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Okay, here's the reason for the question:
Back in the mid-1970s I worked with a guy, a helicopter mechanic that had worked in Alaska, and part of his job was to go with the helicopter that supplied various government outposts in the Aleutians.
As with most flying operations in Alaska, pilots and crews hear stories, all the time, of some old aircraft sitting somewhere. Well, this guy was no different.
This mechanic, and the pilot he was with, had heard stories about some old plane(s) in a certain area for some time. And on one occasion, while working in the area, they decided to have a look see.
So, after dropping off their supplies, and having a little free time before their next job, they found an old Aleut who claimed to know where to look.
Off they went in the helicopter to a nearby island and, sure enough, the old indian took them to an old abandoned airstrip, where some old World War Two aircraft were still sitting. After landing, the three of them got out and looked around.
The mechanic told me that during the war the military had barged in a crew to cut the airstrip on top of a hill. The strip was used as an auxiliary field for the main base, in case the Japanese attacked. A road was made to the top of the hill and soon a dirt landing strip was ready. As the field was just an aux-field, there were no buildings and the people stuck there lived in tents.
The mechanic told me that there were four single-engine aircraft still sitting on the field and that three had three-bladed props, while the fourth had a four-bladed prop. He said that the fabric surfaces had rotted away a long time ago, but that before the last people left they had poured cosmoline all over the engines and guns, and that the props still pulled through with ease.
Now, this guy didn't know squat about old military aircraft and he really didn't care about them. And I knew that most stories about aircraft in the Alaska area were just that, stories. But, when I asked if he knew what type of aircraft they were, he surprised me by saying that the three with the three-bladed props were P-40Ks. I asked him that if he didn't know one type from another, how did he know that they were P-40Ks? He said that's what was stenciled on the sides.
I then asked him about the fourth aircraft and he said that they didn't go look at it, but that it was big. He told me that they didn't have a lot of time and that they were going to look for one more aircraft that the old Aleut told them about, and this one was a crash.
They all got back in the helicopter and headed for a valley that their guide told them to fly towards. The mechanic said that they flew around for a little while, not seeing anything, and then caught a glint of sunlight reflecting off of something. They landed nearby and then walked over to the aircraft. He said that it was a single-engine fighter that had been shot down by something, because there was a hold in its oil tank. The right landing gear had started to drop and when it hit the groung the gear bent back. He told me that the pilot was still in the cockpit and that he was, more or less, mummified. I asked if he knew the type of aircraft it was, and all he said was that it was a Japanese.
Now, the reason for my initial question was because, even though I know the island's location and I have looked at some satellite photos of the area, I can see what looks to be the old airstrip and nothing else. There's not enough resolution in the pictures.
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