P400

Photos by:  Bill Coffman

                               The Airacobra at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo is listed as an RP-39Q, but they have
                               re-built it as a P-400 as used on Guadalcanal, one of the themes of the Museum.
                               The P-400 series were aircraft that had been built for a French order,
                               turned over to the RAF who promptly rejected them, and were shipped off to
                               the USAAF in Australia in the early days of the Pacific War after Pearl
                               Harbour.

                               These aircraft all had the 12 exhaust stacks of the Allison
                               V-1710-35 on each side, and .50s in the upper nose along with the 20 mm
                               Cannon and four .30s in the wings. They were painted in RAF colours with RAF
                               serials. This example has been painted in the markings of an aircraft of the
                               67th Fighter Sqn. on Guadalcanal. Some photos such as no2 & 3 show it in a
                               much more conservative scheme.
                               This Museum aircraft was hit by a drunk driver last year, and the rudder
                               was destroyed! (as seen in photo 2. Explanation later

Click on thumbnails to enlargen