Warbird Information Exchange

Restorations often generate huge piles of replaced skin, structure and components. Some ends up in the trash bin, whereas other bits are worthy of preservation in their own right: Nose art, corroded/bent machine guns and other interesting components.

What are your favorite leftovers? Where are they now? Photos?

Pieces of the MAAM's P-61.

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Bittersweet leftovers. This is the last Brewster SB2A out of Tullahoma. Although I left contact info with Pensacola's restoration department should they decide to dispose, they scrapped her anyway. *sigh*

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

That is very sad.
The Naval Museum should be ashamed of themselves, but then again, they're doing better lately by preserving those underwater wreaks in situ so that some day, I'll be personally able to see the location where there was once a TBD.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Surely someone could have devised a better future for the Bermuda, even if that was something other than a full restoration.

From the photo it appears that whoever "recovered" it took the same approach as was taken with the Sicilian Corsair -- Saw the wings off. When it was still sitting at Tullahoma about 5-6 years ago it was standing on it's gear (albeit minus the aft fuselage/tail and with one damaged outer wing panel).

Oh come on its a Buccaneer! A type that never saw any genuine service with the Navy and which the British used only for training and came from one of the most mismanaged aircraft factories in the US. The only one that managed to go bankrupt during the war, I've been told. They did completely restore one of them. Imagine the effort it would have taken to restore this one even before they chopped the wings off. Then look at what you have, a design rejected by its first customer and used in second line training ops by its only other customer. On the airshow circuit it would have a wow factor for a year or so. In a static museum it would be the first display everyone would walk past to get to something really interesting. Better to spend that money building an actual airworthy replica of a Buffalo.

Brewster had an interesting history with lots of lessons to be learned even today. It's a shame that Dayton Brown never got his due as a designer or a chance to spearhead a really excellent design. His masterpiece was the F2A which was really something from 1936 to 1939 and should have led to a series of ever better aircraft like the Grumman Cats but a lot of wrong choices were made. You can't save 'em all.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

It's rare and should have been saved. No aircraft or peices of one should not be scrapped. There are always soemone out there that would want it and could do something with it. Dan K. is working on a TBY Seawolf. He is working with nothing yet he has a passion for his project and he will see the day when it is finished. Granted it did not see any combat but I don't see that as a good reason to whether something should be saved or not.

Keep the faith,
Nathan

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I have a little piece of fuselage skin off of Diamond Lil (now Ol' 927) that I got from Gary.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

Me too...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

Ditto!

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Me too - and I assume like yours, it has a tiny Gary Austin autograph on it - another reason why I treasure it.

And I'd rather the Bermuda had ended up at Austin Acres (or Brame 1/8 Acre) instead of a smelter.

The Bermuda was always a sentimental favorite of mine because of that first article in AC "Brewster Boneyard" which helped start my interest in warbirds.

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Have one too. Indeed with Gary's signature.

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Magister Aviation
It's all in my book

Me three on the Diamond Lil souvenir skin. Have some diggings from Chino airport. Haven't identified any of it yet, maybe I'll take some photos and see if you guys can figure it out! Also have lots of T-6 skins sitting in a pile which seems to grow every year...

Group,

I have most of the skins off a Spitfire that was replaced during restoration.
I also have the Armor piece from behind the pilot.

Laterrrrrrr
Avn-Tech