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Classic Wings Magazine WWII Naval Aviation Research Pacific Luftwaffe Resource Center
When Hollywood Ruled The Skies - Volumes 1 through 4 by Bruce Oriss


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 11:16 pm 
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Brad wrote:
Nobody had more than a few hours in the P-82 at the time, including Lefty and the 10hrs total time is wrong. Even though the airplane was owned by the CAF for many years, it probably flew for less than 40 hours total. All that time was split up among 6 or 8 people that had flown it. It spent much of its time, prior to the crash, being worked on and waiting for money to do it. There were very few sponsors on the airplane and a couple of them moved their money over to other projects when progress was so slow.

Lefty was not in the airplane at the time of the accident. Ed Messick was in the left seat and Harry Tope was in the right one, on his first flight in the airplane but he was just along for the ride. They were doing some film work for the BBC. The airplane had a problem with the right prop regulator leaking. On Friday before the accident, Lefty Gardner and Bill Popejoy were flying and came back with the right prop feathered. On Saturday, the plane came back with the right prop feathered. At that point, it was grounded. The maintenance guys had a meeting with Lefty and after some other work, released the airplane to fly. Ed was given instructions by Herb Puckett to fly for no longer than 30 minutes so they could keep an eye on the prop.

I've got all the CAF's files on the P-82 somewhere. I'll try to dig it all out. I've got the witness statements, investigator reports, insurance paperwork and such, including the letter that Ed Messick sent to the CAF General Staff, promising to pay for the restoration. Yes, Ed did stall the airplane and yes there were two different calibrations on the airspeed indicators. Harry Tope later died in a P-51 crash and Ed Messick murdered his wife and then committed suicide in 2002.

Thanks for the info and setting the record straight, Brad. It's nice to get info "straight from the horse's mouth". Parts of that NTSB report seemed pretty fishy to me, thanks for verification of the erroneous info in it.


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 3:06 pm 
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Thanks for your input Brad. I'm not looking to spread false info, just trying to suss out the version I heard. On that note, you said it returned from previous flights with the prop feathered. Was it purposely feathered or was that the position it failed to? Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to further clarify the story.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 3:42 pm 
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Brad wrote:
Nobody had more than a few hours in the P-82 at the time, including Lefty and the 10hrs total time is wrong. Even though the airplane was owned by the CAF for many years, it probably flew for less than 40 hours total. All that time was split up among 6 or 8 people that had flown it. It spent much of its time, prior to the crash, being worked on and waiting for money to do it. There were very few sponsors on the airplane and a couple of them moved their money over to other projects when progress was so slow.

Lefty was not in the airplane at the time of the accident. Ed Messick was in the left seat and Harry Tope was in the right one, on his first flight in the airplane but he was just along for the ride. They were doing some film work for the BBC. The airplane had a problem with the right prop regulator leaking. On Friday before the accident, Lefty Gardner and Bill Popejoy were flying and came back with the right prop feathered. On Saturday, the plane came back with the right prop feathered. At that point, it was grounded. The maintenance guys had a meeting with Lefty and after some other work, released the airplane to fly. Ed was given instructions by Herb Puckett to fly for no longer than 30 minutes so they could keep an eye on the prop.

I've got all the CAF's files on the P-82 somewhere. I'll try to dig it all out. I've got the witness statements, investigator reports, insurance paperwork and such, including the letter that Ed Messick sent to the CAF General Staff, promising to pay for the restoration. Yes, Ed did stall the airplane and yes there were two different calibrations on the airspeed indicators. Harry Tope later died in a P-51 crash and Ed Messick murdered his wife and then committed suicide in 2002.


Thanks for the info. I remember it coming back with the engine feathered. Thought they got it fixed.

I did not think Lefty was in the plane. I seem to remember he was in his P-38 behind the F-82 when it pranged resulting in Lefty doing a go around. I could be wrong.

I did not know about Ed and his wife, very sad.


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2018 9:28 pm 
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I remember seeing it back in the early 90's down at Gillespie Field during an airshow. It was just sitting in an open area next to the hangar and anyone could walk up to it, and the kids where walking on it!!

Unfortunately I am unable to locate the pics I took of it. My old girlfriend was in them and I may have thrown them out :?


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 1:21 pm 
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One VERY nice video.

Tks for sharing Dan.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 2:27 pm 
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I haven't seen any updates on the first flight. Has it occurred yet? If so, any photos or videos?

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 2:34 pm 
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Pogmusic wrote:
I haven't seen any updates on the first flight. Has it occurred yet? If so, any photos or videos?


I'm just guessing but think that no update = no first flight.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:17 pm 
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Pogmusic wrote:
I haven't seen any updates on the first flight. Has it occurred yet? If so, any photos or videos?


I believe they are waiting on new wheels to be done and installed before they fly her.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2018 7:14 am 
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Jesse C. wrote:
Pogmusic wrote:
I haven't seen any updates on the first flight. Has it occurred yet? If so, any photos or videos?


I believe they are waiting on new wheels to be done and installed before they fly her.


Thanks Jesse!

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2018 12:15 am 
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Wheels are done...yummy!



Image



https://www.facebook.com/16979178306391 ... =3&theater

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:43 am 
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Looks like jewelry! The material properties will be much better than those of a casting. Castings tend to have embedded porosity which weakens them and can harbor corrosion.

I think they made the right choice to do this. With all the time and money invested in this project anything that can be done to reduce risk, especially from a known problem is worthwhile.

If only I could be more patient!


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:21 pm 
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Way too pretty to put on a greasy old airplane. :hide:

Seriously, exactly what bdk said.

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:03 am 
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bdk wrote:
Looks like jewelry! The material properties will be much better than those of a casting

It's also pretty sharp how they retained the effect of the cast lettering with the machine work. Seeing work like this, to mangle a Simple Jack quote, "Makes me rain out mah eye holes...."

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"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 2:01 pm 
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Had exactly the same question this AM.....

If the Oshkosh deadline is over....I would really take the time to make things right. And quadruple check stuff.

But yes....some updates would be nice :-)


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 7:29 pm 
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I was there a month ago. The cowlings were off, but everything else looked ready to go. I didn't press, but Weezie wasn't interested in advertising a probable first flight date.

She said that putting a date on it created too much pressure. And she's absolutely right.


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