WIX Archives
Re: Warbirds Underground
Posted by Tony on Fri Sep 06, 2002 03:20:20 PM
In reply top Warbirds Underground posted by Joe Scheil on Thu Sep 05, 2002 10:40:56 PM
Blimmin hell Joe, i've had to give this some thought :0)
Ok, in the short term, I agree with you. Airframes that have been found, will be "confiscated" by governments, to stock their own museums.. But in the long term? With recovery methods getting more and more sophisticated, then there may well be more material, than places to display them, so, they pass back into private hands, an optimistic view I'll admit, but still a view .
I'm sure everyone here, knows at least one story of a recovery, that was subsequently on display and then scrapped, to make space for something else, and in recent times too.
Richard was trying to enlist support for the recovery of Easy Elsie, and was stonewalled by Museums who didn't want "a pile of scrap" But, one mans's scrap, is another mans treasure.
I think what rankles about the potential seizure of articles, is that "Hey we did all the work and the sweat, and you're saying what?"
It's such a legal grey area. In the UK, in point of fact, wrecks belong to the Crown. They may have been SOC, but the Queen (God bless her) owns the wrecks, hence licences and permits. The MOD maintain, that an RAF aircraft in foreign lands, belongs to them. Ok, so far, we haven't really seen an episode, where the MOD step in on behalf of the RAF museum ......as u were Peter - lol , but, find something interesting and rare enough, and you will have problems. Say a Buffalo, or something exotic...
Yes , I can see a situation, where warbirds are recovered, hidden and denied, while the potential owners try to legally make sure they won't have to give them away in the end.
The situation inside Germany , is that if you find a Luftwaffe aircraft, then the Luftwaffe, Luftwaffe museum and other authorities, have to decide they don't want it, before you can take it. However, they are willing to exchange aircraft and artifacts, as a lot of museums still do.
Maybe we need an "Open Door" website for Museums and private collectors of renown, in which they can make these trades?
They best way i can see to deal with this knotty problem, is to help the national museums concerned, and or governments, as Andy has done in the past. If they realise they need the enthusiasts, then their attitudes may soften
Except if they're the USN of course, Then again, certain people have made it hard for them to say yes, by their attitudes and shooting their mouths off over every website they can lay their lips on.
As regards the US warbirds/weapons/de-militarisation bill? I think it's fair to say, that while there are still veterans or their descendants in congress, that one will never fly (hopefully)
Regards
Tony