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Re: NASM Policy Debate for the Weekend

Posted by Tim Savage on Tue Oct 16, 2001 11:48:23 AM

In reply top NASM Policy Debate for the Weekend posted by Joe Scheil on Tue Oct 16, 2001 11:30:30 AM

Excellent topic Joe. Maybe this will bring back some of older WW forum members who have been chased off for comment.

I disgagree that the NASM should distribute their aircraf to flying collections for restoration. The NASM should remain the benchmark for the historicity of these aircraft. If they are divied up to warbird operators invariable the historicity has to be compromised for operational considerations. I want a benchmark airplane to go look at when I am restoring an airplane that the NASM has.

I firmly believe that the one-off aircraft should be preserved. I do have problems with the NASM devoting so much time to aircraft of Japanese or German persuansion (such as the Serian) even if it is the only one left. They need to be preserved to prevent further deterioration, but this is the National Air and Space Museum, not the Internatinal Air and Space Museum. They should first and foremost be concerned about restoring siginificant US aircraft, like the B-17D (arguable the "Swoose"), Enola Gay, etc.

The former curator of the NASM was a huge Japanese aircraft fan, and I sometimes wonder if this did not influence the decision to embark on such large scale restorations of the Irving and Serian (and farming out the George to Champlin) when the B-17D and other significant US design sit in storage collecting dust.

In my previous post on the subject I mentined the Hurricane. What bothered me about the tour was the inordinate amount of time spent by the tour guide talking about the Serain, when the Hurricane was essentially ignored. Which is more historically significant and deserving of comment? Maybe I am just still a little raw about the NASM Enola Gay controversy from a few years back that makes me sensitive to these issues.

Good topic.

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