Navy Plane found in Otay Lakes, San Diego, CA

[mustangdriver]

THey do, and I think it is and should be this one. The national museums get more visitors than most of the other museums. The NMUSAF had over a million visitors last year. People take vacations to see the national museums, while others are on vacations and will swing by the Midway, or the SanDiego Air Museum. Not taking anything at all away from either of those two venues, just that the National collection for Naval Aviators needs to get a Helldiver. It is the same thing as being in the Hall of Fame. There are a few Helldiver projects out there that are going to fly, so there should be no trouble having this one come to NMNA and be static.

[bdk]

How many folks attend San Diego Air & Space every year?

How many people attend the Midway Museum every year?

Seriously..........?????

Chris and Owen, do the visitors attract the displays or do the displays attract the visitors? I'm not clear what your point is?????

P.S. More people would probably see it if it was flying and toured the country if that is the only important criteria. I mean Oshkosh alone probably gets over 500,000 visitors in a week...

Since all the truly inportant museums only have statics though, I would vote for SDAM.

[jdvoss]

Inasmuch as both Otay and nearby Sweetwater Reservoirs were used for torpedo & bombing ranges it think it would be prudent to do a scan of the bottoms of both areas. I wouldn't be surprised if more forgotten aircraft could be found laying on the bottom.

[mustangdriver]

How many folks attend San Diego Air & Space every year?

How many people attend the Midway Museum every year?

Seriously..........?????

Chris and Owen, do the visitors attract the displays or do the displays attract the visitors? I'm not clear what your point is?????

P.S. More people would probably see it if it was flying and toured the country if that is the only important criteria. I mean Oshkosh alone probably gets over 500,000 visitors in a week...

Since all the truly inportant museums only have statics though, I would vote for SDAM.

Luckily we already have a helldiver that does that with the CAF.

[Taras]

I have developed a new method to recover airplanes; it uses hot air produced by bloggers.

It would be nice to see the great ideas bloggers have to secure the ten of millions of dollars needed to recover and restore the airplanes for all the museums that wish to have them. Or perhaps the bloggers have the money to donate.

Since so many of you have so much to say about this airplane, there must be many letters on the desk of Buddy Macon about the Michigan F6F to help that process move forward. If you have not sent one you are just wrong.

Advancement comes from the three “C’s.”

Conflict
Competition
Cooperation

The Otay SB2C’s circle of life began in the World War II conflict.

The aircraft was built as a result of a competitive contract.

For it to be recovered there will have to be a lot of cooperation.

Are you part of the solutions?

[Owen Miller]

Very well put, Taras!

[Jesse C.]

Well, I am going to be talking to a few folks that are both in the SDAM and the Navy this friday and see what the story is. No doubt the bird will fly east.

BTW, I got the chance to take a pic at some really cool sonar shots of the plane, and it looks nice!

[mustangdriver]

I meant no disrespect to the SAnDiego Museum or the Midway, just that we have the National collection of naval aircraft that no longer has a Helldiver due to a circumstance that is not their fault, and now has the chance to replace it, and that it is important to get a Helldiver into that collection. I think the other two museums are just great.

[Django]

Anyone know anything about this one?

Given the distict shortage of Helldivers has anyone ever determined the disposition or location of the SB2C-4 Helldiver that I discovered on Saipan Island in the Marianas ? Sure it was a corroded mess but certainly salvageable for a rebuild.

[img][img]http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr240/jdvoss/SB2C4.jpg[/img][/img]

[Taras]

I just got off the telephone with an 86 year old SBD/SB2C pilot who had written a letter to NNAM about the F6F. He asked what is the next call to action. I told him I am being a loose cannon, but I think the funds for the SB2C need to be found. He then asked where to send his check for thousands of dollars to help make the project happen.

Is the WIX all talk talk or can they join a call to action?

There is no battle between San Diego and NNAM. Think for a second, how all this stuff gets done without the museums having good relationships with NNAM. Every aviation museum wants the aircraft, in fact I want the airplane for out on my horse farm, which is the best place for it, in my expert opinion. I will build my museum around the plane when I get it (I am joking).

Well are you guys going to help or just keep talking trash?

[bdk]

I have developed a new method to recover airplanes; it uses hot air produced by bloggers.

Interesting perspective from the the one that seems likely to benefit financially from this recovery, or are you doing this one for free? There are plenty of individuals and organizations that have the wherewithal AND experience to recover this aircraft (remember Dottie Mae?). The problem is, in my opinion, that they don't have a snowball's chance in gaining title to the aircraft. Let's put it on eBay and see where it goes. I'll bet it would be more valuable to a private organization than where it will ultimately end up (the usual suspects).

[Matt Gunsch]

I meant no disrespect to the SAnDiego Museum or the Midway, just that we have the National collection of naval aircraft that no longer has a Helldiver due to a circumstance that is not their fault.

If I remember right, the Navy at one time had over 7,000 SB2C Helldivers, I wonder where they all went....... some were lost in combat and training flights, but alot survived the war, but where did the remainder go........oh thats right, they SCRAPPED them all. It seems they had thier chance at one time.

Let San Diego keep thier heritage.

[tex-fan]

i copied this off of www.warbirdalley.com ,
Only 26 of the 7,000 Helldivers built found their way to the other services; the plane was so valuable in the Pacific theater that the Navy absorbed nearly every plane. Postwar, the Helldiver found further use with the French, Italian, Greek and Portuguese Navies and the Royal Thai Air Force.
and wikipedia says
One SB2C Helldiver is still flying. Owned by the Commemorative Air Force, this late-production SB2C-5 (BuNo. 83589) built in 1945 is based in Graham, Texas and makes frequent air show appearances. In 1982, it experienced engine failure and a hard emergency landing that caused extensive damage; volunteers of the CAF put in thousands of man-hours and spent in excess of $200,000 to restore the aircraft to flying condition once more.
Other surviving airframes include

A-25A "Shrike" (s/n 42-80449) is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
SB2C-5, BuNo. 83479 from the National Air and Space Museum, displayed at Naval Air Station Pensacola
SB2C-3, BuNo. 19075 at the Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California
SB2C-5, BuNo. 83321 at the Hellenic Air Force Museum, Tatoi Air Base, Greece
SB2C-5, BuNo. 83410 at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Don Muang AB, Bangkok

so it looks like it is REALLY is a very rear plane. i just hope SOMEBODY, ANYBODY preserves it.

[Ethan]

THey do, and I think it is and should be this one. The national museums get more visitors than most of the other museums. The NMUSAF had over a million visitors last year. People take vacations to see the national museums, while others are on vacations and will swing by the Midway, or the SanDiego Air Museum. Not taking anything at all away from either of those two venues, just that the National collection for Naval Aviators needs to get a Helldiver. It is the same thing as being in the Hall of Fame. There are a few Helldiver projects out there that are going to fly, so there should be no trouble having this one come to NMNA and be static.

I was just At the NMUSAF about 3 hours ago and it seemed to me that 80% of the people there were just local who had nothing else to do ,not because they like airplanes. When you think about it Ohio doesn't have much of a tourist trade. The only people crazy enough to actully make going to see a bunch of old airplanes into a vaccation are people like us, and there arnt too many of us.

[gale_dono]

I personally wouldn't mind seeing it back here in Columbus, considering the good chance it was built here, along with a good other number of aircraft by Curtiss and NAA (of which there is little to commemorate the fact.)