Swamp Ghost has been sold and should be come to.........

[Jack Cook]

were where the newspaper editors then.

in high school I suppose?
Be glad they're not all gone has scrapping sounds like a strong part of there economy. Different cultures don't necessarly think alike so what makes sense to them sounds like pure lunacy to you. I can imagine how the ordinary little guy feels there. Big rich white man shows up throws some money around and things start leaving there lands. I'd be pissed too! That feeling won't go away and that's your real battle. How does the Swamp Ghost leaving help the ordinary PNG citizen??? Changing a people's feeling and attitudes who have a history going back hundreds of years of being dominated and screwed over by foreigners. Good Luck!

[Shay]

I thought I heard that in the past deals were made between the National Museum and some recoverers. The agreements were that in order to be allowed to recover aircraft that some of these would be restored by the recoverers and returned to PNG for display. Is this true or not? If not it sounds like a good option. It could be a win / win scenario. There is plenty of aircraft littered aroung PNG I'm assuming. PNG would get restored aircraft to display in their museum for letting others recover certain wrecks. Just thinking out loud.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[setter]

Shay

Yes there are a few aircraft which have/will be restored for PNG including the A20 hell n Pelikan but they dont at present have anywhere to display the aircraft so they stay stored here in Aus - first they need to have the will and the facility to display the aircraft

Regards
John P

[Shay]

but they dont at present have anywhere to display the aircraft

John

As in the case of Swamp Ghost where a good faith amount of money was put forth ($100,000). If this policy were attached to all future recoveries then surely I think the capital needed to construct proper facilites could be generated. Any holes in this idea?

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[Aircraft Mech Paul]

Well Folks,

I first heard about it two weeks ago I gave three different source a call including the person behind the recovery. His Mech. is already there preparing the aircraft for dismantle and shipment.

Has far as I know he plan on rebuilding to a flyer. What Iw as told was there should be some sort of press release coming soon.

as to ownership well lets just say this its taken along time to determine the legal ownership. Remember folks when Charles Darby and david tallechite got permission to recover all the stuff that they did in the 70s they were given permission to recover 125 Airframes including Swamp Ghost and the B-17 that is in Black Cat pass. I've read the paperwork that David has its kind of wow what if stuff like the three 24s that they were given permssion to recover along with alot of Japanese stuff.

Anyway like you guys I'm not holding my breath till I actually see it sitting in the US and even then I'm not going to really believe it till I see all the paperwork.

Cheers
RER

Col Rohr,

I have never heard of the B-17 you mention in Black Cat Pass. Can you illuminate me as to this airframe, and perhaps about the B-24's (?) you illude to in this message ? I apologise for not keeping up on this thread but work does come first before my passion and hobby.

Paul

[DaveM2]

Check the first few pages for photos of the Black Cat Pass b-17

Dave

[Rob Mears]

Any word on how the recovery crew is faring following yesterday's earthquakes? Not sure if their area felt the effects of the quake or not.

[setter]

Hi Rob

The earth quake was more centred on Indonesia, particularly Java and I believe whilst it was felt in PNG there were no major adverse effects and no Tsunami was felt there.

Regards
John P

[Digger]

Hi there

There was a reasonable earth quake with some follow up volcanic activity in Rabaul yesterday or th ethe day before. I saw that on Sky!.......

perhaps thats what we're talking about?????


cheers


Digger

[DaveM2]

Yep...6. something N. East of PNG and another north of Tonga.....no reported damage, unlike Indonesia

Dave

[Digger]

I heard throught the grape vine that questions and inquiries have been made regarding this recovery in Australia and the US. That could fit in with the US State Dept stuff.

Yep, 1 July could be an interesting day.

Does anyone know if its held in a public forum or behind closed doors?
Just thinking about what media groups could be interested if its a public forum.

cya

Digger

[tom d. friedman]

sounds as if a bee hive has been stirred up!!! this calls for a little heat, but in a diplomatic manor!!!

