Planes of Fame Judy

[HarvardIV]

Has anyone been to Planes of Fame East? I heard the D4Y Judy is on display there, as found. Has anyone seen this bird up close? If so, how'd the metal look? Lots of corrosion?

Chris

[dj51d]

Planes of Fame East? Is this what they're calling the Arizona location now? A bit confusing for this midwesterner as that's what Bob Pond's museum was called before it moved to Palm Springs.

[HarvardIV]

Do you mean Avra Valley? Near Marana, Arizona? There's no museum there..

[DaveM2]

Valle Williams, AZ

Dave

[HarvardIV]

Valle is Planes of Fame East as far as I know.

[John Beyl]

Hi guys,

Planes of Fame East was Bob ponds museum when it was up in the Minneapolis area of Minnesota. It doors closed in December of '97 and no longer exists. The collection was moved to Palm Springs, California and is now housed at The Palm Springs Air Museum. Planes of Fame EAST was named after Maloney's Planes of Fame in Chino, California but since it was east of there, well you should be able to deduce the rest! The museum in Valle Grande Arizona is a cooperative venture between Planes of Fame and another person whose name escapes me right now.

John

Ok, but the original question wasn't about the location of the museum.

WOW!ANY PHOTOS OUT THERE?SOUNDS LIKE ITS UP MY ALLEY ,SEND IT UP HERE AND WILL SEND YOU BACK THE ONLY RESTORED JUDY ON THE PLANET I THINK?I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE OF THE RARE ONE OF A KIND AXIS A/C RECOVERED AND RESTORED BEFORE THEY ARE GONE FOREVER!AND FOR THE PURISTS A/C LIKE THIS CAN BE DISASSEMBLED,DUPLICATED,AND REASSMBLED FOR DISPLAY AS RECOVERED WITH A CLONE BEING CREATED IN THE PROCESS.THE JAPANESE A/C HAVE REALLY BEEN ON THE TRAIL TO DISAPEARING FOR TO MANY YEARS.THE ZERO AND OSCARS HAVE SEEN AN AMAIZING RETURN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS BUT THERE ARE ALOT MORE TYPES TURNING BACK INTO DUST IN THERE JUNGLE RESTING PLACES.ARE OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS STUCK WITH LOOKING AT PHOTOS OF CORRODED WAR TIME CRASHES OR A DISPLAY OF A VERY DAMAGED AND DETERIORATING RELIC OR SOULD WE START TO MAKE EFFORTS TO SAVE THESE RARE BIRDS BEFORE THEIR ALL GONE ?DO WE HAVE A LIST OF SURVIVING Japanese A/C?HOW MANY ARE RESTORED/DISPLAYED?THE NASM HAS SEVERAL AS DOES P.O.F.ALMOST ANY WRECK CAN BE REBUILT,WOULDNT IT BE GREAT TO SEE A TONY OR JACK FLY?WHO KNOWS WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT MORE CAN BE SAVED!THANKS MIKE

[bdk]

I heard the D4Y Judy is on display there, as found. Has anyone seen this bird up close? If so, how'd the metal look? Lots of corrosion?

The aircraft is incomplete and it is heavily crashed, but the metal looks similar to what they had to work with on TFC's P-39.

The aircraft is incomplete na dit is heavily crashed, but the metal looks similar to what they had to work with on TFC's P-39.

Really? What was the metal like on the P-39? Anything reuseable in that bird? Or was it all replaced?

As I remember seeing, the Judy did not look crashed, but the tail surfaces were missing. The wing and forward fuse. look pretty good.

[bdk]

Really? What was the metal like on the P-39? Anything reuseable in that bird? Or was it all replaced?

Well, the plane was restored at least twice. I know that a lot of the tailcone was replaced.

As I remember seeing, the Judy did not look crashed, but the tail surfaces were missing. The wing and forward fuse. look pretty good.

Maybe my memory is failing me (again). It has been about a year and a half since I saw it.

On the bright side, work slowly continues on the (former) Diemert Val at Chino.

Hi,

There is a photo of the Judy shortly after its arrival in the US in Mikesh book "Broken wings of the Samourai". Fuselage and wings complete and definitely restorable according to today standards.

Posted a subject about its whereabouts on WIX few years ago and got an answer from "Steve Hinton" (Guess it was the real one) that it was displayed "as found" in Planes of Fame East.

So, if anyone has seen it since 1991, i would also be very, very interested in photos and updates as it is a unique survivor.

Laurent

[Michel Lemieux]

BDK....

On the bright side, work slowly continues on the (former) Diemert Val at Chino.

What is new ? I have seen that bird a couple of times and it always puzzled me why work was not done any sooner on it.

I understand that there is more demand for other type of iron......but I am sure that if you go by the $$$$ value a Flying restored Val would be in the mega $$$$$ figure.

Anyone can come up with a recent pic of the Judy ?

[bdk]

On the bright side, work slowly continues on the (former) Diemert Val at Chino.

What is new ? I have seen that bird a couple of times and it always puzzled me why work was not done any sooner on it.

The museum aircraft are restored primarily by volunteers or as cash becomes available. I suspect it is not a priority, and there are a lot of problems with it- the Diemert restoration probably did more damage than did 30 years in the jungle. Right now the museum is undergoing a major facilities expansion so there will be a place to display aircraft like this once they are restored.

Anyone can come up with a recent pic of the Judy ?

By popular request:

http://community.webshots.com/album/61420469FaQcfL/2

Thanks for the photos bdk. They are the first ones i see of that plane in 10 years.

Laurent