Warbird Information Exchange

Okay, I'll respond only to the original post. Nothing has been done on it for years. The guy that was in the cockpit, the PIC, the person responsible for the decision to taxi it, as of this point not commissioned a rebuild shop to restore it back to the airworthy shape he found it. The IA and A&P and the shop that signed off it's last annual as being airworthy and fit for flight also haven't volunteered to pay for or do the work to rebuild it to flight status.
Mr Cavanaugh has not paid to have the airplane rebuilt to airworthy status ($2 million) because A) It's not his airplane B) he didn't sign it off as airworthy to fly in accordance to CFR Part 43 , C) He wasn't the pilot that "broke" it, D) It's not his problem, by any definition and last, E) He's already taken on the CAF's B-24, the restoration and re-engining the B-29, helped out with the relocation of the CAF headquarters and much more that we will never know. The people that fly and sometimes break the CAF owned aircraft need to step up their fundraising efforts to get these birds back into the air. "God Bless Mr. Cavanaugh" and all he does for the CAF and warbirds!

Let me see if I can get this straight.

The guy who broke it won't (or can't) pay to fix it.

Everyone is waiting on him to pay to fix it.

So it remains unfixed, most likely until a deep pocketed good samaritan comes along.

[Also - Mr. Cavanaugh is storing it out of the goodness of his heart and can't take another stray puppy in as he has too many already, and Brad is a man with a plan who may get something moving forward. ]

Curiosity sated by the WIX crowd once again. Thanks y'all!

I wouldn't take that as gospel. The airplane was burned very badly, but SOMEONE has bothered to pay for the restoration to be done to the point that it is. Yes, work has stalled for a few years, but the airplane is world's away from the condition it was in after the accident.

True. After my last post I was left wondering the same thing. Somebody paid to get it from a burnt hulk to what looks like a lot of pieces which look reasonably ready to put together (all the usual warbird rebuild caveats notwithstanding).

And that couldn't have been cheap.

Doug Jeanes was very up front with the status of the airplane and its rebuilding several years ago. The plane is the unfortunate victim of circumstances beyond Mr. Cavanaugh or the CAF's control to some extent and because of that, the airplane never quite got finished and priorities for both Mr. Cavanaugh and the CAF changed, especially after the plans for the new museum fell through and the display space for the P-47, B-29, and B-24 disappeared. It's that simple. I'm glad to hear that Brad is moving forward on finding a new home for the plane.

I'm really a fan of the bubble-topped P-47. If the CAF creates and begins executing a firm plan to complete the restoration of this airplane to flying condition, I'll very likely donate some money to the effort. I'm sure many other folks will do the same. Sadly, as long as it sits idle with no publicized plan of action, it will be difficult to garner much interest from the cash-strapped public. A "sugar daddy" might come along, but that's not likely.

And as others have said, God bless Jim Cavanaugh for all that he's done for the CAF and for the warbird movement!

_________________
Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

If I'm not mistaken some insurance money went into the work that has been accomplished to this point. Not enough money, but some is better than nothing.

At the risk of thread jacking my own thread - what is the bold part in reference to?

Shortly after announcing the financial support of the B-29 re-engine project in 2007, the Cavanaugh Flight Museum announced plans to build an all-new Museum in roughly the footprint of where the 2 large south hangars and T-Hangars are located, directly across from the Addison Park complex. The project required several layers of city approval and was to be also financially supported by a large bond effort to fund part of the construction and redevelopment of other areas of the airport to accommodate the displaced T-Hangar occupants. The new museum would have made room for the B-29 and B-24 to be displayed when not on the road and given additional display space for non-flying exhibits in addition to having more parking and a skybridge to the park area across Addison Road. However, just before the election, the economy crashed and some other things happened that resulted in the bond measure failing by something like 14 votes. It was the first bond issue in Addison's history that had ever failed. Without the bond, while Cavanaugh could still build on the property it already leased, the new museum wouldn't be nearly as large. At some point after that, I think the idea died all together and with Cavanaugh still having its own priorities and not being able to display the B-29 in a hangar at the current museum, the B-29 and B-24 ended up leaving Cavanaugh for VFM temporarily until the new CAF Headquarters and hangar was built (wherever that ended up being).

Very informative. Thanks!

Jut to be clear, I am definitely not the man with a plan when it comes to the P-47. I just happen to be the guy that is hoping to get it out of Cavanaugh's storage hangar and into the CAF hangar in Dallas so something can be done with it when the money is available. I'm a full time employ of the B-29/B-24 squadron. The P-47 just happens to be another interest of mine.

_________________
Brad

It would be interesting if some sort of organized campaign was put together much as they hae done in the past for the P-51C or the C-47 "That's All Brother." Would be helpfule to know what it needs. My guess is that the wing still needs total rebuild including new spars. Some of the other P-47 restorations have required new spars. That's why I suggest teaming with a workshop. Does it still need to have the engine and prop rebuilt? New hydraulic lines?
IF some CAF person put a plan together, it might start moving forward.