Warbird Information Exchange

If you could have a dream (realistic) museum, what would it entail? Here is mine:

B-25 Mitchell - Bomber
TBM Avenger - Torpedo Bomber
P-51 Mustang - Escort Fighter
F4U Corsair - Ground Attack
AT-6 Texan - Advance Trainer
PT-17 Stearman - Primary Trainer
C-47 Skytrain - Transport
L-4 Grasshopper - Liaison

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"Keep 'em Flying!"

Museum guests (lots of 'em) that don't trash everything they touch. You know......people with manners and common courtesy.

Oh yeah, and lots of cool airplanes (flyable, of course).
Gary

Only one thing you left out about the guests that would be my dream museum.

*Generous!

For a realistic museum at a medium to large size airfield I would envision it containing the following 30 aircraft:

DeHavilland DH-4 Jenny replica
Sopwith F-1 Camel replica
Spad XIII replica
Fokker Dr.I Triplane replica
Fokker D.VII replica
Stearman PT-17
Ryan PT-19 Cornell
Ryan PT-22 Recruit
Vultee BT-13 Valiant
North American AT-6 Texan
Beech AT-11 Kansan
Piper L-4 Grasshopper
Stinson L-5 Sentinel
Vought F4U Corsair
Grumman F4F Wildcat
Grumman TBM Avenger
Grumman F7F Tigercat
Grumman F8F Bearcat
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
North American P-51D Mustang
Boeing B-17 Fortress
North American B-25 Mitchell
Consolidated PBY Catalina
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
Lockheed C-121 Constellation
Cessna LC-126A
Cessna O-1 Bird Dog
Cessna O-2 Skymaster

All of these aircraft would be flyable and there would definitely be a "look with your eyes and not with your hands" policy for museum visitors. Course the biggest dream of all is having an unlimited supply of $$$ to operate it 365 days a year!

Jim

I'm with Gary. Every time we have guests in the hangar, no matter how many times we ask them not to touch anything, every time we turn around someone has their hands on something they shouldn't!

I also have to agree with "rwdfresno". The best guest is a generous guest!

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

A German WW2 museum....as a contrary...
Every later version of Bf 109'
Fw 190 A-8
Fw 190 D-9
Ta 152 H
Me/Bf 110
He 162
Me 262
Me 163
Ta 154
He 177
He 111
Do 17
Do 217
Ju 88
Ju 188
Fw 200
Ju 52
BV 222
Ar 196
Ar 234
Do 335
Propably more..but that's the list for now:)
PLUS ..ALL of the above..a complete museum of all types used of both sides...
Dream?
Yes... but a wet one....

I would have:

C-54 in 320th transport sq paint
C-47 " " " "
B-17 - 100th BG paint
B-24 - 494th BG paint
B-29 - Silverplate version
P-47
B-26
KC-97 - in Utah ANG paint
Wildcat
Hellcat
Tigercat
F7 Cutlass
F-86
F-106
Me-109
FW-190

AND

A static B-58 or XB-70

Tom P.

If it's a Curtiss bird, it'd be in my barn...


Fade to Black...

It isn't socially acceptable in today's envionment, but museums need to take the following stance with people who can't follow the rules:

"Sorry, you knew the rules and intentionally broke them. Please leave."

Word would get around and pretty soon, people wouldn't be touching the goodies.

This has happened at the NMUSAF while I was there on two different days. I was there once whan a lady complained to a volunteer about the name and nose art on Strawberry bitch our B-24. She wanted to see the boss. Gen. Metcalfe was there came over to hear what she had to say. She said that she was highly offended by the nose art and name and can't see why we won't change the name to Strawberry Gal. The Gen. told her that it is a war veteran and has the name that it carried during the war. He then said that if she couldn't understand that, she didn't belong in there, and escorted her out. On another day I found a family running toward the back of the Cold war Gallery minutes beofer the museum closed. I told them to stop but they kept going. I then saw them being escorted out by a girl with an M-16. You gotta love when your night security is an M.P.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

I would love to have a Thompson Trophy Race or Cleveland era Race museum with as many possible of the known surviving race participants of the 1946-49 Thompson races plus any Kendall, Sohio, and Tinnerman Trophy racers. There would be a pre-war racer wing and postwar Bendix and Goodyear wings as well. The pre-war section would include replicas.

