Warbird Barn Finds

[rcaf_100]

CHAA's most recent Harvard acquisition spent almost 42 years in a barn!



20304 was sold surplus through Crown Assets in December 1964, and the new owner tucked it away in his barn, saying he was "going to fix it up one of these days."

That never happened, and after he passed away his family sold it in 2006 to a former CHAA president, who had the engine, prop and instruments overhauled. Unfortunately he lost his battle to cancer before he could get started on the airframe, so the project was donated to CHAA to complete, as the original plan was to donate the Harvard after restoration. Delivered to CHAA in late 2009, she's well on her way back to airworthy condition.

[shrike]

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

Ya gotta admit that finding a P-41 (XP-41) would make a pile of Mustangs seem positively plebeian

[george]

I think the ultimate warbird barn find would be that big Bell Cobra, P-63A Race #51, in Arkansas, if there is anything left of it after more than 60 years in an old wooden barn/hangar.

Not a barn find, but I remember reading that there is a hangar on the island of Cheju Do full of Japanese warplanes.

[avenger2504]

I wouldn't give up looking either it's amazing what farmers have things in barn they have forgotten about. my J5F Auster although not a warbird (although some were used in the Turkish Air force)was found in a barn. I didn't find it but a friend put me onto it. However if you drove past his farm you wouldn't have seen anything that would say "Hey! There's an old aeroplane in this barn!" A year or two ago i was sent to see if i could uplift a propeller for a friend. Again in a shed was a Bristol Hercules from a Bristol Freighter. He did have two of them but the aforementioned friend now has it as a running trailer mounted noise maker!

[Obergrafeter]

My GB-2 came not from a barn, but a boat storage yard. I'm still looking for another "Barn" find.

[barnbstormer]

Simple (and productive!) tip. Ask your UPS Delivery man, if he has seen or heard of any vintage aircraft or prts in barns, storage sheds etc. They sometimes get INTO those barns, and get to talking with their customers.

Around 1990, our UPS guy put us onto two great finds. One was an Aeronca L-3, rust-free, dismantled in a farmer's potato barn on Long Island, *It was in walking distance!, down the same road we were on. Who knew what was in a closed farmer's barn!? He also put us on to a local guy he delivered to, that had closed his Auto parts and speed shop after 30 years in business, in 1955! Tons of NOS Speed parts, advertising signs, Vintage auto parts in the boxes, that he took home and stored in a large shed, and NOW wanted to empty it to make room for other storage. We bought the whole thing, at several pickup truck loads. He was only a mile away.

[Nathan]

I found and bought a P-51 drop tank in a barn last December. And I went to Indiana to pick up a F-86 drop tank that was used as part of a homemade pontoon boat.

A local kids organization had a 4 blade prop that looked like it came off a Skyraider. It was used as a display in a flower bed. It had disapeared and I had hoped to get it but it was taken to Michigan and kept by family members of the organization.

Stuff is out there and many more then what some here are saying.

[J. Thompson]

I think the ultimate warbird barn find would be that big Bell Cobra, P-63A Race #51, in Arkansas, if there is anything left of it after more than 60 years in an old wooden barn/hangar.

Not a barn find, but I remember reading that there is a hangar on the island of Cheju Do full of Japanese warplanes.

My father late father Lowell Thompson often had correspondence here, regarding a few different P-63's. Anyone who shared that correspondence, please feel free to contact me.

- Joseph

[JohnB]

I found and bought a P-51 drop tank in a barn last December. And I went to Indiana to pick up a F-86 drop tank that was used as part of a homemade pontoon boat.

My late father said when he was stationed there (in the late 50s, homemade pontoon boats were common on Moses Lake, Washington...home of the Larson AFB...now Grant County airport.
He said guys would buy (or acquire ) them surplus and go to work...this would have been in the 50s so I'd guess F-86 or T-33 tanks.
Every time I drive across the lake, I wonder if there are any left.

[Lynn Allen]

Yep, don't go looking cause:

I didn't find an AT-10 in a West Texas junkyard
I didn't find a GB-2 in a boat yard
I didn't find an N2T in a shed
and I didn't find 6 T-28s' so far South in Mexico I don't think they even spoke Spanish!

Just quit looking

The amazing thing is I didn't ever find what I was looking for...............would love to find a TDR some day.

Ober, where did the T-6 you all had came from??

[Obergrafeter]

T-6, and Stearman stuff also came from Mexico.