Here is the deal. I have been collecting a lot of pictures, and information for the last few years. I started only really collecting P-51s (sorry, but hard not to love), and then moved on to near about every warbird I can get.
I missed Thunder this year because I had to go to Alaska with the girlfriend for a wedding (Thankfully not mine!). While there, I only at the last minute got to swing by the museum at the Anchorage airport, and they were closed. However they have a wing from a P-40, that I got some pictures of. (We'll get back to that in a minute.) I spent most of my time there in Wasilla, and the guy who owned the B&B we stayed at recommended a few hikes for us. He got out a map, and was showing us, and I saw a reference to a B-29. Long and short of it, he told us it was a 12 mile hike in, over some steep terrain, and I did not have a full day to devote to it as the wedding was an issue.
So, for all those of you out there that have a lot more experience in research, I would be interested in knowing the identities of these planes. I did all the research I could figure out on the computer about the P-40, mostly a story on the recovery, but not real description of the airplane. I know it was shot down, but how does one go about finding out the specifics? Where do I go to get the information? Here is the website for the recovery,
http://www.alaskaairmuseum.com/pages/ai ... 0recov.htm
Of course, I would love to just have the information given to me, but for the future, I would love to know the process to track down something like this.
Now, for the B-29, the story I got is that it crashed in 1952. It resides on the top of a glacier, and for most of July, August, and part of September, the snow melts off of it and it is viewable. I was able to arrange a ride in a PA-12 to go up to see it, however, when we were ready to go, the weather was not working with us. So it will have to wait until the next visit. I am told that the airplane is remarkable intact, and up until about 15 years ago, the logbooks and clothing was still present. It apparently, as I have not seen it, bellied in, and did contain a nuke? The Air Force recovered all personel, and the weapons, and left it be. I am told that the glacial action over the last few years is starting to destroy it, but the last time the man was up there it was still recognizable as a B-29, and was still accessible, ie able to walk in the fuselage.
I want to visit this bird first hand, and would like to have more information on it before I do visit. So, if I know the location, within a grid square on the map, and I know about when it went down, how do I go about getting more information on what bird it is. Also, does anyone know about the wreck I am talking about? (The pilot of the PA-12 works for the US Fish and Wildlife, and has been flying the area for 15 years, and did not know it was there! I gave him the exact location on the map, and when it is clear, he is going to fly over and try to get some pix for me.) I will take emails about the B-29, but am not giving out all info on a public forum until I know that I can visit it to survey its condition (or am approached by someone who is not going to just go and steal whatever parts they can for profit, unless this is a well known wreck and has already been picked over). I will say that it is within 100 nm of ANC.
Sorry for the long message, but looking forward to the general how tos of more in depth research. So, can anyone give a 1,2,3? Col. Rohr?
thanks,
dave
daveflyshi@insightbb.com
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
