Missing P-51K Prop
Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:05 pm
Guys, I just came across this ad, in Barnstormers:
MISSING P51K PROPELLER • REWARD OFFERED • PLEASE HELP ME!
Aero Products P51K propeller missing from storage at Falcon Field- Mesa AZ. removed late March or early April. this item is not easy to move so somebody must know its whereabouts. all leads appreciated. • Contact Nicholas Mech located Sanford, FL USA • Telephone: 407-474-5875 • Posted August 18, 2008
Tulio
MISSING P51K PROPELLER • REWARD OFFERED • PLEASE HELP ME!
Aero Products P51K propeller missing from storage at Falcon Field- Mesa AZ. removed late March or early April. this item is not easy to move so somebody must know its whereabouts. all leads appreciated. • Contact Nicholas Mech located Sanford, FL USA • Telephone: 407-474-5875 • Posted August 18, 2008
Tulio
Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:54 pm
Just shared this information with Phoenix Police Department, Mesa Police Department and the Arizona scrap metals hotline. Let's see what happens.
At the end of July thru the first week of August PPD had contacted me about some "old airplane propellors" at a metal salvage firm called "We Buy Scrap" on 28th Avenue and Broadway Road in west PHX. Bad part of town for even an ugly biker looking feller like me. I made two visits to the yard to examine them and was thwarted twice by employees. I'd asked for a supervisor to call me but to date I have had no success in getting "in" for a visual. I'm guessing this is a long shot, but what the heck. I got lucky on a long shot a few weeks ago, and Karma being what it is, I gotta pass it along.
I'll call the fellow here and get more data and share with everyone. After the experience of our missing trailer, T-33 and PV wings here in the last month from FFZ, I am more than willing to help out.
Finger's crossed. Let's see what I can find out about this. Will update accordingly.
At the end of July thru the first week of August PPD had contacted me about some "old airplane propellors" at a metal salvage firm called "We Buy Scrap" on 28th Avenue and Broadway Road in west PHX. Bad part of town for even an ugly biker looking feller like me. I made two visits to the yard to examine them and was thwarted twice by employees. I'd asked for a supervisor to call me but to date I have had no success in getting "in" for a visual. I'm guessing this is a long shot, but what the heck. I got lucky on a long shot a few weeks ago, and Karma being what it is, I gotta pass it along.
I'll call the fellow here and get more data and share with everyone. After the experience of our missing trailer, T-33 and PV wings here in the last month from FFZ, I am more than willing to help out.
Finger's crossed. Let's see what I can find out about this. Will update accordingly.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:07 pm
Note to self....
"Self, be sure not to leave any airplane parts behind in Arizona."
Good on you in helping find that prop, Pooner.
Gary
"Self, be sure not to leave any airplane parts behind in Arizona."
Good on you in helping find that prop, Pooner.
Gary
Stolen prop
Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:23 pm
Got off the phone a few moments ago with the owner, and it sounds like an aerophile and not scrappers took this one. It appears to be a case of someone knowing what it was and taking advantage of a sad situation.
In a nutshell, missing item is a complete (not disassembled) steel bladed AeroProducts prop for P-51K that had been stored inside his friend's hangar at FFZ. The tenant at FFZ had passed away recently, and the theft was discovered only a day or so ago when executors for the estate went to the hangar to inventory and examine stored items. Prop owner said he was under the impression that the hangar had possibly been left open for a few days this past spring and the theft could have taken place then, or even in the last few months. He's unable to pinpoint a timeline.
Whomever took it didn't do it alone - owner said it would have taken "four or five guys and a truck" to move the assembled prop from the hangar.
I'll ask around. Owner in Florida is obviously upset and would appreciate any assistance in this matter. Rough situation, to be sure.
In a nutshell, missing item is a complete (not disassembled) steel bladed AeroProducts prop for P-51K that had been stored inside his friend's hangar at FFZ. The tenant at FFZ had passed away recently, and the theft was discovered only a day or so ago when executors for the estate went to the hangar to inventory and examine stored items. Prop owner said he was under the impression that the hangar had possibly been left open for a few days this past spring and the theft could have taken place then, or even in the last few months. He's unable to pinpoint a timeline.
Whomever took it didn't do it alone - owner said it would have taken "four or five guys and a truck" to move the assembled prop from the hangar.
I'll ask around. Owner in Florida is obviously upset and would appreciate any assistance in this matter. Rough situation, to be sure.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 4:27 pm
Has anyone noticed that this scrapping stolen stuff thing has really spun out of control in the past few months?
