What a story! WWII Buried Spitfires found 12-20 of them!!

[Douglas Ames]

My first thought is the condition...Burma (Myanmar) has a pretty wet climate, plus time, ph levels, corrosion, etc.

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Lost_Spitfire_Squadron_206526-1.html

[Doug Moon]

What a great find!  It would be so cool to find somethig like that!

[Dennis Adamisin]

This is just incredible! I hope the find pans out, and that politics does not get in the way...

[Randy Ryan]

These stories are amazing. I remember years ago reading of a ship load of crated P-47's was sunk off an island on the south of France and a farmer on the island wittnessed it. With the help of a diver freind he was able to winch one of then onto the beach. He dewatered it and chained it to a tree and just for the fun of it would run the engine. I don't know what ever became of it but efforts at the time to buy it (about 35 years ago) were refused firmly. This came from one of the aircrfat mags at that time, Wings, Air Classics....etc, can't remember which one.

I sure hope they can get permission to rocover them, what and incredible find!

[Tom Niebuhr]

This find could result in more flyable Spitfires at a comparatively minimal cost for the restoration. Like others I pray that politics does not get in the way.

[proparc]

This is absolutely unbelievable. They have literally unearthed a "time capsule". Man oh Man, they've FW 190's flying. Operational ME 262 Swallow's. And now, a whole squadron of 2000 hp Merlin Spitfires.

What next?

[Wayne J. Buran]

Makes you wonder what else is buried someplace.
Wayne

[jim ivey]

blackbeards treasure???

[proparc]

blackbeards treasure???

PA 65's!

[Richard Fleming]

I read the story this afternoon on the internet. Really neat and more interesting history about WWII. I just hope they document this stuff so I can see it on the History channel or DVD.    Richard

[Randy Powell]

Well, the article says "perfectly preserved". We can only hope.

[Douglas Ames]

Well, the article says "perfectly preserved". We can only hope.

I'm skeptical about that. I do know it was common practice by the USAAC and USN to pickle engines in a sealed container purged with argon (inert gas),  but massed produced Spitfires would be shipped dissassembled in a crate. Even if they were slathered down with cosmoline, heavy grease, etc....after all those years under ground???

I'm sure the recovery will be documented. Can't wait!

[PJ Rowland]

Lets see if I have this straight :

Military surplus, buried, no longer needed, and disguarded...

He spent 200,000 of his own money to find them - Finders keepers loosers wheepers.

A Spitfire today will be worth close to 3,000,000 USD and he says he's found 15 of them?



So he's sitting on 45 Million dollars worth of surplus spitfire - nice return

[Steve Fitton]

Lets see if I have this straight :

Military surplus, buried, no longer needed, and disguarded...

He spent 200,000 of his own money to find them - Finders keepers loosers wheepers.

A Spitfire today will be worth close to 3,000,000 USD and he says he's found 15 of them?



So he's sitting on 45 Million dollars worth of surplus spitfire - nice return

If he is sitting on 45 mil you can bet that Government will come after him with their hand out....

[Doug Moon]

Lets see if I have this straight :

Military surplus, buried, no longer needed, and disguarded...

He spent 200,000 of his own money to find them - Finders keepers loosers wheepers.

A Spitfire today will be worth close to 3,000,000 USD and he says he's found 15 of them?



So he's sitting on 45 Million dollars worth of surplus spitfire - nice return

That's 3M USD in excellent condition.  I would ventrue to say these bad boys are going to need a full restoration. Making that gross profit shrink considerably once the costs are taken out.......BUT if its a break even endevour and I had the means along with the know how to do something like that I would in a heartbeat!

I have restored a few old cars in my time, I bet doing an old WWII plane would be awesome!!!

[john e. holliday]

Yeah, check with other people that have used their own money or someone else's to recover something.   Especially treasure off the coast of the continents.   Or the guy that found gold dollars his family had stashed away that he  did not know about until he accidently found the coins while looking for something else.   Government confiscated his coins and said he would not get them back as they were made illegal for private owner ship back in the day.

It would be nice  to hear that the gentleman got what the  planes are worth.

[Joe Mig]

My Dad would have loved to see this news as he was a WW II vet and a buff on war bird's ( fighter plane's).