Bye bye P-82... :-(

[jet1]

..ground the p-38 and then repossess it.....soon they will have EVERY civilian warbird safely out of our hands and into theirs.....

[warbird1]

I'll bet the good General is so happy now that he can be the one to personally swing the ax to sever the wing spar on the F-82. Does anybody know how long till the proud Twin Mustang is castrated and becomes a mare?

[Obergrafeter]

The CAF should have gotten that Atlanta DC-3 pilot to meet the NMUSAF croonies when they wanted the P-82. Sometimes a mans' gotta do what needs to be done. Just cause someone has a little authority don't make him right.

[Rauhbatz]

I guess they could link the wings together and call it an F-246...that might bring in some extra visitors..

In today's tough economy I still can't believe they would expend funds to get another F-82 when they could spend that funding on something with a greater historical value....

I just hope the NMUSAF doesn't run govt health care...

[Dan K]

Well at least if the NMUSAF puts her next to one of their others we'll see the only P-82 formation that will ever occur again.

You're starting to scare me, young man.

Have you heard something to the effect that either the Harker bros. restoration or the XP-82 being reconstructed by Tom Reilly is not going to be a flier?

[george]

I feel terrible for the CAF. They have been giving the AF great publicity for over 50 years, taking the planes to the people across the country, including air bases, honoring the men and planes of the AF. You would think 40 years after it was donated is a little late to want it back. And the CAF never sold it after the AF Museum said they couldn't. Is there no statute of limitations regarding such? It seems the decent, logical response would be to simply redonate it to the group that has been its caretaker, and thought it was theirs, for decades.

Many planes have been donated to the AF Museum, including the original CAF B-25. Should all those donated planes not be returned to the donors?

Can't help but wonder: is the guy calling the shots a pilot?

[RyanShort1]

Just cause someone has a little authority don't make him right.

This! I'll say it - the emperor has no clothes. His mission is compromised and misguided.

Ryan

[ZRX61]

So, now that all this is done, any updates on the ones that will fly?

We are working on coolant door actuators for one Twice the size of P51D versions....

[ZRX61]

Im still trying to figure out EXACTLY WHEN we lost our country "of the people, by the people and for the people"

The day the Federal Reserve came into being.

[RickH]

Can't help but wonder: is the guy calling the shots a pilot?

No! He was an USAF finance officer.

[warbird1]

Can't help but wonder: is the guy calling the shots a pilot?

No! He was an USAF finance officer.

He was a bean counter! Well, that explains everything.

[Obergrafeter]

Oh no, now your giving bean counters a bad name.

[gary1954]

Can't help but wonder: is the guy calling the shots a pilot?

No! He was an USAF finance officer.

AAAAAAAhhhhhhh... ...A Frickin' Bean Counter. Must have taken the correspondence course on how to run an airline

EDITED Sorry Warbird1, I copied you an didn't know it, I saw that and jumped right in on my AH HA!!!!!!! Peace out

[mustangdriver]

The scary thing I see here is no one seems to be concerned with whether or not justice was served. Whether the plane went to who actually owns it. Not one person is questioning that. Instead everyone wants to sit back and throw stones at the NMUSAF because they are pissed about not getting to see this P-82 fly. Something that hasn't happened since 1987,and judging by the shape of the aircraft something that was still years away. There is not one person here that wouldn't try to get something back they believe they own. It had it's day in court twice. Dare I say that maybe the NMUSAF is right? No one wants to hear that not so much because they care who owns it, but because they want to see it fly.
Taylor bashing the museum collection does nothing for this arguement. Many of the aircraft on display there are wearing the same markings they carried into combat. They are special.
Alot can be learned from aircraft even when static. If they stick it on a pole(which I doubt) then I'd be let down. But if it goes to a museum who cares for it great.
As for the lackland p-82 there is a thread on here that someone had had the chance to get up close and personal with it and that was in pretty good shape. Of course that doesn't matter for the sake of bashing the museum.
Spars being cut no longer happens and hasn't since the 70s and early 80s. And even then it was only in extreme situations.
Tramp stamps will never be cool sorry man, but lessons can be learned from static aircraft. For example the caf could learn how a p-40 paint scheme should look like.
The bottom line is that I too would love to see the p82 fly but I would like to also see the plane with whoever owns it. The p82 might end up going to a loving home that restores it better than ever even if static only.

[RickH]

Spars being cut no longer happens and hasn't since the 70s and early 80s. And even then it was only in extreme situations.

MD, that's is BS. I can tell you now, that I got a call from Gary Austin, the curator at Chanute, and a couple of others out there that babysit F105s. They got calls from NMUSAF representatives about how to cut the spars on F105s and how their aircraft were cut ! They called me giving me a heads up.

They were asking so that they could direct AMARC on how to cut the F105 that we were working legislation on, that eventually went to Evergreen. The calls were shady, the people calling were reluctant to give out much info to the people they were calling. BUT IT HAPPENED !

When they found out that you couldn't cut the spars, they cut the motor mounts instead.

Don't tell me they don't still cut stuff, I've seen it first hand, this happened within the last two years !

It's happening now ! There is a current move to scrap the F105s at Lackland because the NMUSAF has decided that they are extraneous to their needs. EVEN THOUGH A CONGRESSIONAL HOLD WAS PLACED ON THEM, AND THEY KNOW IT ! The arrogance of these people is amazing !

As for the lackland p-82 there is a thread on here that someone had had the chance to get up close and personal with it and that was in pretty good shape.

As for the F82s condition, that too is BS. It looks passable because it has relatively fresh paint. No one has opened up any panels nor looked under the skin. It has been outside since the 60s, are you so naive to believe there's nothing hiding inside ?

Come on Chris, use your head, once again, we're not bashing the museum, we're bashing the people who are making these decisions and throwing their weight around ! It all rolls down hill and the organization follows its leader ! Who ever thought that we would long for the days of Dick Upstrom !