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PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 8:26 pm 
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PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 8:54 pm 
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OD/NG wrote:
Somewhere, (perhaps WIX facebook page?), I read that Collings was putting new engines on the P-38 and that is the reason there is such a delay for getting it out of there. Apparently, the engines on it now, though low time, were built some time ago when the standards for engine rebuilding was much different than today. There is real concern that if they flew the P-38 out on the original engines, that either or both could fail in flight.

There is a post earlier in this thread outlining the issues with the engines.

Thanks for the great photos and updates thoots!


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PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 10:17 pm 
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Thoots thanks for keeping all of us updated on what will be the 9th P-38 to be returned to flying condition. I can remember back in the early 2000's one was lucky to see one P-38 fly. Never thought we would get to this number. Can we get to a dozen I think so.

1. West Pac has the FHC model that hopefully work is being done to it

2. Texas Flying Legends has I think though I might be wrong the ex P-38 that Jeff Ethell lost his life in 20 years ago. Stored I believe with Air Corp in Minnesota.

3. I think there is some P-38 activity going on down under either Austraila or New Zealand so at some point that would make a dozen. Anyway congrats to Collings for getting this P-38


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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 9:26 am 
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Ed Likes wrote:
Thoots thanks for keeping all of us updated on what will be the 9th P-38 to be returned to flying condition. I can remember back in the early 2000's one was lucky to see one P-38 fly. Never thought we would get to this number. Can we get to a dozen I think so.

1. West Pac has the FHC model that hopefully work is being done to it

2. Texas Flying Legends has I think though I might be wrong the ex P-38 that Jeff Ethell lost his life in 20 years ago. Stored I believe with Air Corp in Minnesota.

3. I think there is some P-38 activity going on down under either Austraila or New Zealand so at some point that would make a dozen. Anyway congrats to Collings for getting this P-38


The former Classic Jets Fighter Museum P-38 I believe was sold to someone in the UK planning on restoring it to airworthy.

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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 3:33 pm 
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Ed Likes wrote:
3. I think there is some P-38 activity going on down under either Austraila or New Zealand so at some point that would make a dozen.

I seem to remember mention somewhere of a P-38 or three in Australia (not the CJFM machine Warbird Kid mentioned). But it may also be confusion with Rob Greinert/HARS' P-47 initiative which is rebuilding three Jugs..that is, if my recall is total :lol:

As far as I know we have no P-38s in NZ but would love to be corrected!

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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 6:28 pm 
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From the glimpses I've seen, it looks as if the FHC P-38J at Westpac could be completed/flying in another year or two. Westpac of course could produce at least a few more flying P-38's down the line.

Texas Flying Legends does indeed have the silver ex-Bruce Pruitt P-38 that Jeff Ethell was killed in, pending restoration at AirCorps Aviation (which are currently finishing the restoration of the TFL P-51C, moving at quite a pace on the TFL razorback P-47D, and building/rebuilding the rear fuselage/tail for the TFL Zero).

At Rob Greinert's shop/HARS, there are three P-38's taking shape - 1 to fly (for HARS), and 2 for static (one for display in Papua New Guinea and another for display at Pima).

(Both Westpac and HARS have amassed significant collections of P-38 parts/assemblies/sections/etc.)

As Warbird Kid noted, the ex-CJFM P-38 is now in the UK (I believe with Air Leasing), and has been said to be a planned flyer in the future, but will have to re-restored (since it was only originally restored/assembled for static display).


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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 6:36 pm 
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JohnTerrell wrote:
At Rob Greinert's shop/HARS, there are three P-38's taking shape - 1 to fly (for HARS), and 2 for static (one for display in Papua New Guinea and another for display at Pima).
More info about these P-38's here:

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-ne ... eport.html

http://www.warbirdsonline.com.au/2015/0 ... torations/


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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2017 4:32 am 
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Howdy All

Not sure how Rob Greinert /HARS will be able to restore the Papua New Guinea Museum's P-38F s/n. 42-12647, when it is still sitting at the PNG Museum as seen in the 60 minutes program late last year .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNOUQlxJFsk

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p ... 12647.html

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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2017 2:58 pm 
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geek I thought I read that the Ex- Fighter Collection "Happy Jack's .." P-83 that crashed at the airshow years ago, was in Texas ? geek pop2

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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 3:22 pm 
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I have seen Collings P-38 flying so can anyone confirm if it has landed at American Aero in Florida? Once again kudo's to Collings for acquiring this rare aircraft. Also with time and resources the world will have number 9 in flying P-38's to admire in the air where it belongs.
One other question I would like to pose to anyone that might have inside knowledge is this will Collings just fly this airplane for special events, and or airshows? Or might there be something else that will take place with this P-38? I would hazard a guess special events, and select airshows.


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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 3:54 pm 
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TBM Tony wrote:
geek I thought I read that the Ex- Fighter Collection "Happy Jack's .." P-83 that crashed at the airshow years ago, was in Texas ? geek pop2

I remember seeing photos of it sometime recently, unfortunately Goodall's entry for it stops at the Duxford crash.

