# An old B-25 sitting in Amish Country, Ohio



## SocialDecay (Nov 8, 2007)

Found this in my adventures through my local area, A man has a rather large collection of Aircraft in his backyard, wish I had more information on the bird, but all I know is it is a B-25.


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## syscom3 (Nov 8, 2007)

Could you get any serial numbers?


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## SoD Stitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Does the name "Walter Soplata" mean anything to you? It could be this aircraft collection outside of Cleveland, Ohio, that was featured in a recent issue of Smithsonian's Air Space Magazine. Go here:

The Soplata Airplane Sanctuary


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## Njaco (Nov 8, 2007)

Look at the lower middle of the Magazine photo and I think you can see the B-25. Black painting on the wings seem to match Socialdecay's pics.

Fantastic story, though!


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## SocialDecay (Nov 8, 2007)

Yes, it is infact Mr. Soplata's collection. Sadly I did not have permission the one time I was there, and that is where the pictures come from. I hope in the spring to go back with permission, and a better camera than a cell phone.

I didn't get any shots of the numbers on that plane for some reason. I got a few on another plane or two, as well as the MiG-21 that is up the road about 4 miles from Mr. Soplata's farm.


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## Heinz (Nov 9, 2007)

Wow


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## Aggie08 (Nov 9, 2007)

Wow! Too bad it isn't open to visitors, it would be great to climb in and look around. 

F-82 being restored to flyable condition?! Hot!


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## Gnomey (Nov 9, 2007)

SoD Stitch said:


> Does the name "Walter Soplata" mean anything to you? It could be this aircraft collection outside of Cleveland, Ohio, that was featured in a recent issue of Smithsonian's Air Space Magazine. Go here:
> 
> The Soplata Airplane Sanctuary



Fantastic story.


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## Hot Space (Nov 16, 2007)

Gnomey said:


> Fantastic story.



I couldn't agree more 8)


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## Theodor (Nov 23, 2007)

Simply amazing!!!!   I wish there were more people like this man! I think Paul Garber was such a personality, he helped the salvation and preservation of some unique aircraft! 

As a side note, Garber's name is not so famous, as he should be! The aviation history owes him a lot! In that direction, I noticed that no article about him existed in the Wikipedia. So I gathered some details and created it, however the English is not my primary language, so it will be good if someone American or Brit find time and "polish" the words and the grammar of the article /the Wikipedia is opened, anyone can make changes in the articles/


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## r2800doublewasp (Nov 22, 2008)

Its definitely in postwar markings


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## Catch22 (Nov 23, 2008)

F4U...


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## thewritingwriter89 (Nov 24, 2008)

That's a travesty if I ever saw one. Why doesn't the guy sell them to a restoration company or a museum?


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## evangilder (Nov 24, 2008)

Sadly, there are pictures like these all over the country. There is a Martin 204 airliner at Camarillo that once belonged to Faberge and to Carey Grant. It is a gorgeous airplane inside. The poor old gal sits like an abandoned relic at the end of the runway in Camarillo, derelict and decaying. Very sad. Go into any small airport and you will find any number of old birds left to rot.


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## CATCH 22 (Dec 2, 2008)

SoD Stitch said:


> Does the name "Walter Soplata" mean anything to you? It could be this aircraft collection outside of Cleveland, Ohio, that was featured in a recent issue of Smithsonian's Air Space Magazine. Go here:
> 
> The Soplata Airplane Sanctuary



Guys, 
IMHO the a/c on the photos is an ex-USAF TB-25. The number 768 or 798 or 708 seen on the co-pilot’s side indicates the last 3 digits of the s/n so it could be 44-29768 or 29798 or 44-29708 - a B-25J-20-NC or 44-86768 - a B-25J-30-NC. By the way 44-86798 was a TB-25N converted later to a civilian transport.
Since the nose glazing is still the original one without being modified for a fire-control radar equipment (modifications TB-25K and TB-25M) and the bomb bay doors are not welded as seen on some cargo- or staff-transport modifications, with a great probability this is a TB-25J – a standard trainer-bomber modification or a TB-25N - a pilot trainer. In any case the higher air intake indicates a Bendix-Stromberg carburetor and not the original Holley carburetors. The engines were redesignated R-2600-35 (but were in fact the same as R-2600-29 with Holley). Note also the standard modification for almost all TB-25: exhaust semi-collector ring with a big exhaust pipe instead of the "S" stacks on the top seven cylinders of the engine. 
This could be the second Soplata"s "Mitchell".
_ ...We hauled airplanes through the early 1970s. We brought home a second, nearly airworthy B-25 in 1966..._
As per the article mentioned above and based on some other sources Walter Soplata’s first B-25 was the “Wild Cargo” (a civilian cargo with a radar nose).
See it here: B-25 pictures from aviation photos on webshots
_...Dad’s new airplane was in civilian markings, with a Federal Aviation Agency (as it was then called) N-number on the rear fuselage. As a military-turned-civil aircraft, it was missing its gun turrets and bomb racks, though we would discover armor-plated pilot seats and a big steel ring where the top gun turret had been installed.
As expected, the belly landing had ripped much of the aluminum from the bottom of the fuselage. From watching war movies with Dad, I had expected the propeller blades to be bent and curled, but only the prop on the left engine showed this kind of damage. On the copilot side of the forward fuselage, “WILD CARGO” was crudely painted in big black letters...._
Find the whole story about Wild Cargo’s crash here:
B-25 Crash Lands at Lunken - Reptile Laden B-25 Aircraft
And here are some photos of the planes in the Soplata-collection:
Walter Soplata Collection pictures and videos on Webshots
After four decades of sitting on his property, Walter sold the plane to Vintage Aircraft, Inc. The Fighter Factory purchased the B-25 a few years later but the plane remains with Vintage Aircraft, Inc., in Woodstock Georgia for a complete restoration. The radar and surveillance equipment has been stripped and a clear nose has been added, which will make the Fighter Factory's aircraft a B-25J Mitchell.
B-25J, North American Plane


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## Bucksnort101 (Dec 2, 2008)

I beleive the F-82 used to be stored in the Polar Aviation Museum in Anoka, MN. when it was still in operation. Spoke to a gentleman this summer that said it was still in the area being restored, but he was pretty hush-hush on the project for some reason?


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## CATCH 22 (Dec 2, 2008)

SocialDecay said:


> Yes, it is infact Mr. Soplata's collection.



Just an addition to my previous posting. Here is a list with the Soplata's planes:
http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Other/Data - Museum - Soplata.xls
The B-25 "Mitchell" under question is shown as# 35 - a B-25J-30, s/n 44-86708.
Cheers!


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## Kurtis Hooey (Feb 28, 2018)

The B-25 you saw is our aircraft we are currently restoring to flight operation in Corning NY and Douglas GA.
For more information visit our youtube page! (Note that it is still in the works, we plan to have regular progress updates)
B-25 Old Ironsides III Restoration Channel

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