This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
Post a reply

Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:36 am

For those really interested in Granger Taylors disappearance go to this website and read it all:

http://ufo-joe.tripod.com/cases/1980granger.html

Wed Jan 23, 2008 3:24 am

What an interesting and, no offense, wacky story. But it doesn’t say if he was found. I googled his name but found nothing more. :?
SC.

Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:59 pm

His body was discovered. And I'm working on getting the newspaper clipping of the discovery along with more info.

Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:11 am

Well we kept you all waiting a little while for the release of our Granger Taylor content.. But its all come together and is now available to you the public. Check it out at www.rcafkittyhawk.com .. Feel free to comment and ask questions on here.

Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:25 am

Excellent. The newspaper article say they found pieces of bones and parts of the Datsun imbedded in a tree. Since I wonder they never did a DNA analysis on the bone fragments, maybe Granger Taylor is still out there somewhere... :shock:
But the most insteresting article is this:


We also contacted the Rabeneck Brothers boatyard in Nanaimo, where one of them recalled his Kittyhawk as follows:

"We bought the whole plane here after the war, in 1947. We went to Pat Bay and got a plane. I wish I had kept it all in one piece.
We bought the plane for $50, and then he sold the fuselage for $100. There was a bunch of guys here, and they wanted it for the metal, and they were chopping it to pieces with axes. I wish l would have kept it intact.

"Granger Taylor got some tanks and he got some odds and ends here. We were using the tanks, but they replaced them with other tanks. We used a lot of things on the boat - altimeter for a barometer, pressure gauges, the generator, the tubing and connectors, and things like that.
We paid only $50 for the plane, and it was $50 worth of education we got out of it. It was so interesting. I am still using the oxygen tanks as an air receiver. I think we stilt have the radiators here.

"They said 'How many Kittyhawks would you like?' One was enough! We towed it here on some logs. We put a couple of logs together and towed it up. They said 'Would you like to have a Liberator for $300?' They were inland. The Liberators were $300 and the Kittyhawks were $50. There was everything on it except batteries and machine guns — and I don't know about the radio. We were going to buy one of those Catalinas. They would have been easy to tow away, but they were all sold. They went for $90."

Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:41 am

Note the B-24 ring cowl at the antique store.

Also the IDs of some Tallichet P-40 recoveries:

http://www.rcafkittyhawk.com/gtaylornews2.htm

Sat Jan 26, 2008 6:29 pm

Glenn--

Granger Taylor! Oh wow. Does this take me back or what. David told me the Taylor tale some time last century when I (and Doug "MacHarvard") were indirectly involved with what was then CMAM. I drafted a cartoon of the hybrid P-40 standing vertically on a rudimentary gantry, V1710 going full out, ready to "blast off"...apparently the guys at CMAM found it a hoot. I'd never before heard about the mystery of Granger's disappearance possibly being solved. A sad end to a fascinating story and a unique life. One rather wishes he really had achieved his dream instead...

Here's an idea...if there's ever a commemorative event (or simply an airshow) at Victoria...try to bring in the now-flyable P-40E that was based on Granger's project airframe. Would be cool to park her alongside her sistership 1034, and maybe run-up both of them together...

I really must visit BC sometime!

S.

Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:25 pm

Sean Curtiss wrote:
But the most insteresting article is this:


We also contacted the Rabeneck Brothers boatyard in Nanaimo, where one of them recalled his Kittyhawk as follows:

"We bought the whole plane here after the war, in 1947. We went to Pat Bay and got a plane. I wish I had kept it all in one piece.
We bought the plane for $50, and then he sold the fuselage for $100. There was a bunch of guys here, and they wanted it for the metal, and they were chopping it to pieces with axes. I wish l would have kept it intact.

"Granger Taylor got some tanks and he got some odds and ends here. We were using the tanks, but they replaced them with other tanks. We used a lot of things on the boat - altimeter for a barometer, pressure gauges, the generator, the tubing and connectors, and things like that.
We paid only $50 for the plane, and it was $50 worth of education we got out of it. It was so interesting. I am still using the oxygen tanks as an air receiver. I think we stilt have the radiators here.

"They said 'How many Kittyhawks would you like?' One was enough! We towed it here on some logs. We put a couple of logs together and towed it up. They said 'Would you like to have a Liberator for $300?' They were inland. The Liberators were $300 and the Kittyhawks were $50. There was everything on it except batteries and machine guns — and I don't know about the radio. We were going to buy one of those Catalinas. They would have been easy to tow away, but they were all sold. They went for $90."


Yeah, great, bring up the 50 buck P-40's at Pat Bay :x

Why couldn't my parents have been interested in this stuff back in '47? :cry: :wink:
Post a reply