Warbird Information Exchange

NAVY THREATENS TO SINK CORSAIR PROJECT
A year ago it seemed that a warbird restorer who recovered a 60-year-old Brewster F3A-1 Corsair from the mud of a North Carolina swamp would get to keep the airplane. The Navy had threatened Lex Cralley, 50, of Princeton, Minnesota, with legal action, claiming that the plane was Navy property. But Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) introduced an amendment in the defense spending bill that conveyed title of the aircraft to Cralley. That was only a first step, as it turns out. Navy concerns about liability mean Cralley's proposed "gift of deed" comes with restrictions, requiring him to buy a $2 million liability policy for the aircraft and naming the Navy as an insured party. It forbids him from flying the aircraft for seven years. Cralley says that would set a bad precedent for other warbird restorers, so the matter may yet go to trial. Unfortunately, the defense spending bill that gave Cralley the airplane also contained a section reinforcing the premise that the Navy owns all sunken or buried military aircraft. Jones continues to work on the issue with further negotiations planned for this week. Department of Justice spokesman Charles Miller said a "scheduling conference" set for March 16 could tentatively set a trial date. Cralley wants to continue the fight but doesn't want to become a burden on Jones and others helping him. "I plan to display the Corsair at Oshkosh this year to promote the change of the latest anti-preservation law," Cralley told ePilot.