The A26 doing what it does best, scaring people working on Avra Valley's runway, this was my job and the uncouth people i worked with ! I loved every second of it.
My father flew these in the war...and on his 88th birthday, I found these guys, drove my father down from Scottsdale and the owners were gracious enough to give him a ride for almost an hour, along with myself and my, then, 10yr old son who were fortunate enough to ride in the glass nose. These guys were awesome...just as exciting as this clip. Footnote, my son became so excited that later, he got his PPL, graduated from college ROTC...and, at 31 now, flies U-2's for the USAF out of Beale.
Bud Abrams (long deceased) and his son owned the A-26 along with a T-28. I used to fly formation with the T-28. The place is pretty dead now. Great about your son flying the U-2. He probably knows Huggy, a U-2 instructor.
@@jcheck6 Yes, my son is in Cypress now, tdy for the U-2. I had a picture of all of us in the A-26....but couldn't attach it here. I will ask him about Huggy.
In italy our grandparents were so scared about this plane they iven called "Pippo" and they were use to say "Turn off the light is coming Pippo" Because the A26 was use to do night bombing runs over nord and central italy at low altitude bombing small targets like houses and small factorys . Pippo is a Disney character if i'm not wrong! Thank you for this beautiful video! Cheers from italy.
My Father transitioned from B 25's to the invader as a flight instructor. He absolutely loved this plane, he did tell a story where they would challenge P-51 drivers to low level races and the Invader would win. I mean everyone loves their assigned plane, but if its true, what a total beast!
That does not surprise me, that at low levels it was faster than P-51's... This thing was moving along pretty good!!! With those two R-2800's, she'll be moving !!!
I recall seeing these in a N. Midwest stop=over on our family trips from NE to the Washington area. This was mid-70's, but, yeah the A-26 was something that Stood Out among Planes on 'the ramp'! Most had 'flat-black' undersides (which, as a kid, I wondered about, but, my Dad, being a Pioneer RIO (F7F), explained 'why', which likely made them 'K' conversions for late-Viet-Nam Ops. They All had the 8-.50-cal Gun nose, btw! , and two had Jet-mounts outboard of the Engine Nacelles , inboard of the outer-wing-mounts, Yeah, an A-10, pre, A-10!, minus the Cockpit Armor!
During WW11 I was under orders to join Fighting one on Yorktown I flew to Enewetok awaiting the fleets arrival. I volunteered to help ferry Hellcats from Majuro to the new forward base Enewetok. Navy AJs (A26) were used to take us from Enewetok to Majuro and provide navigation for the fighters on the return trip. As passengers on the AJ, we never were concerned about seats. As many pilots that would fit was OK.
Amazing you need to keep telling the truth what real men are like, 20 year olds! Dad was 25H Pilot in China he left VIA A-26 to Germany as flight leader. They dumped them off and went home.
Very cool!!! What an awesome sight!!! Beautiful plane!!! Thank You for posting this...I live about 7 miles from where this video was shot from... I have worked at that airport , for a couple of companies that operated there, and even got a chance to go into the hanger that this plane was at.... And yes, it is an extremely cool place to be with a number of historic planes, of historic value are now based there. But this is the first time, that I have ever seen this video, and it is amazing!!!! I have not seen this until just about 9 hours ago on 9/26/22.... Apparently, this video was shot about 10 years ago, and it is absolutely amazing!!!
In the 70's up in LeGrand, Oregon.........I was up there putting a wing and an elevator on my boss's Maule that had been ground-looped.........the gracious guy who had let me use his hanger came up and said that I should step out and watch something.........a guy had an A-26 he had fixed up for firefighting.........no bulbous tank....he had sealed the fuselage to hold firefighting fluid..........anyway........he was heading off and put on one awesome show.........what an airplane......next to my B-1B sighting over Shiprock NM........my best off the cuff airplane memory.........
