# Lone Star Flight Museum



## Old Wizard (Sep 13, 2008)

I hope the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston weathered Huricane Ike OK.


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## Micdrow (Sep 14, 2008)

Old Wizard said:


> I hope the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston weathered Huricane Ike OK.



I havent heard anything, maybe one of our local's will know more.


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## Thorlifter (Sep 14, 2008)

Oh man, I forgot about that one!!! I'll try to find out.


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## Old Wizard (Sep 14, 2008)

This from their site: www.lsfm.org


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## Thorlifter (Sep 14, 2008)

Man, I'm so glad they got those out of the way. I'm going to make a call down there tomorrow and see what I can find out. Hopefully they are open. Thanks for the link Old Wizard.


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## Micdrow (Sep 15, 2008)

Thanks Old Wizard. Glad to see there main show pieces got out but from reading that it sounds like the museum took a pounding.


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## Thorlifter (Sep 15, 2008)

No answer on the phone down there. The lines may be down. But I have sent an email and am waiting for the reply.


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## Micdrow (Sep 15, 2008)

Thorlifter said:


> No answer on the phone down there. The lines may be down. But I have sent an email and am waiting for the reply.



Thanks Thorlifter, though you got to wonder if they even have power there yet.


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## evangilder (Sep 15, 2008)

I would venture to guess that if the museum took a substantial hit, it is likely that the homes of the volunteers also did. It may be some time before we see any updates.


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## evangilder (Sep 15, 2008)

I did see this:
The Galveston County Daily News

Doesn't look too promising...


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## Thorlifter (Sep 15, 2008)

Your right Eric. That doesn't sound good. Hopefully I'll get an email soon.


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## Thorlifter (Sep 16, 2008)

This was posted on their website today.

_September 16, 2008 10:30 a.m. - Galveston, Texas

The response from our friends and supporters from all over the world has been gratifying. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

The damage to the museum is extensive. We anticipate that photos of the damage will be posted later today or tomorrow.

There have been numerous inquiries about specific airplanes, TAHF exhibits and when operations will resume. The preliminary assessment is in progress. The status of airplanes, exhibits, repairs and what our needs will be are being discussed. It is just too early to know when the museum will reopen since we don’t know what is needed. One thing we do know is that it is going to take many hours of work in the coming weeks and a lot of financial support to get the doors open. We will be adding a special donations button within the next 24 hours.

Thank you for support. Check back often for additional information. _


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## DBII (Sep 16, 2008)

Hi guys, Galveston is a mess. Right now the state is not allowing anyone on the island period. Those that did not leave before the storm are allowed to leave but they cannot return. The government has stopped supply runs to the island in order to force the remaining people to leave. The island had storm surges from 18 to 22 feet high. Everything was underwater at one point. The island started flooding 12 hours before the storm hit. I heard on the radio to the area around the airfield was hit hard. I do not think that the seawall goes that far down the beach. 

DBII


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## Old Wizard (Sep 16, 2008)

They've got some pictures up on their site now.


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## Micdrow (Sep 17, 2008)

Old Wizard said:


> They've got some pictures up on their site now.



What a shame, its to bad I dont live closer as I would want to help volunteer to help clean it up.


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## Thorlifter (Sep 17, 2008)

You know, looking at the pics, it looks like more of a mess than damage done. It looks like most of the damage was done to banners, pictures, display cases and whatever was stored in those.


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## DBII (Sep 17, 2008)

The state is not allowing anyone on the island at this time. They tried to allow people yesterday and after 5 1/2 hrs they closed the causeway. The freeway was backed up for 15 miles. The City of Galveston was allowing home owners to inspect their properties and then leave after a give time. No one was leaving and it was chaos. The relief columns and power crews could not make it in. I am trying to find pictures of the Museum to post.

http://www.lsfm.org/

DBII


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## RabidAlien (Sep 19, 2008)

I can't imagine that, much as we love it, the LSFM is gonna be very high on the recovery priority list. Get the people taken care of first....much as I hate to say this, but the planes can be replaced/written off. I wouldn't expect to see much recovery effort at the Museum for a few weeks, at the earliest.


