LSFM Recovery

[RickH]

Nobody is sitting on their hands. Plans are already underway to get started on the stabilization process.

[warbird1]

Nobody is sitting on their hands. Plans are already underway to get started on the stabilization process.

That's good to know! I wish you guys the best of luck for a seemingly monumental, but not unaccomplishable task.

[Glen]

Dumb ? the PBY and the PB-24 both being Former Navy planes were they treated with a certain type of protection coating to ward off the effects of Salt Water ? I know that even the Sea planes has to be washed down with fresh water after Sea landing.
I would hope tha the PBY was able to float as designed during the Water surge.

I wish the LSFM the best in recovery, And as stated no lives were lost at the museum . that is something that you can never put a price tag on.

[tbunce]

As a former resident of Nassau Bay, Webster, and Friendswood, TX (Clear Lake area between Houston and Galveston), I really feel for everyone down there. I was looking at the Aerial photos post-Ike and it brought back a lot of good memories of wandering the Strand, the Railroad Museum (I was into trains more than planes then), flying my kites on the beaches, and looking at an old Victorian house that needed a really good renovation. It only cost $40,000 in the early 90's, but needed another $80,000 to make it livable. That's when the Clear Lake area had really nice homes on large lots for $100,000. Someone bought it from the Historical Society and renovated it before I started making enough to even consider buying it.

Why all that background about me?

That house was one of the fallouts of a Hurricane in the 1960's when people left and didn't put all their effort into rebuilding. It got split into low income apartments that didn't pay for it's upkeep, along with many other beautiful Victorians in the Historical District. I sure hope that doesn't happen again. Thirty years is way too long to wait for a recovery, but those pictures have me worried. The Strand was under water and the beach front attractions are gone where they had survived to be repaired in the 60's. Infrastructure is one immediate need, but a reason to go to Galveston is needed long term for both outside money coming in and for the people to have a reason to move back. No job=no income=no rebuilding.

That said, I am totally willing to spend a couple weeks of my vacation time helping out next year (when I get more time off, and because I don't think they will be ready for my help until then.) in order to recreate a really good reason to visit Galveston!

For now, and in case they decide they need to move, I have a very high resolution large format picture of Tarheel Hal that I took at Thunder Over Michigan last month. I've been taking too many pictures such that I have not had time to really market my photo skills, but now is the time to start. I don't have myself ready to take orders online yet, but when I do, 90% of the proceeds will go to the Museum. (I just need a little to cover my direct ink and paper costs.)

Tomorrow, Sept 20, the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino is having a fund raiser and I'm going to see if they might be so kind as to allow me to auction off a couple limited edition copies as a 100% donation to the LSFM.

It's a 55.6 Megapixel creation that is 36 x 24 inches and is more detailed than you might be able to imagine unless you have a $40,000 medium format digital or large format film camera. As an example, you can see the screw heads clearly on the canopy. Not just that they exist, but which way they are turned and whether there are scratches on them! (I'm a junkie for that kind of detail) I just wish I had a larger printer so I could properly print them where you can see that detail without a magnifying glass...

Keep your fingers crossed for my last minute idea, and for the future of the LSFM on a rebuilt Galveston!



P-47 Tarheel Hal at Thunder Over Michigan 2008.

{Edit} Added detail image.

Last edited by tbunce on Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Tim Landers]

I want to say that I am glad everyone made it through okay. Trae, Larry,Tom, Doug, and the rest of my friends at LSFM, I want to say hang in there! I will donate my memorabilia to help get the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame back as I understand it was lost. Let me know how I can help, I have things from Tex Hill, Archie Donahue and Dick Cole that you can have, This is a terrible loss and I want to help out.

