In previous articles covering the restoration efforts of the March Field Air Museum (MFAM) in Riverside, California, we have focused on individual aircraft, such as the museum's combat veterans, the B-29 Superfortress and three Sabres, A, L, and H models, all of which have ties to the area. More recently, the museum has also been proudly displaying another aircraft, the North American T-28A Trojan, in Mexican Air Force colors.mexican air force; FAM).
Many people are familiar with the Trojan, from its roaring sound and service with the US Army, Air Force and Navy to its role as a counter-insurgency aircraft and its role in a wide range of combat from the Vietnam War to Algeria. But few who are unfamiliar with the broader history of the T-28 may be aware that the early operational variant of the Trojan, the T-28A, was originally powered by a Wright R-1300 Cyclone 7. Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone radial engine. This Trojan featured a large two-blade propeller, while later variants fitted with the R-1820 featured three-blade propellers. Many T-28As were later employed by several foreign air forces, including Mexico, which used the Trojan as a trainer and ground-attack aircraft.
The FAM operated a total of 32 T-28s, which were operated by several squadrons, the most notable of which was Escuadrón 201. aztec eagle. This unique unit is known for having flown combat missions in P-47 Thunderbolts during the liberation of the Philippines in 1945, and is the only Mexican military unit to have participated in combat outside of Mexico as part of the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force. To this day, the Escuadrón 201, now in service with the Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer, is admired by aviation historians on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
MFAM acquired at least two former FAM T-28As for its collection, both acquired as derelict airframes in rather interesting locations. The first of these is T-28A USAF #49-1617, commonly identified as FAM 907. Back in the United States, the aircraft was registered N7647C, but little is known about its civilian life. The aircraft was eventually disassembled and stored outdoors without engines or propellers at David Tallichet's Proud Bird Restaurant in Los Angeles. Until 2019, the aircraft was donated to MFAM by the Los Angeles-based California Air Heritage Foundation. '617 has wings, landing gear and engines, but the aircraft is still missing many components and is currently stored in the museum's outdoor storage.
The second Trojan, T-28A USAF #50-0203, was acquired from a museum and came from a rather unusual location: the Ruckus Paintball Range in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the aircraft was found half-buried in the sand, its tires piled high. The aircraft was accepted into the USAF on April 30, 1951, and served at Reese Air Force Base near Lubbock, Texas, and Spence Air Force Base in Moultrie, Georgia. With the advent of the Jet Age, '203 was placed in storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, on December 16, 1957, until it was transferred to FAM under the Military Assistance Program (MAP) on September 11, 1958. Little is known about how or when the aircraft ended up on the paintball range in Mexico. Fortunately, while MFAM's recovery and salvage team was already looking for another aircraft, Ruckus Paintball agreed to sell the Trojan. So in 2021, a recovery team led by Alex LaBonte Jr. and Greg Stathatos picked up the Trojan along with other aircraft from Ruckus. Shortly after the team left, their truck and trailer arrived in March along with two older trainers in October of that year, ready to become the museum’s latest restoration project.
Given that the '203 was more complete than the '617, we decided to focus on making this aircraft a more complete representative for the museum. Every crevice in the aircraft had to be cleared of sand, and missing parts from the '617 had to be found, fabricated, and sometimes disassembled.
Another challenge for the museum was determining the exact paint scheme for the aircraft. At MFAM, aircraft culminated in the first, last, or most interesting and/or unique missions markings they wore during their service life. As many Trojans in the United States are in American colors, MFAM was committed to preserving the Trojans in Mexican colors. However, given the fact that researchers were unable to find the FAM serial number for 50-0203, and after obtaining photos of the aircraft operating in Mexico, they decided to paint the aircraft as FAM 923.
Finally, after more than two years of work, 50-0203, marked FAM 923, was completed and towed to the museum’s exhibit area. Along with the aircraft currently on display, T-28A USAF #50-0203 will be of interest to aviation enthusiasts not only for its Mexican Air Force colors, but also because it is rare to see a two-blade Wright R-1300-powered Trojan compared to the more common examples with R-1820s and three-blade propellers. And with so many aircraft already on display in the area, Trojan could very well have more aircraft on display in the coming years. For more information about the March Field Air Museum, visit www.marchfield.org.