WIX Archives

Yup, that's the one!!!!!

Posted by bdk on Fri Dec 19, 2003 06:34:25 PM

In reply top Re: Mojave Corsair posted by Rob Mears on Fri Dec 19, 2003 06:17:25 PM

I remember it sitting rather forlornly. It was pretty rough, with lots of weeds growing around it. It had the wings on it at that time as I recall.

Thanks for the info!

Brandon

: That is in fact one of the Bob Bean Corsairs (BuNo.97349)
: that had previously been sold by Bean to the Tuscon Inn.
: There it was displayed in front of the establishment on a
: short concrete pole for about five years.
:
: Wally McDonnell recovered the plane for the USMC Museum ar
: ound 1978 and relocated it to his place of business at Moj
: ave where it was to be refurbished for display. This was
: one of about a half-dozen Corsairs that made their way thr
: ough McDonnell's establishment during the 1970's. Most al
: l of the Corsairs now owned and displayed by the USMC Muse
: um were routed through McDonnell during that time.
:
: Around 1980 the USMC Museum decided to recover their remai
: ning airframes from McDonnell and relocate the stuff to ot
: her locations - some for storage and others to be complete
: d by other parties. I've never determined what exactly ha
: ppened between McDonnell and the USMC to have created the
: bad blood, but the head of the USMC Museum at that time (C
: ol. Joe Payton) was not at all pleased to recount the situ
: ation. I've found that McDonnell himself is more apt to s
: lam the phone down on its receiver than to recount the eve
: nts of that time ;)
:
: One questionable fact about BuNo.97349 is that its data pl
: ate was switched with that of F4U-4 BuNo.97142. Both of t
: hese planes were ex-Bean Corsairs which were restored alon
: gside each other at McDonnell's during the late 1970's. N
: avy museum records show that the 'Polka Dot nosed' BuNo.97
: 349 was transferred to the National Museum of Naval Aviati
: on in Pensacola. On the contrary, the plane hanging from
: the ceiling in that museum is in fact BuNo.97142. The USM
: C Museum had BuNo.97349 relocated to Pima Air Museum after
: Mr. McDonnell had completed its static restoration.
:

Follow Ups: