Unrecovered warbirds
Wed May 04, 2005 1:23 pm
After watching a tape of the failed recovery attempt of the B-29 Kee Bird, I was wondering if there's any more known warbirds in the world in as good condition as Kee Bird was that haven't been recovered yet.
Wed May 04, 2005 3:58 pm
Swamp Ghost.
Lake Michigan.
The former Clark AFB.
Vietnam
All over New Guinea.
Libya (this one is a probable)
Lake Michigan.
The former Clark AFB.
Vietnam
All over New Guinea.
Libya (this one is a probable)
Wed May 04, 2005 6:10 pm
I think from Mr. Fort's question he wants to know if there are any gems lest. I.e. are there any airframes that with relatively minimal attention could be flown (ferry flight minimal condition).
I think O.P. may have been a little off target with Swamp Ghost and Lake Michigan, but Vietnam may have a number of opportunities. Hmmm... Anyone more knowlegable care to summarize for us?
Mike
I think O.P. may have been a little off target with Swamp Ghost and Lake Michigan, but Vietnam may have a number of opportunities. Hmmm... Anyone more knowlegable care to summarize for us?
Mike
Wed May 04, 2005 9:46 pm
mrhenniger wrote:I think from Mr. Fort's question he wants to know if there are any gems lest. I.e. are there any airframes that with relatively minimal attention could be flown (ferry flight minimal condition).
I think O.P. may have been a little off target with Swamp Ghost and Lake Michigan, but Vietnam may have a number of opportunities. Hmmm... Anyone more knowlegable care to summarize for us?
Mike
Good catch! I wasn't thinking of it that way. Thats a tough row to hoe. Hmmm, Reading the A26 lists says there are some A26's in Saudi just parked at King something airport. There might be a good chance that some of those are in better than average shape. Then again, you'd have to go to Saudi. Anyone know of any Saudi WIX bro's willing to go over and take a look?
Wed May 04, 2005 10:56 pm
Oh well
Here goes again !!!
Syria - Spits - 3 locations near Damascus - plus othe A/C type unknown 15- 20 machines - been doing the rounds for years- one tough place to get decent info on but they are there .
Saudi
Not heard of the A26s but that could be correct - certainly seen references to "A number of B25 and Harvards" being parked off the runway at on of the fields near Riad. Plenty of BaE types there - would have thought someone would have pics by now.
Iceland ? Greenland ? Artic
I believe there is another B17 crash landed somewhere in the artic and I am sure more stuff will come to light with time in these areas.
Northern European / Canadian lakes - I still think this is the gold mine of the future - lots still here(Look at a map of Russia etc and see the numbers of lakes etc but finding them will be tough.
PNG / SWPA - problematic now - most of the stuff is trashed/scrapped and whilst a few good wrecks remain and will no doubt be found - it isn't a huge bonanza it once was.
Asia- I suspect a lot will be found and is being found but a lot of work and investigation needs to go into India/ China ?/ Philipines etc mostly buried over there.
Well
Thats all my opinion and is a very brief summary
John
Here goes again !!!
Syria - Spits - 3 locations near Damascus - plus othe A/C type unknown 15- 20 machines - been doing the rounds for years- one tough place to get decent info on but they are there .
Saudi
Not heard of the A26s but that could be correct - certainly seen references to "A number of B25 and Harvards" being parked off the runway at on of the fields near Riad. Plenty of BaE types there - would have thought someone would have pics by now.
Iceland ? Greenland ? Artic
I believe there is another B17 crash landed somewhere in the artic and I am sure more stuff will come to light with time in these areas.
Northern European / Canadian lakes - I still think this is the gold mine of the future - lots still here(Look at a map of Russia etc and see the numbers of lakes etc but finding them will be tough.
PNG / SWPA - problematic now - most of the stuff is trashed/scrapped and whilst a few good wrecks remain and will no doubt be found - it isn't a huge bonanza it once was.
Asia- I suspect a lot will be found and is being found but a lot of work and investigation needs to go into India/ China ?/ Philipines etc mostly buried over there.
Well
Thats all my opinion and is a very brief summary
John
Thu May 05, 2005 8:59 am
In 1975 I saw several A-26s at the old Jedda airport, they looked like they had flowers growing on the top of the wings, it was very bad corrsion from the salt air. A TWA pilot did recover a T-35 from there then and I think its still fly in the US.
