July 16, 2010: USS Pampanito

[BrianR]

Since it was mentioned earlier, the Brewster Buffalo was manufactured partly at the NADC Warminster, PA...about five miles from Willow Grove NAS.

I was even there a few years ago, before it became an office park. The flying club in Norfolk was looking to acquire a wrecked trainer aircraft from their flying club, hoping for enough parts to rebuild one of ours that had been damaged heavily in a taxiing accident (instructor pulled up the landing gear on the ground).

That deal went through and the Norfolk aircraft is flying today.

ETA: that club was disbanded in 2000. It is unknown what happened to the aircraft. Many were leasebacks and the owners presumably took the planes somewhere else or leased them to the flying club at Langley AFB. Some were not flyable and likely were sold for parts or scrap.