Barkley Grow Aircraft

Barkley-Grow #2 in Peru Today I found a rare photo of the Barkley-Grow #2 registered 2S-1-1 by Cuerpo Aeronáutico del Perú. This photo was shot July 1942 in San Ramón / Peru. It still has the same black engine cowlings as she had when the Gallino brothers brought her to Peru (registered OB-GKK) October 29 - November 1, 1939 - but no more wheel pants!... Photo credit to Amaru Tincopa

NC2428 In this short post I want to share some thoughts about the Barkley-Grow T8P-1 #10 (engine no 1408 & 1409). To date the only BG of which there are no photos! The history of this aircraft in short:... manufactured by Barkley-Grow Aircraft Division of Aviation Manufacturing Corp. (AMC) September 1940, sold to Aviation & Transportation Corp. (ATCO) NY September 19, 1940 sold to Aviation Corporation (AVCO) NY May 9, 1941 accident June 23, 1941 Pittsburgh PA flight to Veracruz, Mexico 1942 accident August 5, 1943 Cambridge OH ("damage to everything but the wingtips") sold by Lycoming Divison of AVCO to Ellis Air Transport Corp, Ketchikan AL May 12, 1944 March 25, 1947 "stripped of all usable parts and the remainder junked" cancelled April 2, 1947 The only remark concerning this BG #10 is from a blog post by Harold R. Miller (2005): The Barkley-Grow was a great airplane. I flew one (NC2428) for AVCO out of Roosevelt Field in 1941. We covered all the US, Canada and Mexico flying executives out of Lycoming, Pratt and Whitney, Republic Steel, NY Shipbuilding and Glidden Paint. I sure got a wealth of flying experience. My big job besides handling baggage was letting the trailing antenna out right after take off and peaking out at 3105 kc. We were heard all over the country. Since this was the only civilian corporate frequency, everyone monitored it. All towers transmitted on 278 kc. The Barkley Grow was a unique airplane and looked like a Lockheed 12 - wing, honey comb inside - no spars, very strong - 2 P&W WASP firs 420 HP, single leg landing gear - large struts - large wheel pants - cruise 160 mph. We operated it a lot out of grass fields. The Barkley-Grow was able to carry a lot of ice in flight. Would be great to learn more about this aircraft! If you read this, please share your memories, information and photos with us! Thanks!

FRANK CORDOVA Today I want to start a series of small articles about pilots who once flew the Barkley-Grow T8P-1 plane. And of course I want to start with the pilot who made the first flight - Frank Cordova (FC)....Continue reading

Serial number 8!

Happy Easter everyone! This is an Easter card to Mr. Barkley from Capt. Papana. Likely sent after the crash in 38. Credit: Betty Craig-Shipley collection

July 20, 1938. "Capt. Alexander Papana, Detroit-to-Bucharest flier, crashed at the small Norwalk, Conn., airport when his plane landing wheels struck a stone wall as he was attempting to land during a storm. Papana (right) escaped uninjured. The plane's landing gear was torn off, both propellers were smashed and the engine was damaged. He said the flight is postponed for a month at least." - credit; Betty Craig-Shipley collection.

This is a very rare photo showing Barkley-Grow T8P-1 #2 with the first registration number X2093 1938 in front of the small factory at the Detroit airport. Originally she was supposed to be delivered to Denmark, but that didn't happen! She later was registered YR-AHA, N2093 and OB-GGK. The last registration was 2S-1-1 with the Peruvian Airforce (Cuerpo Aeronautico del Peru, 2nd Staff Squadron). September 1945 she was damaged beyond repair by fire.

Peter Killin - Thanks for sharing!

Rescue mission northern Quebec February 1943 Norman Gladstone Forester, pilot with Canadian Pacific Airlines CPA was called by the USAAF to rescue the crew of a Consolidated C-87-CF Liberator Express #41-11744, which had been forced to land February 4th on a snow covered lake in northern Quebec (54 21 N, 72 18 W). The plane was located February 21st by Forester flying a Barkley-Grow (so far I don’t know which of the six Barkley-Grow once operated by CPA!). On February 25th Forester successfully landed his Barkley-Grow on skis at the site of the C-87 and transported half of the crew to Sept Isles. On February 26th they made a second flight and rescued the rest of the crew. For this successful mission Forester and his engineer Norman Crewe were awarded the United States Air Medal. (map shows the location of the unnamed lake (red spot))

CF-BQM Barkley-Grow c/n 8 operated by Northland, sank due to heavy snow in late October 1971 at Norway House (photo by Alan Capyk)

found on AVCANADA forum, Fairchild Husky and a Barkley Grow at Norway House Manitoba

Barkley Grow at the Calgary International Airport (YYC)!

Nice find today looking through newspaper archives - a part from an 1942 article "Folks of the North"

The last moments of Barkley-Grow #5 CF-BMV I'm at the moment researching the fate of BMV. She was part of the epic rescue mission of the B-17 'PN9E'. On the flight from USAAF airfield 'Bluie West One' to 'Bluie East Two' December 22, 1942 at the east coast of Greenland the ski equipped Barkley-Grow came into very strong headwinds and the fuel consumption was very high. The 'Maritime Central Airways' pilot Jimmy Wade and his Navigator John Moe presumably made the decision wh...ile approaching 'Bluie East Two' in turning their aircraft in a wrong Fjord. So they had to land on sea ice near Angmagssalik - but this ice was too thin - after they immediately left the aircraft it sank to the bottom of the sea. Wade and Moe were saved. The USAAF airfield 'Bluie East Two' at this time already had a 4000 ft gravel runway It was operational between 1942 and 1947. For my research I need the approach charts for "Bluie East Two'. Inquiries in forums have so far not been successful. Any help or hint is welcome! See more

Barkley-Grow, unknown reg no, near Zama Lake, AB

We wish each and everyone a happy new year 2020! Thanks for looking, liking, posting and sharing in 2019! (source of drawing unknown)

So far we know of five articles in magazines about the Barkley-Grow: 1) "Mountain Conquest", Canadian Aviation, Vol XII, May 1939, No. 5 2) "The Barkley-Grow T8P-1 in Canada" by Walter Henry, The CAHS Journal, Vol 16, Fall 78, No.3 3) "Le Barkley-Grow T8P-1" by Par M. Hurst/R. Staniland/J.-P. Baraton et M. Bénichou, Le Fana de l'Aviation, Avril 1985, No. 185 4) "The Barkley-Grow T8P-1" by John Wegg, Air-Britain Archive, Summer Issue, June 2011... 5) "The 'Bark and Growl' in Canada" by Keith Simpson, Propliner, 2017 Annual We would like to know if there are more articles written about the Barkley-Grow T8P-1. Please come forward and give us a hint! Thanks in advance! See more

There is an amazing article in the CAHS journal fall 1978: "The Barkley-Grow T8P-1 in Canada" by Walter Henry with 20 tiny bw photos. Attached are the cover photo and a photo by N. MacDougall of CF-BMG with beaching gear at Vancouver 1946

Many thanks to Tom Grow for sharing pictures of his father Harold Grow and the many adventures he had throughout his career as an aviator. These look to be from his time spent helping establish the Peruvian Air Force.

Barkley-Grow msn #1 NC-18388 - 1939 magazine ad

Thanks to Tom Grow for providing a stellar picture of his father sitting in a T8P-1. This is likely the prototype that now resides at the Reynolds Museum.