Seeking info on early warbird collector: Earl Reinert

[Chris Brame]

As I posted in March of '05, with some corrections:

Earl's a/c:
Lockheed 18 CF-TCY ex-Trans Canada Airlines, last owner Canadian Department of Transportation, derelict at Midway Airport circa '61; Earl got it, sold the engines and displayed it as "Ole Boomerang" ER-V, and I added the Hudson IIIA serial BW409. Last I heard it was at the WCAM in Vancouver. Any updates on this plane? Their website doesn't list it.
YP-47M 42-27385 ex-Bill Odom, now with Yanks.
TB-25N 44-30243 N17666 now on outside display in B-25B Tokyo Raiders markings at Pendelton Air Museum, OR.
PBY-6A BuNo 64002 N331RS rear fuselage now at NMUSAF (used for parts for OA-10).
A-26C 44-35590 N3248G now owned by Kermit Weeks, currently under restoration at Aero Trader.
F7U Cutlass forward fuselage, BuNo unknown - looked pockmarked as if cut up with a torch - possibly ex-NAS Glenview.
T-33 forward fuselage, s/n unknown.
Ohka now at Yanks.
AT-11 wreck N81Y painted as Japanese transport, ex John Ortseifen? Its nose glass was metaled over. Earl told me that it got wrecked at Chicagoland Airport when the pilot tried to take off overloaded on a 90-degree day with no wind. Its registration was transferred to:
AT-11 42-37240, ex-N7341C,



which showed up at the VAM around 1980 after what must have been long-term inside storage; now with Lone Star Museum of Flight.
F6F-3 BuNo 08831. Basically a fuselage, wing center section and landing gear. Tail to Ed Maloney, rest to Charlie Nichols.
Larry Matt:
Spitfire FR MK XIVe RM927 ex-Belgium. Fuselage stored in crate.
Amilio (Paul) Polidori:
AT-6F/SNJ-6 44-81957/BuNo 111966 N9828C, now N890DB
Taylorcraft BC-12 N44340 (Paul and his passenger were killed in the crash of this aircraft on June 28, 1985).
Also, Doug Goss's T-6G 49-2897 N7197C was based there (and was my first and only Warbird ride, to Oshkosh in '81), as well as a Citabria flown by a fellow named Gary who towed banners. Several ultralights were based there as well (one crashed into the Loadstar).
I'm sure there was a lot more, especially parts like the P-43 landing gear, a PBY nose turret, and a PB4Y elevator and aileron. I really do miss Earl; he had a great sense of humor - when the two guys who were going to ferry B-25H N5548N from where it had been parked for eleven years asked Earl what kind of equipment they should bring for the flight, he told them "Two coffins!"

The burnt garage was next to Paul Polidori's house; it burned in 1981. The casualties were a Dodge pickup truck and a partly completed homebuilt biplane belonging to Paul's son Roger.

Jay, were you there in 1979-81? That's when I hung out with Earl, Ray, Paul, Doug, a balloonist named Jack Frost, and a budding filmmaker named Alex Gloeckler who built a cockpit mockup of a P-47 and filmed a lot of miniature explosions culminating with him playing the pilot getting his own head blown off with a lot of squibs and fake blood. Good times, good times...

And the Buffalo? I got the impression from Earl that it still existed, buried under the floor of that barn in Beloit, Wisconsin... who knows?

[Dan K]

This is getting fun. Did/Does Earl's Buffalo truly exist, urban legend, or a manifestation of his sense of humor?

So what was the connection with Beloit? Did Mr. Polidori live there? Did the Reinert brothers own property there? Maybe a barn raid is in order!

[AirJimL2]

As I posted in March of '05, with some corrections:

Earl's a/c:
Lockheed 18 CF-TCY ex-Trans Canada Airlines, last owner Canadian Department of Transportation, derelict at Midway Airport circa '61; Earl got it, sold the engines and displayed it as "Ole Boomerang" ER-V, and I added the Hudson IIIA serial BW409. Last I heard it was at the WCAM in Vancouver. Any updates on this plane? Their website doesn't list it.

WCAM is in Winnipeg. The Lockheed went to the Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, B.C. The plane is not at their Museum, but it sitting at Delta Air Park. I'm not sure who it belongs to at this point. There is a photo of it on jetphotos.net and you can see it here:

http://www3.telus.net/airpark/

Jim

[bdk]

Taylorcraft BC-12 N44340 (Paul and his passenger were killed in the crash of this aircraft on June 28, 1985).

