OD/NG wrote:
JohnB wrote:
And they
still don't have a B-17 or 24 on display.

I would much rather see a one-of-a-kind former Luftwaffe aircraft on display there. This is the only complete He-219 in the world. Do we really need another B-17 or B-24 when we have many on display in National Collections around the world?
I am absolutely with your there OD/NG. I will go out of my way to see a sole survivor or ultra rare type, over a more common warbird. Several Axis types are sole survivors, and UH is the mecca for them.
I am so glad that Mr. Garber and Mr. Maloney and a few others took the time to recognize the importance of saving a few types, including the Axis planes. Most were just bulldozed, scrapped or burned.
Should NASM have a B-17? Yes they should, and it was a long oversight- but I would rather see the Serian, Ar-234, Dornier, and the other sole survivors. If NASM had a B-17 downtown or at UH, as an enthusiast I would likely walk right by it to scout out rarer types like the P-61 or the sole survivors. Again this does not mean they should not have a B-17, but I know what I would rather see. I am the same way at airshows. I will go out of my way to see something I have never seen. If it is the same line up of common types I am may pass.