Balalai

[Dave Homewood]

Many of you will find this story posted tonight on my forum by a former RNZAF helicopter pilot and Sqn CO of interest, regarding a Pacific island with loads of wrecks on it

http://rnzaf.proboards43.com/index.cgi? ... 273&page=1

[tom d. friedman]

a time capsule!! even as of 89

[daveymac82c]

Wow.. what a facinating story. In a way I really want to go to the Island and see it all for myself, but I don't want to get any rashes... hmm...

I'd love to check out what's still there. I do agree that if aircraft are recovered a fair share of them should be displayed "as is" but I imagine that there are some airframes that are "salvagable" and could be used to put together flying examples which would do a lot for the warbird community.

Cheers,

David

[Fouga23]

according to pacific wrecks:

Aichi D3A2 Val Manufacture Number 3178
Recovered by Robert Diemert, resold under sporatic restoration for past 30+ years.
A6M2-21 Zero Manufacture Number 5356 Tail EII-102
Recovered by Robert Diemert, restored to fly with the CAF
A6M2 Zero Manufacture Number 5450 Tail EII-140
Recovered by Robert Diemert, static restored for NAS Pensacola Museum
A6M3 Zero Manufacture Number 3471
Recovered by Robert Diemert in 1969
A6M3 Manufacture No 3285 Tail No 3-174 (?-134)
Tail pieces only, recovered by Robert Diemert

So nice to see so many left by the end of the 80's! That Betty bomber belongs in a museum.

[bdk]

according to pacific wrecks:

Aichi D3A2 Val Manufacture Number 3178
Recovered by Robert Diemert, resold under sporatic restoration for past 30+ years.

Well, Diemert did "restore it" and it did fly prior to Planes of Fame obtaining it.