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## Airframes (Sep 19, 2008)

Your right, Rabid. It's very sad about the museum, but the people must come first, especially the children.
I hope that it all turns out well in the end, on both fronts.


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## Old Wizard (Sep 26, 2008)

A little ray of sunshine in the latest news from their site.
http://www.lsfm.org/


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## RabidAlien (Sep 26, 2008)

Woohooooo!!!!


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## Thorlifter (Sep 26, 2008)

Fantastic news.


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## Micdrow (Sep 27, 2008)

That is indeed good news, Glad to hear some of my former shipmates helped out. Go Navy!!!!


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## Airframes (Sep 27, 2008)

Great to see such cooperation, and the speed with which the clear-up has begun. Hats off to the Navy and all the other helpers.


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## Wayne Little (Sep 27, 2008)

Great news, seems they are in good hands!


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## Thorlifter (Oct 6, 2008)

Update as of 10/4/08

Things continue to move forward as we now have electricity and A/C in the upstairs offices. The building contractors have cut away the lower 12 feet of siding around the entire building. Ventilation is not a problem and the project may be completed in less than 2 weeks. Our electricians are checking what we need to do to bring the lower floor online and the usual gang of drywall, A/C and other contractors are doing their thing. I do not have a target date to reopen, but we are making great progress. It will definitely be faster than I imagined 36 hours after the storm. 

The Spitfire and F3F will be on the road to Breckenridge, TX on Friday. I passed the Spit on the causeway last night as it was leaving the island. After talking to our mechanics and the Ezell crew, it appears the airplanes faired the Gulf of Mexico very well. We have not found any significant areas of concern. We continue to clean out some of the airplanes and engines along with the other rolling stock in the hangar.

Our curator and her gang are in the middle of preserving many of the objects and artifacts damaged in the storm. It is a slow process and they are making excellent headway. Just like the airplanes, dealing with some of these items can wear you down mentally, but you have a good feeling when you find something that made it through untouched. 

We'll have a workday this Saturday and will concentrate on cleaning out some of the last small areas in the museum. We tackle some of the vehicles and probably have some folks work on an airplane or two. Bring some tools, brooms and other associated items that we may have lost. Wear appropriate shoes and bring a lunch. Some restaurants are open, but lines are long. We'll have some coolers of water and soft drinks. 

I can't thank my staff enough for their efforts throughout the ordeal. They have held up remarkably well and have put in some long hours. Our volunteers have been there as well and have played an important role in our recovery. All of our friends throughout the warbird community have been more than supportive, not to mention all of the donations and kind notes from people who just want to help. We're doing our best to make every day a little better around here. Thanks to everyone for your support.

Airplane Mechanic Tools Needed 
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Maintaining aircraft from WWII is not an easy task. There are many specialized tools that our mechanics used that were damaged or lost during Hurricane IKE. 

If you have, or know of anyone who might have some of these special tools that you or someone you know might be willing to loan us or sell us, please email [email protected] with what you have. Someone from LSFM will contact you regarding this. Your help is greatly needed in this area.


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## Airframes (Oct 6, 2008)

Thanks for the update, Thor'. It's good to hear things are progressing, and I offer my best wishes to everyone concerned, great news!


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## DBII (Feb 26, 2009)

Here is the latest about the LSFM. The damage to the two hangers, equipment displays, etc total more than $10 million dollars. The museum is looking for a new home instead of rebuilding. LSFM is currently working with the city of Conroe, north of Houston and 30 minutes from my apartment. Conroe is a small town but during WWII B-24s were based there. The runways are long enough for FiFi. The City will donate land for the musuem and they are looking for sponsors to build the hangers. I am waiting for the parade of planes to arrive in a year or so.

DBII


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## Thorlifter (Feb 26, 2009)

SWEET!!!!!


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## RabidAlien (Mar 2, 2009)

WICKED!!! Definitely keep us up to date on possible dates for their grand re-opening!!! My wife has relatives (uncle, cousins, grandmother) who live in Conroe. We've talked about visiting, but never got around to it due to the long drive. I'll be alot more ....open....to visiting, if I knew I could drool around the planes all day!


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## Amsel (Mar 4, 2009)

Conroe is just 20 minutes from my house. I hope they do move it there. It would be safer then on the beachfront I'd hope. Awesome!


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