Walkaround #632

Bell P-39Q Airacobra Pt. 2 

Reference photos by Stewart Bailey

Rudder hinge (left side)

 

      

This particular aircraft is on display at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan  (where I am the education director), and was photographed prior to the opening of our new museum in April, 2004.  Although it carries the markings of a Bell P-400 Airacobra assigned to the 67th Fighter Squadron on Guadalcanal in 1942, this aircraft is actually a P-39Q.  At one point in its life it was owned by Mira Slovak who configured it as a racer named Mr. Mennen, before passing into the hands of the Confederate Air Force.  It was acquired by the Air Zoo in 1981 and has been maintained in airworthy condition, although it has not been flown since the mid-1980s.  It carries the civil registration NX40A.  For more on the Airacobra and the Air Zoo, visit www.airzoo.org

Stewart Bailey

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Rudder trim tab (left side)

Radio antenna attachment point on tail (left side)
Radio antenna attachment point on fuselage (from left rear)
View from directly behind

 

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Rudder hinge (right side)

Elevator "axle" (from right rear)

Radio antenna attachment point on tail (right side)
National insignia (right side)

 

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Engine exhaust stacks from right rear

Right main gear leg viewed from rear
Right main gear well looking inward
Top of right main gear leg from rear

 

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Right aileron from below

Right aileron hinge point from below
Right aileron detail with actuator cover
Right aileron trim tabs viewed from below

 

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End of right aileron viewed from wing tip

Navigation light, right wing upper surface

Right wing leading edge
Vent scoop, right wing underside near tip.

 

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Right wing .50 cal. machine guns (note staggered layout)

Right main gear cover, lower
Right main gear leg from front
Engine exhaust stacks from right front

 

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Right nose gear door and gear strut braces

Nose gear wheel assembly (right side)
Right side cowling .50 cal. machine gun
Windscreen & door (right side)

 

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Prop spinner detail (right side)

Throttle quadrant viewed through left door

Lower instrument panel and rudder pedals from left side
Instrument panel

 

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Left side of seat with trim controls

Fuel tank selector switch (left side)
Control stick (left side)
Pilot's seat

 

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Pilot's harness attachment bar and rear canopy structure (from left side)

Oxygen regulator on right cockpit wall

Throttle lever and left side electrical panel
Windscreen interior

 

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Left side door hinges

Right side of pilot's seat with oil cooler control
Right side of cockpit with coolant shutter lever
Trim controls viewed from right side

 

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Throttle quadrant viewed from right side

Instrument panel

Right rudder pedal (note drive shaft running between the pilot's legs)
Right side of cockpit looking aft, showing oil cooler control and seat mounting

 

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Engine exhaust stacks viewed from above (left side)

Engine air intake on back of fuselage

Rear spine of fuselage from left side
View into cockpit from right rear

 

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Left wing upper surface

Right wing upper surface

Engine exhaust stacks viewed from left rear
Radio antenna attachment point on canopy (left side)

 

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Access panel in left wing root - open

Vent on left fuselage aft of engine
Engine air intake (left side)

 

Photos and text © by Stewart Bailey