Warbird Information Exchange

I'd buy that B-29 with the big "R" on the tail in your first photo. It would be a one of a kind!
Then I would've tracked Gen. Tibbits down and talk him into flying it around to airshows!
After that, I'd buy one of those two Black Widows!
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."

Another few P-40s so our family would have a collection!

Joe, im about to email you back.

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Cheers,

Glenn Maude

Co-Owner of: http://www.rcafkittyhawk.com
A website dedicated to the P-40 AK803/1034

$14,000 in 1946 equals $151,571 in 2006 dollars. That ought to buy a scrap worthy P2V at a Wyoming auction, maybe even a C-97. I guess the line is as short today as it was in 1946.

After all, these are the good old days.

B-32

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IF YOU CAN FIND IT WE CAN FIX IT

Is that Enola Gay in the desert?
Looks like it to me....Cool!

Z

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Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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I'd pick up a P-47C, a B-23 Dragon, a P-51H to turn into my air racer, a P-61, an L-1, and possibly a B-26 Marauder.

Well,

That's a good question. Obviously hind-sight is 20/20 so the idea of buying war machines at the end of WWII would make sense knowing that we'd be saving a part of history, but I imagine immediately after the war they were generally viewed as killing machines and their main use would be for farm equipment part sources or post-war air transport/aerial applications. I've heard so many stories of airplanes being hacked up because they wouldn't fit in the back of a truck, or that they were simply turned into chicken coops. Worst story I heard was a B-24 being purchased after the war because the farmer wanted the wood from the box it would come in. He had no interest in the actual airplane or components there-in.

Anywho, to the question. I think a B-17 would be exciting, but to be honest, the Mosquito would be at the top of my list. Up there as well would be the P-40 (what a beautiful Machine), and probably a Spitfire or three.

If only I could find the keys to my time-machine.

Cheers,

David

The first picture (the one including the Enola Gay) shows a group of aircraft that were set aside for museum preservation (Bock's Car, the Strawberry Bitch and the Air Force Museum's Ju-88 can be seen among them.) Unfortunately, most ended up being scrapped anyway.

SN

Did B-24s ever get delivered in crates? The way I've always heard this story, it was CG-4A gliders that were used for their boxes.

Time machine? Hmmm. Maybe that P-43 at Ontario... or go back farther and sneak one of those Keystone bombers off the gunnery range at Luke Field in Hawaii... or salvage a TBD when it was still legal to do so!

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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)

Any budget restrictions?

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Wow, has it really been that long since I last visited?

Aerovin is right.

Back then, that was a ton of money. I have heard of deals that were even less a few years after that. I have a couple of different interests besides Warbirds. And they are exactly the same way. The prices that they had cost in those days were nothing compared to what they cost now, and their rarity is generally more than a warbird.

The other thing, with airplanes anyway, is where do you put it? Airplanes, including ones that don't fly, cost you money every month.

It is always the same. I have bought Books, Porcelain, Art, Wine, Scotch, ect, ect, and an Airplane project, and everytime, people looked at me like I am an idiot and some called me an idiot for spending that kind of money on that boring "stuff/junk". However, now I am looking like some kind of genius visionary 10-15 years later, when that stuff is worth an a$$load of cash compared to what I've paid for it. Doesn't matter, I'm not looking to sell.

BTW, that stuff, including airplanes, is never an investment. It is a burn barrel to throw 1000$ bills into. You can do way better with a house, or a conservative investment plan in the same period of time with the same amout of money. You gotta really love it baby, because you're gonna pay until it hurts. One other piece of advice, don't ever buy anything because it is a "good example" of the type, or because you think it will get get valuble in the future. It doesn't work. You'll end up walking around that cr@p just to get to the bathroom and get more p1ssed off everytime you do. I know. You gotta really love it.

I'm rambling, and I don't mean to cr@p on the beautiful dream. I guess I am trying to say, the same thing is here now, you just won't know it for 20 years. There are a lot of T-33's, Stearmans, T-6's, ect out there waiting for you to be a genius visionary. Just do it. It is gonna probably hurt. You'll know how successful you are going to be when your kid complains that her bike is trapped behind the blown up 1820 you just put in the garage.

I have the dream too. Besides saving the second XP-67 from scrapping, I'd score an SBD and a Hellcat.

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DEEP THOUGHTS BY KIDS:
"If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting started. Age 15 "


Deep Thoughts,
Jack Handy

You'd sure get some funny looks from the government sales guy when you tried to pay with your "Series 2001" dollar bills...or give them your Bank of America check...better yet, give 'em your credit card and see how that works out.

Sorry but id buy as many houses as i could afford here in central london

bought my flat in 1982 for £28,000 now worth over £400,000

just imagine how much they would be in 1945 i could buy the whole street!

has anyone ever asked a bomber flight crew that saw one of those ac graveyards what they thought of it? must have brought up some strange strange emotions seeing them like that.

henry.