[Shay]

http://www.thenational.com.pg/053106/nation2.htm

Union: Swamp Ghost better off in America

PNG should allow the Swamp Ghost to be shipped to the US because it does not have the financial capacity to maintain the war relic, the PNG Trade Union Congress said yesterday.
The country has an appalling record of maintaining war relics and historical sites, general secretary John Paska said in a statement.
“We have assessed the tourism, legal and sovereignty issues surrounding the Swamp Ghost and consider that much of the reaction had been swayed by sentimental and political considerations rather than practical realities,” he said.
He said the aircraft had little economic and tourism value in efforts to attract more tourists to the country.
“Keeping the aircraft in America will add more value to the tourist industry here than if the Swamp Ghost remained in PNG.”
Mr Paska said the plane had been lying in the swamp since World War II and “we have never had the political will or the capacity to uplift it for repair and installation as a war relic for public display”.
“Hundreds, if not thousands, of war relics have been allowed to corrode and lose their value throughout the country.
“The gun stations on top of Paga Hill have no apparent value. The Old House of Assembly was contemptuously allowed to crumble and rot away.
“The museum itself does not receive the necessary budgetary support and is badly in need of renovation and a facelift,” he said, and warned that if the situation continued, many artifacts in the museum would deteriorate beyond recognition.
“Our record with respect to the upkeep and maintenance of war relics, artifacts, museum specimens, heritage buildings and monuments is atrocious to the point of disbelief.
“With such a shameful record, how can we muster the audacity to cry foul about the shipment of the Swamp Ghost to America when our record shows that we simply cannot and will not look after it?”

http://www.thenational.com.pg/053106/nation15.htm

US bomber saved from rotting in PNG swamp, say salvagers

SALVAGERS blocked from shipping a World War II American B-17E Flying Fortress bomber, the Swamp Ghost, to the US said they are saving it from rotting in the remote swamp where it crash landed in 1942.
A US-Australian recovery team of wartime aircraft enthusiasts this month retrieved the bomber from the Agaiembo Lake in Northern province.
The Swamp Ghost is now on the docks in Lae, its wings dismantled in preparation for shipment.
But the PNG Government had ordered officials to prevent the plane’s export by Alfred Hagen, of Philadelphia.
He led and financed the K1.024 million expedition to lift the plane out of the swamp by helicopter and onto a barge for the journey to Lae.
In February 1942, the plane crash landed in the swamp after being damaged by Zero fighters during its bombing run over the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul after a long flight from Australia.
Acting Prime Minister Sir Moi Avei said last week the aircraft was an important relic from PNG’s war history and the government would review the shipment approval by the National Museum board of trustees.
Robert Greinert, who led the six-man contingent from Australia’s Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), told AAP an export permit had been granted following full approval from the museum.
Around K300,000 had been set aside to be shared equally by the museum and local landowners and it was hoped the government would approve the shipment of the aircraft this week, he said.
After 64 years in the swamp, some parts of the largely aluminium plane were in fair condition but others were starting to corrode badly, Greinert said.
“It’s like cancer and this one is in bad need of chemotherapy. Another five years and it would be beyond redemption.”
PNG had its hands full as a developing nation and could not properly preserve or restore old aircraft, Greinert said.
There are more than 3,000 wartime aircraft wrecks across PNG. – AAP

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[setter]

The first Mention of HARS here in connection with Rob G is significant perhaps.

For those who don't know HARS is The Historical Restoration Society and the Biggest operator of warbirds in Australia including an airworthy Connie and two neptunes as well as a huge new facility and numerous projects. Rob G is closely connected with them but in the context of SGhost I had thought he was operating as an individual? My opinion of Rob is that he is a doer rather than a talker and I am more assured now if he and HARS are involved here that something positive will happen as they are credable in the PNG context.

Speculation however that SG is going there should not be overstated as HARS often cooperates with US and OS organisations to assist them

Regards
John P

[JBoyle]

Some of our English allies on another message board seem to be against the recovery...saying it smacks of "Cultural Imperialism".