Bob Bean

shuck · **Posted:** Fri Mar 15, 2013 6:54 am

Please can anyone share any information, anecdotes, stories or photographs of eccentric F4U Corsair collector Robert Bean of Hereford, Arizona. I can find very little about him on the internet.

Many thanks

Robbie Stuart · **Posted:** Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:24 am

Many Moons Ago, I used to Crew Chief some for the late Merle Gustafson, on N5215V, Bu # 97286, F4U-4, "Angel of Okinawa".
Bob Bean owned the aircraft before Merle, & it is said that Bob was convinced that the Devil lived in the tail of the aircraft.
All the times I worked on the aircraft the Devil must have been hiding, because I never saw him! :shock:

The aircraft is now with Kermit Weeks, Fantasy Of Flight museum, Polk City FL.
Robbie

shuck · **Posted:** Sat Mar 16, 2013 5:23 am

Hi Robbie

That was one of very the few stories that I could find about Bob Bean. I also recall reading that Bean passed away inside the fuselage of F4U-4 BuNo.97302!

Do you know when Bob Bean passed away, and did you ever meet the guy?

Steve

zorro7 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:07 pm **Posts:** 483

Shuck/F4U Folks:

Good day!

Interesting thread about the ins-out of a true aviation fan, pilot & once owner of many excellent flying machines! The stories of how he spend his final days in Hereford, Arizona are a bit sketchy, & pics of him are also rare. I've been unable to contact some of his working crew at the Moseley crop duster field in Arizona & ask them about a poss P-51 in his back yard also.

In his wheelings & dealings, Mr. Bean sold fm c. Mar '56 to Dec-'61, 9 F4U-4 Corsairs to the Honduran AF (FAH). Some of those samples are still flying in the U.S. In trade he also flew several P-38s & P-63s from the FAH inventory back to the U.S c. 1960s. For those days, w/o GPS & primitive nav & weather data crossing just the Gulf of Mexico was quite a task.

I'll dig a poss pic of him deep fm my archives & hopefully some more details would emerge especially fm the F4U Warbird audience or folks that worked for him that can tell us more about his F4U Corsair legacy. Included this time is a shot of the poss final batch of FAH F4Us while getting ready for the ferry flight to Honduras c. late 1961. Poss Blythe, Calif. Photo Brian Baker.

Steve · **Joined:** Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:35 pm **Posts:** 80

Back in 1968 he was at Dupage airport with Bill Ross. Bill bought P-38 44-53095 from him. I didn't get a chance to meet him but he saved quite a few warbirds

Steve

zorro7 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:07 pm **Posts:** 483

Steve:

Good Day!

P-38L AAF 44-53095 was the X HAF "506". Any chance to get a hold of the archives photos of the late Bill Ross?? Does that mean the Mr.Bean ferried the aircraft himself?

Steve · **Joined:** Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:35 pm **Posts:** 80

i think Ross went someplace in CA. and got his P-38
nice to see it still flying

Steve

Robbie Stuart · **Posted:** Sun Mar 17, 2013 12:11 pm

shuck wrote:

Hi Robbie

That was one of very the few stories that I could find about Bob Bean. I also recall reading that Bean passed away inside the fuselage of F4U-4 BuNo.97302!

Do you know when Bob Bean passed away, and did you ever meet the guy?

Steve

Sorry, I never met Bob, might be someone else here at WIX that has. Good Luck!
With Regards
Robbie

zorro7 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:07 pm **Posts:** 483

Shuck:

Good day!

According to Mr.John Lane the late Mr.Bob Bean went West c. early 1980s. It seems also that he began operating/restoring aircraft for later sale at Blythe, Calif vs Arizona. c. 1955 Those early aircraft pics of his collection are rare, but I'm sure they exist in a shoe box ..in an attic somewhere in that area.

shuck · **Posted:** Mon Mar 18, 2013 11:09 am

I expect the story of Bob Bean passing away inside the fuselage of F4U-4 BuNo.97302 is urban myth.

Do any photographs exist of Bob Bean with any of his Corsairs?

C VEICH · **Joined:** Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:40 pm **Posts:** 1471

shuck wrote:

I expect the story of Bob Bean passing away inside the fuselage of F4U-4 BuNo.97302 is urban myth.

Do any photographs exist of Bob Bean with any of his Corsairs?

I read (Air Classics I think?) that not only did he pass away inside the fuselage of the Corsair but was then subsequently partially devoured by his dogs. Sorry if that's a bit gruesome. I don't have any idea how much truth is in it.

over/out · **Posted:** Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:41 pm

O.K, Now I REALLY do believe Bob Bean did ALOT of great service to save the warbirds we ALL love to see today, but with VERY much respect to the man, the "Dog" story (true or false) has been around forever! and at certain airshows in the past when ever it was brought up someone ALWAYS ends up making jokes about dogs jumping on a Corsair ...wearing goggles..a scraf... and then after alot of laughs ( seems beer is around alot by that time) it always comes around back to the warbirds he saved. I like to think Mr. Bean some where does'nt mind getting a ribbing ( no pun...) about the canines & corsairs...just saying..(sorry, I just had to do that), Anthony :wink:

zorro7 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:07 pm **Posts:** 483

Shuck:

Good day!

A picture of poss Mr.Bean taxing a F4U in Tucson, AZ, exist. I'm still digging for it. If not Mr. R.M may come to the rescue.

How he ended up or not ended up during his final days is not as important as to what he did during his life time to save all those F4Us c.1950s. Love to know where he learned to fly & if he had military training along the way!! Poss some relatives still around may come up with some info on these gaps.

Cherrybomber13 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:40 pm

Go to Google and enter in - site:warbirdinformationexchange.org Col Rohr Bob Bean Warbird
you will get lots of archived info on Bob Bean

zorro7 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:07 pm **Posts:** 483

Another one of the Bob Bean F4U Corsairs. Poss Buno 97330 Tail Code "R". Moseley Field, AZ c. 1960s.Photo via AEC.

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