I was stationed at a base in North Western Thailand in 1969. I had just finished working one of our birds and was walking back to the shop. As I came around one of the revetments, I came face to face with an A-26. The aircraft was in camo paint and had 8, 50 cal. machine guns sticking out of the nose, 2 vertical rows of 4. It must have just landed as the exhaust manifolds were still popping. Got to look it over and glad I did. The next night I looked for it, but it was gone. Only one I ever saw at our base.
*You probably saw an A-26A (B-26K) counter-insurgency aircraft. Most SEA-based 26Ks were painted black with red markings. They began in Douglas crates stored at DMAFB. They were removed from the crates, assembled and K-suffix modified by OnMark Engineering at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) under CIA contract. 26Ks were originally intended as close air support for the Bay of Pigs invasion. Also flew supressive fire missions in support of the Leopoldville rescue mission. Saw action in Central and South America and elsewhere. Cheers!*
may be that because other aircraft did more and slightly better job. i think the allies had was too many different types of aircraft in WW 2 here some numbers light fighters 31 single Eng heavy fighters 17 Twin Eng or more than one crew and night fighters medium bomber 31 heavy bomber 12 Carrier based aircraft 14 and i have not even look at Strategic and photo-reconnaissance aircraft Flying boats Passenger and cargo aircraft and other types used in ww 2
I just love those big synched props. Reminds me of the mosquitos testing the bouncing bomb off the south coast UK. I SO wish I was standing with you lucky bastards watching this! Great upload.
this is gonna be one of my all time favorite videos of one of my all time favorite aircraft, there is absolutely nothing like the sound of a big radial! anytime I hear one the matter where I am or what I'm doing have to run out and take a look! unfortunately there's no one within 100 miles of me with a decent radial engined airplane except an N3N and a waco biplane that you see every once in awhile (but those are little radials of course) I wish somebody around here had an A-26!
That airport looks like a fun place to hang out. Looking on Google maps, I see Constellations, Beechcraft Starships, A-4 Skyhawks, what looks to be DC-4s, and I think I see a Beech 18. There's also some kind of skid-pad testing going on as well.
I was there that day and had worked on that Warbird many times over the years. The profanity you heard is spoken by older and younger guys in attendance. We all had worked on it at one of the shops at the Marana airport, although I've forgotten the business name. Sadly, the A26 shown hasn't flown for the better part of 10 years now and I doubt it will any time soon. It sat for SO long without any ongoing maintenance, one of the WORST things you can do to one of these fine Warbirds. I (almost) miss working on those old birds and some of the other Warbirds sitting at that Not-Friendly-To-Employee airport. Sad. But seeing Gary's bird in the sky, even from some 11 or so years ago, brings back memories.
@@jameshay7247, actually, there were only a very FEW guys there who were/are Veterans, me being only 1 of 2. The rest were just hardasses who best expressed themselves with foul language. Especially Bruce, the guy wearing the Green T-shirt. He died a number of years ago and STILL owes me Money, rotten Bastard!! LMAO
Seeing the plane coming in for a low fly-by reminded me of the movie, Always. The pilot being subconsciously lined up approach to bomb the observers under the umbrella instead of the fire. Great movie with lots of old WW2 planes.
My dad flew in these as a radioman/gunner in CBI theater of WWII. He hated them. Poor climb rate, crap conditions at altitude, and shitty glide characteristics. He only ended up in one because his squadron of B24s got moved to China when he was in British hospital with malaria. Reassigned to chase trains & shipping after that.
My Father (Lawrence J Klein) flew the A-26 quite extensively. Here is his history for that time frame of his life: March 1952: Finished tour with the 53rd Troop Carrier Squadron and transferred to the 452nd. Bomb Group (L) A B-26 (Douglas) Night Intruder outfit at K-9 Airfield (Pusan East) Korea. On or about May 1952 the 452nd was deactivated and we were reactivated as the 17th Bomb Group (L) *Note: The “Douglas B-26 Invader” was re-designated “A-26” in 1956. Not to be confused with the Martin B-26 Marauder, used extensively in World War 2) March - September 1952: Flew 55 Night Intruder Missions. Awarded a couple of Air Medals and a D.F.C. (Distinguished Flying Cross) September - December 1952: Temporary duty to Miho AB Japan. Flew B-26 maintenance test flights.
