Perfectly Preserved Brand-New Spitfire Mark 14s Found Buried in Myanmar - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2012, 12:42:47 pm
content: I know this isn't electronics, but I thought some might find this interesting:http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Lost_Spitfire_Squadron_206526-1.html

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2012, 12:50:28 pm
content: Wow. Interesting.Wish they'd just call it Burma tho.

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2012, 01:10:06 pm
content: that is cool - if they are packed well :-) - they go for a lot of $ each - and there are not many left.

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2012, 02:13:48 pm
content: That's crazy! A big plus for war historians and museums. Can't wait to see what they'll find. I hope politics won't cause too much trouble for the recovery project.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2012, 02:53:40 pm
content: The Government there will probably add them to its air-force.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2012, 04:42:25 pm
content: Quote from: kaz911 on April 18, 2012, 01:10:06 pmFrom what I understand about how military equipment was packed back then, it probably was, and still in good shape (very liberal application of grease and cosmoline).Quote from: G7PSK on April 18, 2012, 02:53:40 pmLMAO.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2012, 05:52:27 pm
content: Yes, that packaging is good. Washing rifles packed with grease 40 years before and seeing them come out unrusted was a long task. I used to take desiccant packs out of a 205l drum for adding inside the packaging, and would go through a drum every 3 months, and i did not work in stores, just packing faulty items for servicing, or for sending to another base for an AOG. Got roped in a few times to pack bulk in stores as well - the standard use for an appy. Was better than hanging on a crane with GI Joe driving it doing hanger maintenance.

author: TerminalJack505
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2012, 07:38:03 pm
content: I noticed that this was back in the news...Dogfight over buried WWII Spitfires in BurmaApparently some rich SOB is trying to claim all rights to the planes even though he had no part in discovering them.The planes have yet to be dug up. Personally I'm going to guess that, after being in the ground for 67 years, ground water has reduced large portions of the planes to heaps of rust.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2012, 09:04:43 pm
content: Quote from: TerminalJack505 on May 01, 2012, 07:38:03 pmThanks for the update.The crates are still in good shape from what they've seen from the borehole, so hopefully the planes are as well. As per Brooks swooping in and running off with the planes, it seems the President of Myanmar is going to keep his word to Cundall, who currently has the only digging permits for the site according to the article you've linked.

author: TerminalJack505
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2012, 09:15:44 pm
content: I think it will be amazing if they are still intact. Where they are buried is subject to typhoons. It seems that ground water can get into anything.This story reminds me of a city that buried a brand new (circa 1950s) automobile in a time capsule. From what I remember, they did a really good job burying it. It was encased in concrete and they put the car up on blocks.Fifty years later they dug the time capsule up. They had a contest to see who would get the car. I forget what model it was, but, considering the car was brand new when they buried it, it would be worth a pretty penny.On the big day they dug up the time capsule and, as you can probably guess, ground water got into the capsule and the car was pretty much ruined.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2012, 09:56:23 pm
content: Quote from: TerminalJack505 on May 01, 2012, 09:15:44 pmI certainly see your point, but I'm not sure, as I assume the waxy material mentioned is some form of Cosmoline (under the impression it's not easy for water to get in, even decades later so long as it remained undisturbed <no removal of coating, cracks as a result of handling,...>).Just a hope anyway, as I'd love for them to be intact as well (better yet, actually be returned to flight condition).