Warbird Information Exchange

I understand that you didn't mean for me to do it all. I was just a bit frustrated this morning when I posted my response and was trying to relay to everyone that all of us can make a difference if we truly want to save these airplanes. If I sounded abrasive, I didn't mean to.

GA

For some reason used cars always stick in my mind over haberdasher. Maybe it was the way i heard the quote. I'll defer to you.

Either way, he was certainly the least "qualified" (for lack of a better word) president and arguably made the greatest decision. I've often heard that those who were around under his tenure consider him their favorite president.

For the record, i like Truman. Heck, I even named a laptop after him at yankee (laptops get politician names.)

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Phil K.
Yankee Air Museum
Systems Admin / Ramp Crew / Professional Photo Ruiner

As long as you guys are looking for sponsors, what about the Mauler ? The Guardian ?

Someone mentioned using parts from a C-117 to repair the B-23. I think the correct parts would be from a straight DC-3.

Hey don't touch those C-117's ! they're one of my favorite. An FAA examiner told me that they have so many things different from a standard C-47 that they require a separate type rating. THey only built a couple dozen or so just like the B-23.
Just out of curiosity, what all is wrong with the B-23, corrosion wise? Does it need new spars, attach angles ? It would be interesting to know what the commonality of parts are between the B-23 and the DC-3. WHat happened to all the other flying B-23's ?

Thanks

Good question Rick. I do know that they're trying to work out some things on the Maulers. I really don't have any further info on that right now. Perhaps Old Shep could step in and help me explain more details here.

I don't know what the deal on the Guardian is either, other than it's a static display in Mesa, AZ. I've personally asked about it a couple of times, but was just told it's a static display. I dunno.

I'm sure that as with the airplanes you get to play with at the Collins Foundation, Rick, it's just a matter of Cubic Dollars. If someone comes along with the time and money to get these airplanes back in the air, then it'll get done.

To answer yours and Marine Air's questions about what airplanes and their parts could be used for getting the B-23 back in the air...I don't know for sure. I have often thought that it could be possible to swap out a DC-3 center section & wings to accomodate the B-23, but I simply don't know. I just have so much more to learn about these airplanes before I could accurately field these type of questions properly.

Gary

I believe The B23 was patterned after the DC 2. Not many of them around.

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Blue Skies,
Doug

www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com

Here's the deal with the Guardian, It is missing a few key parts but could be made flyable. Probably in the neighborhood of $500K or so. Aero Union has a huge cache of parts, in fact all the remaining parts basically plus one other aircraft. They are selling everything as a lot for $200K and will not sell parts seperate from that. I've spoken with Jim Babcock at AU many times about getting some parts but he can't sell them without selling the entire package. Either we would have to pony up $200K or hope someone else would buy it and then sell us the parts we need. I would love to make it a flyer. I even have some video of Jimmy Leeward flying his at Tico several years ago. What a huge lumbering, (but neat) airplane.

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The more I learn about aircraft, the more I realize I still have to learn.

Thanks for that bit of news Chris. We'll start up a collection plate for the Guardian.

Gary

Hey Gary, your B-29 pal wouldn't happen to have a soft spot in his heart for the Guardian now would he? By the way, I think what you guys are doing with "Lil and FIFI kicks A--. Good luck keeping up with all that and thanks again for being a good CAF mediator on this site.

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The more I learn about aircraft, the more I realize I still have to learn.

Well Chris, we haven't even got our donor "broken in" good yet. We're not about to cut him loose on other projects right away. In reality, I do inform him about other projects going on that need help desperately. Not only with the CAF, but elsewhere too. He tells me what he wants to spend money on. Right now, he just wants to help get FIFI back in the air. Maybe later there will be some interest in other airplanes.

CAF moderator? Me? Holy smokes, don't let the "important people" here at HQ hear you say that.

Well this thread has taken a strange twist for me. Thanks very much to Z for starting it. I was so shocked, I called my uncle when the thread started (and I hardly ever talk to him) and left a message. Then later that evening I talked to him for the longest, and last time. He passed away in his sleep Tues morning in Edmonton AB, Canada. He was only 62 and he did have arthritis but his death is a shock because he wasn't suffering from a fatal illness or anything like that. My uncle was my hero, he was a master mechanic, vintage car owner and photographer who could work on anything and did, including the PBY. He was a part of the crew for the flight to Australia which was quite an undertaking. I just found the pics he gave me he took during that flight tonight, before I got the news. I will try to post them here at some point. Cameron Bailey was a longtime member of the CAF who started going to their shows in the 70s. How thrilling it was at ten years old to see his slide shows and movies of those shows and see so many of these incredible airplanes living and breathing. This was part of my getting into warbirds. Our trip to the 86 Airsho was incredible and included a stop at the Pima Air Museum and Champlin Fighter Museum and my first visit to the great big state of Texas. My uncle loved that Voyager mission also and took me to see it take off and land and we made many trips to Mojave to check out the base of operations. Z, I will always treasure that last phone call as it was so pleasant...normally my Uncle always would cut calls off, I think he hated talking on the phone, but for some reason he never did on that call, which is because of you. Thank you so much.... Thanks everybody who has posted on this thread.

John

John,

Wow...I am blown away.
All I did was post a little note. I can't take credit for the lovely talk you had with your uncle, you picked up the phone and made the call and made it happen. I was just the reminder, I guess.

My uncle was a B-24 pilot, 465th BG 783rd BS, Captain Jones. He is my hero.
I have a hard time tlaking to him now days with his Alzheimer's and all but, he lives in my town now and I try and get by to see him regularly.
I guess I'm trying to say:
This should be a reminder to all of us to cherish those around us.

Thanks for your story,

Zane

Is this the PBY that was originally being discussed? I didn't check to see if this was posted already, my apologies if it was.

http://www.lonestaronline.com/listings/details/index.cfm?itemnum=847057766#TOP

Yes that is it BLR. Thanks for posting those.

JH

Yep, that's the one. It's embarrassing, but it seems that I had been given inaccurate information when I had discussed this with folks here at CAF HQ when I made the earlier posts. The guy I got the info from (who was in charge of the PBY issue) thought the airplane still belonged to us, when in reality, the City of Brownsville took possession of it after all several years ago.

Without getting into the gory details, all I can say is that I am still trying to keep the airplane from getting scrapped and have been bidding on it personally. IF I'm able to get the airplane, I will see that it goes to a better home somewhere. I reckon we'll just have to wait until the auction is over to see what happens.

Gary