"Lady Be Good" - recent photos

[Swiss Mustangs]

Hi all

found a link over at HyperScale and thought you might want to see it, too:

Recent photos of "Lady Be Good" - sad sight.... lost for words....

http://www.montrealfood.com/lbgpics.html

Cordially
Martin

[muddyboots]

well, she sat in the desert after a crash landing, and was hacked at and banghed on and sanded by duststorms, then cut apart and ragghed back to tripoli. I expect that's what she should look like. Hopefully something can be done for her.

[JDK]

Bit of bondo, she'll be right.

...then cut apart and ragghed back to tripoli...

That's what you'd think - but it's not true, intriguingly. According to an article by Peter Arnold in the latest Aeroplane magazine (Peter saw the aircraft himself and photographed it) it's clear that the remains of LBG, impressively, were disassembled and trucked as complete as they were to Tripoli. The damage was down to souveniring while in the desert; now, she is at least protected from theves.

There was a recent discussion here - but I can't find it.

[ZeamerB17]

Hey, at least there's something left of her. Hopefully, they will make her into some kind of memorial to her crew. How far did they figure some of those guys walked, 50 miles or something? In the desert with no or very little water?! Or food?
Unfreakinbelievable!

Dave

[6trn4brn]

Hmmmm...Gary? Whaddya think? Couple pieces of gum and some bailer twine? Anybody know if the Libyans have any plans at all to restore her or possibly donate her to a group here in the US now that we are on "friendly" terms with Libya? Don't hold my breath?

[Randy Haskin]

I'm thinking that an ex H&P Privateer donor airframe -- one that's not a complete aircraft but just a fuselage -- could serve as a basis to hang all those pieces on.

That would be one serious "restoration", but we've all seen wrecks much worse restored to flying status.

[airmanual]

Bit of bondo, she'll be right.

...then cut apart and ragghed back to tripoli...

That's what you'd think - but it's not true, intriguingly. According to an article by Peter Arnold in the latest Aeroplane magazine (Peter saw the aircraft himself and photographed it) it's clear that the remains of LBG, impressively, were disassembled and trucked as complete as they were to Tripoli. The damage was down to souveniring while in the desert; now, she is at least protected from theves.

There was a recent discussion here - but I can't find it.

Agrred with you and here is Peter recent post about actual recovery condidion of LBG

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... ht=#131828

Laurent

[tom d. friedman]

not much dignity to the display. is our new pal / reformed terrorist colonel kaddaffi going to let us yanks bring her home for proper display???

[JDK]

That would be one serious "restoration", but we've all seen wrecks much worse restored to flying status.

Hi Randy,

IMHO, the 'best' thing would be to appropriately display the Lady as she was found, as a memorial.

Personally, I'd like to see a display in Libya, or the US, on sand, with big placards telling the story - one of the most haunting of the war - and only with removed items such as engines, instruments and guns replaced, but nothing other than conservation carried out.

On that basis, I believe the viewers would be brought to think about the fragility of life and these aircraft in the way 'another' B-24 on the circuit or restored to 'as new' in a museum, would not do.

It's not 'another' B-24, it's the Lady be Good, the surviving centre of a truly tragic story.

Just one view.

[Randy Haskin]

It's not 'another' B-24, it's the Lady be Good, the surviving centre of a truly tragic story.

In my opinion, honestly, that is just ONE tragic story among thousands and thousands of other tragic stories of bomber crews. It's certainly interesting, but is that compelling enough?

I'm of the opinion that warbirds should fly. The more they fly, the more they are able to tell their story to successive generations and keep the memory alive.

IMHO, Lady Be Good could tell her story much better on the warbird circuit in the free world than sitting in a compound in Libya.

[JDK]

Hi Randy,
Valid views of course!

It's not 'another' B-24, it's the Lady be Good, the surviving centre of a truly tragic story.

In my opinion, honestly, that is just ONE tragic story among thousands and thousands of other tragic stories of bomber crews. It's certainly interesting, but is that compelling enough?

Absolutely. I'd use the word 'haunting' because it is such an 'if only' for the public. One story can serve among many. Because their only raid was disaster, there's no element of triumphalism. Inspiring one opera, and two TV films, regularly re-visited in print, I reckon it's certainly 'above average' for interest.

I'm of the opinion that warbirds should fly. The more they fly, the more they are able to tell their story to successive generations and keep the memory alive.

Who says we haven't got both? We have 'Ol 927' and the Collings bird doing that job. IMHO, we need both museums that hold, ideally in perpetuity, and flying memorial. Lancaster PA474 does a great job, but it's be foolish to swap it with 'G for George' or 'S for Sugar', IMHO. And we have both (not to mention the CWH machine as well as the other statics) and 'Just Jane'.

IMHO, Lady Be Good could tell her story much better on the warbird circuit in the free world than sitting in a compound in Libya.

No argument about the compound not being the ideal; but let's take a moment to note without having been moved there, it's probably not exist now. That said, I think there's a subtlety here - a 'living breathing flying' B-24 is impressively 'complete'. But this aircraft's reached the end of it's road - as a silent wreck it should give pause to the viewer and poignancy. It's not as if we don't have the thunder of two B-24s flying in N America to bring out the stories and the memories.

We shall see what happens, but patience is going to be the virtue here.

Regards,

[hang the expense]

The pictures of LBG as she was found in the desert was a rebuildable airframe.But in the early 60s nobody cared.If this was found today it would represent one of the best a/c to be rebuilt.Sadly she has been ruined.

[JDK]

Sadly she has been ruined.

Mostly, it appears, by souveniring by (often) western visitors.

BTW, thanks Airmanual!

[Warbird Kid]

always imagined seeing the B-17 Preservation Fund, and the Imperial War Museum working together to take in this project in. They use the nose of Fightin Sam and expertly restore the rest of the substantial remains. You know they would do a class A, perfect job. Then you chaps would have a flyable D model Liberator to keep Sally B company. Though it would cost an arm and allot of pennies.

Just a thought.

Chris

[JDK]

always imagined seeing the B-17 Preservation Fund, and the Imperial War Museum working together to take in this project in. They use the nose of Fightin Sam and expertly restore the rest of the substantial remains. You know they would do a class A, perfect job. Then you chaps would have a flyable D model Liberator to keep Sally B company. Though it would cost an arm and allot of pennies.

Just a thought.

It is a thought. The IWM and Sally B Preservation haven't restored an airworthy aircraft. You aren't too far off beam, though as IWM Duxford had a significant input to Shuttleworth's Spitfire and Sea Hurricane rebuilds. Big jobs, but about 100+ times easier than LBG. They both (separately) do magnificent work in their own arenas, and keeping 'Sally B' flying is a big, big task.

I'm about 8,000 - 10,000 miles from the USA, Libya and Duxford, BTW, but we do have a B-24 under restoration to static down the road from me at Wirribee, Victoria.

http://www.oldcmp.net/B24_1.html

I'm with Peter Arnold here - it's a big world, full of interesting aircraft - Mahomet will go to the mountain.