Warbird Information Exchange

Hi Mark,
It'll be in the aviation press, I'm sure, when there's something solid to report. Oh, and the smart money is a Libya-located display.

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

In the next issue of Aeroplane Monthly (August 2007) which hits the shelves on 1st July is an article entitled.

"Lady Be Good - A legend Revisited

In 1943 Consolidated B-24 Liberator Lady be Good and its crew vanished over the Libyan Desert. Its fate stayed a mystery for 16 years, and when it was discovered it became an aviation legend. Peter R. Arnold has been to Tobruk to see its remains"

This was how the 'Next Issue' was described, with a large photo of the LBG nose as well

JDK,

Libya would seem a very appropriate place for it to be displayed, and again many parallels to swampghost & PNG, LBG's heritage is very tied to the desert and crash.

I look forward to hearing of its future,

regards

Mark Pilkington

_________________
20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

I always thought it would be nice to see LBG become airworthy once more. Though I know it wouldnt happen, you would probably have to aquire one of these B-24D noses and graft them together. Right? How much of LBG is still around anyways? Center section, wings, ?

While I would never say never, here's a link to what are probably the most current photos of the LBG on the web.

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

The link is from the forum on the excellent website, ladybegood.com

_________________
Cheers,

Craig

Facebook Groups:

U.S. Marine Corps Sikorsky HRS / CH-19 Helicopter Database
U.S. Coast Guard Sikorsky HO4S / HH-19 Helicopter Database

There seems to still be a lot of that airplane. Looks good to go. Maybe not airworthy too easily, but easily restorable to static display. Where is that located?

Cheers,

David

great pics....................better than the last group that i had seen.

_________________
Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

An "Airworthy" restoration of LBG would carry little of LBG in it other than name, even with an unlimited budget, and would seem to be destroying heritage rather than preserving it.

Even a static but "complete" restoration would need to replace significant parts of it.

It would be better to paint the Collings Foundation a/c as LBG during one of its repaints if there is a need to see LBG in the air, and to put restoration efforts into one of the more viable wrecks that do not carry as much unique heritage in their own right.

LBG is best conserved in its current condition, placed undercover in a large crash diorama to preserve it as it is, either at Dayton Ohio or in Libya.

However there are still other wrecks surviving today and able to form the basis of static restorations such as that undertaken by Hill Aerospace, However I dont believe any of these would be viable airworthy projects either.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/41-23908/1979/b24-island1979.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/41-23908.html

The Atka B24-D wreck in Canada , would still seem to be the most viable
wreck for recovery and static restoration.

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/atk.htm

Along with a similar condition B24 on a high mountain Plateau in Indonesia that I can no longer locate a link or reference for (anyone aware of this one?)



Or alternatively a static project could be created from a collection of a number of the remains in PNG or Canada etc, however those costs would really be prohibitive.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/walkabout/popondetta/b24.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/douglas/wrecks/b24.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/42-40885.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/42-41091/1969/b24-faita-cockpit.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/42-41091.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/42-73490.html

Regards

Mark Pilkington

_________________
20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

They all look like they have potential. If only I had the means to get out there and recover all those bits and pieces.

Besides the most recent problems with the PNG and Swamp Ghost, is there a chance that these wrecks will be saved and maybe shipped to the U.S.?