Re: CAF Heinkel destroyed

Jul 11, 2003 75 Replies

Where in the world did you get that idea from?

I've worked on and flown in a good many WWII vintage warbirds and the vast majority are mostly original parts.

Yes, engines have been rebuilt over and over. Control systems have been overhauled, cockpits brought up to modern conditions, etc, but the majority of WWI warbirds flying today contain mostly original parts.

One reason for this is the quality of work done during that period tends to be far better than the same work today. There are, of course, many exceptions, just like buying a car built on Friday (don't!), but those bugs were worked out years ago, in combat or in lengthy use.

Incredible recoveries such as "Glacier Girl" and aircraft recovered from jungles and from underwater are going to be used largly as patterns. Built-from-scratch planes such as the Me 262s, Grumman F4Fs, etc. are worthy enterprises and should be supported. As long as originals (mostly) are available they are always going to be the more desireable option.

Tom

The F4Fs that came from lake Michigan are basic restorations, very little structure required major repair or replacment, unlike Glacier Girl. Matt Gunsch, A&P,IA,Private Pilot Riding member of the Arizona Precision Motorcycle Drill Team GWRRA,NRA,GOA

Very true. I meant to write "F3Fs", as in the ones built in Texas (IIRC) a few years back.

Tom

Next time you happen to be passing through O'Hare airport, you can see one there...at least I seem to recall that one being one of the ones they pulled out of the Lake. Refurbed and painted in Butch's colors.

Now all of a sudden I'm thinking it might be at Midway...any of you Chi-town locals know the one I'm thinking of?..

For the Drill Team ? Here it is:

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For GWRRA:
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Matt Gunsch, A&P,IA,Private Pilot Riding member of the Arizona Precision Motorcycle Drill Team GWRRA,NRA,GOA

wrong town, rufe, i'm a boston boy. while i was born in chicage, i haven't been there since the 60's. i never heard about the lake thing and would love to read the whole story. google ain't helping me.

it is at O'Hare, I saw it in 99 when I was thru there on the way home from Oshkosh. Matt Gunsch, A&P,IA,Private Pilot Riding member of the Arizona Precision Motorcycle Drill Team GWRRA,NRA,GOA

Here's a short story...

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Here's another:

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Try Googling "lake michigan F4F", or "lake michigan wildcat", or things to that effect...that's how I found these.

no matt, the drill team is well known. i meant a site about recovering the drowned birds. i wonder why i never heard of this. hard to be a know it all if i don't.

I would like to know how many Wildcats and Hellcats are at the bottom of San Francisco Bay? I heard there are at least a dozen down there, but the current is way to strong for any safe recovery. I know that the San Francisco Chronicle did an article about it, twenty years ago, when a wing from a Hellcat was brought up near Treasure Island. The a/c had crashed into the bay bridge, in the fog, either on its way to or from Alameda Naval Air Station in the last months of the war. Pilot's body was never recovered. People that lived in SF during the war, said it wasn't uncommon for the Navy to lose several planes a month into the bay. Mike IPMS

didn't lots of pilots crash trying to fly under? i remember reading something about that when i was a kid.

Has anyone heard of the possibility of there being more Aircraft in Lake Michigan to be recovered?? In two years of training I would guess there are more than just what that first expedition brought up.

Bill Shuey

Wouldn't bet against the US Navy having put the stop to this, as they did to the Devastator recovery.

O'Hare. Terminal 3, I think.

Scott G. Welch

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