Planes in Strange Places

[Mossie]

Or you could paint it purple....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNDP11XVg94

[TheChronicOne]

That's one hell of a deal right there. 

[KiwiZac]

The gas station B-17 is definitely real, and is being restored to fly. An amazing story.

Two previously posted in the Gate Guard/Museum Map thread. DC-3 ZK-CAW is a dining room at McDonald's in Taupo: https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-38.6894214,176.0715217,3a,60y,174.08h,87.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSlch2mW5_vc5xRTg3dp1Aw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en


DC-3 ZK-APK is at "Mangaweka International Aiport" as a roadside cafe at Mangaweka: https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-39.8100374,175.7872967,226m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

[Mossie]

Just remembered, there's a cockpit section of what I'm fairly sure is a Vickers Varsity at the rear of a local garage, in the village I grew up in.  Last I saw it was on its side and probably beyond restoration.

[KiwiZac]

Also, my parents have an old Fletcher FU24 topdresser in their driveway. I wonder who left that there...

[PR19_Kit]

Also, my parents have an old Fletcher FU24 topdresser in their driveway. I wonder who left that there...

Why? 

[Rick Lowe]

Zac, didn't you listen when your Mum told you to put your toys away? 

[TheChronicOne]

 

That's awesome.   

[TheChronicOne]

The gas station B-17 is definitely real, and is being restored to fly. An amazing story.

Two previously posted in the Gate Guard/Museum Map thread. DC-3 ZK-CAW is a dining room at McDonald's in Taupo: https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-38.6894214,176.0715217,3a,60y,174.08h,87.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSlch2mW5_vc5xRTg3dp1Aw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en


DC-3 ZK-APK is at "Mangaweka International Aiport" as a roadside cafe at Mangaweka: https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-39.8100374,175.7872967,226m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

So cool!

I didn't doubt the validity of the actual plane and the service station, however, just the wild nature of the story!  So the United States military just lets some random dude stroll up, buy a bomber, then lets this dude just drive it around... then... they don't even ensure he has anyone to help him fly it so he puts a dummy in the co-pilots seat.... then he flies the thing around and crashes it and destroys a bunch of stuff.... and... no FAA (or whatever comparable unit back then) investigation, no "hold up wait a minute, get the hell out of here you maniac!" They just say, "Ah, stuff happens, here try another bomber!" etc etc etc. ... it's the details of the story.   

[KiwiZac]

Also, my parents have an old Fletcher FU24 topdresser in their driveway. I wonder who left that there...

Why? 

Because I don't have room at my house? 

Zac, didn't you listen when your Mum told you to put your toys away? 

She doesn't mind, she's grown to be rather fond of it!

[TheChronicOne]

Well, not really a strange place, exactly, but a strange plane... .. found in "a field in a town called Oraniaville in South Africa."

[PR19_Kit]

Looks like a pretty poor cardboard replica of an Me-109, but they must have used some WIERD pics as reference.

[TheChronicOne]

Scuttlebutt says it was painted RAF colors before this. Probably some dude just built it out of scrap for the hell of it and they re-paint it from time to time. It's about 3 different planes but none of one?        Beats the hell out of a jungle gym for kids to climb around on. 

[Mossie]

Almost forgot, took the kids to Gulliver's World theme park near Warrington and I was surprised to come across a C-54 nose section.  The theme park is on the site of ex-RAF Burtonwood which was home to the US forces for many years.  Unfortunately I didn't get chance to visit the heritage museum and I've misplaced the pics I took of the C-54 but I managed to find some on the Key Publishing forum:
https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?140196-The-C-54-at-Burtonwood-Heritage-Centre

[The Rat]

Looks like a pretty poor cardboard replica of an Me-109, but they must have used some WIERD pics as reference.

There's a farm near us that has a bunch of similarly poor replicas that the guy probably cobbled together out of scrap. But I don't think any of them look quite that bad. I'll see if I can find it on Google Earth, can't recall the exact location at the moment.