# P-51 Mustang crashes on Highway 20



## v2 (Dec 22, 2006)

After thirty minutes in the air, testing out the rebuilt engine of a P-51 Mustang, pilot John Bagley made an emergency landing on Highway 20. 

"The thing that hurts the most is that this is a historic airplane, in really good shape and it was just a choice airplane," said the pilot John Bagley. 

more: Local News 8 - Local News - Update: WWII Plane Crashes on Highway 20


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## FLYBOYJ (Dec 22, 2006)




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## twoeagles (Dec 22, 2006)

Doggone it. Well, JB was fortunate to crawl out of that wreck and I reckon
that matters most. But it is so painful.


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## R-2800 (Dec 22, 2006)

OMG!    it's totaled


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## timshatz (Dec 22, 2006)

Bummer. Another ghost goes west. Lucky he walked away.


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## evangilder (Dec 22, 2006)

Damn.


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## R-2800 (Dec 22, 2006)

sometimes you shouldn't fly some of these old Warbirds becasue no matter how safe you are things just happen


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Dec 22, 2006)

Damn!


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## timshatz (Dec 22, 2006)

R-2800 said:


> sometimes you shouldn't fly some of these old Warbirds becasue no matter how safe you are things just happen



It's pretty much that way with anything over 50 years old. Cars, Airplanes, you name it. IMHO opinion, they were made to fly so fly 'em. Attrition will decrease the number but there are always a few lying around in museams. Take them out of the air and you take them out of their natural environment.


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## Matt308 (Dec 22, 2006)

Age old argument. Keep crashing them and someday none will exist.


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## mkloby (Dec 22, 2006)

sad!


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## timshatz (Dec 27, 2006)

I had read about 10 years back (memory is fuzzy) that there was a company in Brazil that was making Composite Spitfires. Complete with engine on the same level (regarding shape and output) as the Merlin. They had pictures and whatnot along with the story. They were making them for the same reason we discuss it here, there are a limited number in the world and there seems to be a market.


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## R-2800 (Dec 27, 2006)

> It's pretty much that way with anything over 50 years old. Cars, Airplanes, you name it. IMHO opinion, they were made to fly so fly 'em. Attrition will decrease the number but there are always a few lying around in museams. Take them out of the air and you take them out of their natural environment.



i see what your saying but sometimes for like one of only a few left like the B-26 that crashed sometime in the 80's-90's i think, shouldn't be flown, don't get me wrong i love seeing them flying I just get mad when they get crashed from an accident because thats one more plane that is gone





> I had read about 10 years back (memory is fuzzy) that there was a company in Brazil that was making Composite Spitfires. Complete with engine on the same level (regarding shape and output) as the Merlin. They had pictures and whatnot along with the story. They were making them for the same reason we discuss it here, there are a limited number in the world and there seems to be a market.



i never heared of that but Stormbirds i think is making exact replica ME-262's


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## evangilder (Dec 27, 2006)

Sorry, but if they don't fly, they may as well be tombstones. People come to see airplanes fly. Plus when they are up and flying, it sparks interest in them from people of all ages. Don't believe that? Go to a local airport when the Collings Foundation brings their B-17 and B-24, or the EAA bringing their B-17 around. People come to see them, and see them fly. People flock to them. The more they get out to be seen, the more folks will be able to see them. If they are sitting in a museum somewhere, way fewer people will see them.

Nothing beats the look on people's faces when a big radial roars to life. I have seen frail old men and women run for the hangar door when one of ours roars to life at the museum to see what is starting. They will stand and watch it taxi, run-up and take off. They will watch until the plane is out of sight. I have watched old vets get a glint in their eye when they see one fly past. I go with the motto of the CAF: *Keep 'em Flying*

I have flown in some of these old birds, and received flight instruction in the SNJ that was built in 1943. If I didn;t feel it was safe, I wouldn't do it.


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## Danno (Dec 29, 2006)

I agree evanglider. It's not the same when you see planes just sitting in a museum. It's really cool to see them up close (and to sneak a touch if you can) but nothing can come close to actually seeing them fly.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Dec 29, 2006)

timshatz said:


> I had read about 10 years back (memory is fuzzy) that there was a company in Brazil that was making Composite Spitfires. Complete with engine on the same level (regarding shape and output) as the Merlin. They had pictures and whatnot along with the story. They were making them for the same reason we discuss it here, there are a limited number in the world and there seems to be a market.



over here John Isaac used to, i think he still might, make 70% scale reproductions of the Hawker Hind and 60% scale reproductions of the Spitfire, i've yet to see a picture of his spitfires but his hinds look great, how cool would it be to own one!


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## Nonskimmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I'm with Tim and evan. Keep 'em flying.


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## Gnomey (Dec 29, 2006)

Nonskimmer said:


> I'm with Tim and evan. Keep 'em flying.



Got to agree with that, even if that means preventing most of them doing acrobatics.


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## Soundbreaker Welch? (Dec 29, 2006)

Hear, Hear! 

Save that for the computer games and Movies (with CGI planes, of course.)


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## evangilder (Dec 29, 2006)

Besides, as long as they are flying, I can keep supplying the great pictures.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Dec 30, 2006)

Yet you still can't get a lanc shot


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## evangilder (Dec 30, 2006)

Well, send me a ticket to Engalnd and I will shoot away!  I have some old stuff on film that I am in the process of re-scanning the negatives. I can now scan the old negs at 2400 DPI, which looks pretty good. I have a lot of UK aircraft on the negatives, like the Lanc, Spitfire, Hurricane, Vulcan, Lightning and others.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Dec 30, 2006)

the Vulcan should be back in the skies sometime next year, really can't wait to see her in the skies again!

but you know evan Canada isn't that far from America


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## evangilder (Dec 30, 2006)

I figure if you're paying for the ticket, I might as well come all the way to England!  

The Canadian Lanc was at OshKosh this year. I plan on going in the next couple of years back to OshKosh. Maybe I can catch it then.


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## Crow (Dec 30, 2006)

It`ll fly again one day. they are almost too valuable now not to be viable to restore.


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