WIX Archives
Re: Listing of Soplata's aircraft
Posted by Richard Allnutt on Sun Aug 17, 2003 11:52:10 AM
In reply top Re: Listing of Soplata's aircraft posted by Steve T on Fri Aug 15, 2003 07:15:54 PM
Yes... there are the remains of a Banshee there, which was involved in a firey, and fatal accident. It is basically just the center section... all painted in a very bright blue. Walt told me he sometimes sees the pilot in his dreams, which can't be too pleasant!
Richard
PS. The Skyraider which is there is actually one of the prototypes, XTB2D-2 is the designation I believe.
: 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 ecce
: ntric 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. Smitheree
: ns, maybe...? Walt had/has a lot of crash wreckage.
:
: : Martin B-57 unknown
:
: This one is definitely smithereens. Wreckage of a B-57 th
: at 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 ba
: ttered. Didn't note a second radar-nosed example, but ther
: e was another E, or similar, gutted fuselage in the underg
: rowth...
:
: : 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 parte
: d with that one years ago; it went to Brian O'Farrell in F
: lorida (per the WW Directory) some time before my first vi
: sit 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. I
: t was in a lean-to made from corrugated iron and the fusel
: age pod of a C-82A Packet...!
:
: : Republic RF-84F-20-RE 52-7262
:
: Another one listed but unseen. There was certainly an F-8
: 4F, 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 th
: e 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.