I had heard about Kermit Weeks and Fantasy of Flight. I’m sure he also have a few aircraft that are not exhibited. The two other private collectors are what I like to read about.

What’s fascinates me, is the people who, like Soplata, just collects and stores for no other reason than their collectors gene.

I can appriciate Soplatas work in saving a number of aircraft, which may not have survived otherwise (but does anyone know if there were other bidders?), but at the moment, it seems they are just deteriorating untill a new owner some day begin the restoration work.

I have come across the “Collector” in other walks of life (cars, motorcycles, well anything that can be collected really) and they have a counterpart in the “Barn-finder”.

The “barn find” could be considered the holy grail of restoration. To open that Russian barn and see (insert exotic aircraft name here) parked between the tools and machinery.

This car story (link below) originally appeared as a “Barn find”, but is now belived to be a “secret” collection. It does however illustrate how some collectors amass their items, for mostly private enjoyment (fair play, its their collection).

http://www.intuh.net/barnfinds/

Maybe there are not too many extraordinary aircraft collections out there, but I’m pretty sure, that there are many single aircraft “waiting to be found”.

Some of these aircraft might not even have been purchased for aviation reasons. Maybe someone had designs on the engine, or wanted the materials for something. The main point is, that along the way, they became “that thing in the back of the barn”.

That was really my intend with this thread. To shine some light on those “forgotten” aircraft, that exist outside the warbird community.

Like the actual “Grail stories” most of the information would be false. Rumours that have survived the aircraft, or maybe there never was an aircraft to begin with. But some would have a bit of truth in them.

Maybe a Spanish officer did stash away a few He-111, or maybe the German farmer did hide a number of Db601 engines in his basement.

This thread is also for rumour posts. Some can be debunked by people who know more, but maybe there are a few rumours, that can lead someone to something else. If not, I’m sure they are good stories anyway.

PS. The He-111 and Db601 examples are fabricated to illustrate the idea.

I think the AC next to the “Spit” is a Hunting Percival Provost Mk 53. The Burmese air force flew these once, but I don’t think they flew SAAB Safir.

“Burmese Airforce had DC-3’s and Airspeed Oxfords, it’s not an Oxford, can’t see its a DC-3 either..”

That was what i was thinking too.

Im sure this is Meiktila Air Force Base (just a quite corner) and the spitfire is the southern most of the small aircraft.

Pretty sure its not a Bristol.

There is one here:

Seems the leading edge taper too much (on the first picture).

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/view.php?service=0&mid=20917