Airplane in a Barn story... no Hangar!

[BLR]

Not to many years ago I found a complete ex-RCAF Auster AOP 6 in a garage, the owner had died and it sat for many years. I missed buying it by 2 days! Someone beat me to it. Also a friend found a early PT-26 Cornell frame and Waco sitting in a farmers field which are still there. He's trying to convince the owners to sell them.

Brian

[Fleet16b]

As I pretty much search for aviation artifacts 4 out of seven days a week, I could fill this post with stories.

Instead I will just list a few.
Found :
J3 Cub in barn
J3, J3, J5 all in abarn
Inline Monocoupe, Radial Monocoupe, Call Air- all in barn
Cornell plus many spares in barn and around a farm
Aeronca E-108 Engine with prop and accesories - house garage
Over 100 wooden props
Tons of small parts etc
Auster mk 6 stored in a shoe store
Aeroca Chief stored in an out of business store front.
Harvard Mk 2 in a camp grounds building
Anson Mk 2 Fuselage in car port.
Anson mk2 parts at the back of a farm field.
Boat house on an island with 14 gypsy major crank cases and tons of spare for them and spare airframe parts for Tigermoths.
Over 20 damaged Tigermoth fuselages
One complete Tigermoth with floats in a building
One Baby Ace Homebuilt in a barn.
C-190 in a Barn
And many many more small bits, memorabilia, photos etc
As a result I have a large inventory of classic/vintage parts 75% civilian the rest military.

[daveymac82c]

Hey Fleet16B,

You could write a very interesting book cataloguing all of your adventures with finding airplanes! I get the feeling just about everyone here on WIX would love to hear the full story on all of those. It would give us all the ability to live vicariously (sp) through you as you do things we only dream about.

To be serious, writing a book could be a very realistic thing to do. I can work on one if you've got the time. Who knows, there's probably already a book or two on the subject, but the more the merry'er.

By the way, what ever came of all these treasures you found?

Cheers,

David M.

[Ztex]

I know of a 450 Stearman that has been sitting in a hanger waiting for the day...It's been there at least 15 years that I know of...

There's a DC-3 around here that has been sitting outside at an airstrip for at least 20 years...the owner used to run it every Sunday afternoon.

[JohnTerrell]

These accounts remind me of an extremely rare aircraft, a 1929 Hamilton Metalplane, which has been tucked away in a hangar at my local airport, South St. Paul-Fleming Field, ever since 1978. It was meticulously restored and then flown for a couple of years before being put into storage. It has been up for sale for quite some time now, but it is still in the same hangar. It is the only one of its kind that is complete and in flying condition (there is a fuselage and some parts in Alaska). They were the mainstay alongside the Ford Trimotor of the then new Northwest Airways in the late 20's, early 30's. Very few seem to have ever heard of this aircraft before, and it is a real jewel, just sitting in a corner of a hangar.

http://www.erikssonaviation.com/pdf/Ham ... e-1929.pdf
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Northwes ... 1321816/L/
http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac3/A ... plane.html

[Jesse C.]

One of my old neighbors has, or at least had the last time I looked, an SNJ/Texan in his backyard in pieces. I only saw the wing once when I dared look over his fence and saw the wings with the wheels retracted. Another one of my neighbors told me that the whole plane is back there!

I should go back and see if he still has it and if I can see if he does. My brother in law bought some parts for his buick off of him once, but I was not around to go and missed out on snooping in his back yard.

More as it develops!

[Fleet16b]

Dave M

Some things I become part of my personal collection and others I either resell or use to trade for items I am looking for.
Many people know me at this point either by having met me or word of mouth.
Thats not a brag, it's just that I have been doing this I was 10 and i am 46 now.
My item was an RCAF B type helmet and goggles. My Dad bought it for me at a surplus store for $5. I wore it all the way home with my head out the window of our old buick . My dad ( ww2 pilot) laughed his ass off the whole time.
Within a year of that , I had my first airplane part. A Curtis JN4 Canuk prop.
From there my obsession went full tilt to addiction.
As for writing a book, maybe one day but I am still young and have alot of flying and airplane hunting to do. Who knows , could be a good retirement project.
Thanks for the offer.

P.S. Incidentally the vintage parts business I operate is relevent to this thread.
We are called "Barn Full of Parts" You'll see our ad in the COPA newspaper.

