Warbird Information Exchange

The latest issue of Warbird Digest says the new owner of Glacier Girl, Rod Lewis has put together a nice collection of fighter aircarft. Anyone know what else he has? Also, where exactly is his collection based at?

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Rare Bear for one and I heard the collection at Tillamook was bought in it's entirety.

Is that a done deal? Lots of rumors out there about Tillamook, just curious to know if it finally sold.

Gary

He's also got the stock Bearcat and FG-1D that Provenance sold last year.

Not so according to the folks at the TAM.

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Don't touch my junk!!

He also has a P-51 (ex Borman) and a NA-50 replica. Private collection not open to the public at this time.

Rod owns the Ex Borman P51 SuSu II and the Ex MOF Bearcat along with the Corsair, Rear Bear and Glaciar Girl

Very impressive collection he has there! Mr Lewis is someplace in Texas, correct?

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

gotta love the "private collection - not open to the public" I understand that if you pony up the $$ they are yours, but items with such historic value to the "people" I think should at least be on display - I'd rather see them flying though. . . .

Tom P.

I think Mr. Lewis will display the aircraft around, just think he doesn't want people nosing around his hangar(s). Can't blame him there.

good point - I can't think of anyone would welcome droves of looky-loos. It just grates my soul sometimes to hear the "it will sit in my den until I die" attitude. LOL - maybe 'cause I don't have one

Tom P.

Although of course we can't force anyone to open up his hangar, the exact point of the tax exemption that comes with declaring your toybox a non-profit "museum" is to provide a financial incentive to do so. The tax break has done a lot to give the public a look at many warbirds that might otherwise be hard to get to see, as well as many other historical properties. If someone is so loaded that even the tax break does not tempt him, there's nothing we can do. But the incentive is always there.

Which airshows does Mr. Lewis typically attend? I am curious as to how much we can expect to see GG on the circuit after she moves to Texas.

August

Jim Read's collection was private until he open his doors to bring one of them out people would stop by to look so he decided to open a museum.

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"Keep 'em Flying!"

There are many many warbirds in that are not "open to the public" including most individuals who have a single warbird. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are purposely hiding them and only going out to fly them in the middle of the night so others can't see them. It really is just that they don't have the desire to pay someone to sit around in their hanger or on the tarmac waiting for someone to stop by and look at their aircraft and give them a tour. To me making that out to be bad is like saying everyone who has a restored automobile should have their private garage open to the public.

The tax incentives given to those who display their aircraft publicly at events and such are a nice incentive for the owners to do so. If the government got really serious about this they could roll back a lot more costs to even further the incentives.

And Mr. Lewis also has a L-39 in Blueangels colors.

I believe he does plan to build a museum hangar in the near future.