Warbird Information Exchange

Does anyone know who to contact to get a chance to see this collection?

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Are you talking about Tom Wood?

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Sure, Charles Lindbergh flew the plane... but Tom Rutledge built the engine!

Visit Django Studios online or Facebook!

Yeah that is the one. I heard it is very impressive.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Chris, you should talk to Trey about this. He was just working on Tom's Bearcat yesterday.

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P-51, The Cadillac of the Sky!

Thanks man, I just fired off a message to him via the powers of facebook.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

I remember growing up there just North of the airport on Interstate 465 there used to be a guy there who had all kinds of stuff you could see in his backyard. Everything from a Snark Missile, several cold war jets F-86, and all kinds of WWII Tanks. All of which were in running order as you would see them on the move for joyrides.

That would be the Ropkey Collection.

It has been moved to Crawfordsville.

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

Wow so there is another place I need to visit.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

When I visited Ropkey's a few years ago, he didn't have any of his aircraft in Crawfordsville yet. Things may have changed by now. His armor collection is definately something to see!

Todd

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Todd Brewer
A&P/IA & Inventory Manager-Purdue University Flight Maintenance

Is it open to the public?

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Indeed it is!

http://www.ropkeyarmormuseum.com/

With my daughter at Purdue I have an excuse to visit the area.

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Had God intended for man to fly behind inline engines, Pratt & Whitney would have made them.

CB

http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/Desrt_Wings.html

The Ropkey Museum is open weekdays. It's just east of I-74, east of Crawfordsville, up in the country a bit. Pretty easy to find, really.

There is a grass strip there, not for the feint of heart. Not an FAA registered airport.

Fred has a Stearman, an Antonov and the X-14 lunar lander VTOL trainer. The X-14 story is quite interesting. It's the real deal, rescued from salvage, and now highly sought by NASA and Smithsonian.

There are numerous tanks, jeeps, trucks, motorcycles and cars there. And everything is in better than new condition and they all run. Occasionally, Fred can be seen running up and down his runway in a Sherman. In the James Garner movie "Tank", that is Fred's tank, and he is driving. I guess for the movies, he's a go to guy. Supposedly the largest private tank collection in the world.

I dont believe Fred is a pilot. His son Rick is the airplane nut. He also at one time had a UH-1 that was ready to go and had a Mowhawk and T-34 project he was working with.

I believe the X-14 is now at FT. Rucker in the Army Aviation Museum. Talking with rick about it when I was there, I know his dad was in negotiations for a long time with NASA and the USAFM. Rick laughed when they offered a gutted out surplus King Air for it.

I dont believe Fred is the largest anymore, but it sure is one HELL of a collection and they are a great friendly group of people.

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Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

I believe Jacques Littlefield of California (died last year) has the world's largest private collection of tanks and military vehicles.

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Todd Brewer
A&P/IA & Inventory Manager-Purdue University Flight Maintenance

Thanks to the help of some on WIX and a great friend, I had the chance to see this collection today.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager