Desirable Aircraft for National Museums

[Pat Carry]

^^U-H does have a "watch while we restore" section. I think they just opened it last year.

At this point, except for the B-24 the NASM needs, it looks like we're talking about one-offs and outliers for the US museums. Which means their collections are pretty well represented.

A point was made earlier that the 20-30s era isn't particularly well represented in some respects. I think that may be true for the NMUSAF (No Keystone bomber?), but I seem to recall the NMNA and the NASM having a substantial interwar collection. Expound please?

Is there any restoration work actually taking place at Udvar Hazy? There are 4 aircraft sitting in the new restoration area awaiting work but the last I heard barely a wrench has been turned on any of these aircraft yet.

[John Dupre]

The NMUSAF used to have a list of aircraft types they wanted and I imagine they still do. I remember the list had an A-17 on it years ago and that type has since been added to the collection. Also on the list was the P-43 Lancer and the Berliner-Joyce P-16, a two seat biplane fighter. I think the Boeing B-9 was on it and there were other types but I can't remember them all.

[StangStung]

Yes, a B-9 would be something else. Especially alongside the MB-2 and B-10. Sort of an old/new thing. Probably not in my lifetime, though stranger things have happened.

[Warbird Kid]

Let me throw this in.

What are the policies on National Museums and replica aircraft? They'll accept one if there are no original examples left? Ve-7 at Pensacola?

[whistlingdeath77]

I'm wondering what aircraft are out there that are UP for donation to a musuem. Huey's, warthogs etc?

[StangStung]

Let me throw this in.

What are the policies on National Museums and replica aircraft? They'll accept one if there are no original examples left? Ve-7 at Pensacola?

I'd be interested in hearing this as well. I feel fairly confident that the NASM has a no-replicas, only original articles policy (though this is easily susceptible to the Ship of Theseus (a/k/a George Washington's Axe) argument). Clearly, the NMUSAF and NMNA have a broader policy regarding replicas, both collections containing several examples.

Someone had mentioned the NMUSAF having a list of aircraft they'd like to obtain. I'd be very curious to see such a list from any of the US Nat'l museums.