Lady Be Good

[Tim Landers]

I could send the gentleman who is in the photo an e-mail and see if he would join us at this forum to answer questions. Just a thought

Tim Landers

Last edited by Tim Landers on Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[TimAPNY]

I think a really good display is how she should be displayed. Just as found in the 50's. Walkways though trails in the sand, bright lights and hot like the desert day. Not stuffed in a corner in the dark!

A memorial to MIA bomber crews.

[tom d. friedman]

by all means get him to participate in this debate, or get his feedback. nobody could give a more 1st hand account or opinion. his input would provide more perspective than all of us wixers combined!! i appreciate the gesture & the idea. i hope the gentleman is willing to cooperate. tom

[TimAPNY]

I would not complain if I had too watch "Lady Be Good" fly around. That would be just fine with me

[HELLDIVERS]

HI AT ONE TIME THE AIR FORCE MUSEUM ENTERTAINED THE IDEA OF RECOVERING AND DISPLAYING HER AS RECOVERED. UPON INSPECTION IT HAD BEEN SO BADLY VANDALISED THAT RECOVERY AND DISPLAY WERE OUT OF THE QUESTION.SEVERAL AREAS OF SKIN HAD BEEN REMOVED AND IT WAS BADLY STRIPPED BY RELIC HUNTERS. NOW ADD IN THE COST AND POLITICS AND YOU CAN SEE WHY THE IDEA WAS SCRAPPED PHOTOS IVE SEEN OF THE RECOVERY OPERATION HAS RENDERED IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DISPLAY IT AS IT ONCE WAS AND I AGREE A TOTAL RESTORATION WOULD DETRACT FROM ITS TRUE HISTORY.SO ITS A TOUGH CALL AS TO WHAT WOULD BE BEST BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT IN ANY CONDITION,JUST HOPE THEY DONT SCRAP IT!!THANKS MIKE

[Tony]

Helldivers

LBG was moved to her present location , to protect her from the scrap merchants and souveniristas (Heh! new word)

The Libyans do take preservation seriously , and in my dealings with them to date, have revealed themselves to actually give a darn about the artifacts they have and are recovering , which is good.

They are most definitely wise to interest in warbirds, and I don't think you'll see any 'grab-it-mislabel-it-export-it-tell-them-its-tractor-parts' nonsense going on.

If anything is recovered from Libya ,from what I have seen so far , it will involve gentle and delicate negotiation, patience, and trades. There is some materiel there already, there is a lot lot more to be found.

Anyone want an armoured car or 2?

[wendovertom]

Thanks Rob - I had to look in my notes to remember the name of the base. I found a photo or two with those '29s parked on the ramp. Rather innocuous looking during the day

Tom P.

[Tim Landers]

Here is an e-mail I recieved from Roger who is in the pic:
We got to the lady when the grave crew went north to find the bodies, we the only the photographers, only an oil co. and a few oil people had been at the bomber site, the grave crew messed up the place ,notice the 50 cal. mag on the ground , the boys from the grave crew tossed stuff all over the place, bullets in a fire , cases all over the sand . I have an excellent memory,she came down hard and popped open the tail section and lost a motor. I had dug under the plane to see if it had a bottom and it was busted open. most of the people in that country would find old planes and peel off the metal to be sold as scrap , as a EOD person I found kids chipping the brass bands of shells that had been shot at TOBROK and skipped of in to the desert, lots of kids with burns from ordance they messed with. a camel trail just south of the site would bring people to the site and a piece of tin is a valued item, can be made in to many things . so I look at the lady as providing a lot of people a mastery and adventure Also a passing Arab took a little gift to make his life better. Roger

Tim Landers

[PeterA]

Let me see if I can make this photobucket work.

If so something good has come out of the Flypast Forum problems.

Here is my little souvenir from the Lady be Good. My uncle landed along side it in an RAF Pembroke in the early 1960's.

PeterA

[Shay]

Just thought I would post some pictures of "Lady Be Good" just prior to her recovery in Aug of 1994.

Shay

[tom d. friedman]

absolutley fabulous pics!! tom

[peter]

It looks like it has been blown up or something?

[HELLDIVERS]

WOW!!GREAT PHOTOS NOW YOU SEE WHY THE U.S.A.F. LEFT IT THERE.WHAT A SHAME I HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE AT THE N H C SEE WHAT CAN HAPPEN EVEN IN THE MOST REMOTE AREAS OF THE WORLD TO A UNPRESERVED A/C. EVEN THE B-24 RECOVERED BY HILL AFB HAD BEEN SEVERLY VANDALISED IN THE REMOTE AREA OF ALASKA.DO THEY REALLY THINK THEY WILL BE THERE IN 150 YEARS? NOT A CHANCE,VANDALS,SCRAP MEN,AND NATURE WILL TAKE CARE OF WHATS LEFT.THANKS MIKE

[Mark Allen M]

These photos are stated to have been taken in 1990-91.

Photographer & Photo Source here:
http://www.richarddavisphotography.com/ ... y-be-good/

[Shay]

WOW Good stuff!!!

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis