WIX Archives

Recent Warbird Stats for Presentation

Posted by Ryan Keough on Tue Sep 23, 2003 03:40:03 PM

Hi all,

We are doing a presentation on warbird preservation and the ever present argument on "static vs. flying". We are looking specifically for the stats as to how many flyable, privately owned warbirds have undergone restoration to flying condition (and thus preserved) in the last decade as opposed to how many static government (or public) owned aircraft have been restored in the same time. Private examples would be something from the basic warbird owner to flying museums such as Lone Star, Olympic, or PoF. Public museums would be classified as NASM, USAF Museum, US Naval Aviation Museum, USAF Heritage collections, etc.

Mr. Paul Coggan, are you reading this? Do you have any basic stats to this nature?

What may be good is to think generally of all of the major restorers and what has run through their shops over the past decade? any help is appreciated.

In addition we are researching natural disasters that have impacted static displays and museums and have thought of the following:

-Fire at San Diego Aerospace Museum in San Diego
-Fire at Le Bourget
-Fire at Canadian Warplane Heritage
-Tornado at New England Air Museum
-Hurricane at Weeks Air Museum

Anyone have any statistics as to the numbers of aircraft lost in each of these incidents or have any other disasters that impacted the warbird community?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Ryan Keough
Collings Foundation

PS: The F4U-5NL Corsair took to the skies yesterday at New Smyrna Beach, FL for the first time since the ditching. The gear-down flight went well? now to tweek. The gang from American Aero Services have done a great job!

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