OT: We are not alone; Aviation Museum Major Downsizing

HudsonL · **Joined:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:22 am **Posts:** 548

Georgia Museum Of Aviation Downsizing
Thirty-Two Aircraft To Be Relocated Or Scrapped

http://www.aero-news.net/GetMoreFromANN ... 87f787dc7b

http://www.museumofaviation.org/

stephenpiwowarski · **Posted:** Sun Mar 31, 2013 8:17 pm

This looks like a familiar situation...
An aerial photo of the museum shows several hangers which likely contain a portion of the museums collection and the rest displayed outdoors.
Better conservation practices will save our artifacts. This situation is like having a painting by Monet and displaying it with sunlight shining on it.
Is it better to conserve our artifacts first in a way which perhaps doesn't interpret them best, but ensures their long term survival?

Stephen Piwowarski

Stephen S. Syfrett · **Posted:** Mon Apr 01, 2013 12:55 am

I know there is quite a large number of B-52's preserved, but 55-0085 is (about to be was) the closest to where I live. This aircraft last flew on 25 August 1983, and came to Warner Robins from the 7th BW at Carswell AFB. It has been an outdoor exhibit for almost 30 years.

It also happens to be a B-52D, the model my dad piloted in SAC at Loring AFB (Limestone, ME) and Turner AFB (Albany, GA).

Thirty years on display outdoors for an airplane is probably something like 60 years for railroad rolling stock (just winging a number, no scientific accuracy implied). In both cases the end result is not good. Looking at the B-47 at the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum in Savannah, you have to wonder if they have any plans to eventually get that aircraft under shelter. Granted, it makes quite an interesting "billboard" sitting right off I-95, but I hope they have plans for its long-term preservation.

Too bad Warner Robins didn't build a building large enough for the B-52 and the SR-71 Cold War icons years ago. Quite a few of the smaller planes that are going away could have fit neatly around, and in some cases under, the wings of that BUFF!

Heavenrich · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:07 am **Posts:** 630

To bring this thread back to topics normally covered on this forum,

In 1991 the 470 RR club ran a trip on the BAR pulled by an F3 and one of the stops was at Loring; they took us down to the flight line and had a 52 that had been used in Desert Storm on display on the fight line and the crew was there to talk to us --- at 5 PM on a Sat.

The base commander came on the train to talk to us and I asked him how his wife liked living in snow country -- turns out they met when he was at KI Sawyer where she was from.

(A lot of groups would have turned back at the gates to the base and today they'd probably have to)

True story!

Bob H

RCD · **Posted:** Mon Apr 01, 2013 10:08 pm

Aren't airplanes usually made of aluminum.