Dixie Wing, Commemorative Air Force

Member's Aircraft

Many of our members have warbirds of their own. It is difficult to name them all, but here are a few of the ones more commonly seen around our hangar.

Mitsubishi "Zero" This airplane is the newest addition to our hangar. It is actually a heavily modified AT-6 and was built for the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!" Look for it on the airshow circuit flying with the Kate and SBD in aerial reenactments of Pacific Theater battles fought during WWII. Check it out at www.JapaneseZero.net.

Nakajima B-5N "Kate" This airplane is actually a heavily modified AT-6 with fuselage plug and BT-13 tailfeathers. During filming of the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!", they needed Japanese torpedo bombers. Unfortunately, none exist any longer because the Japanese were forced to destroy all of them after the war. So the movie producers decided they would make some...(see more aerial shots, photo 1, and photo2). You can find out more at www.japanesebomber.com

Harvard Mk IV The Canadian version of of the AT-6, this airplane was license-built by Canadian Car and Foundry. This airplane is easy to spot due to its unique paint scheme. Check out the web sites at: www.jsbird.net

SNJ The Navy version of the AT-6. This airplane has almost all the original equipment and is in very good condition. The paint scheme is similar enough to our SBD-5 that casual observers sometimes mistake it for the SBD. This airplane (and instructor) is available for instruction for Dixie Wing members at a very reasonable price. See the aircraft rides page. The SNJ and Capt. Jim Buckley are Famous!! The SNJ appeared on Good Morning America with the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Focke Wulf FW-149 A German trainer finished in WWII Luftwaffe colors. It is similar in purpose to the T-6 and SNJ trainers used by the USAF and Navy. In WWII, Focke Wulf produced the FW-190, a deadly fighter-bomber aircraft that decimated both British and American bomber forces. As there are no Focke Wulf FW-190 fighters flying today, it plays the adversary role in the D-Day display.

SNJ We have another SNJ finished in Navy blue. A fine example of a Navy trainer.

Soko 522 A Yugoslavian fighter-trainer. Very similar to an AT-6, this is one of only a couple examples in the US. This airplane had an unfortunate fuel system problem and belly-landed in a tobacco field a couple years back. The damage wasn't severe, but its repair has taken a back seat to a lot of other projects. It is now at the point where it could be back in the air with a couple month's concerted effort. It would be nice to see this airplane fly again. It is for sale if anyone is interested...it is actually a good-looking airplane when it is in one piece. Call Bill Baldwin at 678-364-1110.

PT-22 The Dixie Wing PT-22, serial number 1888, was manufactured by Ryan Aeronautical in San Diego, California in early 1942. It was used by the Army Air Corps until 1945, when it was declared surplus and sold for civilian use. The "Recruit" has been painted in the same paint scheme it had while training Army Air Corps pilots during World War II.

Dixie Wing members: if you'd like your warbird listed on our web pages, please e-mail the webmaster with a photo and short description of your bird.