Here in San Diego, some guys have been stealing copper wire out of live lightpoles and electrical boxes on the freeways! Heck, even one guy that worked here at the college district just got fired for scrapping district material at the local scrap yards without the permission of the district or knowledge for that matter!
If this prop had to have been taken by a wacko who has it hanging, or at least the props, in his garage or den. And hopefully he did not cut it apart.
I hope they find it ok and the guys that did it get what they deserve.
Here in San Diego, some guys have been stealing copper wire out of live lightpoles and electrical boxes on the freeways! Heck, even one guy that worked here at the college district just got fired for scrapping district material at the local scrap yards without the permission of the district or knowledge for that matter!
If this prop had to have been taken by a wacko who has it hanging, or at least the props, in his garage or den. And hopefully he did not cut it apart.
I hope they find it ok and the guys that did it get what they deserve.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 5:03 pm
That really sucks.
In a similar but different situation, my Dad had a '67 Chevelle rear end stolen from behind the barn. Everyone who heard the story immediately blamed scrappers, but it was sitting in a bunch of 9" Ford rear ends. Someone KNEW it was there...
In a similar but different situation, my Dad had a '67 Chevelle rear end stolen from behind the barn. Everyone who heard the story immediately blamed scrappers, but it was sitting in a bunch of 9" Ford rear ends. Someone KNEW it was there...
????
Tue Aug 19, 2008 6:04 pm
Up in Woodburn at the dragstrip druggies stole $75K worth of bleachers, cut them up and took them to the scrappers which was geez a mile down the road. Amazingly enough they got caught 
Tue Aug 19, 2008 6:24 pm
Jesse C. wrote:Has anyone noticed that this scrapping stolen stuff thing has really spun out of control in the past few months?
Here in San Diego, some guys have been stealing copper wire out of live lightpoles and electrical boxes on the freeways! Heck, even one guy that worked here at the college district just got fired for scrapping district material at the local scrap yards without the permission of the district or knowledge for that matter!
If this prop had to have been taken by a wacko who has it hanging, or at least the props, in his garage or den. And hopefully he did not cut it apart.
I hope they find it ok and the guys that did it get what they deserve.
It's been going on for longer than a few months. Scrap metal prices have been going through the roof. This is why wrecks and relics around the globe are in greater danger if not protected or salvaged for preservation.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:37 pm
DoraNineFan wrote:It's been going on for longer than a few months. Scrap metal prices have been going through the roof. This is why wrecks and relics around the globe are in greater danger if not protected or salvaged for preservation.
THAT is why there's a PBY Catalina in my back yard and not at a scrap yard now. We MUST do whatever we can to help save these airplanes and parts.
Pooner, I'll keep my eyes and ears open for that prop and obviously let you know if I find out anything.
Gary
Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:41 pm
We had a guy locally that *tried* to steal some power cable off the poles. 7000+ volts at several thousand amps *fried* him. Even better, we didn't have to spend a dime on his trial. We did have to spend a considerable sum to scrape him off the transformer and ease his cooked body until he passed.
If some of these morons would work at a real job as hard as they work trying steal some of this stuff, they would make a heck of a lot better living.
If some of these morons would work at a real job as hard as they work trying steal some of this stuff, they would make a heck of a lot better living.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:31 pm
This is why they had to pass a law making the melting pennies and nickles for scrap illegal...
One of our customers is a grain elevator operator...there are two of them in Ft. Worth that had been mothballed they are without any wiring...$20,000 plus to re-wire...
Good luck on finding this prop...go get'em!
One of our customers is a grain elevator operator...there are two of them in Ft. Worth that had been mothballed they are without any wiring...$20,000 plus to re-wire...
Good luck on finding this prop...go get'em!
Missing prop
Tue Aug 19, 2008 10:44 pm
Gary wrote:
Note to self....
"Self, be sure not to leave any airplane parts behind in Arizona."
Ain't that a fact! Nothing safe out here anymore; even one's shadow cast upon the ground has some commercial value to someone it seems. Keep that PBY safe and sound. We can send ya'll a big old dog in the event you are needing one...
And DoraNineFan:
Scrap metal prices have been going through the roof. This is why wrecks and relics around the globe are in greater danger if not protected or salvaged for preservation.
So true. I wonder about the fate of so many of the WWII training command wrecks here in AZ I've visited over the years. At what point does some doofus decide these are worth "mining" and raid them for scrap value? Our USFS staffs out here in the west are stretched thin at best, and they cannot patrol these areas to assure safety of these "protected" sites.
