The elusive Kee Bird photo, have you tracked it down Gary?

[Shay]

Maybe this is my paranoid side coming out but after looking at the picture has anyone considered the possibility that someone has been visiting Kee Bird?

The site has obviously been distrubed. Not sure I buy into the parts floating around theory because the post fire condition of the airframe is everything short of "water tight integrity" required to float. I would imagine the snow would build up on the wreckage over the winter and thaw around the airfame, filling it up and partially submerging it.





In the picture above the #4 engine and what looks like the entire nacelle is gone. In the this post fire picture the engine and nacelle were still in place.




Also in the avcanada picture besides the relocation it looks like the tailplane possibly has been separated from the rest of the tail.





I would either suggest that maybe a large storm has visited the area and disturbed the site ala B-17E My Gal Sal. Which flipped the aircraft.

Or that Kee Bird has been recieving visitors.


Hmmm.......

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[APG85]

I was under the impression that Gary Larkins and team had visited the site after the fire and had "cleaned" it up by pushing everything together into a pile i.e. aircraft parts, tractor, barrels, tents, etc. Does anyone have more info on that? I think this is discussed in Hunting Warbirds...

[maradamx3]

Anyone have or have the use of an MH-47E, or two? I can chip in on the fuel!

Tommy

[Shay]

Found this interesting little tid bit:

Vernon Rich, Phoenix, AZ one of the original Kee Bird recovery team in 1996 received salvage rights for the remains of the Kee-Bird from the Danish Government. Mr. Rich has prepared a mission plan and organized a recovery team to depart for the arctic July 1, 2001 to bring back the remains of the B-29 .

WHAT REMAINS OF THE AIRCRAFT
The B-29 fuselage burned forward of the tail section through the bomb bay into the cockpit. The fuselage and cockpit were totally destroyed in the fire.

The center wing section was not damaged by the fire, as will as the outer wings

1300 hundred gallons of aviation fuel still remains in the fuel tanks.

Four reconditioned zero time 18-cylinder Wright R-3350-23 radial engines with cowling are still intact.

16- reconditioned zero time Hamilton Standard propeller blades are still on the engines.

The vertical and horizontal stabilizer is completely intact

The recovery team of mechanics will disassemble the remaining Wings, four engines, propellers, and tail section of the B-29 “ Kee Bird“ and they will be airlifted out.

Hmmm.....maybe someone has been visting Kee Bird. Seeing as there is relative active interest in recovering her remaining components.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[tom d. friedman]

A friend I met at Tinker AFB years ago went to Greenland to be the Safety Officer there at the field. While there he was given a VHS tape he let me copy and it is truly amazing. It was "home movies" made by Greenamyer and others that showed Kee Bird in great detail. It shows how they lifted her out of the water on the mains then used a Huey to lift jacks onto the Horizontals to add weight to the tail and lift the nose! Among some of the video, was two men that flew in to the camp in a Cessna that took video inside. It is unbelievable....completely box stock inside as they toured from the cockpit to the back fuselage. So sad as they almost made it out.... Another part of it shows the aftermath of everything left when being toured by Gary Larkins. A very interesting video....

any way of getting that video posted on you tube???

[APG85]

The cook, Bob Vanderveen, from the Kee Bird expedition owns this cafe (see link). He use to offer a VHS tape for sale that he made during his time at the Kee Bird site ($24.00 w/shipping). This was home movie stuff he shot (not B-29 Frozen In Time). Unfortunately, I don't see the link anymore on the website. Perhaps if you contact the website (Ramona Cafe) they still have copies for sale...

http://www.ramonacafe.com/