But the warbird section would be the main focus. Assembled under one roof these survivors:

Anson Johnson's scoopless P-51D N13Y

The #74 F2G, with option to display #57 as well part of the year on loan.

Jimmy Leeward's NX79111 (even if it is really not totally proven to be "THE GALLOPING GHOST"

Jay Dee, the P-51D, ex-NX37492, now at Evergreen.

The P-63F, ex race# 21

P-38 NX25Y, restored in its Sky Ranger colors and config. but if RED BULL wouldn't give it up I'd display the stock NX79123 in its natural aluminum Bendix racer #95 colors.

Whatever is left of Jackie Cochran's #13 P-51B-15-NA, 43-24760, NX28388

The P-47M at Yanks, ex-NX4477N, Bendix racer #42.

The Spitfire FR Mk. XIVe ('49 Tinnerman) of J.H.G. Mcarthur TZ138

The Bendix P-51C-10-NT racer , NX1202, 44-10947, displayed now as Excalibur III at NASM, Washington DC.

One more Mustang, because it is a very original K model: "Second Fiddle" NX79161.

P-39Q NX57591, 44-2433, "Galloping Gertie" (and "JUBA") race #12.

The museum would be at Stead Field and every year one select racer would be groomed for a Bronze Race run for old time's sake.

It would also have to have the FG-1D, NX63382, in its #99 JOE colors.

Sorry Kermit...

Well, if you're gonna go "deep pockets" for a museum, it'd be:

Bldg 1:

Sopwith Camel
Spad
Albatros
Fokker D VII
DH4
PT-17
PT-22

Bldg 2:

P-38
P-40
P-47
P-51
A-26
B-17
B-25
B-26
FW-190
Me-109
Me-262
C-46
C-47
C-54

Bldg 3:

F-86
F-100
F-104AS
MiG-17
MiG-21
MiG-23
A-4
F-8
A/T-37

And guests with deep pockets, as well!

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Bob

Wow, good question. Im affraid my list will be a little detailed as I actually had the idea to try and make this dream come true.

First I would have a large hanger kept really clean with concrete floor. I would hang some of the aircraft on the sealing and have stairways that walked up to the hanging aircraft so visitors can get a closer look at them. Second I would have an underground hanger to store the planes in case of really bad weather like a tornado(gotta plan ahead). Then I would have the hanger climate controlled and several fire proventions. I would allow kids to sit in the cockpits and anyone else to have picnicks under the wings. Each kid would get a free hat and pin and would be able to get his picture taken by the plane of his choice.
I would also have a long shed to restore and store my aircraft.

My list of aircraft for my dream museum:

-U.S.S. Macon F9C Spawworhawk.
-Buy Van Nuys B-25C project.
-Recover the B-25G(?) in Bouganville(the one with the 75 mm).
-An SNJ-4 painted up as "112 MF 19 in blue gray over light gray.
-A C.A.C. Wirraway painted up in yellow and black stripes as target tug.
-Recover a SB2U-3 Vindicator from Midway.
-A F2A-3 Buffalo in Midway markings or Miami NAS training markings.
-P-40E in 49 FG markings.
-P-400 in PNG.
-P-39D in PNG.
-Recover a B-18A from the Canal Zone.
-Recover a SBD-2, F4F-3A, and several F4F-3/4's from Lake Michagan.
-Recover a F4U-1D Corsair off Solomon.
-Recover B-24J in Queensland.
-Recover B-17E Swamp Ghost.
-Recover reckage of 5 A-20's that crashed into a side of a hill in PNG.
-Recover Hudson bomber off Australia coast.
-Recover P-38E/F in the Pacific(someone cutt it up but its still good).
-A P-64.
-Make a T-6 up to look like a A-27 attack aircraft.(N.A.).
-Recover USS Arizona Kingfisher from junkyard in Hawaii.
-Find lost P-36A off Oahu.
-Recover rumored P-43 Lancer in Florida.
-Recover the dozen or so TBF/TBM's off Florida in the Burmuda triangle area.
-A TBD.
-Recover seveal Japanese aircraft in the Pacific.


I think thats about it. As you can see I got a thing for the Pacific.

Anyone like my list?

My museum and collection already exists, no need to go and collect airplanes. Simply change the name on the National Air & Space Museum to "Mark's Airplane Museum". There is enough stuff there to keep me happy playing ofr about 6 lifetimes.

Mark H