Kee Bird?

[Chris Brame]

There is a Lockheed Lodestar that was bellied into a swamp near Quebec, CA in the early 60's that is currently being recovered in the same manner as the Kee Bird. They will be flying out as it's the only way feasible to them. Her name is "Bush Baby".

That's CF-CPA; no news on that one for a while...

[Rocket88]

I know, kind of a let down!

[wingman1]

does anyone have recent pic's they can share please? thanks in advance.

[Rocket88]

I have one from this year. I will post tomorrow.

[Rocket88]

[wingman1]

wow i thought it was under frozen-water? that could still be salvaged ?

[sandiego89]

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wow i thought it was under frozen-water? that could still be salvaged ?

Wingman, the fire was pretty extensive. The fuselage was pretty much burned out, with the tail falling off pretty quickly. The fire then consumed much of the fuselage, essentially gutting it and breaking it into several pieces. The wings, engines and props are essentially intact and would be likely be the only meaningfull pieces that are salvagable.

[Rocket88]

About the best you can hope for there is two good wing panels. I've heard from a couple souces that Darryl pulled the drain plugs from the engines before they pulled out to keep anyone from profiting from his work. Nevertheless, even if this weren't true, in the summertime when the lake she rests in melts the water level submerges the engines well over the crankshaft center line. As notorious of an oil leaker as the R3350s were, they would have no problem taking on water, especially since the water level quite clearly rises above the exhaust dump, with the collector ring passing water to all the cylinders. The time to salvage parts would have been right after the fire. The engines have been sitting in water for almost 20 years now and are in all probability, junk.

Someone did make off with engine number 4 and its corresponding nacelle. Most if not all of the tail is missing as well. I've been told of a few B29s kicking around the states that cannot fly due to cracked or corroded wing spars. The ends probably do not justify the means just to go up for a set of wings, especially since the Danish government said "no more!" And would probably make you take it all if you were granted salvage rights.

[wingman1]

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wow i thought it was under frozen-water? that could still be salvaged ?

Wingman, the fire was pretty extensive. The fuselage was pretty much burned out, with the tail falling off pretty quickly. The fire then consumed much of the fuselage, essentially gutting it and breaking it into several pieces. The wings, engines and props are essentially intact and would be likely be the only meaningfull pieces that are salvagable.

looks like to me the Tail got blown over the tail Rocket88's pic when viewed on Photobucket showes what look like a piece of the tail FORWARD of the nose remain's. i bet engine number 4 and its corresponding nacelle IS there but underwater.

[cwmc]

That said, a pal of mine was at the Bas HQ at Thule at the time and he's told me that there was no way they'd have allowed the Kee Bird to leave if it'd gotten there. He's said they evern looked into where they'd store the bird once the refused to let it leave except in crates on a ship. The plan as I was told was that they'd have demanded that the B-29 meet all FAA requirements (and any other nations' that they could invoke) to let it fly out and were fully ready to cacoon the bird in a thick layer of red tape. "They were never going to leave the base in that plane once they got there," he recently told me.

Not doubting your story. But if that's the case, why would they have allowed Greenamyer to use Thule as a base of operations for the Caribou to ferry stuff out to the Kee Bird? The story your pal told you doesn't make sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something here. And for the record, I too was heartbroken they didn't make it out although I had serious doubts Greenamyer was going to pull it off.

Yeah,
Since it was in the same shape as the B-29!
Chris...

[cwmc]

Was the intent on the initial leg to do a stop at Thule?
You are right, For taxiing to the Ice, he was doing a pretty good clip. What gets me still was not that the makeshift gas can for the apu but that he kind of hints that Some one left it running but yet as Gary A said years ago that its required to be running for take off.

No. it was not. Guys that don't fly get these ideas about stuff and then it's their personal reality. You know that, Jeff.
They left the APU running with the makeshift tank. And that they forgot that it needed to be re-rigged. Or that no one but Darryl knew the airplane was about to go 4 wheelin'. That's how I took it.
And how about them taking someone up there with a Cat full time, while they were doing cylinder changes and messing with the airplanes, that was just making a runway with a bulldozer. A good dozer guy could've made a hell of a 5000 foot runway in a week with a little D-8.
Chris...

[Dave Downs]

[/quote]

A good dozer guy could've made a heck of a 5000 foot runway in a week with a little D-8.
Chris...[/quote]

I hope you were kidding about a 'little D-8'

A D-8 R-series runs over 70,000 lbs and burns about 12 gallons an hour

Pictured is me in an older D-8 N



Getting it there and fueling it would be a problem..............................

[maxum96]

They didn't have a D-8 up there. Here's a picture of the John Deere dozer (looks like a JD350) they used with Darryl driving and the Caribou pilot Roger Von Grote behind him.

[Rocket88]

If the number 4 engine is there, it is not on the wing any longer. You would be able to see it better than number 3 because it sits further out on the wing, hence higher. The tail I dunno, looks like a part of it in the water but hard to tell.

[wingman1]

If the number 4 engine is there, it is not on the wing any longer. You would be able to see it better than number 3 because it sits further out on the wing, hence higher. The tail I dunno, looks like a part of it in the water but hard to tell.

left and slightly forward of the nose? maybe we could get a timeline of photos together and be able to see something?