Warbird Information Exchange

Good to see the Privateer back together. When I saw her in the summer of '05 she was minus her rudder and an engine, courtesy of Hurricane Ivan. Looks like they've freshened up the paint as well. I'd love to see her indoors and completely restored, but at least she's being taken care of.

Is the plan for the Buffalo still conservation with minimal retoration? It's an amazing time capsule, and I'd hate to see it stripped and rstored to showroom condition at the expense of its history.

SN

You have some great pix!
Thanks for posting them.

Owen

I c an't wait untill they get some more of those birds indoors. THey do a great job. I plan on going in a month or two.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Nice picture of the Marlin. Hard to believe those were used in Vietnam and now only one remains.
As much as I love the B-17, If a Privateer was on the warbird circuit with Navy paint and gun turets in place, I would have to walk past the B-17 to check it out. Would love to buy a ride in a Privateer.
A friend of mine was at Pensacola last week. He told me a docent said the Finn's were working feverishly behind the scenes politically to get the Buffalo back. Because of politics, the Buffalo is to go back to Finland on "loan" for a couple of years , and it will never return to the U.S.
It's sought after as a national treasure as one of their aces flew it and the airplane has multiple kills scored.

Well, which is it? Being on loan for a couple of years doesn't imply that it will never return (Of course, I did loan my chain saw to the neighbor... ).

I know that the Buffalo brings up strong emotions, but being Rosie-built, don't all things Brewster have an American history as well? I suppose the Finns could trade us the Humu for it, but that doesn't seem to make much sense.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

It truly does not belong here. How could they restore it? As a Finnish AirForce multiple victory plane? That doesn't work there at all. And how many visitors will walk by and see the light blue swasticas and call it an Fw-190 NAZI plane?

Paint it as a Wake Island defender, and ignore what history the airplane has???

It belongs where it found a home.

A lake in Russia?

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

NMNA is the correct place for the aircraft.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

I say reskin it, put in a new engine and fly it!

The plane for many years was considered a worthless type, and during the war was reviled by any allied force forced to fight in it. A British commander was quoted as stating that any airman assigned to a Brewster was to be considered lost before leaving the ground. There were no success stories for the type in allied use, and only the Wake Island defenders and their heroic stand are applicable to the USN museum. The F4F wildcat cowl ring that came froma Wake Island Wildcat is supposedly on the nose of their F4F, but I don't know if it was lost over the years. There was a lot of aircraft chunks on Wake in the early 60's...

The Brewster export fighters, of which this is one had an incredible run of success and service against all comers for a while in a land where a resilient people fighting a harsh weather war had little else. That said they loved the things and did very well with them. This plane represents the best of their efforts and was preserved over time in a place that time essentially forgot. How strange that the country that cast them away so long ago now wants to paint the thing blue and make it something neither the USN of the time or its pilots wanted.

Why don't they go out and save a combat veteran TBD instead of ruining this artifact of another part of the war?

I hope the Finns get to keep the plane. Despite my patriotic feelings, I think that it would be the right thing to do.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

I don't know the story of the aircraft in the museum, but why didn't the Finns get the airplane themselves.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Because the lake it crashed into was in Karellia (sp?) a part of Finland that was annexed by the Soviets after the war (and now part of Russia). This particular aircraft shot down 13 Russian fighters, and was flown by a multi-ace Finnish Air Force pilot name Pekuri (sp?). The type had a 26 to 1 kill ratio for the Finns, the highest ever kill to loss ratio of a piston engined fighter. It does deserve a home with the Finns to be honest. If it does stay at Pennsacola, I hope that they preserve it as it is. The markings are still in very good condition, and an important historical record.

Cheers,
Richard

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Richard Mallory Allnutt - Photography - http://www.rmallnutt.com

This may sound bad, but why not make a replica from the parts that they have, paint the replica like a Wake island aircraft, and give the real one back. It does seem to belong there, but I am not in favor in getting the government involved in forcing the NMNA to give it back either.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager