SCORPION (PIC 3)

NAME

SER

BLK

SERIAL #

RCL/#

V#-P

PHOTO CREDITS

SCORPION

41-24073

319

00-3

N/A

Starboard (Right) Side - Representative Artwork

Contributor - Robert Tupa
Shown with Ground Crew (L-R): Deen, David Burns (Crew Chief), Westfall

Info Contributor - Hal Hevener (Pilot)
I was 1^st Pilot on SCORPION from Dec '42 to Sept '43 when I returned stateside. Altogether, I flew 36 missions, 360 combat hours; we shot down eight Zekes (got credit for only six) lost one Engineer to enemy fire, and one Navigator (killed with another crew). I was in Brisbane waiting to fly a "War-Weary" home when I got word that a new crew had crash-landed SCORPION on the beach near Buna. I flew STAR DUSTER (41-23869) home, along with two other planes, The EAGER BEAVER (41-23849) and MITSU BUTCHER (41-24045). We arrived at Hamilton Field the end of Nov. and discovered we weren't off the hook until we delivered all three planes to Hill Field, Utah, so we did, and NO we did not fly under the Golden Gate Bridge, as it was worth your wings if you did!! But we were all singing "California Here I Come" over the Command Channel, which probably made Flight Controllers a little unhappy!