As I was driving to work last Friday, I had a thought, "I wonder if there is a Keyer box in the mystery parts fuselage? it would have a code disk inside to tell the last four digits of the serial number!"
Sure enough, the box was in there and the serial number revealed!
Based on the code wheel, it's 1505. Per the parts list manual, that's 49-1505, 159-17 or Code 17 or the 17th T-28 built! According to the records on the serial number sites, this airframe may be the oldest civil T-28 outside a museum. I checked the hydraulic tank tubing that it's a pre 159-80, so I will try to find a closer design change to confirm. Based on the history of this airframe, it was hit by a helicopter and burst into flames, that confirms the burnt skin and mechanical damage, it is in otherwise great shape since it was stored in Death Valley since 1967, 43 years!
Check out the serial list at http://www.logbookmag.com/databases/articles.asp?ID=90&CatID=43
Sure enough, the box was in there and the serial number revealed!
Based on the code wheel, it's 1505. Per the parts list manual, that's 49-1505, 159-17 or Code 17 or the 17th T-28 built! According to the records on the serial number sites, this airframe may be the oldest civil T-28 outside a museum. I checked the hydraulic tank tubing that it's a pre 159-80, so I will try to find a closer design change to confirm. Based on the history of this airframe, it was hit by a helicopter and burst into flames, that confirms the burnt skin and mechanical damage, it is in otherwise great shape since it was stored in Death Valley since 1967, 43 years!
Check out the serial list at http://www.logbookmag.com/databases/articles.asp?ID=90&CatID=43
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