Warbird Information Exchange

This is bizarre!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008 ... 348489.htm

Wow, thats amazing that the shoot harness held up that long and that the body did for that long.

Who ever he is I hope he finally gets to go home.

Kyle

Could be DB Cooper- they ain't looked there yet...

Looking forward to hearing more about this discovery! Makes you wonder how many others might just be hanging around!

Robbie

Very interesting, I wonder if it's real?
Look fwd to this being followed up

Lest we forget. If true, I hope they can reconnect him with his family.

Several years back, I recall they found a complete Auster up a tree somewhere down thataways.

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He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

More here. It's clear that we don't know it's a body yet. It could be a mistake, or even a stores package. 'Storpedoes' were about the size of a small person, for instance.

The Age newspaper Report

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

A fascinating discovery, to be sure. I wonder, what is the usual growth rate/lifespan of trees in that environment? I thought life cycles were fairly rapid in a rain forest. Would a tree large enough to ensnare a parachute 65 years ago still be standing today?

SN

hanging in the trees that long???? in those jungle conditions????

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Perfectly possible. Mature jungle trees in PNG can live a long time - a hundred years or more, with the major growth taking place in the first decade or two.

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Thanks, JDK. I wasn't trying to be a debunker..just curious. If it is a person, I hope they can track down his family and finally lay him to rest..whoever he was.

SN

Hey, I'm no expert, and I'm pretty sceptical myself. I'd file it under the 'possible but improbable' heading until we hear more. At least it's a) being investigated and b) by the right people.
Cheers,

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Ditto here, as TomD alluded to..all those years in the jungle canopy intact? You'd expect
the skeleton would've disintegrated to the jungle below.

Storepedoe sounds likely, if not folks poking shadows. Jesus in the toast...if you follow my drift?

_________________
He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF

I concur with JDK and others.... possible but heavy on the unlikely side...

on the following link, 2nd pic, are "Storpedoes" for comparison....

http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/200flight.htm

Martin

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Flying is easy: just learn how to throw yourself at the ground and miss

Of course, it's when they run into loggers that problems arise

Gentlemen, with total respect to all concerned, particularly the dead. How much do you guys know about recovering MIA's? Are you aware that the U.S. Army Joint Personnel Accounting Command(JPAC) at Hickam HI have a limited budget? That Iraq, Afganistan and Vietnam are the priority sites. That a "PNG List" of MIA sites exists and is, time & funding permitting, slowly being investigated. That Multi Crew aircraft take priority over single seat fighters(why? Because the results are greater-statistics!). MIA's are a VERY emotive issue, and everybody has an opinion, but at the end of the day real world issue dictate how these matters are handled. There is a elderly gentleman on Rhode Island who has been waiting 64 years for his brothers remains to be exhumed from a shallow grave on Kairuru Island(off Wewak). Should that be put off to pursue this current find? How about the C-47 "Windy City", seen to crash on Mt Victoria by his fellow pilots, in December 1943.Not recovered at the time, located again by villagers in late 2007 and slated for initial investigation in January 2009 or two P-38's(probably 475th FG-triple digits on nose) located in Mountains above Astrolabe Bay in 1960's by Australian Patrol Officer, yet to be investigated by JPAC. Those guys do an excellent job with the resources available to them, but we need to be mindful of their limitations.

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"If that's a goddamn 'Jug' in front of me, you sure as hell better wiggle your wings." 80FS/8FG Cape Gloucester, December 1943. And the entire 41st Fighter Squadron rocked their wings.

ALWAYS LOOKING FOR P-38 PARTS