WIX Archives

Re: Listing of Soplata's aircraft

Posted by Steve T on Fri Aug 15, 2003 07:15:54 PM

In reply top Listing of Soplata's aircraft posted by Jim on Fri Aug 15, 2003 04:02:51 PM

Hi Jim--(hey, why is nearly everybody on this thread named either "Jim" or "Dan"?) :-)

E-mail me off-board; I have another, larger Walt listing and will forward it if you like. This stuff about the eccentric visionary collectors fascinates me. (Had I been born 20 years earlier I might've been one of them myself...!)

: Goodyear F2G-2 88463/N5577N

This is the 1947 Thompson Trophy winner now owned by the Crawford Museum.

: Grumman TBM-3N unknown
: Grumman TBM-3N unknown

I did see two TBMs, an intact one in what appeared to be the remains of VS-26 markings, and the hulk of a fuselage.

: Lockheed T-33A-1-LC 51-8747

A T-33 always gets listed but I didn't see one. Smithereens, maybe...? Walt had/has a lot of crash wreckage.

: Martin B-57 unknown

This one is definitely smithereens. Wreckage of a B-57 that blew up on the ramp killing a ground crewman.

: McDonnell F-2H unknown

Didn't see a Banshee. (This list is intriguing!)

: North American F-82E-NA 46-265

The Anoka one, ex NACA 133. I think the s/n is 46-255.

: North American B-25J-25-NC 44-30121/N7947C
: North American B-25J unknown

At least three Mitchell serials have been associated with Walt. I saw two intact ones; one is now with Jerry Yagen.

: North American F-86E unknown
: North American F-86L-55-NA 53-0715
: North American F-86L-60-NA 53-0939
: North Amercian F-86 unknown

Of these L-model '959 is the completest. The E is very battered. Didn't note a second radar-nosed example, but there was another E, or similar, gutted fuselage in the undergrowth...

: North American P-51K unknown

This would be N69X, which Walt got from a junkyard after it had met with some sort of accident. Unusually, he parted with that one years ago; it went to Brian O'Farrell in Florida (per the WW Directory) some time before my first visit in '82. N69X has also been quoted as a P-51D.

: Republic P-47N unknown

Also quoted as a late D. Apparently fuselage/tail only. It was in a lean-to made from corrugated iron and the fuselage pod of a C-82A Packet...!

: Republic RF-84F-20-RE 52-7262

Another one listed but unseen. There was certainly an F-84F, in the late Vietnam War-era three-tone camo.

: Vought F4U-1D 82850
: Vought F7U-3 129885
: Vought FG-1D 88026

The Cutlass (129685?) is still there. Walt has had parts of at least four Corsairs of which two (FG-1D 88026 and the F2G racer) were intact; he reportedly has sections of FG-1A racer N69900 "Lucky Gallon" stored in the basement of the house...then there's the mystery F4U-1D ID also often listed.

S.

Follow Ups: