Warbird Information Exchange

The TBM and Spitfire are still there i will post pics in a bit.

The Kingfisher was on loan and is the Smithsonian's. I believe it's now on display at Dulles.
Jerry

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Great pics. Any more shots of the P-47?

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Here are a few more including the P47

The OS2U Kingfisher is now hanging in the NASM Udvar-Hazy Center. I admit I don't know much about the particular airframe's history, or why it was a Palm Springs.

I suppose I'm too much of a historical purist, but I really hate this current trend of putting nose art on F7Fs. I might not mind so much if they were done in something resembling period style, but most are modern cartoons better suited to custom street rods.

SN

The tigercat if I recall right its been painted like that for quit awhile.

I'm with Steve on some of that nose art, but, I don't own them and can't make the call.

But, I do wish they would take it off and replace it with something more period correct or if any at all!
Honestly, did every bird have nose art? There are some out there that just make me cringe when I see them!

Regardless, it is a nice collection in one spot and I would not hesitate to go see them again.

I'm with ya there. Then again, not my airplane, not my call. I just wish somebody would keep a nice stock looking Tigercat without the polished gun ports and modern nose art.

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Matt

I agree. I think it looks stupid and silly and detracts from the looks. But then again, I'm not paying the bills, so if the owner wants to paint it up in pink polka dots, then that's fine. At least it IS flying!

The stupid and silly looks are a result of the 70's when everyone wanted their warbirds to look unique and win the hot rod of the year award. One thing you have to remember is that each warbird is a direct representation of the owners personality. "Pretty Polly" "miss Angela" "Joltin Josie" Miss Josephine" are all tributes to Bob's Family. The people he Loved adorn the airplanes he loved. That follows through to his tough personality as well, "Bob's Bear" "King of the Cats" "Big Chief" etc. Even though the Palm Springs Air Museum is trying to get back to the period style paint jobs, the PBY, the P-47 and the C-47 (and the PV-2 will be) are the beginning, there still needs to be a tribute to Bob. I don't know what that should be, I think either the P-40 or the F8 should be the tribute but that's a personal opinion. Any way that's my .02 cents.

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Hey...thanks for posting the trip down memory lane. I, along with a lot of other really great volunteers spent 10 years working on those airplanes (Including Pappy aka: Seaknight15 and Warbirdnerd from this forum) Lots of really good times!

Looking back on it now, I'm amazed that we were able to keep every one of those birds airworthy on a shoe string budget. Watching them fly and flying in them was the reward. It pains me to see them sitting static now but one can always hold on to hope that when the Museum buys the airplanes from the Pond estate, all or most of them will be returned to the air.

As much as I miss having the collection up here in Minnesota, PSM is a beautiful museum and it gets a lot more foot traffic than we ever got up here. The more people that see the airplanes the better.

Regarding the paint jobs, not many of us were ever too fond of them but we were all just thankful as heck that we had access to such a great collection of airplanes. The airbrush nose art doesn't cut it on any warbird. The stuff on the Bearcat, Tigercat and B-25 are nice but not appropriate to the era...just my opinion.

Love him or hate him (During the "Museum Days" we did a little of both), Bob Pond spent a lot of his money collecting and making available to the public (On many levels) a very fine collection of rare airplanes. For that he will be remembered by me as one of the guys who "Got it".

John