Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:49 am
Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:56 am
bdk wrote:I guess my point is that they don't have the infrastucture to support tours to the old wrecks or even maintenance of them. Better to get some cash now then try to sell piles of aluminum oxide powder later.
Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:08 am
If the Swamp Ghost is in some shipping containers or otherwise protected from souvenir hunters and the environement I disagree. I don't have any information as to the security of the aircraft. Clearly the aircraft would be more secure had it been exported.JDK wrote:Fair points, bdk. However, I believe that Swamp Ghost was better off where she was than where she is now.
Wed Jan 23, 2008 2:11 am
Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:07 am
Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:36 am
warbird1 wrote:Good arguments, JDK. I guess it just all boils down to the cultural differences of Pacific Islanders versus Western cultures. I know that money has no meaning to some cultures.
It just kills me to think that the natives there have these false hopes that economic historical tourism will happen for an infinite period of time, just because some Westerner told them so.
Even if they were to keep all of their relics and never let any go, do they really think there will be any interest in them, whatsoever, in 100 years, when there is nothing but a few rusted fragments that used to be an airplane, ship or tank? As time goes on, and the "Greatest Generation" and baby-boomers die off, there will be less and less interest in World War II.
This will directly translate into less people interested in going to a third world nation to see "history".
I think in a lot of ways, some of the natives there are seriously short-sighted in their thinking. Sure, those relics may get a few curious on-lookers or visitors for maybe 20 more years, but after that they will have nothing, due to nature taking it's course on man-made objects.
Since the natives seem to not be interested in money, why doesn't some entrepreneurial recoverer offer something else, like goods or services or bartering? Obviously, food, shelter and water are the primary sustenances for those people who live a hard life. Why doesn't someone offer to build them a flour mill, or a water desalinization plant, or a rice processing plant, etc. Things like this might support a local village for many generations - far longer lasting than historical tourism. I wonder which the villagers might like more - a rusty, delapidated airplane, or an infinite supply of fresh water? Just a thought.
Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:46 pm
JDK wrote:I believe that Swamp Ghost was better off where she was than where she is now. The main risk to Swamp Ghost was souveniring by westerners, not environmental decay.
4 Years ago a grass fire came within a half mile of where Swamp Ghost was sitting. Over the past 25 years quite a number of aircraft have been lost to grass fires including 2 P-40s, a P-400, a B-24, 2 Beauforts, 3 Zeros, a Jill and a Tabby just to name a few.
Sun Jan 27, 2008 3:35 am
Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:07 am