The resurrection of an Invader

Almost 30 years after it was badly damaged in Hurricane Andrew on 24 August 1992, a Douglas A-26C is finally on the brink of its first post restoration flight. The Invader is former USAAF 41-39401 (c/n 7114), one of the aircraft in the stable of famous collector Kermit Weeks.

It was trucked to Chino (CA) in 1997 where Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman, co-owners of Aero Trader, began the long path back to airworthy status.

During the restoration, the former glass nose has been replaced with the original-type hard gun nose. It still carries the fuselage code ’51-C’. The code of 5I belongs to the 643rd Bombardment Squadron, 409th Bombardment Group.

Once completed, renowned pilot Steve Hinton will test fly the aircraft, and if those flights are successful, plans are for the airplane to make the trip to Oshkosh in July. There, the A-26 will join the world’s largest annual gathering of warbirds at AirVenture 2022, organized by the EAA, the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Invader 41-39401 reportedly saw wartime service with the 9th Air Force and served with the Van Nuys Air National Guard before beginning civilian use as N3457G ‘Whistler’s Mother’ in 1959. It was sold to Challenge Publications in 1982 and was re-registered as N39401 the next year.

From 1985 to 1987 the aircraft was owned by the American Aeronautical Foundation at Van Nuys (CA). It was the sold again, this time to Kermit A. Weeks , initially based at Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami (FL) but later at Lakeland (FL)

Source: EAA