RickH wrote:
So James, when Randy retires and someone wants to put him in a museum we HAVE to leave him in that stinky old flight suit ?
I know, it's a worry. But a freshly laundered flightsuit would clearly be inauthentic. Still, they make sealed display cases these days, so after he stops wiggling, it won't be a problem. As insect infestation is a concern for museums, the powerful
eau de combat pilot may be a step forward in germ warfare.
RickH wrote:
JDK wrote:
But if you want to show someone the real thing in a museum, it's likely you'll want to be able to trust them about it's originality.
James, your point is exactly mine regarding the misinformation found in many museums. Too many times I have seen museum placards espousing incorrect info as gospel. I have even tried to tactfully point out to at least one curator about the specific history of an aircraft in their collection and not only was the information rebuffed, the photographic evidence showing the aircraft BuNo was ignored !
Yesss. That's another whole can 'o beans. I've noticed a number of museum curators getting hung up about forgetting truth an accuracy when pushing to get the placard spelled right, the right size, colour et al. Once it's up, I reckon in most cases it takes an earthquake to get them to change it. I've actually been told, when pointing out the mistake (in a non-aircraft museum where I no longer work) "Oh, it'll only be up five more years, then we'll change it."
EDowning wrote:
By the way, when this all started I didn't know what an "Anorak" was, I told the story to several of my warbird pilot friends, and they all said "Oh, that's just some F'ing Anorak", I always just said of course, and then I had to look it up on Wikepedia.
See, we are all learning things!
"Pilot, Anorak. Anorak, pilot." Run away.
EDowning wrote:
Quote:
I ment questions like color of paint, the aircraft serial number, squadron markings. These would be the modeler questions.
These would be routine questions that come up and are answered on a regular basis. I have provided several people with a sample of the paint from the spare paint that I have on the shelf. No problems with any of that.
And that's helpful. I hope they say thank you.
Incidentally, do you just paint the back of their hand, or let them carry a little away in their palms?
Quote:
I agree with this way of looking at the issue. For me the issue comes down to this- is it an overhaul or a modification. If I pull my carb and replace it with an exact model # different S/n unit, then it is just routine mait and has very little effect on value or authenticity. If I decided to change the oil tank out with a custom made unit, that's a modification and could have a negative effect on value. Other mods can make the airframe less original and actually enhance value. The 3350 in the Sea Fury comes to mind. Another great example is putting dual controls in my Skyraider, it came off active duty with single control config(NAVY), It is currently the only AD5/A-1E that has single controls. I am putting the dual controls ( Air Force) in and it will be worth more when it is done, both monetarily and usefulness. Would you rather go for a ride and sit in the right seat or go for a ride and fly from the right seat? It is simply a matter of perspective.
Good points Eric. There's no argument that a dual conversion moves the machine away from originality but increases its current utility and fun factor - like the 3350 conversion on the Sea Fury. For what you are doing, it's excellent sense. It's not what a Navy museum should want, but that's just part of getting to grips with the idea that restoration is for a particular purpose, rather than 'good' or 'bad'. And your point about overhaul or modification is a good differentiator, which leads onto:
bdk wrote:
I have to chuckle about some of the reasons given about authenticity as well. Working for a major military airframer I can only say that aircaft frequently come out of the factory with a mixed bag of parts for numerous reasons. There are also repairs that get performed in the factory for various reasons and parts that get recalled for rework on occasion.
Some parts are serialized for tracking by the USAF while some parts have factory serial numbers for tracking in the factory. Engines for example are government furnished equipment so serial numbers may not be sequential. Other serialized parts may not even be from the same manufacturer.
Engines stay on for only a few years typicaly then get replaced at overhaul. It would be a very big coincidence to ever have an original engine end up on the plane it was delivered on. The same is true for many other items.
I can also state that the USAF cannot tell you where a certain serial numbered part is even located (except for the aircraft serial of course). They are stored and issued by national stock number not by serial number.
Exactly. All of which supports the post-operational 'need' to understand what was fitted why and when (for very specific but sometimes vital cases) as Peter's said with the Spitfire. Taking the case of the B-24
Lady be Good. Today, as BDK's shown above, and I'd bet back then, there were little records kept as to the state of equipment fit as the aircraft was rolled out of the factory. If you need to know how they really were back on entry to service, the
LBG is your best historical source. The CAF Lib, while excellently fulfilling an arguably far more important role, cannot do that, as
Ol 927 is a long way from it's original identities - contemporary data (such as a photos showing who made a servo motor, or what kind of bracket was fitted at Willow Run, say, or examining that ideal 'untouched' aircraft) helps Gary in re-configuring the machine to bomber from transport - but those who miss
Diamond Lil aren't silly; it's a valid,
warbird, period of the aircraft's full history.
And incidentally, anyone who has worked with me knows I'm the last person to rely on for this kind of minutiae. That's why Britain has the world's finest cloning programme for Anoraks. Once we've found out how to get the little notebooks off them, without the hypersonic scream, we'll have more data than enough.
Cheers,
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