Warthog Will Return To Bentwaters

Great work!

A great result for Bentwaters!

I watched it as it trundled past our office here at Bentwaters, an impressive site (in fact it went past in both directions). Will come to see it close up soon I hope.

Well done to all concerned :applause:

When seen in sections on the trailer it reminds me of Star Wars props, certainly a unique design and like the DC3 hard to replace. Good effort all round to secure this one.

Well I’m sure the traffic didn’t mind waiting for such a good cause ;). It’s always pleasing to see a type returning to its operational base.

Well done to all involved!

Rob

The big day arrived yesterday with the return of 80-0219 to Bentwaters. Causing a traffic jam down the A14 (picture credit. Simon Parker)

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Parked up it the BCWM complex, where rebuilt and repaint will commence. Brilliant effort by Jon Saunders in the donkey work involved in securing it and the guys who prepared it for the road move. Such a move is not cheap. (picture credit. Graham Gilbert)

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ok thank you

Yes, they both were. Although the airframe may not need paint at the present time, sooner or later it will and the photos are excellent references…for overall scheme and small details.
I’m mentioned in the Peeters book acknowledgement section…Even though my staff did most of the work. We helped with several books in my time there, and I always tried to help out authors (and got to meet a few of them whose books I already had). It was one of the more enjoyable aspects of the job.

And speaking of meeting authors, the librarian said she was trying to put together a series of lectures on UK/local history, I suggested Roger Freeman, author of the many Eighth Air Force books who lived on the other side of Ipswich. She invited him and the lecture was very well attended by aircrew…I got to meet him and had him sign my books which have a special place in my library.

As a “thank you”, the artist from the Bill Gunston book Fighter Missions gave me a large lithograph of an A-10 attack profile that he did for the book.

I have a very dog eared copy of the Willy Peeters book, and very good it is too.
It features one of the 510th Hogs in detail in a walk round set of photos.
Edit to say I just realised i have the Aeroguide too !
These must have been during your era John?

I can recommend a book to let you know how A-10s looked at Bentwaters in their glory days…

A-10 Thunderbolt by Wily Peeters.

http://www.amazon.com/Fairchild-Republic–10-Thunderbolt-Lock/dp/9070932172/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460329838&sr=1-3-fkmr1&keywords=a-10+warthog+by+peeters

and Thunderbolt II …aeroguide 23.

http://www.amazon.com/Aeroguide-23-Republic-Fairchild-Thunderbolt/dp/0946958289

Both had most of their photos taken at the base in the late 80s.

[QUOT
She hasn’t been moved yet. Prep work to do so is well underway. The A10 is not my project and I have not been able to get the spare time to help out, but things are progressing.

Any news/pictures yet?

Some great news from the Bentwaters Cold War Museum team.

“The Bentwaters Cold War Museum wishes to announce that it has been successful in its bid to acquire an A-10 Thunderbolt on loan from the National Museum of the USAF. The airframe in question is an ex-509th TFS/81st TFW Bentwaters-based jet and is currently residing at Alconbury. It is hoped that the A-10 will be on display for the first opening of 2016 which will be Easter Sunday.
To say that we are pleased to be returning a Warthog to Bentwaters is an understatement. Our thanks must go to all the USAF and NMUSAF personnel involved in achieving what started off as a pipe dream back in 2003, four years before we first opened our doors to the Public. Hopefully this will be a very successful 2016 for BCWM!”

Jon Saunders has be trying for years to secure the loan of the frame to the BCWM with the help of the USAF despite the restrictions the US Congress has set in such dealings. The paperwork has all been signed so it is a case of the BCWM dismantling, moving and restoring the frame. For those that mention paint schemes.. It will be repainted to what it wore at Bentwaters. 😀

Hi All,
Well done to all the team involved with the negotiations obviously a welcome addition to your inventory and seeing the work you put into the Jaguar the A-10 is in very capable hands. :eagerness: My fondest memory’s of the A-10 is watching take apart the targets at RAF Wainfleet, watching the angle of each aircraft getting steeper and steeper for each successive pass until the last virtually just banking what looked like more or less directly over the targets ? great days out…..:applause:

Geoff.

Quite right. Missed it by one digit!
I haven’t thought about them in years. Nonetheless, an accurate A-10 static would have one.

I wonder if the NMUSAF could provide an empty Pave Penny pod…or barring that I’m sure a talented panel beater (or fiberglass molder) could fashion a look-alike.
Equally important would be an ALQ-121 store. 81st aircraft never flew without one.

ALQ119’s in the early days then the ALQ131

ok, yeah, you got me there :p

I see no problem with the current paint. A thick layer of (house)paint might have prevented a lot of corrosion. Might make restoration (in the right colours) easier 🙂

The ten gauge paint makes it a complete pain to take out the screws to strip the frame for the move.

I wonder if the NMUSAF could provide an empty Pave Penny pod…or barring that I’m sure a talented panel beater (or fiberglass molder) could fashion a look-alike.
Equally important would be an ALQ-121 store. 81st aircraft never flew without one.

It seems to have been relieved of its Pave Penny pylon too.
There should be a plentiful supply of those around as the current fleet of A-10C’s have had theirs removed the last few years as the PP pod has become surplus to requirements due to new technology.