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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 6:34 pm 
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Looks like the P-38 is now in Chino at Planes of Fame
Seen here
https://www.instagram.com/planesoffame/

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Last edited by Thomas_Mac on Wed May 24, 2017 9:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 6:47 pm 
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The P-38 flew away from McMinnville and the Evergreen Aviation Museum today. I visited the museum this morning, and as luck would have it, the minute I set foot on the museum floor, I heard it flying overhead. Then I noticed a bunch of people standing outside a door at the front of the museum, so I booked for it -- but it had already passed overhead. If I had gotten there a few minutes later, I probably would have heard it and seen it from the parking lot, and if I had gotten there a few minutes earlier, I probably would have noticed the commotion and had been standing out in front to see it fly by. Oh, well.

I talked with docents and restoration folks at length, and here are some tidbits to share with you:

Supposedly they moved the P-38 across the highway to McMinnville Airport last night (Tuesday, May 23), and it flew over to the Aurora airport, where it apparently spent the night. Not sure about that, though. It flew back to the McMinnville airport, from which it flew out this morning. And it was supposedly headed to Sacramento, and then presumably on its way to Florida.

Regarding the "new rebuilt engines," supposedly the pilot, upon hearing who had overhauled the engines that had been in the plane during its stay at the museum, refused to fly it with those engines in the plane. Thus, they spent somewhere around $200,000 for the two newly rebuilt engines.

Things might move pretty quickly from this point forward -- the B-17 is next, with the work being mainly to recertify the engines. It sounds like they have already replaced fuel lines and such. The whole "wing spar" issue apparently is not an issue -- apparently it was about microscopic cracks in them, and "they all left the factory with those." Presumably they will not keep the plane from flying away.

Again, I spoke to a few different folks, and heard different things -- one saying that the BF-109 would be taken apart and trucked out, and another one saying that the P-40 would be taken apart and trucked out. It sounded like work on at least one of them would start virtually immediately.

There was talk about "replacing the planes" that will be leaving, and the museum "has access to" a number of aircraft that just would need to be delivered to the museum. An F-111 was the likeliest candidate to show up. Also an F-16. The museum has a PBY Catalina that has been weathering badly outdoors, and it might be the most likely candidate to replace the B-17 when it flies away. There are a number of thoughts about exhibiting some of their planes, such as the "century series" jet fighters -- they have an F-100, F-101, F-102, F-104, F-105, and an F-106 on the grounds, for instance. Also, they could do a Korean War display, as they have an F-86 going under restoration, and they have other Korean era planes on the ground, including a MiG-15 and a MiG-17. There was talk of bringing some of the planes that have been stored outdoors into the museum buildings, like for instance the MiG-29, which apparently "was painted with house paint." The main museum building has something like a dozen "sport planes" on display, and there was definitely thought that a lot of those could be moved out, so some far more significant aircraft could be displayed.

And so on. Again, all of this was just "what I heard" from the docents and restoration volunteers, and "what I could remember" from what they told me. I hope this helps, and I'll try to get some pictures posted of some of the aircraft I have mentioned in this post.

Oh, and to reply about the Planes of Fame, that's where some of the folks thought the P-38 was headed. I believe the pilot is associated with POF.


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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 7:38 pm 
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thoots wrote:

Things might move pretty quickly from this point forward -- the B-17 is next, with the work being mainly to recertify the engines. It sounds like they have already replaced fuel lines and such. The whole "wing spar" issue apparently is not an issue -- apparently it was about microscopic cracks in them, and "they all left the factory with those." Presumably they will not keep the plane from flying away.



Once the B-17 is ready to fly it will be flown to Florida on a ferry permit where the mandatory FAA Airworthiness Directive will be completed. This is a major inspection of the wing attach points and hardware and for the other flying B-17s, required the wings be removed. See also:
http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/AOCADSearch/AD567A6DFAC6CB5A86256AF10057B840?OpenDocument

This is pretty much why Evergreen parked the B-17 in the first place back around 2001.

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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 8:33 pm 
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What mixed emotions. I honestly don't care about the politics involved here--not with the Smith family, not with Evergreen, not with any of the lawsuits or anything. I am sorry to see the P-38 leave Evergreen, and I will be sorry to see the other planes follow out the door. I have been to Evergreen many times, I have enjoyed every time I have gone there, and I will continue to make the extra trip when my travels take me to the Portland area.

I am thankful that Collings Foundation is going to take care of their new aircraft, and I hope that they can be displayed and shared with the public the way that Mike Smith's dream envisioned. Thank you for saving them.

But I also see that this might be a great opportunity for Evergreen to establish a new identity for itself. As others have pointed out in previous posts on the thread, there are some really cool Century series planes outside that would look stunning cleaned up and indoors. The CH-37 Mojave outside, and a bunch of the other helicopters in the other building could really make some fabulous indoor displays. If the PBY can get cleaned up it would look great, and the Neptune 'restored' in its fire bomber colors would be very unique properly displayed inside.

I hope this ends up as a win/win as Evergreen pulls itself out of the muck that it was kind of the victim of.

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