Burmese Spitfires back in the news...

[SeptRepair]

I agree the reporting is all over the map. I have read pretty much every article published and from trying to pick through all the crap I have come to the conclusion they have found two separate crates in two different locations. One is full of muddy water which will take time to pump out, and the other is beneath cables and piping which is hampering their efforts in retrieving it. So this reporting there are no aircraft is premature and sensationalism. One thing I found interesting is Mr Cundall says they are looking in the wrong place. Makes you wonder who is leading this dig and if he is being pushed to the side.

[HawkerTempestMKII]

You've got the archeologists saying there's no evidence, but being archeologists they are in their field of study. Probably because they've found that what they thought were Spitfires were just buried runway segments.

Next you've got the eyewitnesses who aren't taken seriously by the archeologists.

Then you've got the Russian who apparently threw Cundall under the bus. Then you've got the high profile nature of the venture. It's a fiasco. It seems a little over the top to expect the Spitfires to be in good condition before they are found too. It would be better to do such a dig under a low profile if possible and keep it open ended not expecting any results until some are found. Expecting results beforehand has the potential of being disasterous.

[cooper9411]

Whats the old saying: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!

[Kyleb]

It does make you wonder a bit about some of the other stuff that gets presented as "news".

Every single time I have heard or read a news story where I was close to the story, something was wrong with the report. Wrong facts, omitted information, "experts" who don't know anything. I assume all news stories are that way (Which means you can't trust any of 'em.).

[Sgt13Echo]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh come on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-art ... -snag.html

Now, there are no Spitfires...... WHAT???
http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-art ... lanes.html

Archaeologists believe no Spitfires buried in Burma..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21074699

This dream may have just become a nightmare, wake me when this is over.....

[CoastieJohn]

Another article....

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scien ... 57710.html

[mustanglover]

I have come to the conclusion they have found two separate crates in two different locations. One is full of muddy water which will take time to pump out, and the other is beneath cables and piping which is hampering their efforts in retrieving it.

Ummmmmmmm, they do make pumps now-a-days in order to pump the water out of certain areas containing too much water.

Let's see here, assuming the crates are 30 feet long, 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall.............that should therefore contain about 44,820 gallons of water.

Lets purchase a cheap old 1/6 HP 3000 GPH water pump from the local hardware store..........I think in one long day we should be able to pump that baby dry.

Why haven't they emptied the water from the crate yet?

[SeptRepair]

Who knows why they cant pump out. Maybe they dont have the equipment there to do it quite yet?

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Why haven't they emptied the water from the crate yet?

If a 45,000-gallon crate is at the bottom of a 30,000,000-gallon lake, it's going to require pumping out the entire lake.

Not that this crate is literally at the bottom of a lake, but it apparently is under the level of the local water table, so whatever water you pump out of the crate is simply replaced by more water. They could be pumping forever unless they somehow get it out and lift it above the water table.

[HawkerTempestMKII]

Stephan Wilkinson wrote:

If a 45,000-gallon crate is at the bottom of a 30,000,000-gallon lake, it's going to require pumping out the entire lake.

Not that this crate is literally at the bottom of a lake, but it apparently is under the level of the local water table, so whatever water you pump out of the crate is simply replaced by more water. They could be pumping forever unless they somehow get it out and lift it above the water table.

Still not quite true. You would have to pump it out at a rate more quickly than it flows in.

[mdwflyer]

Stephan Wilkinson wrote:

If a 45,000-gallon crate is at the bottom of a 30,000,000-gallon lake, it's going to require pumping out the entire lake.

Not that this crate is literally at the bottom of a lake, but it apparently is under the level of the local water table, so whatever water you pump out of the crate is simply replaced by more water. They could be pumping forever unless they somehow get it out and lift it above the water table.

Still not quite true. You would have to pump it out at a rate more quickly than it flows in.

A) Fingers crossed that something is there.

B) If there are crates and they are below the water table, best not to pump the water out of the crates or they will most likely collapse.

[Wildchild]

Why would they put crates filled with runway segments underground...

[Steve Nelson]

when they dug up the wreck of the steamship Arabia in Missouri back in the late 80s, they had about a dozen pumps going non-stop around the site pumping tens of thousands of gallons an hour to keep the hole (somewhat) dry. When the pumps were shut off after the dig was finished, the hole filled back up with water in a matter of hours.

SN

[Stephan Wilkinson]

You would have to pump it out at a rate more quickly than it flows in.

Good luck with that.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Why would they put crates filled with runway segments underground...

Nobody said the PSP was in crates. And one reason you'd bury the steel planks is that there'd be thousands of them in stacks alongside the runway, if you'd cleared them off the runway in order to pave it. That's exactly where you don't want them in case an airplane groundloops or veers off the runway for some reason. Bury 'em.

Last edited by Stephan Wilkinson on Sun Jan 20, 2013 3:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.