Panchito damaged at Sun N Fun

[CoastieJohn]

Having played the scratch game before , you can go look at check-stands, platforms, carts, ladders, etc and form a good idea of what did it by measuring the height of the prospective work devices used and compare it against the height of the damage (in this case the scratch). Then go back and see who worked in that area. If it was a painted surface, ya might even have some residual paint chips or flakes still evident.

[Boeing666]

Wouldn't surprise me if it happened during one of the night shows. The ramp is pitch black during the shows and walking back through the displays, woods back to the parking lot. It wouldn't surprise me if it happened during the Friday night or saturday night show - there were 10,000 golf carts driving around, I nearly got hit by a couple during the night shows as it looked like teenagers were driving some of the golf carts - one of them may have driven by too fast by Panchito and caused it. I still highly doubt it was intentional - very likely it was a teenager that drove by it really quick in the golfcart and hit it and thought nothing of it, or again was scared sugar and didn't tell anyone.

I know lights would make the night show less enjoyable with bright lights everywhere - but at the same time it is dangerous walking around out there with uneven ground, stakes in the ground for tents/tie downs and other things to trip over as well as priceless warbirds parked on the ramp basically in the main show viewing area.

[flightsimer]

30k comes to 500 hrs at 60/hr. not including materials.

There are places that only charge $60/hr???? Try doubling it...

Our Shop charges only $45 an hour and i know of another local shop that charges $35 I believe, thought thats for general aviation, not warbirds.

Sad to see this happen to planes, especially at airshows. Last fall, some local twerp(s) decided to egg our F-4C at our airport for some reason.

[Warbirdnerd]

I edited the topic header and my comments in the event the act was an accident.

[Lynn Allen]

Gary would have that buffed out in no time....

[Richard W.]

Is it merely polished metal?

I know operators pay a buttload for insurance so they deserve to be compensated, but I hope someone in the industry will post here and walk us through the process to show where 30K comes into it.

[Obergrafeter]

I may be naïve, but I think there is one to many zeros in that quote!

[12XU2A3X3]

before the lynch mob is totally wound up it's worth nothing that it's a fairly straight line for someone to make at head level, unless they're pretty tall.

[peter]

Pretty sure that would polish out and not need skin replacement.
As far as the chem trails .. don't even get me started on that one.. had a heated debate with some idiot on youtube about that.. pointless.. wish they would just drink the koolaid and get it over with

[Pat Carry]

You have to remember that if it is in fact an act of intentional damage, there are morons everywhere you go. It doesnt matter what type of event it is or where it is. Those a**holes are everywhere. Some cause damage like this and some take it to a much higher lever and shoot people.

[Fearless Tower]

You have to remember that if it is in fact an act of intentional damage, there are morons everywhere you go. It doesnt matter what type of event it is or where it is. Those a**holes are everywhere. Some cause damage like this and some take it to a much higher lever and shoot people.

If someone wanted to vandalize or otherwise intentionally damage the airplane, I think it would be a whole lot more obvious (and greater damage).

That looks alot like an accident to me. Someone probably ran into it in the dark and doesn't want to own up.

[JohnB]

The failure to fess up to an accident is almost as bad as vandalism.
Shows lack of character, honesty, trustworthiness, etc.
Either way the person is a jerk, individual of questionable judgement or at best, seriously flawed.

Okay, let the responses begin attacking me for being a bad guy and expecting too much from people.
"Everyone has accidents, etc, etc."

Fine, everyone has accidents, but failure to be honest is no accident.

[RandolphB]

Looks like an accident to me.

"If I were the owners of Panchito, this would be the last time that I send my priceless warbird to Sun 'N Fun or any other EAA sanctioned event.”

What would you do with it?

Just tell everybody its battle damage from WWII and charge them a buck to touch it.

Boston Strong

It is quite probable that whomever did it doesn't even realize they damaged the aircraft. Food booths restocking and using golf carts, countless other folks running around in a dizzy fit....lots of people there who know less than nothing about airplanes. While not pretty, looks like a job for a lot of elbow work and a burnsihing spoon...but $30K? Can I get hired where they'll make that much off the repair?

[Warbirdnerd]

I spent my formative years around an air museum where the B-25 and the B-26 that were often parked outside and spent many hours racing around on golf carts. I'm pretty sure I never drove between the fuselage and the nacelle. If I had, it would have been slow enough to notice if I was scratching the fuselage way before the scratch on Panchito got as long as it did. Just sayin...

[Boeing666]

The failure to fess up to an accident is almost as bad as vandalism.
Shows lack of character, honesty, trustworthiness, etc.
Either way the person is a jerk, individual of questionable judgement or at best, seriously flawed.

Okay, let the responses begin attacking me for being a bad guy and expecting too much from people.
"Everyone has accidents, etc, etc."

Fine, everyone has accidents, but failure to be honest is no accident.

I totally agree with you. However during the night show I noticed a lot of people driving around on golf carts, some looked to be underage that were driving them quite fast and dangerously among people on the dark ramp with a minimal headlight.

In the dark you don't know what the extent of the damage is - since it was pitch black out there. If it was one of these kids, they probably thought it was a big tough airplane that if it could survive WWII, it could survive a golf cart - that is giving them the benefit of the doubt. However more likely like I said before they were scared sugar. They figured if no one saw them, they were home free. They might be workers there or something possibly afraid if they got caught or if they admitted to it they would get fired. I don't know why there were so many golf carts out there at the night show - from what I could tell a lot weren't the usual Sun N Fun staff in the orange vests that drive them during the day show.