Help me identify N26387

[m610]

Hi!

I've been poking around here for a day or so, looking up planes a friend used to fly, even uploading some old photos from Harold Tacker's files.

I am having trouble identifying the plane with tail number N26387. The plane I have the photo for is not the Grumman listed on this site.

Link: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N26387.html

It is an older high-wing plane with a radial engine. Here's the photo.



The FAA site says the retired plane with this number was an Aeronca 65-TC, but that sure doesn't look like the plane in my photo.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N26387

The plane was most likely flown by Harold back in the 1950's, crop dusting around Marks/Darling, Mississippi or around McAllen, Texas.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Mike

[Malcolm Clarke]

Mike.

Your photo indicates that the aircraft is a Fairchild 24W and that the registration may be N26337 or N26387. Unfortunately I have so far been unable to pin it down to a recorded registration.

Hopefully one of our members maybe able to shed more light on the problem.

Malcolm.
Admin.

[m610]

Thanks. I tried different numbers, even 25337, and no luck.

[moxy]

Hello Mike

I think this is N25387 originally NC25387 a Fairchild F24W. The serial number is W40-117 built 1940 and deregistered 22nd December 1970. I believe at one time it was owned by a USAAF pilot Mortimer C. Cox who was originally based at Blackland, Boechal City, Decateur, Illinois. I think he went on to fly Martin B.26 Marauders in World War II. He was shot down, captured and ended up in Stalag Luft 1. He died on March 5th 1996 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Hope this helps resolve the query.

Cheers

Rob

[m610]

It does. Thanks.

Aircraft genealogy can be fun. I'll try to find out more about the plane's early history. I'm sure Harold Tacker few it, but don't know if he owned it. It might have been owned by Crowmac in McAllen, TX, a crop-dusting company.

I traced the owners of one of my cars once and found the first owner was a guy I knew online and was mad at me because I wouldn't let him race it, before we realized it had once been his car.