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Re: Buffalo and other warbirds gift...............

Posted by Jim Bates on Sat Jul 26, 2003 04:41:41 PM

In reply top Buffalo and other warbirds gift............... posted by simon king on Sat Jul 26, 2003 07:24:24 AM

: to a museum in the States
:
: Whatever came of that?????
:

Nothing. The donations were a P-40, Buffalo, P-38, Culver drone, PT-22, and L-5. They were donated to the MAPS Air Museum. The story was that Lewis Meyers of Arizona donated them and they were from his collection of 40 or so warbirds. He kept all of the aircraft in secret in Arizona since the war. Four or five other Museums were to benefit from donations from his collection as well. The donation was announced in late 2001 and the Museum Executive Director was to go see the aircraft by the end of the year. As of today it has not happened. The guy who "arranged" the donation has disappeared off the face of the earth. The donation was announced to Museum members, noted in the newsletter and told to a Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter. Nothing has been said since.

I am still convinced it is a hoax as Rob's comments are the only confirmation I have ever seen of this collection. I've done some research into this, as have other Museum members and none of the stories check out. I was skeptical at the time and still am. I advised the Museum not to release the information until they confirmed the existence of the aircraft, but they felt they had to. I still think it was a huge PR mistake, but what do I know? I will not believe it until either the planes arrive at MAPS or someone from MAPS sees them in person. (Btw, just to make the story even more too good to be true, Mr. Meyers also owned a trucking company and the planes would be delivered to the Museum for free.)

Jim

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