Beautiful plane, makes a change to see it in colour rather than a black and white ww2 documentary.But saying that a lot of the footage has been actual battle film
Very cool Invader low passes. Is this plane passed here in Marana? I live in East Tucson and haven't even been over to Marana Airport except while flying Microsoft FSX. I'm working on an old Monogram A-26C model kit and might try to replicate the color scheme of this plane. Cool upload. Thanks!!!
Sweet getting that buzz feeling deep inside. Was that first pass a "fire wall pass?" Thanks for the upload, Very nice job and worth while project for sure.
@onefriend1997. That is an A-26C which was an attack bomber. That means it needs the glass nose for the bombardier. Only the B variants had the solid noses. Also while you are right about other aircraft keeping their MGs they were made inoperable. In other words the barrels were welded and the firing pins welded and ground down. That makes them only good as eye candy.
1000 2×3k PS 6×20mm starr nach forn 2×12.7 ferngesteuert auf/unter Rumpf Bis 3k Kilo Bomben 10k Meter hoch 650 kmh 3km mit 3k Kilo Bomben Luftlandeversion
They could hold their own quite well as a fighter. They could turn with some of the best fighter aircraft of the time in the hands of the right pilot. It was very formidable in air to air combat.
Kevin Hughes Can you imagine the shock a German pilot had as the bomber that he a moment before was behind and finger ready had turned and was behind him with guns blazing. OH HELL!
+lyle holland Id hate to imagine that scenario! That would be ONE HELL of a shock! It would appear to be just another bomber just slowly lumbering along until you try to engage it, iand it all of a sudden maneuvers around behind you! I would definitely not want to be in Fritz's shoes at all!
I was gonna like this video, until I heard the sewer language from the guys watching the A-26 pass overhead. Do people just not care how they talk anymore or who can hear them? Sad.
My father flew these in the war...and on his 88th birthday, I found these guys, drove my father down from Scottsdale and the owners were gracious enough to give him a ride for almost an hour, along with myself and my, then, 10yr old son who were fortunate enough to ride in the glass nose. These guys were awesome...just as exciting as this clip. Footnote, my son became so excited that later, he got his PPL, graduated from college ROTC...and, at 31 now, flies U-2's for the USAF out of Beale.
Bud Abrams (long deceased) and his son owned the A-26 along with a T-28. I used to fly formation with the T-28. The place is pretty dead now. Great about your son flying the U-2. He probably knows Huggy, a U-2 instructor.
@@jcheck6 Yes, my son is in Cypress now, tdy for the U-2. I had a picture of all of us in the A-26....but couldn't attach it here. I will ask him about Huggy.
In italy our grandparents were so scared about this plane they iven called "Pippo" and they were use to say "Turn off the light is coming Pippo" Because the A26 was use to do night bombing runs over nord and central italy at low altitude bombing small targets like houses and small factorys . Pippo is a Disney character if i'm not wrong! Thank you for this beautiful video! Cheers from italy.
Well, that's just goofy. lol
My Father transitioned from B 25's to the invader as a flight instructor. He absolutely loved this plane, he did tell a story where they would challenge P-51 drivers to low level races and the Invader would win. I mean everyone loves their assigned plane, but if its true, what a total beast!
That does not surprise me, that at low levels it was faster than P-51's... This thing was moving along pretty good!!! With those two R-2800's, she'll be moving !!!
What a thrill to get buzzed by such a BEAUTIFUL aircraft. She looks and sounds magnificent.
Not a promotion, not women, not money can make a grown man giggle like @ 2:24.
Great video.