I hung out there from 1976 to 1979.

What were the circumstances of the accident? Any idea who the passenger was?

There were some really interesting folks that hung around there. Earl was convinced that Skylab would burn up upon re-entry and the remains would land in his backyard in Arlington Heights...

[Chris Brame]

Here's the link to the FAA accident report:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_i ... 6689&key=1

Sort of a strange accident; the NTSB's best guess was that the passenger (whose name I've forgotten; he was a neighbor of Paul's who did a lot of photography) may have interfered with the controls after having a heart attack.

[ww2John]

According to the March 2006 issue of (EAA) Warbirds, in Race Historian A. Kevin Grantham's Article on the Bendix Trophy Races, Earl Reinert owned a Lockheed F-5G that was piloted in the 1947 Bendix by Jane Page "the only female to complete the 1947 event...finished in ninth place." Later in the article it indicates that she "...picked up $ 1,000 dollars as the fastest female finisher. She also placed sixth in the women's Halle Trophy race."

Can any Wixers shed additional light on Earl's "air racing" involvement?

thanks, john

[RMAllnutt]

I seem to remember that Earl was on Bill Odom's racing team, and helped Odom obtain the YP-47M (sole survivor of its type). Other than that, I am unsure.

On another note. Walter Soplata and Earl Reinert were good friends too. Walt has at least one of Earl's air frames, the fuselage of a P-47D. I saw it when I was at Walt's place about ten years ago. It looked in pretty good shape too. No wings though, and can't remember the serial number. I probably have it on a photograph somewhere and can check if anyone needs to know.

Cheers,
Richard

"THE RIENERT BUFFALO"

I have heard of this celestial buffalo for almost 40 years. In the late 1960's I heard of this never seen always hinted at myth, housed in some far off secret hanger.

I know Earl had Buffalo parts but never thought much about it, he had lots of cool STUFF.

If there is any group of experts who could solve the REINERT BUFFALO myth this forum can.

Personally I think it was in or under one of the small buildings on the air strip.

2-possibilities

1. It's rotten in the ground in northern Ill. or southern Wisc.
OR
2. never happened and Earl is still LAUGHIN' his butt off

Steve

[T J Johansen]

*SIX* Me-109s (really HA-1112s) - Belonged to John Lowe and Larry Matt, since sold off

Who, and what kind of guys were they? Collectors, restorers... If I remember correctly they also owned (at least) a pair of Spitfire XIV projects as well.

T J

[bdk]

Who, and what kind of guys were they? Collectors, restorers... If I remember correctly they also owned (at least) a pair of Spitfire XIV projects as well.

They bought some of the aircraft when the Battle of Britain movie fleet was liquidated. As I recall, the Spitfire "in the crate" had two same-hand wings. Larry Matt was restoring one of the HA-1112s, but apparently never completed it before it was sold.

Larry Matt told me that he used to fly a T-34 and sold Lefty Gardner his P-51 "Thunderbird." John Lowe had a nice collection of military vehicles at the time as well. I last saw Larry and John (who had parted company over a dispute) back in about 1986 and have lost touch.

Not sure if either of them are still around. I know Larry had lost part of a lung to cancer.

[bentwingbomber]

The corsair drop tanks went to Louis Antonacci for his FG-1D 88297

Which is now owned by The Fighter Collection, Duxford UK

150 gallon Mk 5s

[DIK SHEPHERD]

As I recall, there was a B-36 that was cut up by the Air Force Museum. It was used to store parts in.

[RickH]

Dik, Walter Soplata has a B-36 full of parts.

[Chris Brame]

I visited Earl's house in Arlington Heights a couple times; he showed me a photo of himself at age 17 in the cockpit of the F-5G. One thing he always wanted to do was to write a book about the history of aviation in Chicago; he had a ton of photos for it.

Another time he showed us a stack of P-47 belly fairings he'd stored away; one was painted yellow and had a red light on it that the others didn't - maybe from a formation ship? Anybody ever see a yellow P-47?

[AirJimL2]

The two Spitfires always associated with Matt and Lowe are RM694 and RM927. I guess at best they just had fuselages and some wing parts off other aircraft? Anyone have any current info on these birds? They seem to have fallen off the radar.

Jim