Spitfires Buried

[Eagle]

Anyone else hear about this? We did a Aerospace Current Events article on this, and thought you guys might be interesting in hearing about it.

http://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-places/pilots-adventures-more/spitfires-buried-burma-be-excavated


Eagle

[Cliff_Chambliss]

The interesting part is going to watch the court challenges and how ownership claims are going to play out.  A few years ago several recovered WWII Aircraft were left on an unprotected dock while cliam and counter claim worked through the courts.  By the time everything wa settled the aircraft had been so vandalized as to be virtually worthless.  It's a shame, but I can see these aircraft being opened up for inspection and then allowed to sit out and rot for the next 10 years while the best of human greed works its course.  I have absolute faith that my fellow man is going to do everything wrong to screw this up.

[bosshawk]

Eagle: Those of us who regularly read the various aviation press newsletters have known about these airplanes for about a month.  Glad that you noticed the article and stay with it.

[Huey Driver]

I've I heard about this before, and I think more recently in the Sandbox during the Gulf War with a MiG or two. Always though it was interesting.

[Flying Pig]

My prediction is none of those Spitfires will ever fly.  Greed will see to it. 

[bosshawk]

I concur, Rob.  The comment on the MIGs in the Sand Box is of interest to me: I saw ground level photos of more than a MIG or two.  There were lots of MIG-25s, 29s, 21s and other assorted fighters buried without benefit of any sort of covers or cocoons.  The Iraqis also took the engines off a whole bunch of their airliners, sitting on the ramp at Baghdad International, 727s, 747s, etc.  You tell me why they did that?  My only assumption was that they were trying to prevent them from being flown off during the invasion.

[FlyTiger77]

The comment on the MIGs in the Sand Box is of interest to me: I saw ground level photos of more than a MIG or two.  There were lots of MIG-25s, 29s, 21s and other assorted fighters buried without benefit of any sort of covers or cocoons. 

There were many more that were just parked out in the desert without the benefit of being buried. They did make for fun sightseeing.

[a2capt]

I realize idiots do things .. idiotic .. and spur of the moment, "OMG! The great satan is coming! Quick. Hide these!" .. .

But really? The way you saw these things buried, they were going to be good again? How'd they get them there i the first place? Gonna helicopter them back and tear down somewhere else, provided they "win" the "war" and know where they put the darn things in the first place.

I certainly can't imagine the logistics of unearthing and using during a conflict, if they had to resort to burying them in the first place, what support infrastructure do they have? You need runways, fuel trucks, spare parts, morale..

[bosshawk]

Tony: imagine the brain power of those who decided to bury those airplanes and than answer your questions.  They had no concept of what to do with the aircraft and they likely towed them out into the desert with trucks and a bulldozer and simply dug a hole and buried them: no plastic sheets or covers.  Who knows what they expected to do with the planes whence the confllict was over.  I suspect that US forces used them as targets when things got boring.  Anyone here who spent time in the Sand Box see these things?

My war was in heat and humidity.

[PHall]

Tony: imagine the brain power of those who decided to bury those airplanes and than answer your questions.  They had no concept of what to do with the aircraft and they likely towed them out into the desert with trucks and a bulldozer and simply dug a hole and buried them: no plastic sheets or covers.  Who knows what they expected to do with the planes whence the confllict was over.  I suspect that US forces used them as targets when things got boring.  Anyone here who spent time in the Sand Box see these things?

My war was in heat and humidity.

You were in Bahrain?    ( 0100 local, temp 115F, humidity 85%)

[bosshawk]

No, a nice little place called Viet Nam.  Also roamed around in Korea for a year: hot and humid in the summer with a delightful smell.