Forgot to mention the Crusader I stumbled across......

[retroaviation]

.

I was recently driving around in the Middle-of-Nowhere, TX and stumbled across this...............






I don't hear much chatter about Crusaders here, so I won't bore y'all with the other pictures...unless y'all want to see them anyway.

Gary

[TAdan]

Lets see em...

Any story to go along with this bird? Or do old Crusaders normally winter in Texas?

[retroaviation]

It took a while for me to get in touch with the owner, who was a former Crusader jockey himself. He's a nice ol' fella, who just has a soft spot for the F-8....and happens to own two of them! He's got this one and one in Tucson. No wings for either one though, as the Air Force apparently shredded all the wings for them during the demilling process, according to the owner. So, if you know of someone with a spare set of Crusader wings laying around, let me know, and I'll get them in touch with this guy. He just wants to see it in a museum someday, which is exactly what my interest in the airplane was.

Pictures to follow......

Gary

[GARY HILTON]

C'mon Gary, don't hold back on us!
By the way, have you had a chance to crawl around in the PV-2D yet?
Planning on pulling the wings off of 7458C this coming May, and getting as much done as far as separating the center section from the fuselage, as we can....Have heard some positive reports on this procedure from a group in Fl. that have successfully done this on the PV-1/L-18
Gary H.

[GARY HILTON]

Terry White....White Industries, of Bates City, Mo.
He used to be in Kansas City, on the east side...had a Crusader that sat in front of his facilities before he moved to Bates City...This one was a two seater IIRC...I remember the wing popped up hydrolically for carrier approaches, my son accidentally flipped it up, and slid off the trailing edge...funny!
Maybe he still has the aircraft or the wing???
GH

[mrhenniger]

Is this the F-8 you spotted?...
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/LocationDos ... erial=3904

If not tell me what you can about the location so I can include it in the Locator. TIA

Mike

[retroaviation]

Yup, that's it Mike. You 'da man!

Here are the rest of the pictures I took. (I climbed up and opened the canopy only after gaining permission)..............




















Thanks for the info on that wing, Gary. I'll try to contact White Industries this coming week. E-mail me a reminder of what I was supposed to look at on the Poon for you......I forgot.

Gary

[Hal B]

Is that going to be the next resident at "Austin Acres"?

[Obergrafeter]

Gary that is the one down the road from me. You probably drove right by my house getting there. Don't think you talked to the owner (health reasons) but you may have talked to his son. Let me know by p.m. who you talked to to make sure your not getting scammed. I have known the real owner my whole life (60 yrs) so I can make sure you are getting a real deal.

[retroaviation]

The initial thought was to bring it to Austin Acres, but the owner wants to keep it. (Ober, PM coming your way) Besides, I'm going to start an "inventory reduction sale" at Austin Acres, so I don't really need to bring more stuff in anymore. I'll let someone else start saving "junk."

Gary

[Obergrafeter]

OK Gary now you went and insulted me! The middle of nowhere Texas! What the he l l are you talking about son. You were right inbetween Welfare and Comfort..............where the he l l else would a man want to live!!!! By the way glad you didn't stop and look in my barn, all the other rare , important, priceless antique airplane parts that I have convinced my wife are not junk then you go and ruin it and call your stash "JUNK" It will never be the same around here. By the way what were you doing in my neck of the woods, looking for junk em I mean parts or looking for 4 legged multi horned critters?

[retroaviation]

Awesome!!! I finally got Ober all wrapped around the axle!

Actually, it was quite nice driving around there to look at the Crusader. Real trees (you know, the ones without thorns 3' long on them), water, and hills. Nice.

The "junk" comment is merely what I hear many folks say when they see my place. I have tried to save things, from time to time, that were merely going to get thrown away, literally, and that may someday have some value to someone. I don't have a yard full of cool stuff like Walter Soplata or Connie Edwards, but it was my way of trying to keep some of this ol' Warbird stuff around for a while longer.

I tell you what, Ober.....let me have a talk with your wife and maybe I can convince her that a PBY will look good in your yard.

Gary

[Obergrafeter]

She would probably take it if you take my AT-10 project in trade.

[retroaviation]

Nice try.

Gary

[Old SAR pilot]

Deleted

Last edited by Old SAR pilot on Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.