Tim Landers

[Canso42]

Thomas and Tim, Thank you both for your generosity and support. Hang loose and keep in touch.
LSFM staff are sleepless and vols. are in hurry up and wait mode. Stay tuned.

doug

[Canso42]

Glen, As plane captain of the Lone Star PBY-5A, and member of PBY@yahoogroups.com here's the scoop. N68740, ex RCAF9742 probably didn't float much. It didn't look like it moved much if at all in Larry's photo. Ol 740 got treated badly by some previous owners, particularly U of Hawaii who flew it once or twice, left it afloat at the marina for several months, beached it, and shoved it off the ramp into the bushes without so much as a squirt and forgot it. grrrrr! Garry Larkins saved it from derelict and ferried back stateside, early '80's
It is totally non airworthy with salt-itis through and through. Since LS is a donor funded, voluteer operated org., the flying aircraft and nicer displays come first.-We have to prioritize work load. I am caretaker of the unwanted stepchild but I do what I can.
This thing has held water sitting outside( previous owners) for so long that the last aft foot or so of the keel is corroded off and literally hanging down. I've heard that facetiously referred to as 'the drain hole'. My opinion, repeat-just opinion-is that it took water and stayed put. On the other hand, sixty years of bilge filth probably drained back out on the floor. blechh!
More info will be forthcoming when possible. Stay tuned to www.lonestarflight.org for the 'official word'. Trae, Steve S., Tom C. and I have to follow museum policy and not speculate too much on public forum. Official policy you know.
On the other hand, I'll be glad to talk your ear off on PBY's. lol.
Doug Ratchford "Canso42"

[Rob Mears]

You take a risk every time you open your front door. There are plenty of floods, tornadoes, earthquakes around the country. A lot of folks say why take the risk of flying aircraft when they could crash, well here is a good example of ones that were sitting on the ground and severely damaged. There is a risk in just existing so you can either live in a bomb shelter and worry about how long the air will last or you can be out in the sunshine enjoying yourself with your SPF.

Well, a lot of folks might rethink their ideas of flying in that same airplane if they knew it was going to crash! Big difference there.

I do understand where you're coming from, but in the process of shirking off one's fears, it isn't prudent or wise to cast off all tenets of common sense as well. Those who do usually don't live very long. There's an acceptable amount of risk in my everyday routine, but you won't find me or anyone I know investing in new business ventures along the New Orleans coast.

The first time I visited the new LSFM facility many years ago, I pretty much figured it would meet its demise in the throws of a killer storm (I know, knock on wood and slap me on the wrist!). After Hurricane Andrew, it was a no brainer. I think anyone with any common sense probably figured that. When you build a permanent structure directly on the "hurricane coast" at 12' AMSL, you have to know your days in the sun are numbered. Similar to New Orleans now, imagine if the LSFM rebuilt at their current location, and five years from today, just as the first of the damaged planes was coming out of restoration, another "Category 2" hurricane hit. How about a "Cat 4"?...not unheard of. I love what LSFM has, and will accomplish, and I certainly admire the esthetics of their very unique location! I just don't see much logic in rebuilding on the same spot if their mission statement is in fact "the preservation of historic aircraft". That airport is no longer viable for the long term preservation of anything IMO.

[RickH]

Doug, she definitely floated, not sure how much, but she did float !

[Canso42]

Rick H. Thanks for the update. She couldn't have floated much; she's still upright in about the same spot. Too much floating would have been bad sice the wing floats are retracted.

[RickH]

Doug, I think she leaned on the wall and the gear probably kept from going to far. She tried to sit on the poor old Tiger Moth !

[RyanShort1]

Do any of you guys have some pictures of the L-5 in happier times? I'd like a good "walkaround" worth for a little project.

Ryan

[lestweforget]

There are a couple of pics of the B-58 here http://www.galvnews.com/photographs.lasso?view=grid&category=front&category=news&skip=63

Can't believe the devastation. ,my thoughts are with you guys over there. You will rebuild. As long as you are all safe, that is the main thing. Please take care.

[Steve S]

Recovery on the ground has begun. I heard that today a group of volunteers was going to the island with special permission to get there in ordert to begin cleaning up. It also sounds like the island is going to be more open to folks in a few days. Still not a place to live but this is forward progress.

If anyone is intersted and able to help please check out the LSFM.org website for more detials.

Thanks

[Steve S]

Clip from local news broadcast from Hanger today.

http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=284450