Warbird Barn Finds

[APG85]

There a Facebook page that is focused on: Wrecked & Abandoned Aircraft,ships and subs
It's fascinating whats out there...

[Mark Allen M]

Interesting posts. Although I have no reason to doubt that there still are indeed lots of "hidden warbird treasures" to be discovered out there in the barn and brothel community's. For this conversation I'll focus on the original posters thoughts of perhaps what could be still found in some obscure barn that we enthusiasts would conclude to be an 'exotic' warbird. (To me 'exotic' means P-51's, P-40's etc and not stearmans, BT's, AT-6's etc, but absolutely nothing against those types)

Although I'm certainly no authority and will never claim to be one, I still feel relatively convinced that the chances of finding one of the more exotic warbird types hidden away in a barn somewhere, i.e. P-51, P-47, P-38, Hellcat, etc. (talking significant remains and not bits and pieces) are slim. To be clear, this means a relatively intact warbird of the type I listed and one that NO ONE in the serious warbird restoration community knows exists.

I'm convinced that all the intact 'big exotic stuff' minus what's still out there under water, in swamps, on top of mountains, in jungles, under ice caps, on the moon, etc. are well known to these restoration folks. Do I know this to be fact? Absolutely not, but all the folks 'in the know' or who claim to be in the know state this conclusion adamantly time and again. Nothing I love better than to sometimes prove people wrong, but in this case I'm almost convinced those big, bad warbird know-it-alls are right.

Many of us warbird enthusiasts wonder why all the secrecy over most warbird restorations and such, and this conversation touches on that aspect to an extent. What many of us may think is a new, unknown 'find' in such a place as an old farmers barn, usually has been known about for a long time by those intent to acquire it in secrecy.

So to sum up. All the above is how I've been informed and educated as to how things really are out there in the warbird world by those who 'do'. In a nutshell, just when you think it's a new undiscovered find, you find out it's been well known for years. But again just to be clear, I'm more than happy to be completely wrong with everything I've stated if someone indeed ends up finding a complete P-51, Corsair or Hellcat sitting in someone's barn untouched and unknown to anyone other than the farmer and his daughter.

PS ... I really hope I'm simply full of BS in this post.

[FastRacer5]

A local blimp pilot who used to fly a number of corporate sponsored blimps cross country from one stadium event to another has told me multiple stories about finding warbirds at different small airports across the country. Sometimes they would have to put down because of weather and regardless of what airport he touched down at, he would always ask someone at the FBO is there anything cool here ?

In many cases, he could talk his way into a hangar where their was a warbird if not parts. I've never doubted his stories because his personal hangar is full of radials & P-51 parts. First thing I noticed upon meeting him was walking into his hangar seeing two yellowed tagged P-51 magnetos sitting covered in dust on some crates with other engine parts.

One of his stories partially gives me hope to the idea that their still might be undiscovered planes in the US. In the late 90's he was flying through texas and had to put down at a small airport due to bad weather and ended up talking his way into a small derelict hangar with a red cavalier mustang in it. The hangar was so small you had to crawl under the wings to get to the back of the plane. The spinner was just a few inches from the door... The plane was covered in a inch of dust and what looked to be bird poop. Inside the plane had red shag carpet on the dash and someone had put red vinyl on the interior paneling. Before seeing the plane he had to be sworn to secrecy because the owner didn't want anyone to know it was there or to be bothered. I imagine he didn't want anyone trying to grave rob his "literal tomb" that has been sitting for 30+ years.

The blimp pilot who I "some how" call my friend won't to tell me what airport, just the general location. He still has hopes he is going to hit the lottery and be able to buy the plane someday if someone else doesn't beat him to it. I don't blame him for being selfish, I might do the same if i were in his shoes.

I take everything he says with a grain of salt, but he has been in the warbird community for decades . I had a few retired air force pilots tell me he went through TSP at edwards decades ago also.

[Craig59]

Oh! I have a severe case of garage envy!!

[Cherrybomber13]

1988, a friend of mine and I went to look at an "Old Plymouth, may run $2500" from an ad in the pennysaver, 3 hours later we pulled in to a driveway with an old Plymouth with laundry hanging off the 2 foot tall rear wing... The "Old Plymouth" was a 1970 Plymouth Superbird with a 44 6 Pack and 4 speed. It ran, he drove it home. Never discount whats in an old barn or hangar. There are 1000 wild goose chases out there but all it takes is one to pan out. Oh and it had a wing so its still on topic

That said, were there good records kept of what was sold post war? It would be interesting to see what is unaccounted for.

