Status of the LB-30/B-24 in Ft. Collins???

[tulsaboy]

Does anyone have any pictures of the LB-30 in storage there, or have any clue what the plans are for this aircraft? With the shortage of viable airframes, it sure seems a shame for it to sit there neglected. Anyone with some knowledge that they're willing to share?

kevin

[Xrayist]

I will try and get some pics this weekend...it is in pretty bad shape. It sat out in a field for severl months. It is now enclosed. The fuselage is in 3 pieces and looks pretty much like was torn apart when trying to move it. the wing, as I remember, was in pretty good shape.

[cg51]

This is the one! There was some talk a few years ago about starting the rebuild, The plans have been put on hold as far as I know
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b24registry/lb30-al557.html

[tulsaboy]

Thanks, Xrayist! Look forward to the pics.

kevin

[corsair166b]

I already have pics of it, tucked along Skurich's hangar and fenced off so no one can get to it, along with several other aircraft parts (some look like Wildcat wings)...mayhaps I can scan them and put them on my photobucket acct and zap em in here...will look into it this eve..

Mark

[Rob Mears]

There's supposed to be a fairly substantial collection of F-82 bits stored there as well. I dropped by there back in June but didn't manage to make it outside to see the stuff.

[corsair166b]

Rob....you came through here in June....and did'nt call to say hi? Coulda got you into Skurich's to see the Evergreen Zero restoration, had some dinner, talked Corsairs...woulda been fun....stunned ya did'nt call..

I have pics of the F-82 bits too...just some fuselage midsections that have been pretty well hacked up (unless the rest of the parts are being hidden)...the F-82 guys with the CAF perked up too when I mentioned them but did'nt seem too interested after I sent them the pics...pretty beat up stuff...

Mark

[Rob Mears]

I was going to Mark, and it was the one thought that stayed with me during that leg of my trip, but I was on a three-day journey to get home (Montana to Louisiana) and rolled int Denver around dark. I hit Skurich's place early the next morning, and managed to make a quick run through the museum in Denver on my way to Kansas City.

My company is expecting some work in the Colorado/Wyoming area in the next few months. If I can get manage to get some assignments in the area, I'll definitely give you a ring so we can hang out and talk warbirds! It would be a welcome change to road-dogging it day after day.

[Aircraft Mech Paul]

Hi Guys,

Was wondering if there were enough parts and pieces to to assemble a full LB-30/B-24 with this one ? And if so, is this a potential project to perhaps made into a flyable airframe ?

The P-82 items mentioned are also very interesting, how much of one of those rather rare birds is there ? Enough to put together another entire airframe, with an eye towards flight ?

Or, are these items only potential projects for museum static restoration ?

Just wondering,

Paul

[corsair166b]

Rob, you better...contact me if ya need to know how to contact me(?) when you get out here...or just look in a Greeley phone book...

The Lib I would wager could be made flyable....the main fuselage is there, the main wings are there, but I don't recall seeing any of the tail featers, horizontal OR vertical...there are no engines for it (unless they are stashed away), it would be a VERY lengthy process to get her up and running, but it could be done. For those of you inquiring into who owns her, the Whittington brothers do, and they have been offered money for her time and again and have not parted with her, so I believe they have a plan for her.

The parts for the F-82 are, as I said before, just fuselage parts ,, one canopy high and the other cut off just below the canopy...not the basis for a restoration but certainly good for a few parts here and there.

Mark

[corsair166b]

alright....assuming I can figure out how to get these on here, here are some pics of the LB-30 as it rests today...




[IMG]http://i79.photobucket






















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[corsair166b]

Good lord, what a pain in the ass to post those....gotta practice some more with my photobucket account....anyway...

The shot of it in one piece came from Jeff Ethell...back when Morrison Knudsen were operating it in Alaska in happier days....the other shot of its nose in derelict condition was from when it used to rest off the end of the runway at the downtown Ft. Collins airport, open to access by everyone....the other two are of the storage area by Skurich's hangar, the location of which I won't divulge....hope these are of interest to you folks.

Mark

[Chris Brame]

Are the wings in the second photo from this aircraft? One has a green tip and a faded US insignia, the other is marked P-58_- is that part of a Bolivian (CP-58_) registration?

[corsair166b]

No, those are not LB-30 wings....from my vantage point when I shot the pic they looked like Wildcat wings, but ya never know...could be from something else. Anything grey in the pics was pretty much LB-30 parts...the rest were for other aircraft.

M

[APG85]

Yikes! What a mess...