Warbird Information Exchange

Gents here are the photos of Cutlass projects at San Diego.
There are the remains of at least three machines on site. Two of which I can ID. The third (fuselage) I was unable to ID, but am awaiting word from the restoration shop's foreman.

F7U-3 BuNo 128451 former Pueblo Colorado Aviation Museum Machine .

F7U-3 BuNo 129565 (restoration candidate) I was told this machine came from somewhere in Tucson, as well as from Vought (Aerostructures), and one other story I do not remember!

I was also told that 129565 was the 2nd choice for restoration as they were going to use the prototype and put 129565 wings and other structures on to complete the machine as the proto. As the work progressed it was realized that this would not work do to the differences in series production aircraft and the proto on hand.
If this story has an credence at all narrowing done the ID of the third fuselage would become a lot less difficult.

Please enjoy,

Gary

BuNo 129565




















BuNo 128451:












nonIDed Fuselage and other structures:














Sorry guys the card with details of 128451 is corrupt and I lost about 25 photos of her.

Great shots Gary thanks for posting them! Sorry to hear about your memory card troubles

Looks like it is going to be a lot of work to get these F7Us into shape. Hopefully they also have the canopies/radomes/landing gear stashed away somewhere?

Can’t wait to see the progress they make on them.

-Derek

Rough shape, but a bit more to start from than a pile of soda cans! If only they'd have cold stored it on the bottom of Lake Michigan, it would be a lot less stripped! Lots of pieces, but will they go together!!! What's that old Johnny Cash song? I don't recall ever having seen a Cutlass, so, indeed, a worthy project.

"One Piece At a Time"

Might let em know that Oldsmobile Cutlass parts, even if they are the same year, will be really hard to fit!

I saw one nose cone in pretty bad shape(restorable), gear, but no canopies visible. Perhaps stored in one of the barns. The nose fairing is visible in the background of one of the 128451 shots.

wow.., nice shots..,


but I am depressed as all hell now!

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S.

I think seeing one (if not two) of these ladies as nice statics will be Prozac enough. I think we have quite a wait however.

I wonder what will come of Walter Soplata's

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Would like to know that myself.

Look @ the left lower rudder on 9565 and you will see one of the biggest problems with the group, magnesium skins and salt air donot get along at all. Left alone naturally, magnesium gets 'wormy' and full of corrosion, and the F7 was heavily magnesium in it's construction. Pitting and a lack of servicable krueger flap segments is what will eventually take the last few 727's out of the air because Boeing doesn't make the 'K' flaps any more and no one else can because of design proprietaries.

Holedigger, if they were on the bottom of Lake Michigan there'd be even less of the bunch around because of the mag in the airframe.

These look like really long term, money eating projects filled with disappointments, anguish, and disillusionments for several people before one might make it to 'nicely done static' condition. The airframe here @ KPAE in the MoF's restoration facility may be in better shape but it's a scarey proposition in and of itself and it's been inside for many, many years

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

How many parts of the SBD AC's pulled out "storage" had magnesium? The effect of cold, low O2 water is quite different from the effects of salt water. It is quite odd to see bird come up with tires and no wheels, and engines turned to grey paste. Salt water does quite a number on some alloys for sure! Replacing or rebuilding will take a LOT of effort.

More than the wheels on the SBD are Magnesium?

Can you break it down?

Sorry, it's a question, I don't know! I saw the FW190 a couple years ago pulled out of the Norwegian fjord, lots of bits on it had just dissolved away, I KNOW saltwater does massive damage! Just wondering how bad cold fresh water is in comparison.

soplata's cutlass is in much better condition than the one!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!