Airworthy SBD-5 at Planes of Fame Air Museum. This combat veteran was delivered on 18 Jun 1943. It went from Pearl Harbor to Espiritu Santo, being assigned as NZ5062 to No. 25 Sqn RNZAF. The unit was based at Piva Airfield from Mar 1944, flying missions over Bougainville and against Rabaul, by which time the Japanese bastion had been considerably weakened. The museum acquired USMC BuNo 28536 in 1959 and it was restored to flight in 1987. The SBD-5 was the most numerous model, with 2,965 being built. This model saw a single cowl flap on both sides and the pilot's telescopic sight deleted.

Operated by Planes of Fame.

Ex USN BuNo28536.

This SBD was delivered to the RNZAF as NZ5062 in March 44 and flew 30 combat missions against Rabaul before being handed over to the USMC in May and allocated the BuNo 28536. Post war she was owned by MGM Studios who put her to work as a wind machine but, fortunately, bacame one of the first aircraft owned by Planes of Fame and was restored to airworthy status in 1982.