Thu May 05, 2005 4:50 pm
Brad - calling Brad - maybe someone currently stationed over there (saudi) might keep an eye out for these B-25s during thier travels?
Syria eh? that sounds like a fun
trip. Still for various and sundry warbirds it might be worth it!
Phillipines - most of anything even somewhat accessable has most likely been turned into local cookware. My best friend's wife is from Cebu and he lived there for a couple of years. Still, he tells stories of seeing wreakage on hillsides and in deep jungle - from his perspective you'd better show up with a lot of friendly local support and $$ - payoffs are the name of the game and guerillas most often shoot first and ask questions later. He helped to bury his neighbor after a case of mistaken identity.
Tom P.
Syria eh? that sounds like a fun
trip. Still for various and sundry warbirds it might be worth it!
Phillipines - most of anything even somewhat accessable has most likely been turned into local cookware. My best friend's wife is from Cebu and he lived there for a couple of years. Still, he tells stories of seeing wreakage on hillsides and in deep jungle - from his perspective you'd better show up with a lot of friendly local support and $$ - payoffs are the name of the game and guerillas most often shoot first and ask questions later. He helped to bury his neighbor after a case of mistaken identity.
Tom P.
Thu May 05, 2005 6:18 pm
According to Hagedorn/Hellstrøms Foreign Invader book the Saudi A-26s where scrapped several years ago when the airport they were on (Jeddah) expanded. One is said to be alive, displayed at the Royal Saudi AF Museum in Riyadh. Also the Warbird Registry lists one as being at Taif AFB in 1996. Do we have any forumites that fly into Taif that can verify this report?
T J
T J
Thu May 05, 2005 9:02 pm
pv1 ventura, agattu island off attu, aleutian island chain. from the air good overall condition, but still in the clutches of the usn!!!
Sat May 07, 2005 2:44 pm
Great Topic !
Make one wonder how many planes are yet to be discovered. At one time I had read a report that there were something like over 400 aircraft in Lake Michigan, but the USN would have a fit if you tried to bring one up. And I did hear something along the lines the in China that due to the sheer size of the country that there could be well in excess of 750-1500 wreck sites that could provide the basis for flyable restorations. But since a great deal of China is incabale of "getting to the sites" easily enough many wrecks are not enven known. And accordingly, the same article went on to say that a very large percentage of those wrecks were Japaneese aircrat as well.
And lastly, a friend of mine showed me that when the US was sending arms and supplies to Russia and China, that all along the AL-CAN Highway corridor there are litterally hundreds of potential sites where planes came down due to weather and other circumstances.
Just my two cents
Make one wonder how many planes are yet to be discovered. At one time I had read a report that there were something like over 400 aircraft in Lake Michigan, but the USN would have a fit if you tried to bring one up. And I did hear something along the lines the in China that due to the sheer size of the country that there could be well in excess of 750-1500 wreck sites that could provide the basis for flyable restorations. But since a great deal of China is incabale of "getting to the sites" easily enough many wrecks are not enven known. And accordingly, the same article went on to say that a very large percentage of those wrecks were Japaneese aircrat as well.
And lastly, a friend of mine showed me that when the US was sending arms and supplies to Russia and China, that all along the AL-CAN Highway corridor there are litterally hundreds of potential sites where planes came down due to weather and other circumstances.
Just my two cents
Tue May 10, 2005 7:19 am
O.P. wrote:Libya (this one is a probable)
Jack
any actual info ?, only my Dad has worked in Lybia on/off for nearly 30 years in the oil camps way down in the desert (as have many Americans)& in the citys. Due to the oil exploration the desert has been well covered/explored & nothing found, but then again it is a VERY big desert.
Martin
Thu May 12, 2005 4:15 pm
[quote="Col. Rohr]As for what is out their well I've seen some Sat. Pixs that show alot of stuff in the deep desert including a German Airfield that has close to 30 airframes. Also their is alot of Tanks and other goodys out their.
Cheers
RER[/quote]
Thanks for the info Rob, would the 30 airframes have been covered by sandstorm & now uncovered ? sounds unbelivable that they were not found before, any more info you can tell us ? go on , just a bit more
Martin
Cheers
RER[/quote]
Thanks for the info Rob, would the 30 airframes have been covered by sandstorm & now uncovered ? sounds unbelivable that they were not found before, any more info you can tell us ? go on , just a bit more
Martin