon face rather than actually being the original aircraft, but who knows.

The decal sheet I was referring to has a different serial, but I had checked out Joe Baugher's website and it looked like the serial was from a batch of production that was cancelled.

Still a mystery it seems.

Thank you both for your replies, much appreciated!

[RSwank]

It is my impression was that the current "Silver Dragon" with serial number 44-34104 was not the original plane that served with the 386th BG, but was painted (nose art and squadron codes) to look like the original, whose serial number seems to be a mystery. Thus the serial number on this "Silver Dragon" is its "original" serial number (it is just not the serial number of the original "Silver Dragon").

Some photos:

http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Airframe...p?Serial=63660

This link says that 44-34104 was delivered to the AAF in February, 1945 and saw action in Korea.

https://roncole.net/products/douglas...-relic-display

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
From "Foreign Invader" by Dan Hagedorn & Leif Hellstrom.
Nicaragua?
B-26B
FAN Serial 604
Previous identity
44-34104, N9484Z, FAN 420*
Taken on charge circa 1970.
Withdrawn from use circa 1976.
Remarks
Last seen at Managua May 77. Became N99420 in 1977, trade. Still flying 1992.

* The Bill of Sale in the FAA file for N99420 gives the c/n or s/n for FAN 604 as '507'.
The aircraft was initially registered as the former 41-39507 ( which was scrapped by the USAAF in1947), but this was later changed to 44-34104 ( which has the fuselage number '507'). The latter is known to have been sold to Nicaragua.

A-26B-45-DL.
44-34104
N99420
fuselage number "507".
Construction number 27383.

So looks like the a/c is displaying its correct serial number and was never with the 552ndBS /386BG, 9 AAF.

So does anyone have details of the a/c named "Silver Dragon" that served with the 552nd BS ?

Alex

[digiartist]

Thanks for the further information Alex, confirms what I thought. I know the real Silver Dragon had the older canopy, so the clam shell canopy on the current version suggested it was unlikely to be it's true identity.
I've attached the only photo I know of the real aircraft -