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Aircraft History Built by Douglas Aircraft Company in El Segundo. Constructors Number 17371. During April 1944 delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as SBD-5 Dauntless bureau number 54532. Wartime History Assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics General Representative (BAR) in Los Angeles and likely used as a personal transport until June 1945. Next assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics Representative (BAR) in Baltimore until December 1946. Afterwards, assigned to NAS Norfolk to the aircraft pool. On February 8, 1947 officially stricken from charge and transferred to the War Assets Administration (WAA) and offered for sale. Postwar In 1947 registered in the United States as NL1339V and later N1339V as the SBD-5 bureau number 54532, construction number 6046 [sic] and serial number 42-54532 [sic]. Sold to Andy Stinis of Skywriting Corporation of America for skywriting but the plane's fuel consumption was too high and was instead offered for sale. On October 18, 1951 sold to CIA Mexicana Aerofoto (Mexican aerial photo) founded by Luis Struck. Six days later the U.S. registration was canceled and marked as exported to Mexico. In Mexico, painted in a light color scheme with registration XB-QUC in large block letters on the fuselage plus a stripe down the center of the fuselage and at the center of the tail. During late 1951 until early 1966 was used for aerial photography across Mexico for clients including Pemex, Mexican Electricity Commission and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a study of the Mississippi River delta. On January 11, 1966 sold for $1,600.00 to Edward Maloney / Planes of Fame Museum (The Air Museum) and displayed until the early 1971. On March 4, 1971 when sold to Robert L. Griffin of San Antonio, Texas who nicknamed the Dauntless “Speedy D”. Registered in the United States as N54532. In 1975, this Dauntless landed aboard USS Nimitz for the retirement ceremony for Admiral Ralph W. Cousins, Commanding Officer of the Atlantic Fleet. The plane was painted in the markings of Cousins' SBD fuselage code B14 during the Battle of the Coral Sea when he was credited with a bomb hit on Shoho. During 1978, Griffin donated this plane to the Confederate Air Force / Commemorative Air Force (CAF). In October 1978 moved to Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Dixie Wing in Harlingen, Texas. Grounded for nearly a decade, this aircraft was restored over several years and registered as N82GA. Nicknamed "Lady in Blue". In 1999 the restored Dauntless took off for the first time piloted by Mike Rettke and since then has flown in air shows across the United States for over twenty years. Today, painted in the markings of an SBD-5 Dauntless used in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (Great Marianas Turkey Shoot) with fuselage number 5 and in white, the U.S. Star and bar insignia outlined in red with a diagonal white stripe on the tail On the right side of the cockpit is the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) logo in white with a smaller 5 in white on the front of the engine cowling. References This SBD-5 Dauntless bureau number is often confused with A-24B Dive Bomber 42-54532 USAF Serial Number Search Results - SBD-5 Dauntless 54532 "54532 (MSN 17371) to Mexican AF, then to Compania Mexicana Aerophoto SA as XB-QUC. By Jul 1964 was with Tallmantz Collection of Orange County, CA. In 1965 was with Air Museum, Ontario, CA. Registered 1960 to R. L. Griffin of San Antonio, TX as N54532. Later operated by Confederate Air Force as N54532. Now registered N82GA" FAA Registry - Douglas N82GA 54532 Commemorative Air Force (CAF) SDB Lady In Blue - Dixie Wing "Our 'Lady in Blue' and the pride of the Dixie Wing, the Douglas "Dauntless" SBD-5 dive-bomber was assigned to us by the headquarters of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) in 1991. The Dixie Wing's 'Dauntless' was built at the El Segundo factory in California. After the war, it was sold to Mexico as XB-QUC and used for aerial photography until mid-1964. Ed Mahoney [sic Edward Maloney] acquired it in 1965 and it was subsequently purchased by the CAF in 1970 and flown to San Antonio, Texas, and registered as N54532. It moved to Harlingen, Texas in October 1978." CAF Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless BuAer 54532 A-24 or SBD? [PDF] by Keith Wood Contribute
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