Warbird Information Exchange

Guys,

A group of people in Mexico, are attempting to move an F-105 from Guadalarajar, to Mexico City.

They request help in order to remove the wings from the fuse; time is of the essence because the airplane is risking destruction if not moved soon.

This is their message, as received at laahs.com:


As it was informed in this forum a couple of days ago, some items that are part of the Mexican aviation heritage that were kept at the Guadalajara's Severo Díaz Galindo Planetarium, and that were in danger of getting lost or end in the wrong hands, have been transferred to other institutions and associations that will take care of them.

An example of the above is the Republic F-105 (57-5784) that still is at the Planetarium, but has been donated to a non-profit association, aimed to preserve the Mexican and Latin American aviation heritage, and conformed by some LAAHS members.

We are asking for your help, since this plane is in the process of being taken apart prior to transport it to Mexico City. For that we require specialized tools and capable personnel who know how to remove the wings. The plane is already over the platform that will be used to transport it, but removing the wings has proven to be a very complicated process, and we would like to have the voluntary support of someone who knows how to do it in the proper way.

If any of you knows someone who could help us on this, we would greatly appreciate it since we have a very tight deadline of only one week to get the plane out of the Planetarium. If we are not able to do that, the Planetarium people will order her scrapping and removal.

We'll appreciate any help... Seriously...


Carlos Rojas Solís

carlosrojas@yahoo.com

http://www.mexicanaviationhistory.com/n ... a.php?id=2


If you can help them, PLEASE contact Mr. Carlos Rojas directly to the e-mail above.


Thank you.


Saludos,


Tulio

_________________
Why take the best part of life out of your life, when you can have life with the best part of your life in your life?

I am one of them 'futbol' people.

Will the previous owner has pics of this double cabin sample

GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Sooooo, how am I going to know to press 1 or 2, if I do not speak English????

Tulio,

I amailed Carlos the name of an individual that has moved and reassembled an F-105. He might be able to offer some technical help.

Good luck!

Cliff

_________________
Had God intended for man to fly behind inline engines, Pratt & Whitney would have made them.

CB

http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/Desrt_Wings.html

Cliff,

Thank you for your help!

What follows is a concise version of a note posted in our forum, by Oscar Ramirez A.:

"There was an accident today, when one of the volunteers, Capt. P.A. Felix Ramirez Alvarado had to be hospitalized, after having suffered a 20cm long cut on the area between his left ear and the neck. He was injured while cutting one of the bolts that holds the F-105B wings to the fuselage.

Due to time and expenses issues, it was decided to cut these bolts. When cutting the first bolt, the cutting wheel broke and caused his injury, that could very well have been fatal.

He is doing well, and from his hospital bed has stated that he is ready to continue working on the other wing.

Love for aviation is demonstrated in many ways, and many times it comes by risking life in the air; this time it was on the ground.


Gracias Félix, gracias hermano.

Oscar Ramirez Alvarado."


The Mexican AF decided not to participate in the move of the airplane, not only because of the cost involved, but also because the airplane in question, has no direct relation to the Mexican aviation history.....

The volunteers are working with few tools, little in the way of manuals, but with lots of heart.

Again, thank you Cliff, and to all the other guys who have come up with contacts, suggestions and telephone numbers to call for information.

Saludos,


Tulio

_________________
Why take the best part of life out of your life, when you can have life with the best part of your life in your life?

I am one of them 'futbol' people.

Will the previous owner has pics of this double cabin sample

GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Sooooo, how am I going to know to press 1 or 2, if I do not speak English????

Happy to hear Capt. Ramirez will recover. He's lucky to be alive. Cutting wheel failures that send pieces into your head are usually fatal! I have some old friends in Tucson who have taken F-105s apart but in most cases, they have used cutting wheels on the wings and fuselage so they may not be much help. How on earth did a F-105 wind up in Guadalaraja?

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

Is this the current location of the F-105 in question?
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Guadalajara, Jalisco - F-105

Where in Mexico City is it to be moved to? Here is a list of the locations of stored or displayed aircraft in MC that I know about...Aerial Visuals Locator Search - Mexico City

Perhaps it is destined for one of these places?

Mike

_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

It is my understanding that the airplane was donated by the U.S. to a group of enthusiasts, for exhibition at the Planetarium.

It seems to me an odd donation since the F-105 has no connection with Mexican aviation at all, but it is nonetheless an F-105 that will survive.

The cutting wheel accident happened simply because:

a.- They were in a rush to disassemble the airplane, because if they did not, the fate of the Thud would have sealed, and it would have been chopped up.

b.- They do not have the right tools for this kind of job. I am sure that the attachment bolts were so rusted / corroded, that it was easier to cut them up than to try to remove them with other methods - again, time was against them.

The Mexican AF removed some of the exhibits that they deemed adequate for their own museum.

The Planetarium [not an aviation museum, really] had amongst others, the following aircraft and parts of aircraft:


A Republic F-105.
A Boeing 707 cockpit.
A reprodution of the Biplane "Caza Microplano Veloz Serie C. TNCA."
A Link Trainer.
An unidentified wooden prop.
An A-T6 metal prop.
A sectioned D.H. Goblin 2 engine for a Vampire airplane.
Assorted meteorological instrumentation.
A sectioned P&W R-2000.
Simulator for landing gear, air brakes and pressurization for A-7D.
A single engine LASA 60 airplane.

Mike:

According to information provided by Mr. Ivan Pena Nesbit on 23 May, the F-105 is going to the Escuela Militar de Aviacion [EMA] Zapopan.

Saludos,


Tulio

_________________
Why take the best part of life out of your life, when you can have life with the best part of your life in your life?

I am one of them 'futbol' people.

Will the previous owner has pics of this double cabin sample

GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Sooooo, how am I going to know to press 1 or 2, if I do not speak English????

This is the latest on the F-105 move:

http://www.laahs.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah. ... 65046/s-15


Ladies and Gentlemen.

The F-105 is now in Mexico City, in a shelter.

This is a message of thank to all persons and companies who supported this no easy task, to rescue this aircraft.

Special thanks to: Grupo Lomex and Grupo Indi, as without your outstanding participation, this thask would have been impossible.

This is especially for Cap. Felix Ramirez Alvarado.
Members of SMEAL
Alfonso Flores.
Miguel Angel Rodriguez.
Oscar Fernando Ramirez Alvarado.
Jose Antonio Quevedo.
Angel Jimenez Aparicio.
Ihuitl Maldonado.
Carlos Rojas Solis.

Also all the people, our friends who supported us.

Andre Dupont, Francisco Villa, Ravelo, the team of Indi.

We thank all the people, thanks to LAAHS, who supported us with information posted in this thread.

Gracias!


Carlos Rojas

_________________
Why take the best part of life out of your life, when you can have life with the best part of your life in your life?

I am one of them 'futbol' people.

Will the previous owner has pics of this double cabin sample

GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Sooooo, how am I going to know to press 1 or 2, if I do not speak English????

I'm glad this Thud still survives, and hopefully it will remain intact on display.

I'm curious, though, as to how a F-105 ended up in Mexico for display? It certainly doesn't have any historical ties to the Mexican Air Force. Someone would have had to go to the trouble and expense of getting it down there in the first place. Anyone know the hows and whys of how this bird got down there?