b-18 bolo

[ypochris]

I've been trying to find the serial of this plane for a while; the AAIR site's crash records list B-18 36-446 of the 11th Bombardment Group as having crashed due to engine failure at Waimanu on February 25, 1941 - is this the one?

This plane is located in Waikaloa Gulch on our property, the ahupua'a of Laupahoehoe Nui in Hamakua district on the Island of Hawai'i- between Waimanu and Honopue valleys on the north face of Kohala mountain.

Our understanding is that this is B-18 # 36-446, although we have not confirmed the serial number. Although it has not yet been recovered, we are currently in negotiations with the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum regarding a survey and possible recovery effort.

Chris Rathbun
Laupahoehoe Nui LLC

[Bluedharma]

I was under the impression that there were not any more flying.


Does anyone know of any b-18s on tour?
Regards,
Bluedharma

[ypochris]

It certainly isn't flying; it is lying on it's belly at a 60 degree angle on the side of the gulch...

Chris

[Bluedharma]

It certainly isn't flying; it is lying on it's belly at a 60 degree angle on the side of the gulch...
Chris

Sorry, you are right. I was responding more to the idea of what Michael luther had said.

I have always thought that a B-18 and B-23 would be really neat on the airshow sene.

Are there any on the airshow tour circuit? anywhere?

But if you have any additional pictures Chris, I would love to see them.
I just saw the shots on the other thread. This looks very interesting.

cheers.
Bluedharma

[bilwor]

B-18A 37-515 crashed in the San Francisco Peaks just north of Flagstaff, AZ on Oct 2, 1941. All 6 bodies recovered a few days later. Only small scattered pieces left today. Site very difficult to reach.

bill word

[Rocketeer]

This plane is located in Waikaloa Gulch on our property, the ahupua'a of Laupahoehoe Nui in Hamakua district on the Island of Hawai'i- between Waimanu and Honopue valleys on the north face of Kohala mountain.

Our understanding is that this is B-18 # 36-446, although we have not confirmed the serial number. Although it has not yet been recovered, we are currently in negotiations with the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum regarding a survey and possible recovery effort.

Chris Rathbun
Laupahoehoe Nui LLC

Have negociations continued with the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in recovering the B-18 in Waikaloa Gulch?

[ypochris]

Yes, and no. They did fly in, and were very impressed with the plane's condition. Apparently it is the best preserved aircraft wreck in the United States, and perhaps in the world- on land, anyway.

Thing is, the partner they were negotiating with seems to have gone off the deep end, and while I have tried to re-start things, I can't discover where the discussion stood, from either side. The partner keeps talking about suing the rest of us over this and that, and settling for less than he had negotiated for in the past would certainly wind us up in court, but he won't say what went down for whatever reason, and the director of PAM has not been clear either- perhaps hoping for a better arrangement?

(Note I was so clueless when I posted this originally that I didn't even know the name of the museum- the Pacific Aviation Museum, actually.)

Anyway, between internal issues between the landowners, and this unclarity, no progress has been made. PAM also seems to have been busy with a number of acquisitions, and there are ownership issues with the Air Force.

My hope, and the hope of at least most of the other landowners, is that an arrangement can be reached eventually, although a couple imagine that it may have tourism potential. I guess the bottom line is that the plane has been on the side of the mountain for over seventy years, so it isn't the most urgent issue on anyone's table.

Chris

[Rocketeer]

It's a shame that the PAM is reluctant to make a commitment to an aircraft that is very relevant to its history. The Air Force washed their hands of it over seventy years ago, and they would only let it rot outside somewhere else anyway.
The B-18 should be preserved indoors, and I hope you succeed in convincing a good, non-government museum into acquiring it.

Thanks for the response Chris.

[ALOHADAVE]

I have completed a story about the history of the Hawaii Big Island B-18 accident. It can be found here under post#9
http://pacaeropress.websitetoolbox.com/ ... ght=hawaii

I asked about the status of aquiring the aircraft last August. PAM officials stated that they had visited the wreck and were still interested in aquiring it. However they were very busy with current projects. They also stated that if they did get it, they planned to display the wreck "as is". They have a very limited ability and buget to restore aircraft.

Some of problems with recovering the B-18 from the big Island are.
1. The plane continues to slip further into the gultch, it is now completely on its side.
2. A heavy lift helicopter would be required to lift it out. These have been in high demand with the ongoing wars overseas
3. Once lifted, it can not be flown over populated areas due to safety and FAA requirements which means it would need to be moved in stages.

Could it be done? YES! I would love to see it moved to where more people could see it.

[ypochris]

My understanding was the intent was to present it in a diorama type display, exhibiting the Bolo just as it currently sits on the mountain. This would give visitors the feel of visiting the wreck site without having to actually hire a helicopter or hike in. And protect the plane, of course.

As far as lifting it out over populated areas, I assumed it would be flown to a barge offshore and towed to Oahu, as the distance is nearly two hundred miles. It is only a couple miles from the ocean, and the entire lift to the barge would be over our property, endangering no one.

[marine air]

The last B-18's flying would have been back in the early 1980's Reagan era. There was an exchange program with the air attack firefighting companies to exchange their priceless relics like the B-18, B-23, C-119, and a few B-17's for some surplus, govt. owned C-130's, P-2V's, P-3's and S-2s. I remember there being a few B-18 ferry flights at that time.
The deal came about because the firefighting industry had mostly WW II surplus aircraft and they needed govt. financial assistance to move them into the turbine age with increased firefighting capability.

[Stoney]

Ofton wondered what happened to the B-18 that came from Mexico thru SAN when I worked there in 1971.

[tom d. friedman]

a sad commentary to the plight & struggle of many museums in this economy!!

[Chris Brame]

Sorry to hear about the difficulties, Chris. Did the plane slide down more in the last earthquake you had there?

[ALOHADAVE]

Yes the plane did slide down further after the last earthquake there. PAM members reported that they walked on the side of the plane because it is now nearly on a 90 degree angle