Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:10 pm
APG85 wrote:His homeowners association must be pissed!!!!
I think the Homeowners Association's only stipulation is that there can't be any cars stored outside the garage!!!
Probably a big loophole!!!!
Nice photos. It's changed somewhat since I was there in 1985, and I don't mean just sold off airframes.
Jerry
Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:15 pm
Airdales wrote:APG85 wrote:His homeowners association must be pissed!!!!
I don't think there are any house nazi's are around there
Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:56 pm
Matt Gunsch wrote:Airdales wrote:APG85 wrote:His homeowners association must be pissed!!!!
I don't think there are any house nazi's are around there
You kidding me? The Neighbors were in competition with Walter until they got out-classed by a Peacemaker
Yep a B-36 trumps 8 chevies, 3 fords 2 refigerators and 3 and half toilets.
Here's a question.
I thought Walter had or has 2 B-25s not just one. One had a 8 ball on the green house and the other said Wild Cargo on it. I only see 1 Mitchell in the pictures what happen to the other one and which is which?
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:02 pm
I thought Walter had or has 2 B-25s not just one. One had a 8 ball on the green house and the other said Wild Cargo on it. I only see 1 Mitchell in the pictures what happen to the other one and which is which?
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis[/quote]
do a search on here for WILD CARGO
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis[/quote]
do a search on here for WILD CARGO
Sun Jun 11, 2006 6:53 pm
"Wild Cargo" used to reside next to the Skyraider. Some of the passages in Walter's yard are so narrow, I'd like to have seen them dismantling and removing the B-25, P-82 and FG2. Should've been interesting.
Jerry
Jerry
Sun Jun 11, 2006 7:37 pm
Airdales wrote:"Wild Cargo" used to reside next to the Skyraider. Some of the passages in Walter's yard are so narrow, I'd like to have seen them dismantling and removing the B-25, P-82 and FG2. Should've been interesting.
Jerry
Is this the B-25 in question?
http://www.fighterfactory.net/aircraft- ... istory.php
Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:54 pm
He's also parted with a P-51 and a BT-13, possibly others.
Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:58 pm
Matt, APG85, Randy et al--
Boy, go offline for a day or so and miss the best Walt thread in ages! That'll learn me...But then I've been to CWH and to the Russell airshow over the past three days, so it's a tradeoff.
That Mitchell, now owned by Jerry Yagen and recently returned to flight status as Rob says, was acquired in the early nineties by Steven Detch in Georgia, possibly along with some parts of another Mitchell from Walt's. The "two" 25s mentioned above are actually the same one, the ex-C.C. Wilson exotic-animal transport, an ex-nav trainer that had an "8-ball" logo on the extreme nose and the name "WILD CARGO" crudely daubed onto the starboard forward fuselage. It bellylanded at Lunken Field in Cincinnati in the early 60s, the very intact wreck being acquired by Walt for his collection. This was the one Mr Detch got and which is now flyable with Jerry Yagen in Virginia. Interestingly the "WILD CARGO" name was reapplied, in the same slapdash style, when the rebuild was completed! The other complete Mitchell in Walt's collection is (iirc) 44-86708, a TB-25N, bone stock down to its original 50s USAF livery (codes "BD:708"). That one is still at Newbury. Not counting typos, though, there were three distinct Mitchell serials reported in Walt's collection; and Mr Detch, in the first reports of his acquisition of a Mitchell from Walt, was said to have obtained TWO Mitchells. My guess is he got "Wild Cargo" plus parts of a third, incomplete, Mitchell hulk there...I didn't notice a third Mitchell when I was there decades ago, but geez, there had to be tons of stuff I simply missed, or didn't recognize even if I looked right at them! I shot two rolls of film on the first visit and another on the second, but wish I'd shot ten times as many each time. (Walt didn't mind photos being taken back then.)