D-G-A-F so very true
I recall seeing these in a N. Midwest stop=over on our family trips from NE to the Washington area. This was mid-70's, but, yeah the A-26 was something that Stood Out among Planes on 'the ramp'! Most had 'flat-black' undersides (which, as a kid, I wondered about, but, my Dad, being a Pioneer RIO (F7F), explained 'why', which likely made them 'K' conversions for late-Viet-Nam Ops. They All had the 8-.50-cal Gun nose, btw! , and two had Jet-mounts outboard of the Engine Nacelles , inboard of the outer-wing-mounts, Yeah, an A-10, pre, A-10!, minus the Cockpit Armor!
During WW11 I was under orders to join Fighting one on Yorktown I flew to Enewetok awaiting the fleets arrival. I volunteered to help ferry Hellcats from Majuro to the new forward base Enewetok. Navy AJs (A26) were used to take us from Enewetok to Majuro and provide navigation for the fighters on the return trip.
As passengers on the AJ, we never were concerned about seats. As many pilots that would fit was OK.
Amazing you need to keep telling the truth what real men are like, 20 year olds! Dad was 25H Pilot in China he left VIA A-26 to Germany as flight leader. They dumped them off and went home.
I got to go up in one of these in 1983, when I was a member of the Confederate Air Force. It was one fast attack bomber.
TeleWacker was it the A-26 out of Waco?
Very cool!!! What an awesome sight!!! Beautiful plane!!! Thank You for posting this...I live about 7 miles from where this video was shot from... I have worked at that airport , for a couple of companies that operated there, and even got a chance to go into the hanger that this plane was at.... And yes, it is an extremely cool place to be with a number of historic planes, of historic value are now based there. But this is the first time, that I have ever seen this video, and it is amazing!!!! I have not seen this until just about 9 hours ago on 9/26/22.... Apparently, this video was shot about 10 years ago, and it is absolutely amazing!!!
In the 70's up in LeGrand, Oregon.........I was up there putting a wing and an elevator on my boss's Maule that had been ground-looped.........the gracious guy who had let me use his hanger came up and said that I should step out and watch something.........a guy had an A-26 he had fixed up for firefighting.........no bulbous tank....he had sealed the fuselage to hold firefighting fluid..........anyway........he was heading off and put on one awesome show.........what an airplane......next to my B-1B sighting over Shiprock NM........my best off the cuff airplane memory.........
Beautiful plane!.. Thanks 👍🇳🇿
Nice shot of old Bruce Crandall. Miss Him.
I was stationed at a base in North Western Thailand in 1969. I had just finished working one of our birds and was walking back to the shop. As I came around one of the revetments, I came face to face with an A-26. The aircraft was in camo paint and had 8, 50 cal. machine guns sticking out of the nose, 2 vertical rows of 4. It must have just landed as the exhaust manifolds were still popping. Got to look it over and glad I did. The next night I looked for it, but it was gone. Only one I ever saw at our base.
Wow! Just your luck!
*You probably saw an A-26A (B-26K) counter-insurgency aircraft. Most SEA-based 26Ks were painted black with red markings. They began in Douglas crates stored at DMAFB. They were removed from the crates, assembled and K-suffix modified by OnMark Engineering at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) under CIA contract. 26Ks were originally intended as close air support for the Bay of Pigs invasion. Also flew supressive fire missions in support of the Leopoldville rescue mission. Saw action in Central and South America and elsewhere. Cheers!*
OMG that was pure unadulterated coolness. I so wish i was there to witness and hear that!!!
The movie Always got me hooked on loving this plane. Solid movie.
It's awesome to watch her swoop through the air and skim low over the ground, but imagine how terrifying this airplane must have been ~75 years ago.
