What's your best piece off a warbird

[F3V]

I just Have a B-17 PDI

[Edward Sheetmetalhands]

Here ya'go, Jack

A pair of B-29 wing spars caps from the upper front main wing spar of the B-29, left and right. Yeah, they were torch cut before I got them. I think they will make mighty nice porch railings...

Below that is a Life magazine ad for milling the wing spar caps out of the 5,000 lb billets by the good 'ole Farnham milling machine. This was taken underneath the balcony in Boeing Wichita's Plant II back in the day. Those are hallowed grounds. I feel fortunate to walk the concrete and examine the columns on a regular basis. Most people have no idea what was going on 70 years prior. When I was still an newbie I could walk around lowbay and see hardware still embedded in the concrete for rolling the 41 section dollies down the line. It is nice that besides the framework of the plant (which is still active), many details remain such as brass doorknobs, some limited signage, etc. Nothing like abbreviating "Number" as "No."

[JOHN MILLER]

I don't have alot, I have a handle from a B-17G, for the pilots hatch. I also have a group of maps that was found in our museums F-86H's map box when we got it. They are a almost complete of the US and dated 1967.I also have a short belt of dummy 20mm ammo for display purpose, and a used 50cal case and slug, also for display and because some people kept saying my 20mm rounds were same as the warthogs guns, I got a 30mm casing to show th difference.
JOHN

[michaelharadon]

I have just a couple odds and ends and I'll be getting rid of them:

The upper gunner's hatch to an A-26 I picked up at a garage sale (!)

An electric sight to a hand held .50 cal. machine gun.

A tail hook looking "thingy" that I got from the estate of an Intruder pilot. It's so light that I can balance it on two spread out fingers on one hand, but it has a chromed tail hook shape at one end.

A 60's era black and white striped tail hook you can use to build biceps.

All the sheets of paper to make an early 80's Fly Air Force bill board in the original mailing tube. Throw a nickel on the grass-it shows a Thunderbird T-38 streaking across the wild blue.

A 20 mm "spider web" sight that I picked up out of the dust next to the way where the Cabot was being scrapped. It's real cool for me because my dad shot a 20 mm on his liberty ship, and also it's a done deal that some gunner looked at a Zero or two through the very sight I have. This one's a keeper.

[N3Njeff]

Guess my #1 right now is a tail rotor blade of a UH-1. I have had it for a while now but this summer I brought it to a family reunion and had my uncle sign it. He flew Hueys in Vietnam.

[rreis]

Thought in joining in, although not much...

1 stick from a ex-Austrian Fouga Magister that should had helped the Biafrans during their war but lost it's wings and now is rotting in São Tomé e Principe

1 Vought A7 Corsair II engine blade

but something I lost when I was a kid and made me real sad was a small pin that was given to me by a Mig25 test pilot. He was working as a water bomber pilot during the fire season here, in the early 90s flying a big Antonov... oh, bummer...

[Ollie]

As of last Friday, two Avro Lancaster main wheels with tyres.

[TAdan]

Well I've acquired a few new pieces since my last reply. I now have two scraps of skin from the MAAM's P-61 as well as two larger pieces from the horizontal stabilizer.

I also have a small piece of Ol'927 and a large wing skin piece from one of the CAF Buchons.

[viking73]

I just got this last month. It's the co-pilot's ejection seat from B-52D 56-0660. According to the book "Boeing's Cold War Warrior" she was one of the last "D" models sent to the boneyard in August 1983. I imagine she was scrapped sometime in '93 or '94.

I had a couple of cushions made up for it and now it's now my office chair where I work. Of course all of my co-workers think I'm nuts!

-Derek

[lovevintageaviation]

G'day and greetings to all

I love reading through this thread. There is some very interesting items in individual collections
I have gathered, and still gathering a hand full of items although my other half sometimes wonders Why?

And I would love to add to the thread with my few items and all of which, I guess are special as it is hard to say which is my favourite

complete F104 Starfighter flight operation manual
Boeing 707 Structural repair manual which will soon be going on loan to a museum
A spark plug for a Sea Fury Centaurus engine
Trim control wheel for a C-47
Front canopy(Plexi Galss) off a T-28B Trojan
Original wing fabric off a Fairchild F24W with the US Army insignia star roundell
Starboard Wing fabric off a de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk
And original fabric off the horizontal stabilizer of a German Luftwaffe Fiesler Storch

A small collection but it has been fun collecting them and it is interesting where some items turn up.

Cheers
Scott

[boeingb17f]

My pride and joy is a very large piece from Glacier Girl. I have several smaller pieces of her too, including a left engine bearing, two P-38 necklaces from her skin coated in sterling silver, a piece of her left aileron, top portion that still has writting in pencil from 1942, tab access door from her left side tail assembly etc. I actually give talks to groups and organizations about the "Girl", and take all the pieces with me so they can touch and feel part of a real warbird. I have rivets and small pieces from the Memphis Belle, plus the Navigator's light, with wiring, and a large piece of her original starboard tire.
I have a large piece of Tico Belle, who was in several major campaigns in WW2 including Dday, and the Battle of the Bulge. Glad to see she's flying again. If I knew how to post photos, I would show some of the items I have. Can anyone help with that?

[Warbird Kid]

My Own:

1. An aircraft seat that came from Gary's estate. Still don't know what it went to. Cant find any names or numbers on it but its so freaking cool! Thats another project for a rainy day.

2. AT-11 / C-45 / Beech 18 Port Vertical Stabilizer. Again from Gary's estate. (BTW thanks Brad ) My goal is to turn it into a desk (without doing any damage to the piece)

My Friend:

1. A gentleman named Mark who owns Branford Hobbies here in Connecticut has a US Star that was painted on canvas from a Waco glider. Apparently it was cut off the glider on VE day after the soldier became more than a little drunk. Its amazing and by far not the only thing Mark has acquired. Great guy, great business his dad started after he came back from the war. (BTW His dad was in the 101st and dropped into Normandy on D-Day) Jerry O'Neill knows him and Im sure he can fill in the gaps/ elaborate on the story.

[Misterg97]

2 small pieces ... one of the P-75 Eagle and the other of the B-17D Swoose.

[b29flteng]

[quote="viking73"]I just got this last month. It's the co-pilot's ejection seat from B-52D 56-0660. According to the book "Boeing's Cold War Warrior" she was one of the last "D" models sent to the boneyard in August 1983. I imagine she was scrapped sometime in '93 or '94.

I had a couple of cushions made up for it and now it's now my office chair where I work. Of course all of my co-workers think I'm nuts!

-Derek




I see the seat needed to be labled for the copilot so he knew where to sit.....

[L. Thompson]

I sat by a guy at an NCAA Basketball event in Spokane in March who said a good friend of his in Spokane has displayed in his home some of the original aluminum skin from the Memphis Belle's tail with with the serial number numerals. He said the Belle was at the Spokane Repair Depot before/during its war bond touring and needed this portion of the tail skin replaced.

Can any Spokane area warbird guys confirm this? Dennis Bergstrom are you reading this?