designations and general "misplacements" etc.
There are also some aircraft whose histories and
dispositions just don't add up.
Please e-mail the author: sdbeck AT caverock DOT net DOT nz
with any information or your own theories...
Drawing Credit: USAF.
Was there ever 3 Aeronca L-3C airframes allocated to the US Navy as the JR-1?
Theres no records for this designation and no s/n's recorded, one apparently had
a civil reg.: N47051.
Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor
What was the date of first flight for the C-45?
Was BuNo. 89466 / 89494 (29) designated as the JRB-5 or JRB-6?
I have them as JRB-6 at the moment.
Details for a Beechcraft Model D18S issued s/n: 89-0126 in 1988-1989?
Was RAF Expeditor Mk. I (HB759), delivered?
Answer: RAF logs don't record a delivery.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
What is the serial number for the XB-29E?
There were six or seven B-29F conversions. I have five: 45-21846,
45-21848, 45-21856, 45-21859 & 45-21871. What are the sixth and seventh?
Present Answer: 45-21846 and 45-21848 appear to be B-29F conversions
but their history cards don't show a conversion.
Boeing-Stearman PT-13 / PT-17 kaydet
A photo depicting an N2S-5 Kaydet with BuNo. 52941 has been published
in several books. However, the s/n batch for BuNo. 52627 / 53049 was
cancelled according to every source I can locate?
Present Answer: It appears many of these were built but not delivered.
BuNo. 52847 and 52941 are confirmed. Spares for up to 2,000 complete
aircraft were also built which is why some sources quote over 10,000
Kaydets built.
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
At which RAF serial number did the Kittyhawk Mk. IIA (P-40F)
change over to the "long" fuselage.
Douglas A-20 Havoc
Were the 240 Boeing DB-7B (AL263 / AL502) designated as Boston Mk. III
or Boston Mk. IIIA in RAF service?
The Boeing built DB-7Bs had electrical system differences over the Douglas
built DB-7Bs, but was this enough to warrant them as Mk. IIIA?
The RAF version of the A-20C was Boston Mk. IIIA as these had
armament and fuel capacity improvements.
Build numbers for the A-20, A-20A and A-20C.
Douglas DC-3 / C-47 Skytrain
Allocations for RAF Dakota s/n: FG857 (Mk. I), TJ170 (MK. II)
and TP181 (Mk. IV).
Grumman F4F Wildcat
Some Martlet Mk. III serial numbers seem to duplicate themselves with
those of the Martlet Mk. I. These are s/n: AX733 and AX824 / AX829.
North American AT-6 Texan (Harvard)
Harvard Mk. II serial numbers:
(RAF) AH185 / AH204 (20)
(RCAF) 2501 / 3013 (513)
(RNZAF) NZ901 / NZ967 (67)
All were produced between c/n: 66-2234 / 2833 (600).
What was the distribution within this c/n range?
North American B-25 Mitchell
Of the 162 Mitchells for the NEIAF (N5-122 / N5-283), what number were
B-25D and B-25J?
North American P-51 Mustang
Are the c/n's for the two XP-51J 105-47446 and 105-47447 or the more likely
105-47444 and 105-47445?
Did T-34A BuNo. 147543 / 147547 exist as a foreign export?
Why did seven T-34A sold to Spain have newly assigned c/n: X-100 / X-106?
What is the status of these Model B-45 c/n:
CG-11
CG-48 / CG-57
CG-61 / CG-64
CG-67
CG-69 / CG-72
CG-74, CG-76, CG-77
CG-80 / CG-104
CG-107, CG-109, CG-110
CG-200, CG-201, CG-203
Was Fuji T-34A c/n: KD-50 (JG-50) built or cancelled?
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark
Why the dual c/n's on the F-111E and F-111F variants?
Grumman F9F Panther / Cougar
At what point (BuNo.) was F9F Cougar production transferred from
Bethpage to Calverton?
Did F9F-8T BuNo. 143013 exist?
Grumman S2F Tracker
What are the c/n's for the XS2F-1 and YS2F-1?
The first batch of S2F-1 c/n's seem to be out of sequence:
BuNo. 133043 / 133328 are listed as c/n: 14 / 299.
The c/n's should be 16 / 301, if they are to line up with the YS2F-1 and the next batch
of S2F-1's which start at c/n: 302.
This maybe to do with the first two S2F-1 airframes originally ordered as the XWF-1
(BuNo. 133043, 133044) prototype which was then cancelled.
What are the c/n's for S2F-1 BuNo. 149843, 149844?
The USAF s/n: 59-5919 / 59-5921 (3) were assigned from what batch of S-2 Tracker?
Need further details on CS2F-1 s/n: (RCN) 1500, 1501?
Whats the first flight and production dates for the CS2F-2?
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
Were the construction numbers for the Aeritalia F-104S 783-1001 / 783-1246 or just
6701 / 6996?
Lockheed S-3 Viking
Are the c/n's for S-3A BuNo. 160567 / 160607: 394A-1147 / 1187 or 394A-3147 / 3187?
North American F-86 Sabre / F-100 Super Sabre
Were the original serial numbers for the YF-86D prototypes actually: 49-577 and 49-578
and were these later re-serialled to: 50-577 and 50-578? Photographic evidence shows
YF-86D 50-577 at Edwards AFB in the early 1950s with "9577" on the tail indicating
a FY1949 s/n of 49-577.
Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter
The following countries assembled F-5's but I have no references to what serial numbers
were built and when:
Korean Airlines Co. Ltd., Aerospace Division (KAL), Seoul, South Korea,
1981 - 1986, 48 KF-5E / 20 KF-5F "Chegong" (Skymaster).
Swiss Federal Aircraft Factory (F&W), Emmen, The Netherlands,
1978 - 1985, 90 F-5E / F-5F.
Aero Industry Development Center (AIDC/CAF), Taichung, Taiwan,
380 F-5E.
Bell H-13 Sioux
HTL-1 BuNo. 122452 / 122461 appear to clash with the BuNo.'s of the Lockheed
P2V-2 Neptune?
Hiller H-23 Raven
HTE-1 BuNo. 129169 / 129184 (16) - counted as cancelled?
H-23G s/n: 66-13106 / 66-13195 (90) - counted as cancelled?
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw
Require serial numbers for foreign assembled / built
(France and Yugoslavia) airframes.
Were Yugoslavia S-55-5 s/n: 11712 / 11732 (21) built or
assembled by SOKO?
Sikorsky H-54 Tarhe
Were c/n's: 64-068 and 64-069 ever built as the civil S-64E?
Sikorsky H-3 Sea King
Were SH-3D BuNo. 158874, 158875 & 159026 / 159029 cancelled airframes?
Present Answer: Yes.
Did CH-3C s/n: 65-12511 exist?
Were USCG HH-3F with US Navy BuNo. 158847 / 158858 built?
Martin B-57
Were there 823 or 925 UK built Canberra bombers?
Dates of first flights for the U-2A/B/D?
Factory locations and production dates for the U-2 / TR-1?
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
What is the c/n for F-15C s/n: 81-0056, some sources quote it as 046 but this clashes
with s/n: 81-0002 for Saudi Arabia as 1322?
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
The Northrop YF-17A prototypes featured s/n: 72-1569, 72-1570. However I have
seen pictures with the tail number on 72-1569 being "01569"?
Theres some conflicting details over Australian Hornet construction numbers, are they:
AF/A-18A c/n: mixed 228 to 834 or as I have presently listed c/n: mixed A181 to A581.
AF/A-18B c/n: 213, 214 or as I have presently listed c/n: B041, B042.
AF/A-18B c/n: mixed 215 to 632 or as I have presently listed c/n: mixed B043 to B097.
Bell UH-1 Iroquois / AH-1 Cobra
UH-1
Was the official first flight October 20th or 22nd, 1956?
Did s/n: 70-4507 / 70-4510 (4) for the UH-1D exist, some sources quote them as being
an export sales batch?
Did UH-1F s/n: 62-5434 (c/n: 7000) exist?
Were the 4 UH-1F (s/n: 66-15358 / 66-15361) really cancelled, as some sources quote
they were sent to Colombia?
Was UH-1H s/n: 68-15779 / 68-15794 (c/n: 17001 / 17016) an export order or cancelled?
Did UH-1H c/n: 16001 / 16027 exist as an export order or was it cancelled?
Did UH-1H s/n: 72-22068 / 72-22071 exist as an export order?
Did Bell 212 c/n: 30500 exist? Some documents quote such a number.
Details of civil Bell 204B c/n: 1501, 3001, 3002 that went to Japan.
AH-1
Was s/n: 64-7015 (c/n: 2600) and s/n: 64-7016 (c/n: 20001) ever assigned to any of the
AH-1 Cobra prototypes?
Is AH-1F s/n: 83-24065 / 83-24076 a cancelled contract?
Is AH-1W BuNo. 165445 / 165450 a cancelled contract?
Was AH-1W c/n: 26245 built?
Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey
Were the first 6 MV-22B aircraft ever designated as NV-22A?
Boeing-Vertol CH-47 Chinook
Is CH-47D s/n: 98-02000 (c/n: M-3462) for the US Army new built or re-manufactured?
Does Singapore s/n: 88199 (199) CH-47SD exist or was it even delivered?
Has production in Italy and Japan finished?
Hughes (McDonnell Douglas / Boeing) AH-64 Apache
YAH-64A s/n: 74-22247 clashes with s/n for Bell YAH-63?
Are YAH-64A s/n: 79-23257 / 79-23259 in the FY'77 or FY'79 year?
What is the c/n for the WAH-64D, s/n: 92-05408, for the British Army?
Hughes OH-6 Cayuse / Model 500
Would like more details on foreign delivered OH-6A helicopters in the c/n group
1072 / 1078 (7) and 1079 / 1099 (21).
What are the c/n's for OH-6A s/n: 66-17905, 66-17918?
Details on the A/MH-6M?
Sikorsky H-53 Sea Stallion
The model number for the CH/MH-53E is the Model S-80 but the c/n's still list a
"65" prefix?
Whats the status of CH/MH-53E c/n: 65-604, 65-605? Were they built?
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
UH-60A s/n: 85-25511, 85-25512 clash with s/n for Bell UH-1H.
The US Army spells the name as two words: BLACK HAWK, but the US Navy spells
the name as one word: SEAHAWK, various other "Hawk" names are spelt as one or
two words as well, which is correct?
Raytheon T-6 Texan II
Did the modified Pilatus PC-9 with US civil reg.: N26BA also
have a modified c/n, possibly being either PT-1 or T-1?