Warbird Information Exchange

Looking at google maps and having seen it from a distance personally, does anyone know anything about the derelict Panther just west of mid-point (ish) of runway 14-32 at Reno? It looks to have its wings stacked on the ground behind it. there is also a Vampire / Venom(?) right next to it.

Curious,

Tom P.

Vampire
https://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/ai ... eb82a54e5b
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=190230

Cougar
https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDo ... rial=18175

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45-47=-2

Interesting shot of the Vampire, clearly shows wooden fuselage construction.

So, if someone wants a free jet fighter...
I'd bet the airport would like to see it gone and I'll assume the owner (or insurance company) no longer wants it or else it would be covered or somewhere else.

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I understand the Vampire was abandoned in place after the wreck and is now being cut up to make "Plane Tags" by Moto Art. I suspect the Grumman was moved there to accomplish the same thing.

Thanks for the info!

Generally speaking, its sad that there are no flying Panthers or Cougars. I mean they are roughly the same era as a T-33, but must be harder to maintain or restore.

Thanks,
Tom P.

There have been, even two-seaters. Not sure if the problem is parts or something about the way they fly.

To my knowledge there have only been 2 Panthers and 1 F9F-8 to fly in the warbird world. 1 Panther had a successful warbird career for awhile before it was wrecked on take-off and restored to static at Kalamazoo, while the 2nd was originally flown by Harry Doan before being re-restored by Cavanaugh and then eventually parked. The Cougar flew very briefly in the early 90's before it disappeared without a trace on a flight between Houston and Florida.

The Panther that was wrecked on take-off was owned by Art Wolk of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and often hangared at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo. It was a regular participant in airshows I went to as a youngster. I always loved seeing it fly. The F9F was wrecked in 1996 if I remember correctly. It was then sold at an auction by the Air Zoo in 2005.

The most recent photo I could find of it was in this write-up of the 2017 airshow at Quonset Point:

https://photorecon.net/quonset-point-ri ... -lot-more/

As mentioned in that article, it was then associated with the JFK Carrier Foundation, but the plans for that museum obviously fell through. I did a lot of internet digging on this a while back and found that the Panther was at one time destined for the New England branch of a Ted Williams museum, but I could never find any mention of where it might be displayed or where it is now. The Panther was also once associated with the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame and may actually still be with that group. I'm assuming the aircraft is probably in storage somewhere in New England, maybe around Quonset Point.

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Matt

A couple of guesses...
The F-9s weren't produced in the same numbers as T-33s and were out of service earlier than T-33s or Canadian Silver Stars. The USAF retired most of theirs in the '80s, the Canadians in 2005.
There has got to be a lot of spares out there.

A lot of flying T-33s are in fact Silver Stars. One thing that would work in the Panthers (early versions) favor is it was powered by the J42, essentially the same engine used in the Canadian aircraft. I'm not enough of an engine expert to say whether a Nene out of a Silver Star would be easily workable in a F-9.

Later Panthers and the Cougars were powered by the J48, which I'll assume because of its more limited use, is harder to find and service.

Also, given its design, you would think the T-33 would be easier for a non military trained pilot to fly.

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.