Joe Elliott took these shots of AD-5Q (EA-1F) 132532 at its current home in the Naval AO Museum at Pensacola.
This series of emails from Rick Burgess uncovers the mystery of how two different aircraft bear the same Bureau Number. We are still working on the why part of this question!
18 Mar 99
While scanning the Spad warbird list, I noticed
an apparent error. Aircraft 135018 is listed as being with
the Navy Armament Museum in Pensacola. The photos show the aircraft
newly repainted by the Pima Air Museum, and photos allegedly of
the same aircraft repainted and on the apron in Pensacola. The
Pensacola photos show the aircraft without the radome mounted
on the starboard wing station, unlike the Pima photo. I have a
recent photo of the Pima aircraft at Pima complete with radome.
I believe the aircraft in Pensacola is 132532, also listed
as being in Pensacola, repainted with the number 135018
and in markings worn by 135018 at one point. I have seen
both aircraft at various times, and I believe I am correct in
this.
Your web site is great; I hope to be able to contribute some photos
eventually.
LCDR Rick Burgess USN (Ret.)
Managing Editor, Seapower magazine
Former editor, Naval Aviation News magazine
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19 Mar 99
I'll give Pima a call and ask them if 135018 is still at Pima. I attended a meeting last fall at which Pima's historian, Kirsten Tedesco spoke; she gave me a slide of the aircraft dated Feb 98. The Pima bird bears the same markings, including BuNo, tail code (AE), and side number (810) as the one in Pensacola; however, the lettering on the Pensacola bird is sized differently. Also, the Pima bird has the wing-mounted radome, the two under-fuselage radomes are painted white; and the canopy plexiglass is painted gray on the inside. The Pensacola bird has no wing-mounted radome; the two unde-fuselage radomes are black, and the canopy plexiglass is clear. Anyway, I hope the phone call will resolve it. Will let you know. Rick
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19 Mar 99
I called the Pima Museum and they confirmed that 135018 is still at Pima. I will try to find out from Pensacola why their EA-1F was painted in the same markings. Cheers, Rick
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19 Mar 99
I just got off the phone with the Pensacola museum. Their inventory showed 132532 only, and they went out on the flight line and looked while I was on the phone: the aircraft is marked 135018 large on the vertical stabilizer, and 132532 (small) under the horizontal stabilizer on the data block. That solves the mystery! The Pensacola bird is 132532, and 135018 remains in Pima. Cheers, Rick