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B17 wreck, Papua New Guinea


Pzkpfw-e

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Somebody will probably go get it.

Saw a programme on discovery (I think?) about a bloke who was sent out to that neck of the woods to find a P38 for somebody who wanted to restore one. They found one but was in a real bad state.

 

Not to forget the P38 "Glacier Gal" which they pulled out of the glacier in Greenland and rebuilt to fly again.

 

Mike

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This one is the "Black Cat Pass" wreck.

The serial number is still visible on its tail and the US Star is outlined by the original British roundal, as it was originally intended to be part of a batch for Coastal Command.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-9234.html

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-9234/articles/flightpath.html

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  • 7 months later...

Certainly for a P-51, and I believe this holds true for a P-38 aswell, as long as you have the airframe 'dataplate' (identity of an original aircraft), then that's all that's required to 'restore' the aircraft. In essence it will be a new manufacture.

If you think about the P-38 Glacier Girl, whilst the restoration used as many serviceable parts from the recovered original as possible, it is a virtually new aircraft.

I remember reading that the CAF B-26 Carolyn suffer undercarriage failure a few years after they got her back into the air. The accident damaged the main spar, and as the original plans were lost in a fire at Martin Aircraft years ago, the CAF had to get a new spar made using the damaged one as a pattern - with reference to other surviving examples too I'd guess.

 

Ultimately, if there's enough money anything is possible.

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Certainly for a P-51, and I believe this holds true for a P-38 aswell, as long as you have the airframe 'dataplate' (identity of an original aircraft), then that's all that's required to 'restore' the aircraft. In essence it will be a new manufacture.

If you think about the P-38 Glacier Girl, whilst the restoration used as many serviceable parts from the recovered original as possible, it is a virtually new aircraft.

I remember reading that the CAF B-26 Carolyn suffer undercarriage failure a few years after they got her back into the air. The accident damaged the main spar, and as the original plans were lost in a fire at Martin Aircraft years ago, the CAF had to get a new spar made using the damaged one as a pattern - with reference to other surviving examples too I'd guess.

 

Ultimately, if there's enough money anything is possible.

 

Chris you have raised a very good point and this is why I'm personally not in favour of the presumption that an aircraft should be restored,especially when it's well preserved and historically important(such as the B-17 above or the P-38 from Iceland). I would much prefer to see a conserved wreck than a "restored" aircraft which in fact is little more than a replica.

 

Matt.

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