Victory Air Museum

has anyone on the forum have a list of aircraft that were held by Paul Polodori, and Earl Reinert (Victory Air Museum )
thanks
Steve

[mrhenniger]

I don't have a list, but Warbirds Directory 4th Edition is a good place to start.

Mike

[Steve T]

Steve--

Another good spot to look is the final (1974) edition of Leslie Hunt's "Veteran and Vintage Aircraft" survey. Under Mundelein, Illinois in the US section is a listing of what was at the Reinert/Polidori collection at that time. I don't have a copy of V&V on hand but I remember a Lodestar (or possibly an L14 Super Electra) painted as a Hudson; a P-47M (the ex-Bill Odom YP-47M, a would-be Bendix transcon race entrant, now on show at Yanks Air Museum at Chino CA--BTW Earl Reinert was involved with air racing himself in the late 40s); a TB-25N; an "incomplete" Henschel Hs129A tankbuster (actually this was only the extreme nose of the Hs129); and no fewer than six Hispano 1112 M1Ls said to be painted as various Me109s in different theatres of WWII. The collection was also rumoured to include the aft section of a Brewster F2A but I think that proved similarly ill-founded to the quoting of the Hs129 as "incomplete" when in fact what was there was only a small relic.

S.

[hairy]

Is the HS-129 nose the one that is now in Austrailia?

[DaveM2]

Yep, owned by Martin Mednis of Sydney.

Dave

[hairy]

Yep, owned by Martin Mednis of Sydney.

Dave

Does he have any further plans for it other than restoring it as a cockpit only?

[bdk]

has anyone on the forum have a list of aircraft that were held by Paul Polodori, and Earl Reinert (Victory Air Museum )
thanks
Steve

Spit XIV with two left wings, F6F now with Bob Pond, P-47M at Yanks, AT-11, C-45 in Chinese markings, PBY that sank in Lake Michigan, Ohka now with Yanks, T-6G, Ki-84 engine, Me-262 engine, Allison engine, A-26 Invader, C-140, Lodestar, B-25 (went to Jay Wisler I believe). That's off of the top of my head anyhow.

[p51dman]

Being a close neighbor, (20 miles) and friend of Earls back in his museum days, I do have photos of nearly everything he had at his "Museum".
Contact me off board,
p51dman2@aol.com
if you are interested.

Dick Phillips

[Chris Brame]

THIS time I did a little research before posting! Here's what I tracked down so far:
Earl's a/c:
Lockheed 18 CF-TCY ex-Trans Canada Airlines, last owner Canadian Department of Transportation, derelict at Midway Airport circa '61, Earl got it and and sold the engines and displayed it as "Ole Boomerang" ER-V BW409. Last I heard it was at the WCAM.
YP-47M 42-27385 ex-Bill Odom.
TB-25N 44-30243 N17666 now at Pendelton, OR.
PBY-6A BuNo 64002 N331RS rear fuselage now at USAFM (used for parts for OA-10).
A-26C 44-35590 N3248G now with Kermit Weeks.
F7U Cutlass forward fuselage.
T-33 forward fuselage.
Ohka now at Planes of Fame.
AT-11 wreck N107RS 42-36910 painted as Japanese transport, ex John Ortseifen? Registration transferred to:
AT-11 42-37240, which showed up at the VAM around 1980 after what must have been long-term inside storage, now with Lone Star Museum of Flight.
F6F-3 BuNo 08831. Basically a fuselage, wing center section and landing gear. Tail to Ed Maloney, rest to Charlie Nichols.
Larry Matt:
Spitfire FR MK XIVe RM927 ex-Belgium. Fuselage stored in crate.
Amilio (Paul) Polidori:
AT-6F/SNJ-6 44-81957/BuNo 111966 N9828C, now N890DB
Taylorcraft BC-12 N44340 (Paul and his passenger were killed in the crash of this aircraft June 28, 1985).
Also, Doug Goss's T-6G 49-2897 N7197C was based there (and was my first and only Warbird ride, to Oshkosh in '81), as well as a Citabria flown by a fellow named Gary who towed banners.
I'm sure there was a lot more, especially parts... I really do miss Earl; he had a great sense of humor - when the two guys who were going to ferry B-25H N5548N from where it had been parked for eleven years asked Earl what kind of equipment they should bring for the flight, he told them "Two coffins!"

Last edited by Chris Brame on Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[DaveM2]

Yep, owned by Martin Mednis of Sydney.

Dave

Does he have any further plans for it other than restoring it as a cockpit only?

No AFAIK and there are no other available substantial parts and unfortunately the only wreck found so far was scrapped in Russia in 1995, after those who found it didn't know what it was . Not likely anymore will turn up as it operated in what are now quite populated areas. Perhaps North Africa would be a better bet, apparently one in a reservoir.

Dave

[bdk]

Ohka now at Planes of Fame.

Nope, it is at Yanks on the other side of the airport.

[Chris Brame]

Well, I was close... that's what these are for.

[bdk]

Well, I was close... that's what these are for.

I've used a few of those myself!