The Invader is truly an unsung hero of WWII. No fancy movies or documentaries about them and their brave crews.
may be that because other aircraft did more and slightly better job. i think the allies had was too many different types of aircraft in WW 2 here some numbers
light fighters 31 single Eng
heavy fighters 17 Twin Eng or more than one crew and night fighters
medium bomber 31
heavy bomber 12
Carrier based aircraft 14
and i have not even look at
Strategic and photo-reconnaissance aircraft
Flying boats
Passenger and cargo aircraft
and other types used in ww 2
Dayumm! Almost better than when I was 20 feet behind 2 (TWO) P-47's as they cranked over those radials! Ar-ar-ar-arrrrr!
beautiful sound!
I just love those big synched props. Reminds me of the mosquitos testing the bouncing bomb off the south coast UK. I SO wish I was standing with you lucky bastards watching this!
Great upload.
wow that is a beautiful plane. the sound is awesome
this is gonna be one of my all time favorite videos of one of my all time favorite aircraft, there is absolutely nothing like the sound of a big radial! anytime I hear one the matter where I am or what I'm doing have to run out and take a look! unfortunately there's no one within 100 miles of me with a decent radial engined airplane except an N3N and a waco biplane that you see every once in awhile (but those are little radials of course) I wish somebody around here had an A-26!
That airport looks like a fun place to hang out. Looking on Google maps, I see Constellations, Beechcraft Starships, A-4 Skyhawks, what looks to be DC-4s, and I think I see a Beech 18. There's also some kind of skid-pad testing going on as well.
All the F bombs add such an element of maturity and masculinity. I only wish I had the capacity to cuss with such easy nonchalance. Impressive.
They are probably former military. Military men curse so much, they really don't hear it... it is the normal speech pattern for them nowadays.
I was there that day and had worked on that Warbird many times over the years.
The profanity you heard is spoken by older and younger guys in attendance.
We all had worked on it at one of the shops at the Marana airport, although I've forgotten the business name.
Sadly, the A26 shown hasn't flown for the better part of 10 years now and I doubt it will any time soon.
It sat for SO long without any ongoing maintenance, one of the WORST things you can do to one of these fine Warbirds.
I (almost) miss working on those old birds and some of the other Warbirds sitting at that Not-Friendly-To-Employee airport.
Sad.
But seeing Gary's bird in the sky, even from some 11 or so years ago, brings back memories.
@@jameshay7247, actually, there were only a very FEW guys there who were/are Veterans, me being only 1 of 2. The rest were just hardasses who best expressed themselves with foul language. Especially Bruce, the guy wearing the Green T-shirt. He died a number of years ago and STILL owes me Money, rotten Bastard!! LMAO
Seeing the plane coming in for a low fly-by reminded me of the movie, Always. The pilot being subconsciously lined up approach to bomb the observers under the umbrella instead of the fire. Great movie with lots of old WW2 planes.
love to see these beautiful birds. Keep them alive!
Possibly the best flyover. Sounds so good
must be so much fun to fly... especially at this loocation
"From out of the blue of the western sky, comes......"
In the movie "Always" these planes were featured.
My dad flew in these as a radioman/gunner in CBI theater of WWII. He hated them. Poor climb rate, crap conditions at altitude, and shitty glide characteristics. He only ended up in one because his squadron of B24s got moved to China when he was in British hospital with malaria. Reassigned to chase trains & shipping after that.
My Father (Lawrence J Klein) flew the A-26 quite extensively. Here is his history for that time frame of his life: March 1952: Finished tour with the 53rd Troop Carrier Squadron and transferred to the 452nd. Bomb Group (L) A B-26 (Douglas) Night Intruder outfit at K-9 Airfield (Pusan East) Korea. On or about May 1952 the 452nd was deactivated and we were reactivated as the 17th Bomb Group (L)
*Note: The “Douglas B-26 Invader” was re-designated “A-26” in 1956. Not to be confused with the Martin B-26 Marauder, used extensively in World War 2)
March - September 1952: Flew 55 Night Intruder Missions. Awarded a couple of Air Medals and a D.F.C. (Distinguished Flying Cross)
September - December 1952: Temporary duty to Miho AB Japan. Flew B-26 maintenance test flights.
On the deck! The Invader’s element!
