SUMMARY

The Florida Wing was recently awarded stewardship of this 1943 North American SNJ-4, a real life monument to military pilot training history, and it now joins our beautiful T-34 in the Butch Stevens Hangar facility on the east side of DeLand Airport (DED).  We are seeking donations to enable us to overhaul of our SNJ’s Pratt & Whitney R1340 engine and keep it flying for the next generation. 

HISTORY

Before it was N224X, this SNJ-4 was Navy Bureau #27585 and was delivered to the Pensacola, Florida area in 1943 where it was operated from the various Navy airfields in western panhandle of Florida. Records indicate a majority of this SNJ’s life in Navy service occurred at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Whiting, and after spending a brief period in storage between wars from 1950 to 1952, was inducted back into Navy service, then finally retired after a stint in Naval Air Reserve Training at Grosse Ille, MI in 1956. The airplane was sold into civilian ownership in 1957 for the bargain price $1,810 (that’s $16,700 in today’s dollar!) and was eventually acquired by its current owner, the Commemorative Air Force, in 1974. Before falling into the care of the Florida Wing, the CAF whereabouts of this SNJ included Lafayette, Harlingen, Abilene, Dallas, Cleveland, and the last caretaker of the plane was the Buffalo Heritage Squadron in upstate New York.

PROGRESS

N224X required a very involved (read that, expensive) annual inspection after its ferry flight down to Florida from Buffalo. More than a few components required repair or complete replacement altogether, and our lead mechanic, Gene McNeely of AeroShell Aerobatic Team fame, quickly realized the true scope of the project he was about to undertake in returning this Texan to airworthy condition. Compromised fuel lines, new throttle quadrants and an electric fuel pump, installation of ADS-B, re-weighing the airframe, and the FAA approvals to go along with it all were just a couple of the hurdles encountered by our team as the plane progressed through the inspection. Hundreds and hundreds of man hours were devoted by several FL Wing volunteers and local T-6 A&Ps in the year since then to continue to improve this Texan, focusing overwhelmingly on safety. Thanks to the efforts of our generous donors, we acquired and installed the highly desirable Redline disc brakes, new tires, a Garmin #2 comm radio, 2 new parachutes, and high visibility Whelen LED landing lights, just to name a few. 

TASKS AHEAD

N224X has certainly come a long way in the year it’s been flying here in Florida, but its journey isn’t over yet. It has become apparent that the Pratt and Whitney R-1340 on our SNJ-4 is in need of overhaul.  We knew this was going to be a challenge early on, but our forecasting did not anticipate this event be upon us quite so soon. With overhaul costs anticipated to exceed $60,000, this financial burden poses a great threat to our continued operation of the aircraft. It is for this reason we are turning to our fellow CAF supporters and graciously asking for your help in keeping this amazing aircraft alive and well.  80 years ago, Navy SNJs were flying right from the very pavement we operate from today , and with your help, we make can make it 100+ years of SNJs flying at DeLand!