Photo ID: 1011329
click image to enlarge |
Model: N3N-3 |
Registration: N695M |
| Year: 1942 |
Serial Number: 4480 |
| Engine(s): Wright R760-8 |
Owner: Charles Nichols, Yanks Air Museum
Baldwin Park, CA |
Location: Yanks Air Museum
Baldwin Park, CA |
Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
| Date: 2003, October |
Present Registration: Same |
Present Owner (FAA info): |
|
Notes: 2/25/04 - I had a wonderful visit to the Yanks Air Museum at Chino, CA in October, '03. I really liked what I saw as well as the feel of the place. They are in the process of building a new facility, and you can learn more about that on their web site.
A total of 816 N3N-3's were built by the Naval Aircraft Factory, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard from April 1940 to January '42. This aircraft is s/n 4480, making it the 37th from the last built.
There are presently 217 N3N's on the U.S. Registry, with 53 in California! Yanks owns about 25 of them, certainly the largest collection in the world. |
Photo ID: 1011330
click image to enlarge |
Notes: Here are some N3N details and specs that you might enjoy. |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
Photo ID: 1011331
click image to enlarge |
Notes: An N3N was my father's first sprayer, but then he went to Stearmans as dusters and sprayers. One reason was that the N3N has a one piece upper wing which makes it much harder to transport a disassembled aircraft.
In order to preserve its authentic look, "4480" doesn't have the FAA registration painted on it. FAA data indicates that it is N695M. |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
Photo ID: 1011332
click image to enlarge |
Notes: Most N3N's were sold surplus by the mid-1940's, but the Navy kept about 100 of them as seaplanes. I well remember when the last ones were sold surplus in 1961. They were the last open-cockpit biplane to be used by the U.S. military. |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
Photo ID: 1011333
click image to enlarge |
Notes: Your well-braced wing float. |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
Photo ID: 1011334
click image to enlarge |
Notes: That's a nine-cylinder, 760-cubic inch, 235-HP engine. They have an SAE-30, splined crankshaft. Several sources indicate that the engine was also built by the Naval Aircraft Factory, I suppose under license from Wright. I was not aware of that. Typically they use a Hamilton Standard ground adjustable prop.
Our family bought a number of the Wright R760-8 engines soon after the last N3N's were sold in 1961. We resold some of them to Island Airlines in Port Clinton, OH, for use on their Ford Tri-Motor. |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
|