Warbird Information Exchange

I don't know if this has been posted but I just checked out Courtesy and I see the CAF's C-60 Lady Lodestar is up for sale. Ran into a ditch a few years back and got pretty dinged up but it is repairable. If this has already been posted I will delete.

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The more I learn about aircraft, the more I realize I still have to learn.

What did I say when the good old Midland boys put the first CAF plane up for sale? Something about the first of a landslide coming or something like that. Got grief from some saying I didn't know what I was talking about. O.K. all you CAFer's...don't worry about it until they come to get your plane and sell it, or at the least send it to some other unit that has money and all you did is put 25 years labor into it.

Isn't that the one out here in Suffolk? The Old Dominion wing has been having an awful time trying to get her repaired and operational again over the past few years; they don't have much of a budget, apparently, and with the loss of their other aircraft in a crash a few years back (an S-2), this doesn't come as a great surprise. I'm sure the local CAF guys are just sick about it- they don't lack for heart or enthusiasm- but unfortunately that's not enough to get the damaged bird back into the air. Hopefully she'll be picked up and restored by an individual or organization with the resources to devote to it.

Lynn

Well I guess I’m one of those good old CAF boys! It has never been a secret we are all aware that it doesn’t matter how many years or dollars or blood and sweat you put into a project if you can’t raise the money to keep it going it goes back to Midland. “They” by the way is “us”. The board is elected by the membership. Even if the plane doesn’t fly it must be insured and by November 2011 they all must be hangared. It will cost the CAF membership $3,000.00 a year just to watch our non-flying C-46 collect dust. The CAF unlike Washington can’t print money. The CAF is a non-profit. If we must divest ourselves of some aircraft to insure the survival of the organization then we must.

Check out the website for more on the Loadstar.


http://www.courtesyaircraft.com/Current ... 20Spec.htm

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Hey Dan maybe I missed a post somewhere but can you tell us why they will all need to be hangared/(does this mean grounded(?)) in Nov 2011?
Thanks
Chuck

Hi Chuck,

We were informed recently that all CAF aircraft were to be hangared by November 2011. Yes we will still fly. Our aircraft need to be in secure hangars for a number of obvious reasons. I fear that some wings will be unable to comply with the decision and that will force some reassignments. Our C-46 is an example. We can’t afford to fly her this year so we were planning on flying her back to Midland, but since we have until 2011 maybe we can find a way to get her hangared before then.

Sorry for the confusion!

Dan

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Ober, sorry to say you are still wrong and apparently still bitter at the CAF for whatever reason. This aircraft was wrecked and there was an effort to restore it but funds, time, etc. prevented that from happening. IIRC it was up for assignment and therefore was offered to all units who felt able to restore it. I don't agree with the selling of any aircraft, but the current administration and board have decided it's the best thing to do. As Dan accurately put it, the board is comprised of 'us'. The CAF is NOT actively stealing units/sponsor groups aircraft and selling them as you are trying to portray. If we had the money it would stay with us, but sometimes we have to pass assets on to those who can properly take care of them. In my eyes that is the honorable thing to do as much as it pains me.

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Taylor Stevenson

Chuck,

It's been a CAF reg for a long time that all CAF aircraft must be hangared. This reg was way prior to the attempts to beef up security for GA aircraft, post 9/11. The original intent was to preserve the CAF aircraft by protecting them with a roof over their heads and walls around them. In the CenTex Wing hangar is a T-34 that looks like a golfball, due to a beating it took during a hail storm when it was kept out on the ramp. It's privately owned by a CAF member, who didn't want to pay hangar rent for it. That was before the CenTex Wing acquired our current hangar.

That reg was not enforced across the board. Large planes, like the C-46, and some not so large ones, were allowed to remain outside. The reg wasn't forcefully enforced. Now the CAF has decided that we have regs for a reason, and if we have a reg, we should either do away with it, or enforce it. Plenty of advance notice was given, about a month ago, saying that all units and sponsor groups have until Fall, 2011, to come into compliance. Further, if a hangar is not available at their present location, and there is no expectation that one will, the unit should consider relocating the aircraft. I think they were very nice to give everyone almost two years notice, with a soft date of "Fall", instead of either just giving a week or month, or saying "as of tomorrow". I don't believe the CAF is trying to force all of the aircraft to return to Midland, just that they are wanting to be sure they are being good custodians of these American treasures.

Great to hear that the China Doll hasn't been given up on! Best of luck, as I sure would love to see her continue to fly at airshows.

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Mike

Those of us that cared for, flew, showed and have been heart broken over the status of Lady Lodestar, will be happy to see her go to a good home. We tried to get the money together to keep her and failed. HQ tried to find someone within the CAF and had no luck. We hope that she goes to a good home, is repaired and returned to flight status.
To the folks that have helped us keep her in the air and the shows that supported us, we are forever in your debt.
Bob
C-60A "Lady Lodestar" Asst. Crew Chief
ODS Operations Officer

Hi Dan,
I'm curious? What is the annuac on the C-46, and is she fully funded?
Thanks,

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Scott Apple
Experience on the following aircraft: B-17, B-25, He111, T-6/SNJ, C-45/D18S, O2A, L-19, Various General Aviation, and Corporate Aircraft.

Bob,
Extremely sad to hear about the Lodestar, that is the first real warbird that I had ever flown on. I remember the first flight out of PVG. With ed And Daryll Flying. Daryll was a great help getting me into flying. But the times I had with the ODS made my saty in the tidewater area great, sometimes wish I could move back there. If I had the money I would buy and restore her. How is the OY-1 coming along?

Hey Scott. If you can talk the rest of the Wing into getting her assigned to us, them I'm in for a squadron membership and will participate in maintenance

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The more I learn about aircraft, the more I realize I still have to learn.

The problem is getting air show bookings. I don’t recall the annuac but I was told it was costing us around $1800 an hour to operate. Parking her costs us $3000.00 per year. She makes that in tourist donations. Just keeping everyone current costs a fortune. Unless we find a sugar daddy she stays parked. We are trying to figure a way to get her in the hangar but that is still up in the air, pun intended. She fits but there isn’t much room left over.


Dan

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Obergrafeter,
I would like to know where you were at when Our C-60 had its incident and were asking for help and donations to get her back in the air? I was on the staff Of ODS when the decision was made to turn her back into HQ and trust me it was a very painfull decision to make. This aircraft was the backbone of our Squadron and was literally our lifeblood. HQ did not, I repeat, DID NOT take this aircraft from us, it was our decision and ours alone to return the aircraft to HQ. We realised it was beyond our means (approximately $150,000-$200,000) to get her back in the air so we made the decision to give another unit the chance to do her justice but as you can see no other squadron has stepped up to take her so HQ made the only logical decision in this matter and decide to sell it. I do not blame HQ for this and I feel this is the best thing for her instead of just letting her rot on the tarmac where she sits. So if you wouldn't mind, please ask the parties involved before shooting from the hip.

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Col Craig Duck
Life Member CAF
Life Member YAF
Life Member EAA

Not shooting from the hip, but if you remember that several of the other planes sold were flyers, and I never said HQ took the C-60 from you all against your will. A couple of other planes fall into that catagory. Selling a plane that we have more than one of is one thing, but the one ofs is another. Midland needs the money so it is OK...don't expect you will see any of it, just a drop in your annuac and everything is good.