Airplane in a Barn story... no Hangar!

[John Dupre]

My father told me years back he talked a guy who knew about a cave in japan that was full of zeros

I don't know about Japan but I read a recollection of someone who as a kid was living on one of the Pacific Islands. There was a small abandoned Japanese seaplane base with a hangar with two or three Rufes or Petes inside. The military contracted for a general clean up of the island and someone came in and scrapped everything.

[John Dupre]

How about an airplane buried in a dump? I heard this story in A&P school. Haverhill, MA got an FM-2 Wildcat for a memorial just after WW2. The plane was brand new and delivered from storage with very little time on it. Fifteen years later it was a rusted battered eyesore and the city sold it. The new owner removed the aircraft to the Lawrence, MA airport where it sat for another few years abandoned. The airport had the aircraft towed over to the city dump next door where they had a huge excavator digging trash pits. One day the Wildcat was there and the next it was gone and one of the pits was covered over. We talked about getting ground penetrating radar for a search but none of us had that kind of money.

[N3Njeff]

John, I wonder if thats the wildcat that my dad has pics of??? Was it on display infront of a school????? The one that my dad has pics of, was the same story. Very low time, it was a FM-2 and it was burried.

[gary1954]

John that would be a great find, maybe you could pimp some help from a Penatrating scope thing manufacturer or sales man. Then, after it was dug up, would the wonderful Navy lay claim to her?

Last edited by gary1954 on Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

[John Dupre]

John that would be a great find, maybe you could pimp some help from a side scan manufacturer or sales man. Then, after it was dug up, would the wonderful Navy lay claim to her?

I don't know all the details of how the airplane was acquired. If it was from the agency charged with selling off surplus property then I would think the Navy no longer has any charge over it. But if it was donated by the Navy that would be a different story. In any event the Navy didn't protest when Haverhill sold it........

[F3A-1]

Gentlemen,

I would not concern myself with Naval policies. The issue is that the landfill is now capped, and is the property of the Federal governmental agency managing the contamination there. The original cost to cap was about $150,000. per acre. The Wildcat was probably not handled with care and by the time it was capped the top may be as much as 50' higher. Ground penetrating radar will reflect the closest "solid item or fluid". It is more of an art then a science.

It may be more cost effective to recover a Wildcat from Lake Michigan and fight the Navy!

Pirate Lex
http://www.BrewsterCorsair.com