[wacoykc]

At my home airport we have the following just sitting:

1941 Aeronca Chief - restored about 20 years ago and has probably only flown a total of 10 hours

1941 Aeronca Chief LB-65 - sitting at least 3 years

1941 Waco UPF-7 - has not flown since 1978...took apart to recover and has not moved since

1942 Waco UPF-7 - landing accident in 1982. Sitting exactly the way it was unloaded after bringing it home on a trailer. Same owner has a Bellanca Viking that has not flown since the same time period. Ceiling tiles from hangar got wet and fell and are laying all over it

1935 Waco YMF-5 - taken apart around 1967 for recover and has not moved since

1940 Waco UPF-7 - project in storage at least the last 30 years

450 Stearman - engine trashed itself about 5 years ago...never touched again

Stearman PT-17's - one guy has 18 registered. All ex dusters. One entire hangar is filled with wings

Aeronca 7AC - been sitting for at least 15 years...was a new restoration when purchased

What kills me is that numerous people have tried to buy all these, especially the Wacos and the owners will not sell under any circumstances. You'll just have to be here for the estate sale I'm afraid.

[Fleet16b]

I come across this situation also.
It seems that many people rush out and buy an airplane or a project with really big dreams. At some point they realize that money, family, career get in the way. Thus the airplane just sits.
Unfortunately many in this situation still hold on. I swear they just like to be able to say they own an airplane.
The worst part is the a/c sits and rots and unless it's a rare type they will end up losing money on the investment.
I can remember seeing airplanes sitting rotting away at airports when I was a kid and think why. There I was a kid that would have done anything to have an airplane to fix etc and these owners just let them rot.

Also I have had wife with a husband that was old and senial that had an aviation collection, contact me. The wife decided finally to sell off all of the items in order to make some money.
I was just closing the deal and out comes the old and he goes completely berserk on her. Knowing how he felt about his stuff, I didn't have the heart to deal with her and put all the stuff back in the building.
A half hour later he was completely out of it again and could not even remember me. Goes to show you, a strong obsession this aviation thing.
He eventually died a year later and she called me to come back.

[N3Njeff]

I know of a few. There is supposed to be a PBY in a hangar in Quebec owned by an AME (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer) who makes his living overseas and comes home every year or so to run up the engines.

I know of a Beech Staggerwing that used to be one of two! at the Hampton Airfield in Northampton N.H. This one is still in NH sitting beside a barn. Most of the Staggerwing crowd know of it and a few have made offers but the owner wants too much so it is just rotting away. At least that was the last I had heard of it a few years ago.

There is also supposed to be a P-51 Mustang near Portland, ME somewhere. A friend was approached about working on it a decade or so ago but even then the owner didn't really have the resources. Don't know if that has changed lately.

I know where there is a staggerwing that has been sitting since the 60's here in VT!!

[BigGrey]

I remember a story in Air Classics about 10-12 years ago or so about somebody recovering two PT-22s from an old industrial building in Los Angeles that was about to be demolished. Anybody know what happened to the planes?

Les

[Stearman75972]

Heard of a guy who has a P-47 that crashed years ago. If you want to see it, it will cost $$$K to see it but not allow you to savage it. I am waiting till the farm is up for sale and then I can get it. No idea as to it's overall condition but it is a piece of history!! Located in the northwest.

[Ethan]

At my home airport we have the following just sitting:

1941 Aeronca Chief - restored about 20 years ago and has probably only flown a total of 10 hours

1941 Aeronca Chief LB-65 - sitting at least 3 years

1941 Waco UPF-7 - has not flown since 1978...took apart to recover and has not moved since

1942 Waco UPF-7 - landing accident in 1982. Sitting exactly the way it was unloaded after bringing it home on a trailer. Same owner has a Bellanca Viking that has not flown since the same time period. Ceiling tiles from hangar got wet and fell and are laying all over it

1935 Waco YMF-5 - taken apart around 1967 for recover and has not moved since

1940 Waco UPF-7 - project in storage at least the last 30 years

450 Stearman - engine trashed itself about 5 years ago...never touched again

Stearman PT-17's - one guy has 18 registered. All ex dusters. One entire hangar is filled with wings

Aeronca 7AC - been sitting for at least 15 years...was a new restoration when purchased

What kills me is that numerous people have tried to buy all these, especially the Wacos and the owners will not sell under any circumstances. You'll just have to be here for the estate sale I'm afraid.

what airport is this ? where in ohio ?

[F3A-1]

I personally like the airplane in the swamp story!

Anyone got a good story?


Pirate Lex
http://www.BrewsterCorsair.com

[wacoykc]

My home airport is Moraine Airpark (I-73) on the south side of Dayton, Ohio located along the Great Miami River. Home of the oldest seaplane base in the world!