Mailing List flyrotary@lancaironline.net Message #25436
From: Bartrim, Todd <Steve.Bartrim@canfor.com>
Subject: RE: [FlyRotary] Re: There's a P-38 Lightning in my backyard!
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 10:44:05 -0700
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Message
   I bet Michael Callahan will have some comments on this, considering his line of work. 
    Is Mike still on the list? I really don't want to fill the list with this off-topic stuff but thought that some of you may be a little interested. If Mike is on the list and can help me find info from the numbers on that metal band, I'd sure like to hear from him.
 
 I'm not sure how the laws are in Canada, but in the US, the government recently tried to take a recovered plane from someone, though they eventually gave up. 
    It's my understanding that if a recovered plane was still US government property at the time of it's loss, then the gov't can and will seize it as there is no time limitation on it's ownership, however this one was sold to a private company and IIRC there is a time limit on salvage rights. There is a small lake a little ways south of town, that has a US bomber in it. Story goes that it was on it's way to Alaska when for some reason it was forced to make an emergency landing on the ice, but as it was late in the season they weren't able to get in and repair it before the ice melted and it sank into the lake. I remember quite a few years back when local divers found it and reported it to be in very good condition, so there were many plans in the works to raise it, but the US gov't made it clear that it was still their property and all plans were abandoned.
 
  It might even turn out that there's real financial value in your find.  It seems like folks are "restoring" planes with little more than an original data plate. 
    I'm really not interested in any monetary value of any of this wreckage, but rather would simply like to preserve a unique piece of history and raise it to a more accessible location so that others can see it.
 
Rusty (now go fly your plane)
I'm trying!
 
Todd
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