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| B-66 Production and Attrition 2 B-66s On Display by Ned Colburn, Polly Parrot, Bill Starnes, Tom Taylor & Paul Duplessis RB-66B (Photo Reconnaissance) 53-412 at Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul, IL 53-431 was at Florence Air and
Missile Museum P.S.
53-431 was scrapped at Florence, SC about 1998. It
was sold at auction for $1,700, to a local automobile scrapyard. According to
an eyewitness, the Air Force removed the nose section from just aft of the pilot's
seat prior to the auction. - Paul Cotrufo 53-466 at Dyess Linear Air Park, Dyess AFB, TX 53-475 at the AF Museum, Wright-Patterson
AFB, OH RB-66C (Electronic Reconnaissance) CLICK HERE for photo #2 taken by Tom Taylor August 2006 WB-66D (Weather Reconnaissance) 55-390 at Lackland AFB, TX 55-392 at Museum of Aviation, Warner-Robins AFB, GA 55-395 at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ
NOTE: USAAS-USAAC-USAAF
USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers - 1908 to Present This serial number scheme continued until the end of US Fiscal Year (FY) 1921 (which was June 30, 1921). At that time, the numbers had reached 69592, plus a special block of 1919-1921 experimental procurements in the 94022/94112 range. Starting in July of 1921 (the beginning of FY 1922) a new system was adopted based on procurement within each Fiscal Year. Each serial number now consisted of a base number corresponding to the last two digits of the FY in which money was used to manufacture the aircraft, and a sequence number indicating the sequential order in which the particular aircraft was ordered within that particular FY. For example, airplane 22-1 was the first aircraft ordered in FY 1922, 23-1 was the first example ordered in FY 1923, etc. This system is still in use today. It is important to recognize that the serial number reflects the Fiscal Year in which the order for the aircraft is placed, NOT the year in which it is delivered. Nowadays, the difference between the time the order is placed and the time the aircraft is actually delivered can be as much as several years.
RESEARCHING B-66 USAF SERIAL NUMBERS By Hank A. Howard, MSgt, USAF, Ret. After reviewing some of the past issues of the "The Destroyer" I felt it would be proper to share with your association and others the information and excellent tools available on the Internet to gain knowledge about former aircraft and their final disposition. First off the B-66 web site at http://B66.info contains a plethora of information about aircraft productions, attrition, conversions and museum static display locations. Capt. Gilles Vannederveen has done quite a bit of research from his own records and from Maxwell AFB, AL historical data. I also have done an extensive search for information on B-66 aircraft and have recently forwarded that information to Col. Paul Duplessis with some updates and B-66 history. He added that information to the bottom section under Click Here For more B-66 Attrition and Loss Information. In March 2000 I began researching information regarding a RB-66C crash that occurred at RAF Chelveston, UK. I participated in the Crash and Recovery Operations in the Base Fire Department that accident happened some 40 years ago. Part of my search was invigorated by a newer web site WWW.Rushden.Org. The Webmaster is Joyce Wade a British gal, who married Jack Wade. Jack Wade was a Crew Chief for RB-66, tail 54-0466, for 42 TAC RECON at RAF Chelveston 1958-1960. Through my research, I updated Jack Wade about the fatal outcome of 54-0466 over North Vietnam on March 31, 1972 and relayed to him the Bat-21 rescue effort. I could not find the tail number and date of the Chelveston RB-66C crash on the Internet. A few articles were written on the B-66 Internet site but all contained conflicting information of the date of event and none had the tail number. I then went to a web site at the Pentagon and got forwarded to Air Force Safety Center now at Kirtland AFB, NM. In a matter of days I had the information I had searched for two months. The RB-66C tail number was 54-0460 and date of accident was 7 February 1962. I continued a simultaneous search on browsers and came across an excellent site maintained by Joe Baugher, a native of Chicago suburbs and a former Lucent Technology employee of many years. He has amassed an excellent database on USAF Serial Numbers and for all different aircraft in the Air Force inventory. Many members of the B-66 Association were most likely rated in other aircraft and would like to know the aircraft they flew with final disposition. The site
to gain information for B-66 aircraft is as follows: Scroll
down the side to get to the B-66 aircraft and don't forget the ~ = tilde in the
URL after .net above. 1954 Production Models tails were: 54-0417/0446
Douglas RB-66B-DL Destroyer 54-0447/0476
Douglas RB-66C-DT Destroyer 54-0477/0505
Douglas B-66B-DL Destroyer 54-0506/0547
Douglas RB-66B-DL Destroyer 54-0548/0551
Douglas B-66B-DL Destroyer The following B-66's were scrapped at Kadena AB, Okinawa in October 1973 0420
scrapped at Kadena AB Oct 1973. NOTE: A/C 54-0419 EB66-E Scrapped at MASDC-Tuscon Oct 1972. B-66
AIRCRAFT INVOLVED IN SIGNIFICANT EVENTS I hope some of the members find this information useful. The Internet is a strong methodology to bring information to knowledge. Hank
A. Howard Copyright
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for an excellent source of US aircraft serial numbers
