The picture above was taken on 11 May 2006 on the day the flatbed truck arrived carrying the cockpit, wings and engine. The rear fuselage had been delivered a few days earlier.
The picture above was taken six days later on 17 May 2006. The aircraft had been located at Oshkosh, WI, for many years. The tail indicates that the BuNo number is 132789. The aircraft was missing the rear canopy, and the remaining part of the right wing could not be attached due to damage at the connecting area. Museum volunteers are currently working on building a replacement part for the rear canopy and repairing the wing.
The picture above, also taken on 17 May 2006, shows a big "RR" over a barely readable "3275".
The picture above, after much paint removal, was taken on 17 May 2006 and the red rectangle is where the closeup picture below was taken.
The picture above, taken on 17 May 2006 shows a clear BuNo "132751" below a barely readable "EA1E". These photographs show that the rear fuselage of this aircraft was part of "132751" at some time earlier. It is very probable that the rear fuselage was in the picture below of "132751" taken in 1958. Notice the big "RR" on the tail.
The above photo is from a book on the USS Midway. The photo caption read: "VAW-11 Det Alfa AD-5W Skyraider in tension on the waist catapult on 13 December 1958. The waist catapult was removed during the 1966 - 70 reconstruction at Hunters Point, USN."
It not yet known why there was a "704" number on the aircraft nose; one source indicates that there was never a "132704" built in the A-1E aircraft series. It is possible that the number painted on the nose may sometimes be related to a squadron call sign instead of the BuNo number.
At this time, it is probable that the center fuselage section consisting of the cockpit and wings is BuNo "132789" and that number is currently designated for this aircraft.
