Any F-80 Shooting Stars being restored?

vernicator · **Joined:** Fri Apr 14, 2006 11:42 am **Posts:** 350

Just curious if anyone is restoring or knows of any restoration projects centred on getting an F-80 airworthy? Would it be exceptionally difficult to doctor up a T-33 to look like one?

Matt Gunsch · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2008 9:50 pm

The only one I have seen in private hands was a project that was auctioned off at one of the Museum of Flight auctions in CA.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2008 11:13 pm

The Museum of Flight has had a TV-1 (one of a few P-80's bailed to the Navy) thats been 'under restoration' for about 327 years (almost as long as the 247 airliner). They got it from the kiddies play yard @ what was N.A.S. Sand Point in Seattle, sent it to some guy in Yakima who got it looking pretty good in the early 8o's, then he was involved in a horrible car crash. The things been sitting in the restoration facility @KPAE for ever still in sort of red lead primer. But, of course, IF they ever finish it , it will never fly as the avowed policy of the MoF is 'why would you want an airplane museum to have flying airplanes?'

n5151ts · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2008 11:29 pm

The Inspector wrote:

The Museum of Flight has had a TV-1 (one of a few P-80's bailed to the Navy) thats been 'under restoration' for about 327 years (almost as long as the 247 airliner). They got it from the kiddies play yard @ what was N.A.S. Sand Point in Seattle, sent it to some guy in Yakima who got it looking pretty good in the early 8o's, then he was involved in a horrible car crash. The things been sitting in the restoration facility @KPAE for ever still in sort of red lead primer. But, of course, IF they ever finish it , it will never fly as the avowed policy of the MoF is 'why would you want an airplane museum to have flying airplanes?'

...nothing bad will ever happen to them........oh except for the destruction by fire and tornado and hurricane and......
:roll:

The Inspector · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 12:30 am

The MoF is located in the South.....end of Seattle so the chances of tornados or hurricanes are slimmer than the Miracle Whip at a Weight Watchers convention :shock:

We get rain and snow and coolish winter days, and the occasional earthquake, but none of the above. :roll:

I've lived on the Gulf Coast, you can keep the 125% humidity and the other weather phenomenons, I'll stay right here @ home where it's green from things besides mold thenkyewverimuch

The Inspector · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 12:38 am

....and have I ever mentioned the best thing I saw in Texas when I moved back to the Great Northwest?..................it was the sign that said "WELCOME TO New Mexico"

O.P. · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 1:30 am

Quote:

Would it be exceptionally difficult to doctor up a T-33 to look like one?

From what I've heard, besides covering over the back cockpit and shortening the canopy, Yes.

They aren't that much alike, orrrr they aren't alike enough. It would be a big job, and it would be easier to just find an F80 and restore it, at this point in time.

The F-80 is on my list of stuff to do. I'm just a newbie, but I'll get there one of these decades.

T33driver · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 7:48 am

O.P. wrote:

Quote:

Would it be exceptionally difficult to doctor up a T-33 to look like one?

From what I've heard, besides covering over the back cockpit and shortening the canopy, Yes.

They aren't that much alike, orrrr they aren't alike enough. It would be a big job, and it would be easier to just find an F80 and restore it, at this point in time.

The F-80 is on my list of stuff to do. I'm just a newbie, but I'll get there one of these decades.

O.P.'s right, it'd be a bee-hatch to convert a T-Bird back to an F-80. If ya really wanna nitpick to get to F-80 dimensions, a T-33 fuselage would hafta be shortened 28" forward of the wing leading edge and 11" aft of the trailing edge. Yikes! I'd love to see one fly with the Kimpo tanks and fake ordnance hanging from the wings!! I thought I heard a rumbling a few years about one in SoCal that was a viable flyer project.

Ztex · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 8:16 am

A few years back, I thought I heard a rumbling about a guy at Aero Valley (Northwest Regional < Ft. Worth) restoring one....

It would be very cool to see...

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 11:25 am

There was an F-80 stored in a maintenance hangar at the Gregg County airport in Longview, Texas though most of the 1980's, up through the early 1990's if I remember correctly. I kind of equated it moreso with the T-33 back then and didn't realize how rare it really was. It sat there with the aft fuselage detached for what seemed like forever.

I believe the Ropke Museum (an armor museum) in the St. Louis area finally bought it and had the crew in Longview get it back into ferryable condition. It was flown out in the early 1990's I believe, and I haven't heard anything about it since. I'd be real curious to know what has become of it since!

Mike · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 8:54 am **Posts:** 3333

There's one on a stick at the gate to Merced airport. I don't know who actually owns it, but I always thought it would make a nice project for someone someday...........

http://www.coastcomp.com/av/pres/misc2/53-03850.htm

Here's a list of survivors, although I don't know how up-to-date or accurate it is.

http://www.coastcomp.com/av/pres/t33-f80.htm

Jiggersfromsphilly · **Joined:** Fri Jun 17, 2005 3:15 pm **Posts:** 951

What a coincedence. I went by the Willow Grove NAS yesterday and I noiced that the TV-1 was now inside next to the ME262. From the road it appears to have been cleaned and polished with new markings painted on it.

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 12:26 pm

Rob Mears wrote:

There was an F-80 stored in a maintenance hangar at the Gregg County airport in Longview, Texas though most of the 1980's, up through the early 1990's if I remember correctly. I kind of equated it moreso with the T-33 back then and didn't realize how rare it really was. It sat there with the aft fuselage detached for what seemed like forever.

I believe the Ropke Museum (an armor museum) in the St. Louis area finally bought it and had the crew in Longview get it back into ferryable condition. It was flown out in the early 1990's I believe, and I haven't heard anything about it since. I'd be real curious to know what has become of it since!

Ropkey is in Indy, not St. Louis. When I was there a few years ago, I talked to Fred's son Rick. Seen a bunch of airplanes but not a P-80. But that does not mean that its not there. I used to have ricks E-mail, I will see if it still works and ask.

Curtis Block · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2008 11:09 pm

Isn't there one at Planes of Fame?

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

Not a flier, but the guys at the Museum in Uruguay (in Montevideo) are restoring their P-80, to mark the 50th anniversary of its entry in service with the Uruguayan Air Force.

Saludos,

Tulio

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