Warbird Registry
Aerial Visuals
Early History
United States Navy. General Motors TBM-3E. Construction #: 2802
Royal Canadian Navy. BOC: May 29, 1952. SOC: Mar. 26, 1958. Flew as #374 for VC 920.
Simsbury Flying Service, Simsbury, CT, 1964-1972, registered as N4039A.
Miramichi Air Services, Douglastown, NB
#01 CF-BEG 1972-1979
Aerial spray program – NB
1972 – According to a letter to FPL dated 7 December, 1971, Paul Daigle, general manager of Miramichi Air Service Ltd., asked FPL if it was possible to temporarily import N4039A under Miramichi Air Service Ltd., in order to work the coming season with FPL. This aircraft and one other (#A25, later FBEF) were still registered in the United States and he did not think that it would pass the inspection date of 15 February set by the CTC (Canadian Transport Commission). Only N68683 worked in NB that year.
1973 – According to a handwritten and annotated list from FPL, FBEG did not fly in NB in 1973. However, the crash images below, dated 27 May 1973 from the accident card, indicate that it was present for the spray season. Perhaps it crashed before the spray season began and was thus not included on the list.
1974 – Pilots Bisson and Gallagher. 1975 – Pilot Bisson. 1976 – Spare. Pilot Bisson.
Hicks & Lawrence, St. Thomas, Ontario
#1“Yogi Bear” CF-BEG 1978-1985
Aerial spray program – NB
1977, 1978, 1979 – Pilot Kelly. 1980 – Pilot Brechin. 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 – Pilot McKinnon. 1985 – Sold to buyer in USA.
Post-spray History
Syracuse Flying Service, Syracuse, KS, Oct. 1985-1986. Registered as N28SF.
Chuck Wentworth/CC Air Corp, Rialto, CA, Dec. 1986-1995.
Charles G. Wentworth, Paso Robles, CA, 1995-2015. Flown as USN/85983/X2.
Aerial Visuals has several recent images of N28SF in military colours.
This plane crashed in 1958 and I saw it happen. Thought it was going to crash into our house! I have pictures my father took of it after it crashed.