A super great plane.
One of these used to raced at Reno years ago!!!!!
Beautiful plane, makes a change to see it in colour rather than a black and white ww2 documentary.But saying that a lot of the footage has been actual battle film
Very cool Invader low passes. Is this plane passed here in Marana? I live in East Tucson and haven't even been over to Marana Airport except while flying Microsoft FSX. I'm working on an old Monogram A-26C model kit and might try to replicate the color scheme of this plane. Cool upload. Thanks!!!
Sweet getting that buzz feeling deep inside. Was that first pass a "fire wall pass?" Thanks for the upload, Very nice job and worth while project for sure.
Very cool plane
@onefriend1997. That is an A-26C which was an attack bomber. That means it needs the glass nose for the bombardier. Only the B variants had the solid noses. Also while you are right about other aircraft keeping their MGs they were made inoperable. In other words the barrels were welded and the firing pins welded and ground down. That makes them only good as eye candy.
Hi Mike nice Vid from Joe used to work with you at ATW
I hope y’all are still having as much fun as you were then
Simply awesome. AWE-SOME.
hangar door was open today, sat at stop sign gazing in wonder
Lovely sound......
beautiful aircraft
Fuck yeah baby is right!
BADASS. 👍👍
Theyre still used as water bombers today. Id be a water bomber pilot just to get to fly one of these!
Sweet!
At 3:42 onwards what a beautiful sound track.
Best. WOW, Doppler. brace. Brave pilots
Always..
Good old ATW.
Ì workèd on these planes fŕòm 1956 to 1958 àt LBÀF
Good Stuff!
Complain about the F### but I bet these guys can do a good job on your dry wall and still be cool. I watch them too near Oshkosh. Various words...B-)
What's the status on this airplane now? Still flying, still at Marana?
I'd love to go down and see it...
I'm pretty sure it is based there. Its cared for lovingly by atw aviation.
1000
2×3k PS
6×20mm starr nach forn
2×12.7 ferngesteuert auf/unter Rumpf
Bis 3k Kilo Bomben
10k Meter hoch
650 kmh
3km mit 3k Kilo Bomben
Luftlandeversion
I heard the A/B-26 could out turn some fighters at certain altitudes. Is this true?
They could hold their own quite well as a fighter. They could turn with some of the best fighter aircraft of the time in the hands of the right pilot. It was very formidable in air to air combat.
Kevin Hughes
Can you imagine the shock a German pilot had as the bomber that he a moment before was behind and finger ready had turned and was behind him with guns blazing. OH HELL!
+lyle holland Id hate to imagine that scenario! That would be ONE HELL of a shock! It would appear to be just another bomber just slowly lumbering along until you try to engage it, iand it all of a sudden maneuvers around behind you! I would definitely not want to be in Fritz's shoes at all!
ROTFL! Somewhere the has to be a acct of this. HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!
lyle holland Im pretty sure in the Luftwaffe's old files they probably have an account of this somewhere lol!
Did I see a Convair 880 in the backgd?
Bit lower and free haircuts for everyone!!!
Amen
What is the difference between these 2 airplanes.?
What if... A26 Doolittle Raid???
*Dolittle Raid flew B-25s because longer range and greater bomb load. Cheers!*
Mike,
Is this Gary A.'s plane??
I forgot to add, I have pictures !!
Ever hear of a tomboy? They've been around awhile.
The narration takes away from the birds flight.
A great plane and very nice camera work but not the language. At least you didn't have awful music.
This would be a nice vid if those guys on the ground would shut up or at least stop using the "F" word in every sentence.
Agreed....
uncouth, right in the description. lighten up francis
David Smith Sarge, does this mean were done for the day?
haha!
grow a pair.
Hin hin, ha ha ha, hin hin hin... Beavis and Butt-Head on the ground ?
I was gonna like this video, until I heard the sewer language from the guys watching the A-26 pass overhead. Do people just not care how they talk anymore or who can hear them? Sad.