WIX Archives
Re: Curtiss CT32 found
Posted by Tulio on Thu Nov 15, 2001 09:23:23 PM
In reply top Curtiss CT32 found posted by Tony on Thu Nov 15, 2001 02:23:19 PM
The remains of the crew members were recovered, and buried with full military honors.
At one time, the U.S. Intelligence agencies considered this converted bomber, a threat to the Panama Canal, and was listed as such in their regular intel reports (I have copies of one or two of those somewhere).
Interesting too, is the story about some Condors that were going to the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War.
An american pilot, stopped in Veracruz, Mexico and went to look inside the hangar where the airplanes were stored. He started pulling and pushing levers, and activated the flare launcher. The airplanes caught fire. The Mexican authorities captured him and sent him to jail, as a saboteur. Lots of behind the scenes activities took place, and eventually he was released and returned to Costa Rica, where he was flying for a commercial enterprise.
The remains of the Condors were sent back to the USA, where some of them were eventually refurbished, and ended up in Hong Kong, where they were destroyed by Japanese bombs on December 7 (8 there) 1941.
Saludos!
Tulio
The Latin American Aviation Historical Society (whew!!!) Laahs.com