Wings Over Miami’s latest restored plane in the hangar is a LTA which was originally delivered to the Navy in 1943 as a SNJ/4 on March 31, 1943. Brought back to the United States from Venezuela in 1992, Walt Orth, a pilot and museum founder, bought it in 2000. He gathered together a restoration team and began working on it without delay.
While the plane’s serial number, 88-12821, is still the original, the airplane took on a new look as a 1949 LTA-6G. Accomplishing this task of being true to design required a momentous amount of research and study by Walt, Vinny Tirado and crew chief Harry Adams. All the detailed documentation for the restoration project has resulted in the compilation of the most thorough information and documents around on this type of aircraft.
This aircraft is as true as it can be to the original. In spite of a few parts being re-manufactured because they just did not exist any longer and the adding of other items, such as the GPS, that were a common sense addition, being authentic was Orth’s goal. They did the research, and then searched high and low for the genuine pieces to make the aircraft true to the original design. Many of the armament details are the real thing. The rocket launcher rails are from the Korean War and many of the other machine gun parts are genuine as well.
The armaments include an aircraft gun and rocket cameras instal
led in the left wing and gun sights in the cockpit including a realistic and functioning armament panel. Also display ed are two .30 cal gun pods with original .30 cal gun barrels under each wing as well as four bomb racks with fairings and rocket rails, each holding three rockets for a total of twelve rockets, six of the HE (high explosive type) and six of the WP (white phosphorous) type. These ordinance stores are all authentic Korean War collectibles.
The rockets are recent fabrications and are not real. Attention was paid to the rockets to make sure that they are a very accurate representation of how they looked.
This aircraft was restored very accurately to represent the LTA-6G Korean War aircraft as attached to the famous Mosquito Sq
uadrons of the United States Fifth Air Force. T6G aircraft arose from earlier model AT6 aircraft (A – F models) that were re-manufactured post WWII by North American or in the field. They were used as liaison (surveillance) and ground attack aircraft during the Korean War. These aircraft were assigned to the 6147 and 6148th TAC (Tactical Control Groups) attached to the 5th Air Force in Korea.
Duty Stations for Night Rider:
- Taegu AB, South Korea, (August – October 1950)
- Kimpo AB, South Korea (October 1950)
- Seoul Afld, South Korea, (October 1950)
- Pyongyang East Adrm, North Korea, (October – November 1950)
- Taegu AB, South Korea, (November 1950 – March 1951)
- Pyongtaek Adrm, South Korea, (March 1951 – April 1952)
- Chunchon, South Korea, (April 1952 – July 1953)
The beautiful aircraft was a labor of love for the restoration team. It represents a dream accomplished for Walt Orth, a work of art for restorer Vinny Tirado and a bittersweet moment for Korean War veteran, Harry Adams, who as a Marine was wounded during the war that birthed the aircraft design.
What a great achievement for everyone involved in this restoration!
Miami