Warbird Information Exchange

There's about 20 standard pieces of pierced-steel planking, the same stuff they used to lay over soft surfaces in WW2 for runways, up for auction tomorrow morning. It's used and probably needs some tweaking to get it to interlock properly.

It's in Albuquerque, New Mexico (not to be confused with Old Mexico).

Might be able to get the entire lot for $50 or less. I could store it for a short while for you.

Let me know ASAP, it will be sold by 10:30am this Saturday.

I'm sure there are several museums that could put it to good use!

Yep. There is a scrap yard here in Atlanta where the entire perimeter fence is constructed from PSP. Every time I drive by, I wonder if anyone else recognizes that piece of history.

I would love to get just a small piece of it to use in a gameroom display to put under the Spitfire tire I have.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

We've got quite a lot of PSP used as fencing material in the area we live. I used to drive over a long strip of it while feeding our cattle on the farm.

I do have a question, though--has anyone seen pierced aluminum planking? I've read about it, but never seen any. Supposedly used for quick and very temporary ground cover that could be airlifted by C-47/C-46 without the greater weight of steel.

Scott

It does exist if that is what you mean but I don't know of a source. It is just like the steel except of course it is aluminum and perhaps not quite as durable. My father had a couple of pieces we used as motorcycle ramps back in the day before they thought up the monoshock dirtbike.

Ah the good old days.

PinecastleAAF,

Ah, the days of Fox Airshox and Scott plastic MX boots! I ripped up my knees with both items, I'm afraid.

The aluminum pierced planking from WWII would be some rare stuff, you are the first person I've known to actually lay hands on it. I first heard of aluminum planking from a story about the C-47 and it's ability. Supposedly, a Gooney was loaded with a certain quantity of aluminum planking using native labor that didn't know the difference(SWPA), and when the crew took off the airplane flew terribly. It turned out to be pierced STEEL planking, and they were WAY over gross.

Scott

Wish I would have read this yesterday. I would have asked you to get it for sure...about 2500' x 30' would be great, but 20 pieces would have been more practical. If an opportunity comes up again, please let me know.

Chunks

If you get some of the matting, I will buy a piece.
It would be great to frame up with photos of folks
like Foss, Galer, Carl, Kepford, Blackburn, etc.

There was a parking ramp at AMARC made of solid aluminum planking. It existed as late as 2001. The area has since been paved.

_________________
"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

We haven't been to AMARC since the late eighties, Rick--I'd forgotten they laid all that planking at the regeneration area.

Scott

tinbender2, how much did the PSP go for?
With scrap metal prices what they are today I bet it didn't go cheap. Two years ago I was wondering how in the heck I was going to get rid of our heavy old dinosaur machinery. Even the scrappies weren't interested in taking antique machinery weighing up to 25,000 pounds for free.

At our auction in March, they were practically fighting over every bit of metal we had. They totally cleaned us out. The funny thing is that I knew the weights on the different lots but they didn't. On many of the the lots they bid the price up to double what I would have got if I threw it in our scrap bin.

Here is a source in OK for landing mats. I have never dealt with them but it looks like they have plenty of everything.

http://www.calumetindustries.com/index.php

They also have some interesting history on the mats along with the specs.

Les

Well,

I didn't bid cause I didn't get a firm request to. There were a total of three lots of PSP ( initially I thought just one), with around 70 pieces. Some of it was in great shape, with 90% of the original green paint and no damage.

Sold for $175.00 to a military surplus dealer. Apparently, this stuff is also sought after by farmers and ranchers to park their equipment on.

I'm sure this dealer will offer it for $50 per piece, and it will never sell. He never lowers his prices either. It will sit in his yard for decades, just like 90% of his stuff does. He's more of a hoarder than a businessman.

I'm gonna try to get a rusty bent piece this week (for free or very little $), since some folks here expressed an interest in getting a small piece. You'all can have it for the cost to ship it.