Is "Swamp Ghost" still setting on the dock in PNG?

[sgt hawk]

Just saw the thread on the 25 and Lockheed in the jungle in PNG and haven't seen or heard an update on "Swamp Ghost". Does anyone have an update? I don't see anything on the Pacific Wrecks site.

[mustangdriver]

You'd swear that they were moving a B-2

[warbird1]

Last I heard, it was still in legal/internal dispute within PNG. I don't believe it's fate has been determined yet.

[gary1954]

I swear guys, we are surrounded by morons

[mustangdriver]

Why do you say that Gary

[gary1954]

Why do you say that Gary

I am sure that the PNG has reason to want to hang onto the Ghost, and the morons have been paid, so let the plane go. She will do nothin in PN but continue to corrode into nothingness, when she could come here, where we have the capability to return the Ghost to the either the Air or airworthy status in a museum out of the weather. She is one of our old soldiers, and she needs to come. home.

[mustangdriver]

I think the one thing that has the NMUSAF staying out of it is that both aircraft you mentioned are privately owned. The A-20 and the B-17. I think had a deal not been made on the B-17E that mabe NMUSAF would have made some sort of an offer to them. I am not sure that the would do the A-20 deal. I think it would be cool, just not sure if they would do it.

[sgt hawk]

I think some of our "Downunder Brothers" on this site have a better grasp of the political implications in PNG and of course everyone involved seems to be looking for a fee. If the US Gov't leans on these folks I doubt it would help. So sad to see it sit there with the potential of it being slowly scavaged for whatever it will bring. This particular 17 is a "one-of-a-kind" War Veteran and if the Heathens down there want a 17, I'm sure the Talichet fiberglass molds might be an answer. Wish I had the answer!

[Chris Brame]

Instead of giving them one of our display B-17s (which are mostly G models anyway and you know there's going to be somebody over there smarta$$ed enough to complain that it's not "representative" and gum up the works), how about trading a static restoration of the Black Cat Pass plane? It's been the ugly sister to Swamp Ghost for a long time, but it's still relevant to the locale. If leaving that one there means getting SG back to the U.S., I'd be OK with it.

Over to you...

[Nathan]

Seriously if there is no cooperation with the PNG gov'ment then you might as well go in and steal those wrecks. I am serious about that. What good is the PNG doing with rare aircraft wrecks all over the place?

It is so frustrating knowing all these wrecks some really easy to recover and complete airframes are out there and no one can touch them. JEEEZZZUUUSS!

[gary1954]

I suppose they are looking for the gold mine in tourism

[bdk]

...how about trading a static restoration of the Black Cat Pass plane?

Maybe because Swamp Ghost has already been paid for at least once?

[Ken]

I'm sure the Talichet fiberglass molds might be an answer.

I suspect they could care less about having a WWII artifact - they might be happier getting 2 or 3 UH-60 Blackhawks or the like. And it's not like we don't have AMARC airframes (of many types) to spare.

[JDK]

Seriously if there is no cooperation with the PNG gov'ment then you might as well go in and steal those wrecks. I am serious about that.

I hope you aren't. Really not a good idea.

What good is the PNG doing with rare aircraft wrecks all over the place?

Good question. They're the leftovers from a war that the people of PNG didn't start, didn't have any control over and lost a lot of lives in. While the Japanese would've treated the people of PNG worse than the Western mandates, we don't have a great success story to share there either, while acknowledging many good works. It's a tough place which the west has exploited, and operates to different rules to what we might regard as 'normal'.

Be grateful no one's been fighting over your land in living memory, dumping their junk and then demanding it back 60 years later - or you might be pretty antagonistic to foreigners. The positive reception of most westerners in PNG by the locals is a good thing, but some of the rude remarks and arrogant attitudes shown here previously don't help the case, nor impress - and yes, people from PNG do have access to the internet and this forum.

Don't make remarks you'd not be prepared to see about your homeland and people seems reasonable to me.

Maybe because Swamp Ghost has already been paid for at least once?

I've got a nice bridge for you bdk, says 'London' on it and everything.

People will sell other people stuff stuff. Caveat Emptor has been a rule since the Romans. At the least we have an uncompleted deal, interrupted due to a despite over the legality of the sale. Right or wrong? I don't know, but just like a used car or a London bridge, there's a lot of people who get caught out or aren't quite as fast or as clever as they need to be. No disrespect to anyone, even Arizona bridge owners. Doubt there's a consumer affairs office prepared to help on this one.

Maybe thats partly why the RAAF had to negotiate for airframes: private collectors working that quagmire.

I'm not au fait with the details, but that was then, and handled high-level - I think diplomatically. I don't know that that deal could be done now; maybe, maybe not.

The Swamp Ghost situation is a mess, and no one is benefiting and unless someone is smart enough to break the deadlock, with some serious diplomatic skills to handle the case so everyone comes out looking and smelling good, no one will benefit. This wouldn't be the first aircraft lost to posterity due to a failed recovery, and probably not the last. Some people think that an aircraft retains some notional value irrespective of the condition of it, or its decay over time - tragedy when they're the people in control of the machine, and much as some might not like it, it's a factor of fully-unregulated capitalism, going back to bdk's point.

Just a view,

Regards,

[rreis]

The sample issue of Classic Wings (n 26, 2006), which you can read in pdf on their website ( http://www.classicwings.com/sample.html ) has a lenghty article on Swamp Thing and also what seemed to be a good appeal to the PNG gov about the problems faced by these aircraft in the jungle...

werry nice magazine, by the way