Warbird Information Exchange

What ever happened to Douglas Corrigan's Curtiss Robin? Does the family still have it? Just curious.....

excellent question!!!! wasn't aware that it it still possibly existed!! he was pretty much raked over the coals as a individual of questionable judgement, he didn't deserve all the bashing.

_________________
tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

The last thing I read (a couple of years ago), it was stored in a garage owned by his family (he passed away a few years ago). He had it taken out for an airshow and was signing autographs wearing his original leather jacket several years before he died. I think some tech school assembled the plane for him. The FAA got worried he would try and fly it. I was just wondering if it was still in storage. It needs to be on display!

He had it on display at the Hawthorne Air Faire. It was in fantastic time capsule condition. He was quite a character.

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay ... n/EX16.htm

if it does still exist, i would wish for it to go to the smithsonian air & space museum. i'd say corrigan was fairly high profile in aviation history, & his bird is worthy of display their.

_________________
tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Here's some info on Corrigan and his plane from several years ago. The plane looks great in it's unrestored condition. I guess it's still in storage...


http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/AC/aircraf ... o/info.htm

a bit of a compliment / anti compliment via 1960's era sitcom tv........ i remember an episode of gilligan's island where a "wrong way" named person sans the name corrigan became marooned on the island upon crash landing. later.... lo & behold he managed to repair the plane, & get off the island, thus leaving the poor dumb ass castaways again waiting to be rescued with out saying a word when he got back to civilization. cool that they used corrigan's character, a bit demeaning it had to be on gilligan's island!!

_________________
tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

I wonder if the Smithsonian has ever expressed interest in obtaining this plane - they should. I hate to think it's still sitting in a garage.....

I've been involved in a couple of attempted donations to them and if they treated the family like we were treated, it won't ever go there. In my two involvements, the first was basically: Yeah we'd be interested in having it, but it will have to go sit in the outside storage area until we can get around to stuffing in to a warehouse or loan it out somewhere, someday. The other was that they practically demanded that the family give them the aircraft and all that went with it, even though the family was still earning a living with it and unable to place it at the time. Needless to say, the second aircraft found a home in a much more fitting museum where it resides in a place of honor and immediate recognition.

AFAIAC, the Smithsonian won't get any more chances or recomendations out of me.

I've heard similar complaints about the Smithsonian NASM. They need Michael Collins back to run things.......

I thought I heard it wound up at the San Diego Air and Space Museum a few years ago. Maybe I heard wrong.

_________________
Albert Stix Jr.
"Work is the curse of the drinking class"

I think the family still has it in storage.... I'll do some checking....

_________________
"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

On both my conducted tours of Tom Reilly's facility at Kissimmee (1991 & 1996) the guide pointed out an airframe hanging from the roof and told us it had the engine from Corrigan's plane.
The bipe was registered NC633C which I have as a KR34 - whatever that is!!

I have a pic somewhere, but haven't worked out how to post them!!


Lorence R Fizia

"Wrong Way Feldman" played by Hans Conrad
Good God why do I know that

_________________
Don't touch my junk!!

your right..... why do you remember that??? are you the rainman of wix??

_________________
tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!