Any word on Precious Metal yet??

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Not only is it not cost effective, it's dangerous both to the Skycrane and to PM. Once slung and airborn it will try and twist all over the place. Needs a very skilled crew familiar with lifting aircraft, not just cargo. Pilot in the aircraft? I don't know anyone willing to take that risk.
Also, not sure how legal it would be. I am sure you would have to avoid ANY built up areas. Heck, they had a Blackhawk go down with a mechanical in Dog Valley (near Stead) a couple years ago. They lifted it out and back to Stead with a Chinook. They closed every highway, street and dirt road it crossed over and had to avoid overflying ANY buildings.
I've seen the Sanders get a Sea Fury out of Stead and back to Ione by Wednesday after the races, so why the hassle and expense? It is going to be a long haul, a few days won't matter.

I guess if you have a major problem with the lifting helicopter, the first thing you drop is your load. Worry about that later.

[GRNDP51]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

The wings will have to come off for the repair, so the fact that they have to remove them to move the plane from where it is sort of irrelevant.

What they do need is more than $16K to work with. That is all the kickstarter program as produce so far. I know they sold lots of stuff in the Pits, but they need a lot more than that. I've donated, has everyone else?

Will

I think the majority of people are spending their $50 on buying the square inches on the new paint job. Obviously to a lot of people getting something for their money is more worth it. I just don't know how that CAF C-47 got over $300k, that's some ridiculous donation money..

[Sky Critter]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

We've donated through GoFundMe and purchased a bunch of stuff at the races. I'm a bit surprised that they've only raised $16k so far. A huge chunk of that ($10k) came via one donation. A huge thanks to that supporter! We plan on making several more donations in the next few weeks. I don't really care about having a pic on the plane, just want to see PM on the course again.

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

We've donated through GoFundMe and purchased a bunch of stuff at the races. I'm a bit surprised that they've only raised $16k so far. A huge chunk of that ($10k) came via one donation. A huge thanks to that supporter! We plan on making several more donations in the next few weeks. I don't really care about having a pic on the plane, just want to see PM on the course again.

I wonder if Strega, Voodoo, Rare Bear donated some money if they could put their photo on Precious Metal?

[toldjaso]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

I think this is a take the wings off and put it on a truck type deal.

Absolutely.
A Sky Crane probably would not fire up up for less than $10,000, and then who knows if the wings and engine would even stay on PM for the flight. It is structurally weakened.
I saw several Chinooks sling load damaged UH-60 Blackhawks and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and every time, they damaged the things beyond repair while doing it. Sometimes shedding parts as they flew along. Dropping them or turning them on their side when landing with them.

Flying it out is not really an option, unless you are the military, recovering their own aircraft.

[supercub]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Ground transportation should not be an issue. There's been lots of warbirds transported that way over the years. Furious, Dreadnought, Rare Bear and a whole lot of others that others can chime in and mention.

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Absolutely.
A Sky Crane probably would not fire up up for less than $10,000, and then who knows if the wings and engine would even stay on PM for the flight. It is structurally weakened.
I saw several Chinooks sling load damaged UH-60 Blackhawks and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and every time, they damaged the things beyond repair while doing it. Sometimes shedding parts as they flew along. Dropping them or turning them on their side when landing with them.

Flying it out is not really an option, unless you are the military, recovering their own aircraft.

Were these recovered Helicopters damaged before they were airlifted out, that's why they were shedding parts? How do they orient themselves in flight? Do they spin and create a near disaster to the Chinook? Why were they being dropped? Because they were junk and it didn't matter or was it poor handling by the Chinook crew, weather, bad conditions...?

[toldjaso]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Were these recovered Helicopters damaged before they were airlifted out, that's why they were shedding parts? How do they orient themselves in flight? Do they spin and create a near disaster to the Chinook? Why were they being dropped? Because they were junk and it didn't matter or was it poor handling by the Chinook crew, weather, bad conditions...?

Yer gonna get me in trouble for being "off topic", but I got nothing else to do tonight, so here goes: One Blackhawk they recovered was not too bad when they picked it up, it had big holes in the belly from landing on some boulders. When they started moving with it, the front rotor blades started flapping up and down violently, causing the thing to pitch fore and aft, swinging like a pendulum. After they got out of the area, they set it down and chain-sawed the rotor blades off ($80,000 each, x 4). When they got it home, they pickled it from about 15 feet up, because of the dust they were kicking up causing a brownout.
We lost 6 OH 58's, and they recovered 5. (Blew one in place). One of them only had one hole through the engine from an AK 47 round. When they set it down (with a Blackhawk), they tipped it over, really messing it up. They did recover one, now that I remember it, and got it back down OK. It caught a tracer round right through the fuel cell, on it's first combat flight. That caused a momentary flash fire in the tank that split all the seams around the fuel tank from the expansion. Totaled the airframe.

They always blew up the Apaches in place, as they were usually too screwed up to recover, or in too hot of an area to get them out.

Hopefully they won't be under fire when they recover PM. I guess that depends on what part of Florida it's in!

[badman]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Ground transportation should not be an issue. There's been lots of warbirds transported that way over the years. Furious, Dreadnought, Rare Bear and a whole lot of others that others can chime in and mention.

I think the Whittington's disassembled and trucked this same airframe home from Reno to Florida in 1988 following it's off-airport landing in the Sunday Gold race start.

[John H]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

There's no way someone would be crazy enough to airlift this when disassembling and trucking is the sensible option and one that's done all the time.

[440_Magnum]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Wherever it goes, it will go by truck. Helicoptering it any distance at all is just crazy, since the risk of damage to the airplane or injury to people/property on the ground is very high. Also the process for moving an airplane by truck is well-established and far lower risk, far lower cost- especially since the wing/fuse will have to be separated anyway. The whole Sanders fleet has traveled by truck at one time or another- Dreadnought twice in the last 10-15 years IIRC. If its economical to put Dreadnought on a truck, then PM will be easier. No need to go creating new problems to solve...

[ChrisMX105]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Even further off topic:

Big Al Reddick somehow ended up with an F-105 airframe that was sitting at Sierra army depot (Herlong) The ANG at Stead did a "Training mission" and flew it to Stead for him under a CH-47. Just the airframe no engine. From what I understand it just weathervaned under the chopper and it was a cake flight.

But in the case of PM logic/cost would dictate trailering it.

[Lon Moer]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Wherever it goes, it will go by truck. Helicoptering it any distance at all is just crazy, since the risk of damage to the airplane or injury to people/property on the ground is very high. Also the process for moving an airplane by truck is well-established and far lower risk, far lower cost- especially since the wing/fuse will have to be separated anyway. The whole Sanders fleet has traveled by truck at one time or another- Dreadnought twice in the last 10-15 years IIRC. If its economical to put Dreadnought on a truck, then PM will be easier. No need to go creating new problems to solve...

The Sander's have trucked several Sea Furies, theirs and others. But, Sea Fury wings come off at the folding break and it is a lot easier than disassembling a Mustang.

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

Do you need a crane to lift the fuselage on a Mustang to remove the wing or do you use jacks under the fuselage and then lower the wing?

[ChrisMX105]

Re: Any word on Precious Metal yet??

I've heard of clipping wings for racing but that is nutz!!