Warbird Information Exchange

The Sikorsky VS-44A that was saved and restored by Sikorsky starting in 1987 took about 10-11 years to finish. I hope you have at least that long to live, as the VS-44A was very corroded and didn't have any of the original interior. This JRS is a walk in the park compared to that project!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Looking at the photos, I'm thinking a 15 year job. I will be a ghost haunting everyone here on the WIX by then. Restorations at the NASM are going to be painfully slow from now on.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Jerry, where is the VS-44A now?

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Though I'm not Jerry I'll answer anyway, it's at the New England Air Museum.

http://www.neam.org/inventory/airprofile.asp?ID=125

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It's you and me against the world.

We attack at dawn.

Nice! Hopefully the JRS at the NASM will look that good someday.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Thanks Warhawk!

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

No thanks required. I knew the answer to the question is all. Been a few years since I've been down country to the museum and I need to head down this coming spring or summer though.

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It's you and me against the world.

We attack at dawn.

So is the plan to move everything from Garber and put it on "storage display" like it was at Garber? What will become of the Garber facility?

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

I believe the final plan is to close Garber and everything will be at Hazy. It'll take some time before that happens.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

I am researching my Dad’s flight logbooks and discovered that on 27 Jan 1947 he and another pilot named Fairley piloted a JRS-1 #1063 from Augusta GA, to NAS Norfolk. At the time he was a Chief Aviation Pilot assigned to NAS Norfolk.

My brother recalled a story that my Dad had told him that he flew the JRS to Norfolk so that it could be reconditioned for inclusion in an air museum. He said the plane was a basket case, and our Dad had to do a lot of ad hoc mechanic's work to get the thing started (he was previously an aviation machinist mate). He was accompanied by a senior officer in the co-pilot's seat, and our Dad did the take-off and landing, with the co-pilot flying the plane in between. Because they left late, they arrived late, after dark, and our Dad had to make a water landing in a plane whose lights, external and internal, failed to operate. They used a flashlight to try to read the instruments, but most of them didn't work anyway.

I am amazed that this is the aircraft that he flew.

Tom

Great story, Tom! Welcome to WIX.

I suggest you share the story with the NASM folks - this kind of thing wasn't regarded as part of the aircraft (artifact)'s history back in the day, but now museums are much more switched on to this kind of intangible heritage.

http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev. ... N=201.html

Regards,

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Thanks James. I'm now in contact with NASM

Tom