Warbird Information Exchange

Last I heard (and my info is about eight or nine months old), Mable is still in pieces at the Martin Museum. Some of the smaller bits and pieces of the aircraft have been restored. I know for a while the pieces of the plane were put back outside when the museum was booted from from one of the hangars at Martin. I'm not sure of its current status. Maybe BillB24 will chime in on this one, as he has done some work on the AM-1 after it arrived at the Martin Museum.

So what animals did he hit??

_________________
Taylor Stevenson

Taylor - as I heard the story many years ago, several horses of various pedigree and value - at least after the fact. The plane was supposedly dubbed the "Alpo Special" by someone. I will leave it at that.

Randy

With several years of flying experience in the B-25 Laden Maiden, the A-26 Panhandles Pride, and several WWII single engine aircraft, I dont buy the "official" finding from NTSB. And if there was ever anyone who was beyond safe and by the book, it's my Dad. However, I dont have a problem with a possible pilot error(we're all human)as I do the fact that he was called a theif earlier in this thread. The CAF pulled several planes from the Panhandle Squadron including an A-26 Invader and then had the gall to send one of their cronies at some point to ask about a new set of props my dad owned to be "donated" for a different aircraft. If the Mauler would have been left where it was, it would have been restored again. Instead, it sits in pieces.

Mr. Turner, in your initial post you said this: "Growing up with my parents and all their friends in the CAF, I know what really happened with Mable. Maybe someone should understand what really happened before making comments about my father that spent his own time, money and resourses to help get her flying again in the first place."

I have no ax to grind here, and other than just being familiar with the Mauler when the CAF got it flying and thinking that was kind of cool, I have zero connection. But you never really backed up your statement. You said you really know what happened to Mable and that some of us should understand what really happened. Would you like to share that with us? I can understand you wanting to defend your father's reputation...this is a golden opportunity to present your side as opposed to what the CAF said, what the NTSB said, and what the 'gossip' about the accident that has been floating around for the last thirty years has said.

I would just really like to hear 'the other side'.

_________________
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives, and I decline......

One small piece of the story that I can verify is that I had an agreed price and a stack of paperwork several inches thick to buy the airplane from the CAF and restore it to flight. With all that was going on with the P-82 at the time Gary and the CAF (correctly) made inquiries to the military about their attitude towards selling it to me and the deal got shot down. Had that not happened I believe I would be flying it by now to an airshow near you.

Reading this thread makes me nostalgic for the deal that never happened but it also reminds me how much I miss Gary.

Eric

Maybe you could make a deal with the Martin Museum? I think they could use the cash infusion more than they could use the Mauler at this point.

The issue is not money. It's whether the NAVY (?) would release the plane, which is highly unlikely. Last thing you want to have happen is the NAVY coming in and claiming the aircraft once you've pumped in the several hundred thousand dollars needed to bring it to flight status. Plus, if there was a way Eric could get the aircraft, it'd be in his hangar by now.

I agree, Eric. Gary is still greatly missed...

_________________
Taylor Stevenson

Who exactly is the "NAVY" you are referring to, is it a specific someone or group of someone's within the Navy that decide who can own what? Curious whenever this Navy ownership issue crops up who or what exactly are you guys referring to. I don't follow this so I haven't a clue (and too lazy to try a WIX or Google search)

_________________
“PMURT KCUF”

Mark, if I remember correctly, the NHHC is the group that over sees those sort of things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Hist ... ge_Command

Policy on aircraft. http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org12-7f.htm

_________________
Share your story: Rutgers Oral History Archive http://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/

Pretty much "The Navy" means CAPT Bob Rasmussen USN (Ret), Director of the Navy's National Museum of Naval Aviation (NMNA) and the JAG Corp.

The NMNA gets what it wants first...and anything else is decided by a JAG Officer...or "JAGOFF".

Chances are the navy will not release the aircraft but rather put it on a "permanent loan" status and who ever has the aircraft on loan is the one responsible for any/all maintenance/repairs.

_________________
A&P/I.A., A.A.S./Aviation Maintenance technology
Warbird salvage/recovery
One day I'll get that P-40!

Which defeats the purpose. No one in their right mind would pump upwards of $1mil into something that's not theirs and reverts back to the Navy presumably after they die or can't/don't want to maintain the aircraft any longer. Counter argument to this is giving $$$ to CAF planes. At least if you pump in a bunch of dough into CAF birds, they will likely be perpetually flown or sold to those who will fly them. With a Navy arrangement, it'd likely end up static in a museum...(based on the precedent I've seen).

_________________
Taylor Stevenson

That and there's no way the Navy wants any part of being attached to any aircraft that they are not responsible for flying...more possibilities of endless litigation. I'm pretty surprised that they even take part in flying formation with these "historical flights". Wait'll something bad happens during one of those!

The NMNA got tied up in court for quite sometime after they traded parts (C-130) off to someone in exchange for a C-12 (or some variant there of)...when the aircraft arrived and taxied up towards the hangar, low and behold the nose wheel detached...and hit some guy, screwing up his leg good enough that he needed amputation! Well...guess who, at that given moment, was the owner of the aircraft? The Navy? The NMNA? The guy in the seat?

Next thing ya know they're in court in a three way with each other figuring out who's gonna pay out the $$$ to the poor guy with no leg not to mention that the traded parts were not property of the NMNA...but of the NAVY, because of the arrangement they drew up years back to protect their assets. Oh boy...

The NMNA got so tired of seeing lawyers that they stopped our local model club from having our annual contest there and selling kits in fear of little Timmy chocking on a 1/72 scale Wildcat prop and suing the museum over it.

No flame war intended here but didn't the CAF do something on the lines of this with the P-82 debacle? I'm aware of aspects of the story but certainly not an authority on the story. Is there a "nutshell" recap or is it just too complicated for that.

_________________
“PMURT KCUF”