[FastRacer5]

1988, a friend of mine and I went to look at an "Old Plymouth, may run $2500" from an ad in the pennysaver, 3 hours later we pulled in to a driveway with an old Plymouth with laundry hanging off the 2 foot tall rear wing... The "Old Plymouth" was a 1970 Plymouth Superbird with a 44 6 Pack and 4 speed. It ran, he drove it home. Never discount whats in an old barn or hangar. There are 1000 wild goose chases out there but all it takes is one to pan out. Oh and it had a wing so its still on topic

That said, were there good records kept of what was sold post war? It would be interesting to see what is unaccounted for.

Hahahaha, Trust me I've been looking. I've also been figuring out where his blimp was and when in TX. Its a big state but you never know. I've been following p-51's , F-51's for quite awhile and haven't seen anything even close to the description he gave me be uncovered in the last 30 or so years in TX, so maybe its still out there. If anything else its a fun hobby searching for it.

[kingpin]

This subject reminds me of the P-51 in the garage story. But that story turned out to be true. Good thing it is a awesome Mustang!

http://gizmodo.com/this-gorgeous-warbir ... -572235249

[Mark Allen M]

Oh! I have a severe case of garage envy!!

You wouldn't envy the overhead and that's only the left side. There's four more garages on the right side out of the photo view. The horse business ugh!!!, what did I get myself into?

I will admit there can be some real nice deals to be had at farm sales from time to time.

[Rossco]

A lowback Spitfire was found in a barn a few years ago now..And just recently a set of Hadley Page 400 wings in a loft in England.Morrabin museum just found an original Fokker fuel tank from deep in storage..

[Chris Brame]

That said, were there good records kept of what was sold post war? It would be interesting to see what is unaccounted for.

Sort of. If a plane was sold through the RFC there might be a record existing but not often; everyone I've asked says almost all those records are gone. It would be even tougher if the buyer never got a civil registration (but in most cases such buyers were scrappers). The big list of aircraft sold to Paul Mantz postwar was a rare exception to the rule.
As an example, I'm still trying to verify the serial of the B-17G that went to the Air Scouts in Paducah, KY after the war; I have one probable candidate only because of where the plane came from (Memphis) and when the Air Scouts got it (sometime in mid-1946).

[Forgotten Field]

.......would love to find a TDR some day.

I read the history on Wikipedia after I read your post. It said some were flown after the war. Did you ever track any down with the FAA registry?

BTW, speaking of barn finds- I saw the Nakajima Kikka at Udvar Hazy today. It was put together from several pieces/samples that were sent to Pax River. To me, that means there were other parts disposed of at some point in time. I would love to find that barn....

[Flat 12x2]

BTW, speaking of barn finds- I saw the Nakajima Kikka at Udvar Hazy today. It was put together from several pieces/samples that were sent to Pax River. To me, that means there were other parts disposed of at some point in time. I would love to find that barn....

Wouldn't THAT barn be the river itself, as the rest of the captured aircraft were disposed of as landfill which subsequently eroded into the river ?

[CoastieJohn]

This thread sounds similar to 1849 California where the hopeful gold-rushers were hoping to find the "mother lode".

Back in 2003 or so I was going on a bear hunt in Manitoba and as were going down some road I looked out in a field and seen a 69-70-ish Mustang (Ford that is). It looked in great shape and all there. I think about that every so often and wonder if I should go back on that bear hunt again.

More recently, when I was in Reykjavik in 2008 or so, I was talking to a young local gal that worked at the Hilton we were staying at. We were talking about WWII planes and she stated in here dad or uncle's pasture was an empty airframe/hull to a B-24/25, can't remember which it was. She said it had been there forever and the kids used it to play in. There much to it...just something the local kids used as a playhouse.

So yes....I would say there are some parts/pieces/airframes out there in obscure places that haven't seen the light of day waiting for some warbird horse-trader to get a fleeting glimpse of it.

[Obergrafeter]

I read the history on Wikipedia after I read your post. It said some were flown after the war. Did you ever track any down with the FAA registry?

Nope never ever able to find one, other than seeing the one in Pensacola. Heard several tales that some were used in Oklahoma after the War by the Ok. Highway Patrol. Never able to confirm this though. But who wants to go poking around an Oakies' barn?

[Mark Allen M]

Never say never ... Sorry no P-51, but there seemed to be a P-41 in that barn at some point.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/my-da ... -barn.html