Burmese Spitfires back in the news...

[51fixer]

Surely they've pumped out enough water by now to get some indication of what's in the crate. Maybe I'm just too impatient.

Water in the crate probably matches ground water in the area.
They will need to pump at a pretty good volume to keep the level low enough to view the contents.
As soon as the pump would stop the water will refill or if capacity isn't high enough the level may not lower much.
If they have a location they should excavate. The mud and muck that probably is in the crate will obscure its contents even if they pump it out.

[43-2195]

The water filled crate isn't actually at Yangon/Mingaladon is it? I thought I read that it was at one of the other, up country, sites. Perhaps they want to confirm that spitfires were buried in crates elsewhere before they go ahead with the highly public excavation of the countries main airport.

[Fouga23]

As most spitfires that take to the air these days are basically new aircraft with a dataplate identity, I'm sure that whatever they dig up will fly again!

[Sgt13Echo]

They are just now getting equipment..
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/01/ ... spitfires/

Please keep Geraldo Rivera away from this story.

[jmkendall]

I thought it funny that the article keeps saying they are going to ship the equipment, when the very last para says they are being supplied by their dealer in Burma. So...the equipment is already there!

[k5083]

What a bizarre article. It appears in a Savannah, GA newspaper but is written from the perspective of someone in Staffordshire UK.

But the really awesome thing is the reference to the JCB Dancing Diggers display team. I had to look that up. Yes, it's a formation acro team of backhoes. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFBAzRc5 ... 78&index=2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCrPic7sENI

This is better than the whole lineup at Thunder Over Michigan this year!

August

[jetsrforkids]

O.k., I keep checking this thread hoping for some big news. Actually I'm waiting to see one (1) picture of what is down there. How many times over the years have we heard this same story in a different place? I'm a believer though, I'm thinking they will get something out of there. By the way, remember a few years ago when they found (?) a bunch of planes of the coast of Australia that had been pushed off the carriers? I'm still waiting for those.

[DaveM2]

By the way, remember a few years ago when they found (?) a bunch of planes of the coast of Australia that had been pushed off the carriers? I'm still waiting for those.

I'd move on if I were you

[mike furline]

Here it is,

[51fixer]

Here it is,

I see it's now the dry season

[PinecastleAAF]

I wish they would start digging.

[wendovertom]

That is just what I was thinking Rich, "Dry season"!! It is the difference between the midcalf depth, "squish squish" and leg engulfing, "Shlop shlop"

Tom P.

[tom d. friedman]

like the old analogy goes..... "dig your way to china". i'll start from here if it will help progress. i check daily as well, to no avail

[seabee1526]

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/Crate-in-Myanmar-may-hold-WWII-fighter-planes/14819907980/Comcast/Today_in_Video/?cid=hero_sf_TIV

[Dave Hadfield]

The crates are full of water? If that's the case, then it's hard to imagine any of the metal being useable.

I don't want to rain on anybody's parade, but a crate full of corroded metal leaves the digger with basically just history, a few salvageable parts, and a data plate.

Plus an opportunity to spend $2m to build an aircraft.

I sincerely hope some of the crates have stayed dry.

Dave