Warbird Information Exchange

These picture were taken earlier today. Sorry some are blurry. Besides the 2 RF-84F Thunderflashs. There is a unidentified cockpit in the pile (my guess is an A-7)and some unidentified large airframe pieces. Sorry my brother wasn't able to gain access to the yard. So he wasn't able to get any serial numbers. But something needs to be done to save these aircraft.

Shay

























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I think those large a/c pieces are a B-47. They look like the forward wheel well and nose section. Then the tail without the vertical Stabilizer.

I'd agrea on the A-7 cockpit

_________________
www.tailhookstudio.com

Yeah I was thinking B-47 too. But I'm not an authority on the type so i didn't say anything.

Shay

I'll third that on the B-47. The general size and shape would appear to be. BUT, I'm just a hard working observer!

My curiosity got me so I found a picture. Definitly a B-47 nose section. The small panel towards the front is right in front of the radar bay and the opening at the top of the section is actually the lower left side fuselage opening for the crew entry hatch.

Guys this is going to sound bad, but Shay's first post about these RF-84s really didn't get my heart pumping (hey don't hate me, I'm a bomber guy!) I do agree though they should definetly be saved, it is such a shame to see them like that.
But now with these new pictures showing B-47 bits in the pile...This is FARGIN WAR!!!

Col Rohr check mail!

B29Gunner
Well if you like bombers then you should like the F-84. The F-84 Primarily filled the Fighter-Bomber roll. And did this in mass during the Korean war. While the F-model came too late to see action and certainly the RF-84F didn't arrive soon enough, had the conflict stretched out to include them they would have also operated in this roll. Just a bomber of a different color. But atleast the B-47 parts seemed to storage with some care and fore thought in mind while the Thunderflashs are heaped in a pile. Very sad.

Shay

Shay et al--

Yep, that looks like a B-47 nose to me too. When I was at Dayton in June there was an identical front end (plus a section of B-47 rear fuselage and most of an F-86E/F) lying on the tarmac in front of the Annex hangars. I'm guessing this is that nose, now on the dump. Also out there were an F-4 and a complete B-47E awaiting their fates...

Your shots of the green RF-84 have possibly cleared up a longstanding "what the heck is that thing?" mystery for me. In the background of one or two of my photos from Walt Soplata's place is some sort of largish vaguely D-shaped fairing, stood on end. Soon as the air intake "box" of that RF-84F popped up on screen (standing on edge, since the 84 is on its side) I went "hey...that's it!". I'm not 100% sure--didn't photograph the "thing" itself, it just shows up in the background--but there IS an RF-84F listed in Walt's collection and I couldn't remember ever seeing one, so that's probably that!

In the old days Walt would have been after these 84s (and the B-47 nose too). Sadly he no longer can. Shay, I agree wholly: somebody should rescue, at the very least, the cockpit sections of these, and ideally the green one should be saved complete. I bet even AFM would be surprised how few of the early jets are still around in a proper state of preservation...

Steve

Is the B-47E the one that came from the New England Air Museum?

I have to disagree. I don't think it would be worth the gas to drag them home other than the cockpit section . There are more aircraft worthy aircraft than the F-84 to save. In the midwest they gave F-84's to almost city that would take one. There is a complete F-84 behind a old gas station in Terre Haute, Indiana and I know where there is a overgrown lot with several aircraft F-100, T-38, T-37, A-4 and several B-58 parts and parts of many others but if you don't have cash and ready to buy forget it

I'm going to second Col. Rohr...Broken-Wrench, I'd like to hear more about this!

Matter of fact, let's make this an open call: if ANYONE out there knows the location of "scrappy" A/C like those being discussed in this thread, PLEASE post some details! Ya never know, if we can round up enough A/C, we could form an offshoot of WRG...the Warbird Recovery Group! (hey Scott, hint hint!)

Steve T, what else can you tell us about the F-86/F-4/B-47 you saw?

Negative Ghostrider.....

That Supposed A-7 Cockpit section is not an A-7 at all. It is from a 3rd F-84F. I matched up the the windsheild frame and access port just aft of the rear glass with the 2 obivous RF-84s there in the Picture. Definatly atleast another F-84F maybe a RF-84F. Also another thing that struck me as odd is, The wings just forward of both fuselages on the ground. They look to me as being painted as Air Supiority Gray with a modern stenciled Stars and Bars. Also on what appears to be a F-84F tail assembly leaning against the Camoflage RF-84F one side is Camoflage while the other side once again ASG. Normally it would seem odd for a '50 era aircraft to be painted ASG but I know for a fact that up at Langley AFB all the Gate gaurdians are painted that way no matter what era they are from. Most memorably a F-86 on a pedistal. I guess cheaper that way since I'm sure they have lots of ASG paint on hand. On a sidenote. I think I have identified the bare metal RF-84F. I zoomed in and enhanced some photos and believe it to be Ser. No. 51-1847. Orginally a Greek A.F. bird (possibly USAF before that) then given back to the USAF and eventually retired. And documented as being on NMUSAF premisis since 1990. Well that's all I have for now.

Shay

So, is the WIX gonna put their money where their mouths are and go get these things, with the intent on using the various parts to put something together for display or <gasp> flight?

Holy Crap! B-58 sections??? That is a bit hard to believe but I would certainly dare to dream! I agree with Rob and others - there is a good reason to save these birds!

It would be nice to set up a network of WIX'rs that could help with recovery efforts when one of us can put something together. Dang near anything in the intermountain west I'm pretty sure I could get a small group together to assist some with.

Rob - send me a pm when you get a chance.

Tom P.
www.wendoverairbase.com

Hi all--

Couple people asked after the B-47, F-4 and F-86 that were on the old Wright Field line back in June. The B-47 was 53-2280, which was displayed for years in the open-air park next to the main AFM buildings. I heard later in the summer that it was slated to move to another museum for display...good news considering that the last Boeing bomber I saw in that approximate spot (the B-52B) got the chop not long after! The F-4 was sitting between a couple buildings; I didn't get a good look at it really but it appeared to be an E model and wore Vietnam camo. The F-86 looked like an ex-gate guard; canopy was painted black. Red/white/blue diagonal bands round the rear fuselage and faded "buzz number" FU-978. Only the fuselage was visible. Beside that there were nose and aft fuselage sections of another B-47, which are the bits I think also feature in Shay's pix from the dump. (There is a third B-47 in fine shape in the Cold War hall in the main museum; it's a "thimble nose" RB-47 though, rather than the "classic" pure bomber Stratojet.)

S.

Steve T
You mean this one? These were taken back in '02.






Shay