Scrapped Airtanker...

Ztex · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 12:51 pm

I took this photo of Macavia Tanker 21 (N90MA) at Butte Montana in 1989...Looking good!

I went looking for current photos of the airplane...

I found this pic on Airliners... :cry:

Rats...

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1018161/M/

Malo83 · **Joined:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:31 am **Posts:** 309

Shame

, starting to see more Veteran birds on the chopping block that should or could be saved and put in museums or as flying museums on the show circuit.

Pooner · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:05 pm

I agree on the need to save examples of this historic heavy iron as well, but few people are actually interested enough to drop what they are doing, modify their busy schedules and shell out a dollar or two to make it happen.

Macavia's nose was saved and hauled from Memorial by truck to Los Angeles and is headed for Finland. The new owner plans to make a simulator out of the cockpit section and has ponied up a considerable amount of money (the majority of which for shipping expenses) to make it happen.

Several other nose sections were saved during the scrapping and have filtered through to various museums and private collectors. All of the airframes had been offered by the owner to save them from the Chinese scrap metal buyers, but there were no takers after nearly a year of attempts to do so. The nose sections would have been scrapped, too, but were bought by someone who played hooky from work one day and paid off the scrappers in cash not to smash 'em. The cost to move or fly these airplanes out doomed them from the start.

One would think that 60 years after we chopped up the vast majority of our USAAF and USN aerial armada some attempt would be made to better steward some of these old gals. Not the case at all... there are at least 10 WWII transports and patrol bombers here in the PHX area that will probably become scrap metal in the next year if someone doesn't step up to the plate and take responsibility for them. Sad, but very true. It takes a true visionary with lots of loose dollars to save big airplanes, and most people get discouraged quickly when facing the reality of what it takes to do this.

Oddly, some of the very people you'd expect to champion for old airplanes are the very ones who hustle them off into oblivion. Our little airport authorities out here do not see the value in leaky old recips casting big shadows on valuable real estate... Kinda of hard to preserve something when the local airports thwart your every move....

PhantomAce08 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:21 pm

Pooner wrote:

Not the case at all... there are at least 10 WWII transports and patrol bombers here in the PHX area that will probably become scrap metal in the next year if someone doesn't step up to the plate and take responsibility for them. Sad, but very true.

Like what? Any pictures?

GARY HILTON · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 4:56 pm

I have some pics I took of the aircraft at Chandler last Friday and Sat..I'll send them to Ryan to post for me

Ryan Keough · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 5:18 pm

I also took some photos at Chandler Memorial about a month ago now... they can be found at:

http://www.ryankeough.com/airports/chan ... orial2007/

I'll post the stuff Gary has when I get them.

Ryan Keough · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 5:19 pm

GARY HILTON wrote:

I have some pics I took of the aircraft at Chandler last Friday and Sat..I'll send them to Ryan to post for me

Wish I had known you were in town, I live 3 miles from Memorial. Did you meet up with Robert?

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 5:28 pm

I wonder if the Museum of Flight has any plans to preserve any Douglas Commercial airliners to go along with the other commercial planes they now have.

GARY HILTON · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:23 pm

Ryan, Yes, I hooked up with Rob at Mesa (Falcon) I spent last Thurs thru Sun. in Phoenix. Rob and his family probably didn't sleep too well last Sat. night, but I really did try to warn them about my snoring!
I was invited by the airport manager Saturday, to attend the meeting at Memorial Airport, of the land owners ass. there. 50 of the estimated 700 landowners were on hand. It was interesting to say the least. I,m not sure, but it seems that if not all, but the majority on the land owners are of the local Indian tribe...
I learned that the landowners association are the rightful owners of the airport, and that the BIA gained control of it in 1982 in a hostile takeover that was purely illegal. Now the landowners ass. are making a move to regain control of the airport...which would benifit them as well as the outside personel that lease property there....I'm rootin for the landowners!

APG85 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 7:03 pm

That's a shame. The first two pic's on this thread are heartbreakers... :cry:

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:08 pm

Ryan, what is the situation with all that classic heavy iron? Dont suppose any of those need a good home do they?

Im not saying I have the capibility nor the Connecticut Air and Space Center, but maybe... :wink:

GARY HILTON · **Posted:** Wed Nov 14, 2007 11:54 pm

Warbird Kid, The supposed governing factor of Memorial Airport, had told people that are leasing property there, that they had to remove all their things by 13 Nov 07.....This being the Gila River Airport Auth...these are the friendly folks (BIA....Indian affairs..) or rather a developer within this relm, has been trying to , well actually they have , gained control of the field.....People that have signed multiple year leases and built hangers have basicly been told to "Get Out!"
One person I met there has been sneaking out his own posessions, one airframe at a time....out of 75+....he had pulled out 28 by last saturday...under the threat of arrest and confiscation of all equipment...even though he was given 45 days to remove his stuff!
I would think that if you could find the owners of the DC-6 and C-54s, that it wouldn't take much to take possesion of them, the airport manager told me that the top offer on the C-54s were $4800 last year....So act now! I guess one of the three PV-2s will be taking a road trip...Eh Rob? Of the other two, one is supposed to be flying out soon..(Fat chance) the other, the D model...outlook not good.
I ain't much but a poor boy, but believe me I'll do whatever I can to help anyone out in the salvation of these aircraft. :arrow:

GIJOE290 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2007 8:14 am

Savages!!

...so heartbreaking. :cry:

Nathan · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2007 9:58 am

I think a new law should be passed......scrapping an aircraft should be next to murder. :lol:

This really sucks though... :evil:

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