Jay wrote:
We should all show a little respect and gratitude to Walter for his contributions to saving our aircraft heritage.
Agreed.
I do take exception, though, to your implication that I (since you identified me by name) am someone who thinks he's an idoit or not deserving of his aircraft.
Allow me to re-post some portions of my report from back on page 1:
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It is not a museum -- the airplanes are not there for display, but are the personal collection of Mr. Soplata.
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He purchased these airplanes over the years as his own hobby, and in many cases, has saved some one-of-a-kind airplanes from destruction when nobody else (especially the US military) cared about them.
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Anyone who meets Mr. Soplata may get the impression that he's a doddering old man. It's true that he doesn't come across as the brightest individual, but after spending an afternoon talking with him about his hobby and his airplanes, I realize that he's really just old and eccentric.
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He has an amazing memory when it comes to aviation, and especially recalling specifics about his airplanes. Every airplane we'd walk up to, he'd give me a detailed history of where he got it, how much he paid for it, and even specific service histories of the airframes he had. It's very evident that he cares about his airplanes -- he does what he can to protect them from the weather by covering up cockpits and canopies, and building small shelters over some