cooper9411 wrote:
Unfortunately according to people at NMUSAF, aircraft such as the B-17 in Tulare at this time will continue to sit as is/where is. At the time of the aircraft being "loaned" no plans or agreement was in place as far as maintenance/upkeep. There is really nothing that can be done until such time the recipients of loaned aircraft can no longer/ or want to be reponsible and the aircraft are turned back over to the museum. Bureaucracy and red tape? What a great thing to deal with!

Once upon a time, people thought the Lacey Lady would never come down from the gas station either. Granted the Lacey B-17 is privately owned, which makes a HUGE difference. Eventually, though, someone in the USAF is going to realize how many millions of dollars they could make if they started auctioning off their loaned aircraft, particularly the rarer types like the B-17, etc. When all is said and done, they could probably raise enough money to buy an F-35.
If they can take the Memphis Belle from a group that was legitimately trying to save and preserve her, I'm sure they'd have no qualms recalling their airplanes from various organizations that have done little to preserve their donations.