Myanmar Spitfires

[BigBlackDodge]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/05/british-spitfire-search-team-arrives-in-myanmar-to-start-dig-for-wwii-fighter/


Any bets they come out looking like the Tulsa Plymouth?




BBD

[stripedelete]

Cool.  I was wondering when they were going to get started.

If they are there, my guess is condition will be poor.  But, I really hope I'm wrong.

[JB400]

I say they'd be more like the b17's in Greenland

[hawkeye]

what am i missing?  why did they bury them?   

[JB400]

It's better to destroy your old equipment than it is to let your enemy have it; even if your old equipment is outdated and replaced with superior equipment.

[polywideblock]

same reason the US pushed hundreds into the pacific no more use and they didn't want to bring them home

[Tilar]

The biggest problem with the Tulsa Belvedere was the fact that the vault it was in had been hit hard and cracked during some construction work back in the 80's. They debated on opening it up and repairing it back then but decided against it because they didn't want to open it up early. I cringed when I heard it on the news after it happened.

Depending on what wood they used to bury them in, those planes could still be in rebuildable/repairable condition. There are a few wood septic tanks from back in the early 1900's around the area that are still structurally strong. We dug up and replaced one within the last 5 years or so that was still in use.

[Indygenerallee]

Tilar, IDK I know damp, dark, areas breed rust but for that Tulsa Plymouth to be as rusted as it was I would have to say that the tomb it was in was probably leaking since the day it was put in there! It was more than roached! 

[Tilar]

You're right it may have been leaking since day one, but I do know for sure they cracked it when they were digging around it during all the downtown construction and like I said that was roughly in the early 80's, so that would make it what, at least 25 years in a pool of water?

[BigBlackDodge]

I know they used a lot of aluminum in those old war birds, but I also know the British used lots of wood and canvas too!
Thirty feet down in the jungle.....doesn't sound so good to me to preserving anything.

I guess we'll know shortly!



BBD

[tan top]

fould be fantastic if they all in intact ,  & just need bolting together ,  i'm going with  Talsa plymouth  also   hope i'm wrong though 

[polywideblock]

find some old footage of US engineers scraping the old birds at end of war, used two bulldozers and a steel cable to trash them! these are probably the same

[stripedelete]

So, if they could be made to fly, the impact on market value of Spitfires (25 flying) would be like finding a barn with 2,000 Hemi Chargers.  Or maybe 400 Daytonas?   

[areibel]

I think if they can find any of them they'll rebuild some- a lot of the aircraft from that area that still fly are what we call rebodies- they can take whatever parts of the airframe they can salvage and build the rest, reskin it, etc.. the hardest parts to get are stuff like the engine blocks and cranks- big stuff that's not easy to repro.   We went to an air museum in Mich. a few years back (near Willow Run) and talked to some of the guys that do the resto work.  If something doesn't pass FAA regs, it's cut out and replaced.  They said almost anything that's not cast can be reproduced.  They don't care if it's "correct", so long as they can still fly!  A cool place to visit if you're near Detroit, they actually have a static B-52 on display.
Another interesting thing they mentioned- the guys that Jay Leno hired to do the metal work on his cars are former airframe mechanics- I guess if you need a fender for a Duesenberg they make one from scratch!

[AKcharger]

I read one article that it was near a river bank near the major airport...30 feet down and you're going to be in the water table, I'd put a months pay they're scrap. I suspect they'll still be able to salvage some parts though...best of luck in any event

[bull]

I wish they were about to uncover dozens of P-51 Mustangs or P-38s somewhere too. Especially the P-38 because those are getting very rare. Google Glacier Girl if you like incredible war plane rescue stories.

[polywideblock]

I wish they were about to uncover dozens of P-51 Mustangs or P-38s somewhere too. Especially the P-38 because those are getting very rare. Google Glacier Girl if you like incredible war plane rescue stories.

  lots of ice phil                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

[Tilar]

I wish they were about to uncover dozens of P-51 Mustangs or P-38s somewhere too. Especially the P-38 because those are getting very rare. Google Glacier Girl if you like incredible war plane rescue stories.

There are a few videos out about the rescue and recovery on Glacier Girl. Very fascinating! Here is a short video of her first flight in over half a century.

http://youtu.be/-4OthQ3td_E

[JB400]

I believe I seen it in person at Oshgosh, not for sure.  I have seen a p38 in person though, very cool.  Watched the docu on pbs as well.  Anyone catch the one about the b29 they rebuilt in Canada only to watch it burn to the ground because of the heater?

[bakerhillpins]

Water or not... it's all about the presense of Oxygen. Recall that tank they pulled out of the mud in a Russian lake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhK1eXDAfgQ

[stripedelete]

Anyone hear of any updates on the search?

[AKcharger]

nope

[Alaskan_TA]

No planes were found. If you google it I am sure the story will come up.

[polywideblock]

nothing found   


                           http://news.sky.com/story/1053172/burma-spitfire-mystery-is-solved

[Mike DC]

 
It amazes me that so few examples of iconic aircraft survive. 

They make thousands, or tens of thousands, of an old plane model.  Yet we somehow end up with like 15 of them left in the world a few decades later. 


We moan and groan about only a couple hundred Hemi cars from a given model-year surviving.  Can you imagine if we only had a couple hundred examples of a model-year whatsoever, with any engine?   

[Alaskan_TA]

Interesting to think about it that way. I got some old aviation slides in the mail this week from the 1950s. One of them showed a float plane I had never seen before, so I googled the registration number. One of 23 ever made & only one still exists - http://www.tillamookair.com/1938-bellanca-air-cruiser.html

[stripedelete]

"Swords into Plowshares"

[Dodge Don]

To me the Spitfires were the most beautiful fighters...and the sound of those engines is music to my ears.

Here are 16 Spits flying in formation in 2010 at a Battle of Britain anniversary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6c3v9iihgw

At 1:52 you see one of the Canadian ones landing.

[polywideblock]

It amazes me that so few examples of iconic aircraft survive.     
the us pushed hundreds of mustangs and p38's into the pacific after ww2 , hundreds more broken up with bulldozers 

the poms and aussies just sold them off

we had/have a fair few merlin engines down here   , they make a real good boat motor   (thunder boats )   they used to race in SA on lake Leake Glencoe   my dad took me a couple of times in the late 60's early 70's

                 

 

[Bob T]

Hijack.... Cool photos Poly, Sir Len Southwards boat Redhead had an Allison? V12 in it out here, it was the first boat in Australasia to crack the ton in 1951  

Good link Don, cheers

[bakerhillpins]

It amazes me that so few examples of iconic aircraft survive.     
the us pushed hundreds of mustangs and p38's into the pacific after ww2 , hundreds more broken up with bulldozers 

It doesn't surprise me. If you think the car hobby is expensive...  taking care of vintage aircraft   

[Lord Warlock]

Guess you hadn't heard, they found nothing in the dig.  Still a wild goose chase.  Woulda been nice to find them though cool airplanes.

[bakerhillpins]

Guess you hadn't heard, they found nothing in the dig.  Still a wild goose chase.  Woulda been nice to find them though cool airplanes.

I can only find info on the '13 dig not finding anything.  I see stories on a 2nd dig in Jan of '14 but nothing about results of that?

[Lord Warlock]

I only knew about the 13 dig, not the 14 one, the one in 13 was a disappointment, maybe they'll have better luck this year.