Warbird Information Exchange

Ok ok, one hint. It only has one engine!

Okay...what country? We'll drag it out of you. we have ways of making you talk!!!!!!

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

Ahhh..one engine, well that rules out the HumbledyPudge Gallipoli Mk. IV.
The Mk IV was the one with the coal-fired cabinheat...don'tchaknow!

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He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

hi B-29 Gunner:

Give us a really good hint.

Nothing else like it - as in "none currently known to exist"? That lets out TBD or F2A or Stuka... Hmmm.

Kaiser BTK... SOC Seagull... Ki-100 radial Tony... Curtiss Shrike...

Naah. I'll go with the P-43

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

delete

Mike,

As to location of the Corsair wreckovery, it looks like Coleville, CA. A pretty nasty accident from the looks of it. Here's the crash report:


Accident occurred Saturday, August 31, 1991 in COLEVILLE, CA
Aircraft: KAMAN HH43 B/F, registration: N53RH
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL HELICOPTER PILOT WAS ENGAGED IN A SALVAGE OPERATION OF THE WRECKAGE OF A WORLD WAR II F-4U CORSAIR, UTILIZING AN EXTERNAL 50 FOOT LONG LINE. ON THE FOURTH TRIP OF THE DAY, THE RADIAL AIRCRAFT ENGINE WITH PROPELLERS ATTACHED, WAS BEING LIFTED FROM RUGGED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT 11000 FEET MSL. THE ENGINE WAS POSITIONED AT THE EDGE OF A ROCKY GLACIAL CHUTE THAT DESCENDED AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE OF 13000 FEET AND THE EXTERNAL LOAD WEIGHT, EXCEEDED THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY OF THE HELICOPTER. AS THE HELICOPTER ATTEMPTED TO LIFT THE ENGINE, GROUND PERSONNEL OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK SURROUNDING TERRAIN. THE HELICOPTER AND ENGINE TUMBLED DOWN THE MOUNTAIN SIDE, DISINTEGRATING AS IT DESCENDED ABOUT 1/2 MILE DOWNSLOPE. ONE GROUND CREWMEMBER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES FROM FLYING DEBRIS. THE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ADEQUATELY CALCULATE THE HELICOPTER PERFORMANCE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS A DELAY IN JETTISONING THE EXTERNAL LOAD; THE PILOT'S OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITIES; AND EXCEEDING OF THE HELICOPTER'S HOVER ABILITY DURING HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE CONDITIONS.

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Thanks Rob, I'll pass this on to the VMF-224 member, looks like his bird is indeed been snagged. However he was adamant that it was a -4. He ought to know, he was on the flight when it went down.

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"There was no such thing as a bad day when you have a door knob on the inside of the door."

Cmdr. Paul Edward Galanti -retired

Rob, so to clarify, there still is an FG-1D in a nearby location?
...and your previous post implys the Park Service knows the location?

_________________
He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

I have to admit this thread has me really wanting to go visiting farms!

However, if you start to figure the $$ side of all this - wouldn't it be easier to get a group together and make a stop at Courtesy Aircraft then Wyoming and you could fly your own Privateer home for probably less $$ than finding and restoring something else to "static" condition!

Of course its not a Corsair BUT with a flying Privateer you could charge $350 a ride, take 6 people per ride, make 5 flights and you've got $10K on top of the appearance fee and fuel that an air show wuold provide anyway - sound a bit mercenary? Yes, but then to keep the bird in the air you have to look at it that way - and people would jump at the chance - from another thread someone said the CAF charges $750 for a P-51 ride and the waiting list at ONE air show was 20+ people!!

Tom P.

yeah, anybody can walk into courtesy, & plunk down $$$$$$ but i think it's the aura of mystery, & the fun of the hunt in finding an old dusty warbird stuck in a barn. i think it's almost of myth status, but it does still exist, & probably under our noses!!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

If what I have seen here in Oz is anything to go by, there will no doubt be significant remains of aircraft in the U.S. to be discovered. My little ventures have taken me to old airfield locations, a field where aircraft were scrapped and also farm properties close by. What was found were bits of aircraft buried, parts taken home for use on properties and other items stored under houses. Sure, in a lot of instances it would mean a lot of effort to build particular types of aircraft up from scratch but also there were times when airframes and large amounts of related items were discovered.

Also, one of the most encouraging things once you start to track down old aircraft is the help from those you interact with. In some instances farmers and others I have talked to may not have had anything on their land but they would usually have some advice on where parts may be found. Also, by noting the old buses, cars and machinery pushed into dark corners on the properties you do visit, an exchange of information with fanatics of other breeds sometimes brings up interesting leads that have amazing results. One other thing, if an aircraft is struck off charge after crashing, it does not mean that it’s still not there. (Hint....read the aircraft status cards carefully.)

And yes Tom you are correct, sometimes what we are looking for is right under our nose.

Good hunting!

I'm not knocking the aura or excitement of finding a T-6 or P-40 (or, or , or) that was dragged off the end of a farm strip and into a barn at all - that would be like finding the hope diamond in aunt lulu's jewelry box on the goodwill heap!

Just thinking that if you spend a bank to get a project to spend another one - at some point it has to make financial sense.

Years ago Porsche ran an ad about finding a vintage bathtub speedster in a barn - Yes, I have to admit I would be there cheering anyone on and helping them to get it recovered when they find the "grail" in a barn.

Tom P.

the fun is the hunt for me, regardless where it is, or what it is. aircraft parts, memorabilia, entire warbirds, etc. anything is better than the drudgery of your full time job,....... & i'm self employed!!!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Aaannndd,

A little off topic, but I know a guy who typically asks the local folks around his neighborhood about where old planes and wrecks are. He's found several planes that way, and has found a couple rare planes that way! They are on his own farm!