Warbird Information Exchange

thought you guys might enjoy this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TJk1jqzjYU

Ray LaMontagne song went well with this video..

You really have to wonder what went through the hearts and mind's of the men who were operating the machinery. Being forced to reduce a amazing airplane down to a coke can...

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Very hard to watch. Something like watching a good, faithful old dog that is terminally ill and having to put it to sleep. So sad

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Earn my respect and never lose it.
Demand my respect and never gain it. -Me

...just another plane dreamer.

Thank you. Great collection of nose art.

They are still chopping up airplanes at Kingman.

Unfortunately, from our time/distance perspective it's a hand wringer-at that time 'it's a post war job which were hard to come by, the hours and pay are alright. All this is just so much old, worn out crap we'll NEVER need again and nobody wants it.'

The WAA offered '5 GRAND' to the city of Seattle as a war memorial but the city council couldn't raise the money to pay for it's flight to Seattle and no one here really wanted an old stinky airplane.

A guy in Portland. Ore. bought a bunch of surplussed B-17's from the WAA for about $1200.00 each, he had a string of gypo gas stations so he drained the gas out and left the aircraft, he had no use for them beyond storage for his gasoline stash.

New build airliners went begging because there were DC-3/C-47's parked over the curve of the earth that could be had for pocket change.

Because there was so much rolled Stainless Steel left after the war that had almost no scrap value, Detroit went crazy with CRES trim on post war autos (57-58 BUICKS and OLDSMOBILES among others), that's why pot metal hood ornaments and badges are all crusty and funky on 50's cars but the side trim and windshield frames are still pristine. I know the all chrome trim on my '63 T-Bird is all CRES.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

As heart wrenching as these pictures seem to us, keep in mind that we're watching this from the perspective of nearly 70 years later and knowing how valuable those planes that did survive the mass scrappings were to become. I'm sure for the workers chopping up the planes it was simply a matter of "beating swords into plowshares", discarding the implements of a long and costly war and moving forward towards and era of peace and prosperuty.

With the airplane itself being only over 40 years old at the time, scarcely more than a generation, I don't think anyone could have foreseen the value of these planes in terms of "keeping history alive". While there were some attempts to save some planes, such as Memphis Belle and The Swoose, other attempts, such as saving 5 Grand, fell short. (I believe that if the Navy had kept "Big E" for another 10 years before wanting to scrap her, the outcome of the campaign to save her would have ended differently). I'm sure if you asked someone in 1945 would they believe that their planes would still be flying 70 years later, they would completely scoff at the notion.

Well done video. I thank the person(s) for taking those pictures so the nose art and the names were not lost.

Lots of history there for sure. What would a person with a metal detector find out there today just below the surface?

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

I have wondered this for many years, was the instrumentation removed from the interior of the planes prior to the chopping block cutting it up? If so, were the instruments saved in a government warehouse somehwere? How about the engines, were they simply scrapped as well or did they go into storage?

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

pat from what I've read some of the instruments were removed along with other pieces/parts, engines to have as spares for other aircraft types. I really don't know how accurate this is but just relaying what I've read.

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Warbird salvage/recovery
One day I'll get that P-40!

At 0:25, I think that's the Douglas B-19.

So often the songs are a big distraction or seem inappropriate. Not in this case.

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I just read that on VJ Day the U.S.A.A.F. had 3700+ B-29's available-

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Good eye! Cool to see how it dwarfed even the B-29s parked around it.

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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)