I'm hoping the 'Stang prop resurfaces for this fellow - like I said, it has all of the appearance of a "collector strike" versus a scrappie, and knowing how people talk and share hangar chatter it may surface. I hope so.
On a positive note, 'Pooner made such of a pain in the neck out of himself to the local coppers that they took him up on an offer to help. When the wings and things went missing from our piles a few weeks back, I offered to be available to anyone on the inside to ID suspected airplane stuff as it comes thru the doors in PHX. At least two departments shoot me e-mails if they hear of anything aviation related turning up as scrap - that is, if they see something in their site inspections or investigations. Really cool!
And thus far I am getting regular calls from at least three big scrappers in the PHX area when they get anything aero looking. Kind of interesting to walk the yards to see what comes in. Thus far nothing really special - or historic (thank goodness!) has come in to these places, but I'm now praying to the aero Gods that maybe I'll have a leg up on hearing about a ball turret or P-51 wing that's been in a shed for 50 years... who knows.
The media attention on our little situation out here was positive - the legit scrap yards want "nada" to do with aerospace or aviation related stuff, and even a few weeks after the fact people are still talking about it.
Note to self....
"Self, be sure not to leave any airplane parts behind in Arizona."
Ain't that a fact! Nothing safe out here anymore; even one's shadow cast upon the ground has some commercial value to someone it seems. Keep that PBY safe and sound. We can send ya'll a big old dog in the event you are needing one...
And DoraNineFan:
Scrap metal prices have been going through the roof. This is why wrecks and relics around the globe are in greater danger if not protected or salvaged for preservation.
So true. I wonder about the fate of so many of the WWII training command wrecks here in AZ I've visited over the years. At what point does some doofus decide these are worth "mining" and raid them for scrap value? Our USFS staffs out here in the west are stretched thin at best, and they cannot patrol these areas to assure safety of these "protected" sites.
I'm hoping the 'Stang prop resurfaces for this fellow - like I said, it has all of the appearance of a "collector strike" versus a scrappie, and knowing how people talk and share hangar chatter it may surface. I hope so.
On a positive note, 'Pooner made such of a pain in the neck out of himself to the local coppers that they took him up on an offer to help. When the wings and things went missing from our piles a few weeks back, I offered to be available to anyone on the inside to ID suspected airplane stuff as it comes thru the doors in PHX. At least two departments shoot me e-mails if they hear of anything aviation related turning up as scrap - that is, if they see something in their site inspections or investigations. Really cool!
And thus far I am getting regular calls from at least three big scrappers in the PHX area when they get anything aero looking. Kind of interesting to walk the yards to see what comes in. Thus far nothing really special - or historic (thank goodness!) has come in to these places, but I'm now praying to the aero Gods that maybe I'll have a leg up on hearing about a ball turret or P-51 wing that's been in a shed for 50 years... who knows.
The media attention on our little situation out here was positive - the legit scrap yards want "nada" to do with aerospace or aviation related stuff, and even a few weeks after the fact people are still talking about it.
Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:27 pm
They're all afraid of you Pooner. You know, put a turban on and you kind of look like Osama Bin Laden. he he he!!!!!. If the prop turns up some where local, give me a call, we'll do the recovery thing again. We've got it down to a science by now. BTW, did you get over to Marsh about the S-2 wheels and don't forget to send me the pics you took of the engine parts. Thanks again bud!!!
Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:32 pm
Just thought of something else Pooner. Merle Schauver has that P-51K. I wonder if someone at the hangar in question may have given it to Merle kind of like that guy sold the C-54 nose to you and your buddy. No questions about Merle as he's a first class guy but someone could have used the opportunity to make a quick buck at someone elses expense
Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:47 am
For those with problems with metal theft, I may have the solution....
BIG DOG FOR SALE
Owner Cannot afford to feed him anymore
as there are no more theves, murderers, molesters
or scrap stealing lowlifes left in the neighborhood
left for him to eat.
Most only knew him as "H O L Y S H ! T"
Please send me an email if you are interested and I'll forward it on to Pooner (He'd miss him)........
Mark H
BIG DOG FOR SALE
Owner Cannot afford to feed him anymore
as there are no more theves, murderers, molesters
or scrap stealing lowlifes left in the neighborhood
left for him to eat.
Most only knew him as "H O L Y S H ! T"
Please send me an email if you are interested and I'll forward it on to Pooner (He'd miss him)........
Mark H