 | What happened to all the WW2 aircraft after the war?| Aviation Discuss What happened to all the WW2 aircraft after the war? in the World War II - Aviation forums; Most of them were manufactured in the thousands, and yet somehow only a few remain flyable today. What exactly happened? ... |
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07-01-2005, 03:03 AM
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#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 5
| What happened to all the WW2 aircraft after the war? Most of them were manufactured in the thousands, and yet somehow only a few remain flyable today. What exactly happened? Did people really care so little about these machines after the war that they were scrapped 
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07-01-2005, 04:11 AM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 527
| Update.
Last edited by GT : 03-27-2006 at 05:42 AM.
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07-01-2005, 08:19 AM
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#3 | | Your ad here. ;)
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 11,877
Country: | You also have to remember that after years of war, alot of people wanted to get on with their lives. I have pictures of B-17s and B-24s at Kingman Arizona that were left to rot for a number of years before being melted down for scrap metal. Some of those aircraft had as little as 10 hours on them. Others had 50+ missions under them. Sadly, very few people had the foresight to preserve them for the sake of history.
Fortunately today there are organizations like the Collings Foundation, Planes of Fame and the CAF that preserve these old birds in flyable condition. The question is how long it can continue. Insurance for these old planes get higher and higher every year and 100 octane avgas may be a thing of the past soon as well.
To see static displays in a museum is a nice treat, but to see them fly and hear the roar of the engines is almost orgasmic, if you love old planes.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. |
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07-01-2005, 08:49 AM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Auburn,Alabama; USA
Posts: 1,934
Country: | It is sad. Champions back then are now rotting like they were useless. But Flyboy15 you have to understand that when the cold war arrived, jets began to replace the regular planes. The P51D was replaced by the F-80 Sabre in the Korean war while the B-29 was replaced by the B-52 Stratobomber in Vietnam. But there was a Aircraft that i was proud to see carry on.
When WWII was over, the C-47 still remained the basic paratrooper mobility aircraft. But when Korea was over we had thousands of these birds in our military yards ready to be scrapped. But some how the idea for a "Flying Platform" came about and the C47 became the AC-47 Flying Platform, with nicknames like, "Puff the Magic Dragon"or Ghosty. Because the AC-47 became the best night aircraft during the Vietnam War.
When things get outdated they are simply scraped. But in the hearts of WWII avition lovers, they still remain our heroes.
Like Macarther said when he was being decommisioned in Korea, "Old soldiers dont die, they just fade away..."
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07-01-2005, 10:12 AM
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#5 | | Your ad here. ;)
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 11,877
Country: | The F-80 was the shooting star, the sabre was the F-86. The B-29 led to other developments like the B-50 before they got to the B-52, which was the stratofortress, not Stratobomber.
The C-47s were used in a variety of roles in Vietnam, not just the AC-47. There was also an EC-47 electronic reconnaissance platform and they were still being used for transports. A number of DC-3s are still in service in a number of countries laboring on to deliver cargo to remote locations in severe weather.
There were also some special built B-25s used in Vietnam, although not in significant numbers.
__________________ http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. |
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07-01-2005, 11:17 AM
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#6 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Auburn,Alabama; USA
Posts: 1,934
Country: | Thx for correcting me...... 
__________________ Its better to have an
Army of deer being led by a lion,
rather an Army of Lions being led by a deer... |
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07-01-2005, 12:34 PM
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#7 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,959
Country: | yup, scrapped, it's such a shame, famrers were buying old lancs for £100 and using them for their sheet metal and wiring.........
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07-01-2005, 01:55 PM
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#8 | | Konfused with a 'K'
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Turin, Italy
Posts: 20,412
Country: | When you see the pictures of perfectly good P-38's piled into heaps its such a shame. It would have at least been worth selling them off to other countries to make a few bucks.
__________________ with my one last gaping breath id apologise for bleeding on your shirt... |
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07-01-2005, 01:57 PM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Auburn,Alabama; USA
Posts: 1,934
Country: | And these planes were beautiful too. 
__________________ Its better to have an
Army of deer being led by a lion,
rather an Army of Lions being led by a deer... |
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07-01-2005, 02:01 PM
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#10 | | Konfused with a 'K'
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Turin, Italy
Posts: 20,412
Country: | Yup 
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07-01-2005, 02:05 PM
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#11 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Auburn,Alabama; USA
Posts: 1,934
Country: | I wish we could keep them but when the war was over we were so desperate for money to pay for all the aircraft and other material that we put these beautiful birds into the heaps! 
__________________ Its better to have an
Army of deer being led by a lion,
rather an Army of Lions being led by a deer... |
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07-01-2005, 02:06 PM
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#12 | | Konfused with a 'K'
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Turin, Italy
Posts: 20,412
Country: | Id buy one....or two...or 3 so the whole family could commute in them 
__________________ with my one last gaping breath id apologise for bleeding on your shirt... |
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07-01-2005, 02:15 PM
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#13 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Auburn,Alabama; USA
Posts: 1,934
Country: | There is a problem going around with WWII aircraft. When i went to a airshow in Auburn there was a beautiful C-45. It had the British insignia and camo on it! The pilot of the plane said he could give anyone who paid 45$ a ride. The sad thing is that he told me they are getting so desperate for money right now that she is hard to keep alive. The plane was rescued in a boneyard. They had to put in there own parts but some of the plane was still from the regular plane. Id show you what she looked like but i cant find the pictures.... 
__________________ Its better to have an
Army of deer being led by a lion,
rather an Army of Lions being led by a deer... |
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07-01-2005, 02:18 PM
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#14 | | Master of Ewes
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,959
Country: | yeah money is a huge problem, luckily many planes have well supported support groups.......
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"Reminds me of the time I sank the Tirpitz" comments a Spitfire pilot, "One pass of course, old boy." |
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07-01-2005, 02:29 PM
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#15 | | IP/Mech THE GREAT GAZOO
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 12,138
Country: | Unless you're very rich, a foundation is the only way you're going to keep a warbird flying. When I worked for Al Hansen his F-86 sucked about 300 gallons of jet fuel per flight. Right now Jet A in the States costs anywhere from $2.10 to 3.85 a gallon. Do the math!
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