Spitfires' Excavation Date Set| Off-Topic Discussion forum |

pilotbraden Dork
12/27/12 1:20 p.m.

I am eager to see these airplanes.

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/2403-full.html#207904

Spitfires' Excavation Date Set

The long-anticipated dig to unearth a cache of brand-new Spitfires that are believed to be buried in Burma is expected to start on Jan. 12, local press has reported. According to The Irrawaddy, archeologists first will spend about a week studying the site, then the digging can begin. Up to 36 pristine Spitfires, still in the packing crates they were delivered in near the end of World War II, are expected to be found. David Cundall, who located the burial site, said he has confirmed the airplanes are there by sending a camera through a borehole. "We went into a crate, you can see an object which resembles a Spitfire," he said.

The British troops buried the airplanes when they left Burma in 1945, Cundall said, because they didn't want to take them home but also didn't want anyone else to use them. The crates were tarred and placed on massive teak timbers to assist drainage, and a wooden roof was placed over the crates to protect them, Cundall said. The crates are buried about 30 feet deep in an area close to a runway at Mingaladon Airport in Rangoon. Cundall also has permission to excavate two other sites in Burma. At one of those sites, Cundall said he expects to find up to six crated Mark 8 Spitfires, a rare variation with only one copy still flying.

SilverFleet Dork
12/27/12 1:24 p.m.

I thought you were taking about a bunch of Triumphs sitting in someone's yard.

These Spitfires are a lot cooler.

Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
12/27/12 1:39 p.m.

Wow

z31maniac PowerDork
12/27/12 1:48 p.m.

Hopefully they are well preserved!

Conquest351 SuperDork
12/27/12 2:21 p.m.

CAN NOT WAIT TO FOLLOW THIS!!! I'm sure The Discovery Channel will do an awesome documentary on it.

Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/27/12 2:32 p.m.

Conquest351 wrote: CAN NOT WAIT TO FOLLOW THIS!!! I'm sure The Discovery Channel will do an awesome documentary on it.

Is that just speculation, or is it in the works?

jere Reader
12/27/12 2:41 p.m.

Wow that's crazy, why didn't they just fly them home?

Stealthtercel HalfDork
12/27/12 3:18 p.m.

Fly them home so they could be scrapped? What would have been the point? Why spend the fuel?

This delayed discovery thing is cooler by several orders of magnitude.

mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/27/12 3:21 p.m.

I want to see the Mk8 spits fly

friedgreencorrado PowerDork
12/27/12 4:37 p.m.

You know it's a serious aviation site when even the ads say things like "Useful Tips for Managing an IFR Emergency"..

I can't wait to see what kind of shape these things are in. Will there be enough left to build some flying survivors?

Cone_Junky Dork
12/27/12 5:00 p.m.

Woody wrote:
Conquest351 wrote: CAN NOT WAIT TO FOLLOW THIS!!! I'm sure The Discovery Channel will do an awesome documentary on it.
Is that just speculation, or is it in the works?

Just don't let Geraldo Rivera host it!!!

Conquest351 SuperDork
12/27/12 5:06 p.m.

Woody wrote:
Conquest351 wrote: CAN NOT WAIT TO FOLLOW THIS!!! I'm sure The Discovery Channel will do an awesome documentary on it.
Is that just speculation, or is it in the works?

Completely speculation, but I don't see why they wouldn't. Completely awesome TV show.

aircooled PowerDork
12/27/12 7:22 p.m.

friedgreencorrado wrote: ....Will there be enough left to build some flying survivors?

Depends on how much you want to spend. There have been rebuilds of some planes of little more then a data plate (which makes it legal) and a basic fuselage.

It seems very likely that at least a few will be rebuiladible in some way and pretty likely that most will be rebuildable, just depends on how much someone wants to invest. The engines (Merlins for the Spit IX's, Griffons for the Spit XIV's) are likely in pretty good condition unless they were completely submerged.

Realistically, even if they are in very good condition, considering they have been underground in a moist atmosphere for 60 years, an almost complete rebuild just for safety reasons will likely be required.

For what a flying Spitfire is worth, it will very likely be financially viable to rebuild them. Of course, they will create quite a glut in the market if they are all done. I would suspect they will be restored a few at a time over a number of years.