Bell P - 39 AIRABONITA

[DIETER]

Greetings All

I was looking at the Bell XFL 1 AIRABONITA on the internet the other day;
does anybody know its whereabouts today or what happened to it?
Thanks

[bdk]

I think there were some remains in a dump (or pushed into a river) at one of the Navy bases (Pensacola?) years ago.

[lestweforget]

As far as I can find out , it was stripped of engine and equipment and used as landfill for the runway extension at Patuxent NAS.

[The Inspector]

Yep! Pax river landfill-really gets your sympathy gland quivering when you see how touchy and posessive the Navy is about 'their' downed aircraft. They did exactly the same thing with an ARADO 234 bomber that was in their posession for evaluation after the war-hypocrites

[RickH]

I think you two are being very narrow mided. The Navy has elected to preserve these aircraft in the most secure manner they know. You'll have to admit that there is no way that riff raf such as us will be able to molest these aircraft in their present locations!

[The Inspector]

Yeah Rick, just like the intact PBM MARINER found 200 yards off the seaplane ramp @ Boeings Renton plant several years ago. The thing could have been turned over and raised (including the remains of several crew dinners, anyone up for chicken?) but by the time the clowns in blue got through dithering, civilians had dived on it and attempted to rip the nose turret and twin .50's off with a boat and cable! The Navy did send a team of divers down who poo-pooed the situation enough that the Admiralty decided to pass as it was'too risky a venture' HOG FLOP!!
Lake Washington is full of Navy aircraft that can't be touched, (there's a PB4Y just off sand Point, and a VENTURA nearby) the advantage is that most are really deep in very cold fresh water so maybe in 95 or so years when someone finally gets enough 'sack' to take possession of them away form the Navy, they will be available for resurection and restoration, till then the old line 'if it's got blue paint don't touch' is still in effect.

[Jeff Nelson]

I'm curious as to just who it is in the Navy that made the rule and enforces it regardless of logic and international salvage laws that everyone else follows. I'd also like to know why that person is allowed to do this. I know Doug Champlin went toe-to-toe with the Navy and won a settlement but still didn't get the plane he was after...

[Second Air Force]

There was a photo of the Airabonita remains either here on the WIX or somewhere else on the web in the last few months. I was shocked at how much still remained, albeit just a pile of corrosion now.

Scott

[Hal B]

Lake Washington is full of Navy aircraft that can't be touched, (there's a PB4Y just off sand Point, and a VENTURA nearby) the advantage is that most are really deep in very cold fresh water so maybe in 95 or so years when someone finally gets enough 'sack' to take possession of them away form the Navy, they will be available for resurection and restoration,

If their condition is anything like the FG1-D that was hauled out about twenty years ago, I don't think they'll make another 95 years without major structural damage

[The Inspector]

When the FG-1 in question got to John Lanes place, after a couple of weeks he called the MoF and inquired into what state of restoration they wanted, as is, static, really nice static (what they settled for) or would you like me to fly it back? When they got through laying eggs over 'fly it back' the protestation went up that it was too far gone to fly to which I understand the reply was that there were at the time flying CORSAIRS out there in much worse shape-yes, some magnesium parts had sacrificed over the years but the airplane mostly suffered from being full of Rainier Valley silt.
Touching base with Mr. Lane will probably add dimension to the story but this is how it came to me from a friend who was working @ MoF at the time.

[Citabria86614]

there was a picture of it in an air classic mag a few months ago. Is visible when the river recedes.

[Citabria86614]

there was a picture of it in an air classic mag a few months ago. Is visible when the river recedes.

[Dan K]

Googled these XFL-1 remains pics at PAX River:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21088552@N05/page4/

[Bust*A*Stitch]

I thought I was nuts with that memory, but we were on vacation in Seatle back summer 1987 when we passed a barge with a corsair center section on it. I guess this was the same bird?

[bdk]

I think the Corsair went down in a collision with another one and that both were recovered. I know I built an instrument panel for one of them in about 1985 at Fighter Rebuilders.

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairr ... 88368.html

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairr ... 88382.html