History OT- P40 Warhawk found in desert

New news or old news either way that is so cool to see, makes you wonder what the last minutes of its flight life were like.

 

Because you don't look in the right places. There is an air museum in Nampa Idaho With a beautiful flying restored P40 in it. About 15 yrs ago the fellow who owns the Museum nowhad restored another P40. Just like old car guys he is always looking. He flys it up to Alberta Canada to sniff around because the Canadian AF had some p40's there during WW II When he lands a guy comes out to show him where to park and says "my favorite airplane". " "I used to play in one at my neighbors farm when I was a kid" They went out there and asked the farmer what had become of the P40 that used to be there and he points to an open field back from the barn. He got tired of his wife bitching about it and buried it with his cat. They made a deal and the museum guy went up the next sunner and dug it up with a backhoe. The guy had actually buried it whole with the landing gear down. The first thing tthat came to light was the 6 exaust stacks on one cyl bank. This gave the plane it;s new name "Curtisaurus". I'd call bullshit on this story too, except there were about 50 photos of the whole operation. Well worth a stop if you are travelling I 80 through Boise.

 

This is where all the survivor P-40's are listed.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p40registry/p40registry.html

 

Wow! I missed 9 world wars.
Sorry, I had to say it, I woke up in a sarcastic mood today.

 

I think it should remain largely intact and unrestored. It will have more significance and relevance to the dangers these brave men faced.

 

Yes ^^^^ The P40 is often overlooked in comparison to faster better aircraft like the P51. But the first year or so of WW2 all we had was the P40 and Navy Wildcat to face the hordes of superior Nazi Me 109 and the Japanese Zero.The P40 (and Wildcat) proved to be very rugged and reliable doing dangerous dirty work.And while a P40 really couldn't go one on one dog fighting the the enemy,a sharp pilot could often "trick" the other guy into a position of disadvantage.

 

Somebody posted this pic before of a salvage in New Zealand...

 

You are talking about the "philippine clipper" I've read that story before. Vary sad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_1104

 

Wow, just fascinating. I'm just thinking that there's still remote areas in this world and stuff yet to be discovered. I see the material on the elevators and rudder must be made of cloth - there must be some intense sand storms to sandblast paint and cloth off the plane.

 

The P-40 looks fast standing still ...

 

That photo looks like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.

 

Talk about movies, remember this? A cool intro. in "Close Encounters..."

 

Cool find, but its hard to believe the parachute survived out in the elements for 70 years?

 

Not hard to believe at all if you understand the environment of the Sahara desert and the elements there.

 

cool

 

Yes, thats the one.

 

This was in Walnut Ridge, Ark after the war.

 

Warbirds are in the million dollar range right now ... that is a few bucks standing on its nose ... Joe

 

Isn't that the one that was field prepped and caught fire on take-off?

Big documentary on the failed recovery...

 

yep they did ....v1710 allison my dad worked at allison as they were fazing them out cool engine

 

That was in Greenland. APU cought fire while taxiing. Damn shame.

 

This stories been getting media coverage in Canada as the aircraft could be connected to a Canadian WW2 fighter pilot ace whos still living.

"A Second World War fighter plane, discovered in the Egyptian desert 70 years after it was crash-landed there by its British pilot, is generating excitement among vintage aircraft experts in Canada who suspect the long-buried Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk - unearthed from the sands of time - was once flown by one of this country's great aces in the air battles of North Africa: Saskatchewan-born James "Stocky" Edwards, now 90 and living in Comox."


Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Egyptian+sand+yields+WWII+plane/6611575/story.html#ixzz1uoafZ44i

 

I have seen some real interesting planes left behind in Antartica one of Birds planes is still there

 

this just means that they're still out there and they're waiting patiently for us to find them. i live near the pensecola naval air station, which houses the world's largest naval air museum. there they have PLENTY of warbirds, most of which came from the bottom of lake michigan during the carries training ops in world war two. i remember reading that these are just a few of them and that there's still a bunch of planes left own there. those pics want to make me cry by the way.