Who do we have to thank?

A big thankyou to whoever first suggested the Battle of Britain movie and insisted they use as many real aircraft as possible, the resulting collection virtually kick started the current warbird movement.

I second that one – in fact all the film makers and film companies that have (even if unwittingly) saved aircraft, and who have also seen to it that their films enlighten several new generations of young people to what these planes did and thus generate new fans for the warbirds movement. I don’t count those film makers who deliberately destroyed good aircraft for a special effect however. That is not on.

Even here in NZ a C47 and a Hudson have been wrecked for films. 😡

I also seem to remember some Fireflies stuck in Ethopia, in varying degrees of disrepair, I think.

According to the latest Classic Wings two of the Ethiopian Fireflies are on their way to New Zealand to be restored by AvSpecs Ltd., along with two Sabres, all for one owner, John Sayers.

Crazymainer – Charles D’arby is in fact from New Zealand. I too want to thank him for his part in brining so many wrecks out of PNG and the Pacific, and for also co-started Pacific Aircraft, which is now Pioneer Aero, one of the world’s leading warbird restoration facilities. Also thanks to Garth Hogan for buying the same business and keeping up the great work.

I want to thank the various Air Training Corps squadrons and other groups who located derelict airframes on several farms – being used as chook houses, etc – in the 1980’s. They raised money to buy them, and donated them to the RNZAF for their new museum Without them we’d not have a pristine Hudson or Anson. And I think the world’s only Avro 626 was also returned to that museum with the help of the ATC.

I also want to thank the volunteers at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland, first for creating New Zealand’s first real aviation museum – and for saving the likes of a Sunderland, a beautiful Solent and many other airframes from the scrapman in the 1960’s. Also providing a home to the Lancaster that the French Govt. presented to New Zealand, and the Bomber Command Association for restoring it to pristine wartime condition.

Also, thanks to the Motat people and their friends who collected components from crash sites for things like Hinds, Vildebeests, Vincents, etc that are now allowing the Subritzky family to bring these old beasts back from the dead. And the farmer who kept an absolutely complete Airspeed Oxford secreted away in his barn till the 1990’s when Don Subritzky discovered and bought it.

Best of all those in MoTaT who rescued a number of fighters from the Rukuhia scrapyards. Without those people Ray Hanna and Col Pay would today not have flying P40s, and the same goes for the ex-OFMC Corsair that’s back here in NZ, and several other P40’s that are now getting ready to fly again.

Haven’t In Flight Refuelling Ltd kept a few older aircraft up and running longer than many others? And Air Atlantique, of course.

A guy by the name of Watson ran the outfit that rounded up the German planes and sent them to the U.S. They called themselves”Watson’s wizzards”

Whoever it was in the USA who brought British and Axis types over for evaluation purposes. From the British angle, this saved the only complete Typhoon and there may even be Whirlwind remains dumped somewhere over there.

Australia – Most of the surviving Beafighters and all the Beauforts all the Boomerangs, most of the Hudsons, all the Vengeances , most of the kingfisher, worlds only P46, Shrike etc and about 30 plus Spitfire identities over the past few years ect etc etc –

Regards
John P

The firebomber outfits in general are responsible for saving a number of each of the following types.

B-17
B-25
A-26
PB4Y
PBY
C-54
C-97
TBM/TBF
C-82/C-119

DJ,

Forgot a few,

F7F Sis-Q
P2V Aero Union,TBM Inc.
PV-2 Globe Air
JRM Forest Ind.

Then of coarse we all can’t forget all of the Crop Dusters who saved alot of N3N,PT-17,SNV/BT-15

RER
Martin Mars

The firebomber outfits in general are responsible for saving a number of each of the following types.

B-17
B-25
A-26
PB4Y
PBY
C-54
C-97
TBM/TBF
C-82/C-119

Here is My List

Hi All,

Well lets see what I can add to this list,

Since most of you know that I’m working on a book on the early collectors,

So lets see,

Charles Darby Aussie Land
Monty Armstrong Aussie Land
Wes Agnew Canada
On Mark USA A-26s
Walter Soplata USA
Robert Bean USA Corsairs
Jack Spanich USA Skyraiders
Doug Champlin USA
Paul Mantz USA
Howard Hughes USA
Ernest Simmons Canada
Aero Union USA
Whittington Brothers USA
Frank Tallman USA
I N Burchinall Jr. USA
Howard Pardue USA Corsairs
Connie Edwards USA
Michael Coutches USA
Earl Reinert USA
Walter Ohlrich USA
Lloyd Nolan USA
Cal-Net Airways Inc USA
Sis-Q Flying Service USA
TBM Inc. USA
Elmer Ward USA
Neil Rose Canada
T G Mahaddie England
Aberdeen Proving Grounds USA
Jack Hardwick USA
Harry Doans USA
Sir William Roberts England
Ed Jurist USA

Oh by the way David and Doug between the two have either owned or recovered closed to a 1000 aircraft and this include Non Military Types also.

So anyone else want to add to my list I think between what has been post already for Private and mine must cover all of the early guys.

RER

Did no one mention Mr.Ed Maloney?

I think that we all owe a big thank you to Mr.Ed Maloney.The founder of the Planes of Fame museum here in so-california.Just think of all of the aircraft that he saved from destruction and later flew and or restored.The only Mitsu zero that is original and flys with its sakae engine.The largest collection of original (not corroded junk from an island )Japanese planes anywhere.The only 2 P-26’s in the world (He even flew the one that he kept,but maybe flown not by Ed?)Me262,Ryan fireball,Northrup N-9-M flying wing,etc,etc,etc.The warbird world would be a much poorer place were it not for he.He also played a large part in my transformation into a warbird nut.His collection was housed within bicycle riding distance in the early 1970’s (Buena Park,Ca.)I spent way too much time admiring his collection of “Junk” Tim.
P.S. we must also remember what an effort was required on his part to just hang on to his airplanes.Before warbirds were popular,to many people they were just junk and eyesores.Ed had to move and find places to store his gems many times over the years .leaving many people wondering why bother?

The USAF for ‘loaning’ MADP F-100s, T-33s, Mystere 4 and other a/c* to many small museums

And the shed-load of stuff they’ve given Duxford

DH for the glut of Vampire T-11s that appeared about the same time

Not all survive, nor will all consider them ‘relevant’ but they got my interest started back in the 1970s. (Flixton Buck if you’re interested Snapper!)

*F-104, F-105 etc

The Canadian Museum of Flight – for Handley Page Hampden AN136 in Langley, British Columbia.

A big thankyou to whoever first suggested the Battle of Britain movie and insisted they use as many real aircraft as possible, the resulting collection virtually kick started the current warbird movement.

I think the late Spencer Flack rates a ‘thumbs up’ for his efforts in the early 80s.

G-FURY
G-FIRE
G-HUNT
G-AXMT

There were more projects that the afficionado’s out there will know more about.

MM

Colonel (R) Eric Voormezele ex Belgian Light Army Aviation founder of Voormezele Air Force

Has France & Tchad been mentioned for Skyraiders ?

Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Bolivia and Indonesia for P-51’s and Cavaliers

Bücker Bü-133 Jungmann and Bücker Bü-133 Jungmeister: Swiss AF again !

Martin

and a special thanks to

all those deep, cold freshwater lakes…keep pulling them out!

cheers

gregv

Originally posted by Flood
Well, my copy of Warbirds Directory, 2nd edition, lists 10 other Curtis Helldivers – including one with the CAF and another at the RTAF Museum, Thailand. And if any others have been recovered from the Great Lakes, etc, since 1992 then so much the better.

Thanks Flood 🙂

Kostas

add sweden to the firefly list

And some ex FAA Skyraiders too! Nermal

quote:
——————————————————————————–
Originally posted by DazDaMan
I also seem to remember some Fireflies stuck in Ethopia, in varying degrees of disrepair, I think.
——————————————————————————–
The Canadians had 2 in the early `90’s.
2 ? went to SouthAfrica in the late `90’s

But some others were ment to be still there in `99
Are they still there ?

Pics of Firefly’s in Ethopia