As to the "Soplata Memorial Museum" concept...I've dreamt of that. (Literally. Very strange dream involving a Sea Fury parked in the rain at the bottom of a flight of stairs, and a smashing-looking brunette museum docent...) But seriously, it would be marvelous to have some of the less viable projects there statically restored and on show under one roof. Do I think that will happen? No. Would I love to see it (during my waking hours)? Yep! But...as to approaching Walt and/or Peggy about buying the whole "fleet", that's already been done, a couple times at least, and it isn't profitable. At this stage I think even those with the towering financial means to make great things of Walt's rescued birds, would best honour the man's wishes to be left alone. (It's out of respect for this that I have made no attempt to contact Walt since last seeing him, at Mt.Hope, in the late 80s. He might remember me, since I put him on the trail of a couple of his more unusual relics; but even so, nowadays he wants privacy, so that's that. It was heartening, though, to read Randy's report a couple years back and see plainly that the original Walt, the enthusiast, is still there under the surface.) If someday there is an auction at Newbury...I'll be there. Probably not in a position to be bidding: but just for the sheer history of it...
APG85, thanx for starting the thread; Randy, for the pix; and Walt, for rescuing all those treasures-with-wings when nobody else cared...
S.
Boy, go offline for a day or so and miss the best Walt thread in ages! That'll learn me...But then I've been to CWH and to the Russell airshow over the past three days, so it's a tradeoff.
That Mitchell, now owned by Jerry Yagen and recently returned to flight status as Rob says, was acquired in the early nineties by Steven Detch in Georgia, possibly along with some parts of another Mitchell from Walt's. The "two" 25s mentioned above are actually the same one, the ex-C.C. Wilson exotic-animal transport, an ex-nav trainer that had an "8-ball" logo on the extreme nose and the name "WILD CARGO" crudely daubed onto the starboard forward fuselage. It bellylanded at Lunken Field in Cincinnati in the early 60s, the very intact wreck being acquired by Walt for his collection. This was the one Mr Detch got and which is now flyable with Jerry Yagen in Virginia. Interestingly the "WILD CARGO" name was reapplied, in the same slapdash style, when the rebuild was completed! The other complete Mitchell in Walt's collection is (iirc) 44-86708, a TB-25N, bone stock down to its original 50s USAF livery (codes "BD:708"). That one is still at Newbury. Not counting typos, though, there were three distinct Mitchell serials reported in Walt's collection; and Mr Detch, in the first reports of his acquisition of a Mitchell from Walt, was said to have obtained TWO Mitchells. My guess is he got "Wild Cargo" plus parts of a third, incomplete, Mitchell hulk there...I didn't notice a third Mitchell when I was there decades ago, but geez, there had to be tons of stuff I simply missed, or didn't recognize even if I looked right at them! I shot two rolls of film on the first visit and another on the second, but wish I'd shot ten times as many each time. (Walt didn't mind photos being taken back then.)
As to the "Soplata Memorial Museum" concept...I've dreamt of that. (Literally. Very strange dream involving a Sea Fury parked in the rain at the bottom of a flight of stairs, and a smashing-looking brunette museum docent...) But seriously, it would be marvelous to have some of the less viable projects there statically restored and on show under one roof. Do I think that will happen? No. Would I love to see it (during my waking hours)? Yep! But...as to approaching Walt and/or Peggy about buying the whole "fleet", that's already been done, a couple times at least, and it isn't profitable. At this stage I think even those with the towering financial means to make great things of Walt's rescued birds, would best honour the man's wishes to be left alone. (It's out of respect for this that I have made no attempt to contact Walt since last seeing him, at Mt.Hope, in the late 80s. He might remember me, since I put him on the trail of a couple of his more unusual relics; but even so, nowadays he wants privacy, so that's that. It was heartening, though, to read Randy's report a couple years back and see plainly that the original Walt, the enthusiast, is still there under the surface.) If someday there is an auction at Newbury...I'll be there. Probably not in a position to be bidding: but just for the sheer history of it...
APG85, thanx for starting the thread; Randy, for the pix; and Walt, for rescuing all those treasures-with-wings when nobody else cared...
S.
Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:16 pm
Hi again--
Not responding to myself, but to Rob M's post above which came in after I started replying. Here's what I believe is all the aircraft that have left Newbury since about 1980:
P-51D N69X hulk, reported to Brian O'Farrell ca. 80
TB-25K "Wild Cargo" possibly plus parts, to S. Detch ca.90/Jerry Yagen
P-80A Bu 29689, reported for sale in CA ca.89, now at NMNA Pensacola
BT-13 (s/n escapes me), now with Dan Jones in Alberta
O-52A (s/n also escapes me), to Polar, now privately owned in Midwest
EF-82E NACA 133, to Polar, now under rebuild to fly by C&P Aviation, MN
F2G-2 Bu 88463/NX5577N, to Crawford Museum ca.99/rest Bob Odegaard
S.
Not responding to myself, but to Rob M's post above which came in after I started replying. Here's what I believe is all the aircraft that have left Newbury since about 1980:
P-51D N69X hulk, reported to Brian O'Farrell ca. 80
TB-25K "Wild Cargo" possibly plus parts, to S. Detch ca.90/Jerry Yagen
P-80A Bu 29689, reported for sale in CA ca.89, now at NMNA Pensacola
BT-13 (s/n escapes me), now with Dan Jones in Alberta
O-52A (s/n also escapes me), to Polar, now privately owned in Midwest
EF-82E NACA 133, to Polar, now under rebuild to fly by C&P Aviation, MN
F2G-2 Bu 88463/NX5577N, to Crawford Museum ca.99/rest Bob Odegaard
S.
Mon Jun 12, 2006 5:44 am
a TB-25N, bone stock down to its original 50s USAF livery (codes "BD:708"). That one is still at Newbury.
From the photos posted that TB-25 looks farirly complete. Is it listed in the warbird registry?
Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:55 am
Randy Haskin wrote:There are some informative posts right here on WIX about him, including Mike Henniger's compilation of the Soplata airframes (taken from numerous sources).
The latest edition of the Soplata list can be found on my website at...
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Walter Soplata Aviation Collection Mike
Last edited by mrhenniger on Fri May 11, 2012 10:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:25 pm
mrhenniger wrote:Randy Haskin wrote:There are some informative posts right here on WIX about him, including Mike Henniger's compilation of the Soplata airframes (taken from numerous sources).
The latest edition of the Soplata list can be found on my website at...
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Other.html
Mike
Hey, it says they are restoring the F2G in Sevierville, TN. That's just up the road from me. I'll ask them about it the next time I'm up there.
BK
Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:29 am
Mike,
Yea where did you hear that the F2G moved to TN, I thought it was still with Odegaard in North Dakota.
Jim
Yea where did you hear that the F2G moved to TN, I thought it was still with Odegaard in North Dakota.
Jim
Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:31 am
Superfort--
Yep, that TB-25N is on the Registry; check 44-86708 and there she is, complete with one of my 1982 photos of her (also showing Walt's property to have been much more orderly 24 years ago!). 708 is indeed quite complete, probably a better restoration candidate than "Wild Cargo" was. It looks as though she was a VB-25J at one point also. Highly polished postwar staff transport restoration, anyone...?
Mike--
I too am curious (and then some!) about the F2G moving southeast. Has the Crawford sold her on? I can't believe this didn't crop up when we were talking at CWH and at FF...
S.
Yep, that TB-25N is on the Registry; check 44-86708 and there she is, complete with one of my 1982 photos of her (also showing Walt's property to have been much more orderly 24 years ago!). 708 is indeed quite complete, probably a better restoration candidate than "Wild Cargo" was. It looks as though she was a VB-25J at one point also. Highly polished postwar staff transport restoration, anyone...?
Mike--
I too am curious (and then some!) about the F2G moving southeast. Has the Crawford sold her on? I can't believe this didn't crop up when we were talking at CWH and at FF...
S.
Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:00 pm
I just called the TN Museum of Aviation (www.tnairmuseum.org) (865-908-0171) and asked about the F2G. I was told that it isn't there and that the museum does not do any restorations. They do have a fuselage hulk of a P-47 that is displayed as is (recovered from New Guinea, I believe) but they don't intend to do any work on it.
That said, I believe they have a Vietnam-era chopper (H-34?) on display that is slowly being worked on.
Dave G.
That said, I believe they have a Vietnam-era chopper (H-34?) on display that is slowly being worked on.
Dave G.
Last edited by Valkyrie on Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.