Glacier Girl Flying to England today, 65 years late.
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Glacier Girl Flying to England today, 65 years late.
Mods, I realize this may get moved to the aviation history forum, but it is such a great story that I'm starting the thread here.
Glacier Girl, a P-38 Lightning that was part of the Lost Squadron that crashlanded on the Greenland Ice Cap in July 1942, took off from Teterboro today enroute to Duxford. (Currently over Massachusetts). Glacier Girl has 85 percent of her original parts, not bad for a plane buried under 200 feet of snow for decades. For the first 100 miles, she will be accompanied by a P-51 Mustang, and flying in the rear seat of the Mustang will be Brad McManus, the last surviving pilot from the Lost Squadron.
The Lost Squadron was comprised of six P-38's and two B-17's that crashlanded on the ice because of weather. They were being sent to England to help defend the sceptered isle.
Live tracking here:
http://bolero.flightexplorer.com/default.aspx?475358
The routing is: Presque Isle (KPQI), Goose Bay (CYYR), Frobisher Bay (CYFB), Sondre Stromfjord (BGSF), Kulsuk (BGKK), Reykjvik (BIRK), Stornoway (EGPO), Duxford (EGSU).
To IM the flight crew, you can go here. (My how times change).
http://www.airshowbuzz.com/forums/in...showtopic=1034
God speed GG!!!!!!!!!!
Glacier Girl, a P-38 Lightning that was part of the Lost Squadron that crashlanded on the Greenland Ice Cap in July 1942, took off from Teterboro today enroute to Duxford. (Currently over Massachusetts). Glacier Girl has 85 percent of her original parts, not bad for a plane buried under 200 feet of snow for decades. For the first 100 miles, she will be accompanied by a P-51 Mustang, and flying in the rear seat of the Mustang will be Brad McManus, the last surviving pilot from the Lost Squadron.
The Lost Squadron was comprised of six P-38's and two B-17's that crashlanded on the ice because of weather. They were being sent to England to help defend the sceptered isle.
Live tracking here:
http://bolero.flightexplorer.com/default.aspx?475358
The routing is: Presque Isle (KPQI), Goose Bay (CYYR), Frobisher Bay (CYFB), Sondre Stromfjord (BGSF), Kulsuk (BGKK), Reykjvik (BIRK), Stornoway (EGPO), Duxford (EGSU).
To IM the flight crew, you can go here. (My how times change).
http://www.airshowbuzz.com/forums/in...showtopic=1034
God speed GG!!!!!!!!!!
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I'd like to see them do that with the stardust - then again, they might have to wait a while for all the parts to come out of the rock cycle 
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Try a Google with glacier girl ...... it's well worth it .....
I rem. Discovery or a similar channel did a series on the recovery operation .... the highs and lows ..... a fabulous project ....
I rem. Discovery or a similar channel did a series on the recovery operation .... the highs and lows ..... a fabulous project ....
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Very best wishes to Steve Hinton (Glacier Girl) and Ed Shipley (Miss Velma) and look forward to seeing both aircraft and their pilots at Flying Legends. 
Weather at Goose looked pretty dire yesterday. However, it might be OK in a few hours' time today?
CYYR 240530Z 240606 04010KT 2SM -DZ BR BKN004 BKN008 OVC012 TEMPO 0611 5SM -SHRA BR SCT004 BKN008 OVC012....
FM1400Z 07007KT P6SM BKN020 OVC030 TEMPO 1419 SCT020 BKN030 BKN080
FM1900Z 12007KT P6SM SCT025 BKN040 TEMPO 1906 P6SM -SHRA BKN020 BECMG 2324 26006KT RMK NXT FCST BY 12Z
CYYR 240530Z 240606 04010KT 2SM -DZ BR BKN004 BKN008 OVC012 TEMPO 0611 5SM -SHRA BR SCT004 BKN008 OVC012....
FM1400Z 07007KT P6SM BKN020 OVC030 TEMPO 1419 SCT020 BKN030 BKN080
FM1900Z 12007KT P6SM SCT025 BKN040 TEMPO 1906 P6SM -SHRA BKN020 BECMG 2324 26006KT RMK NXT FCST BY 12Z
But not heading for Goose?
Stephenville? St Anthony? Gander?
Have a good one!!
30 min later - Now seems to be back on course for Goose!
15 min later - Or maybe not?
Stephenville? St Anthony? Gander?
Have a good one!!
30 min later - Now seems to be back on course for Goose!
15 min later - Or maybe not?
Last edited by BEagle; 24th Jun 2007 at 21:17.
Looks as though they might be planning Goose to Kangerlussuaq direct, rather than via Iqaluit....
(For older readers, that's Goose to Sondre Strømfjord direct, rather than via Frobisher Bay!)
Or maybe not - the map has changed again!
And yet again - now it looks like Goose - Narssassuaq - Kulusuk?
Goose - Iqaluit - Kangerlussuaq = 1164 miles
Goose - Kangerlussuaq = 872 miles
Goose - Narssasssuaq - Kulusuk = 1024 miles
Good luck, Glacier Girl!!
(For older readers, that's Goose to Sondre Strømfjord direct, rather than via Frobisher Bay!)
Or maybe not - the map has changed again!
And yet again - now it looks like Goose - Narssassuaq - Kulusuk?
Goose - Iqaluit - Kangerlussuaq = 1164 miles
Goose - Kangerlussuaq = 872 miles
Goose - Narssasssuaq - Kulusuk = 1024 miles
Good luck, Glacier Girl!!
Last edited by BEagle; 26th Jun 2007 at 14:19.
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Sad news - just seen on Airshowbuzz and elsewhere that Glacier Girl's epic journey to the UK has ended at Goose with an engine problem. Better to find a snag there than miles out to sea... 
Ed Shipley is en route to Narssas... Narsar... Nasasssaas... heck, Greenland, in the TF-51D Miss Velma accompanied by Steve Hinton and crew in a PC-12.
Also on the upside, The Fighter Collection's P-40B Tomahawk has arrived at Duxford . Let's hope that the excellent spanner-wielding team can get her assembled and airworthy in time for Flying Legends on the 7th July! Course they can!
Ed Shipley is en route to Narssas... Narsar... Nasasssaas... heck, Greenland, in the TF-51D Miss Velma accompanied by Steve Hinton and crew in a PC-12. Also on the upside, The Fighter Collection's P-40B Tomahawk has arrived at Duxford . Let's hope that the excellent spanner-wielding team can get her assembled and airworthy in time for Flying Legends on the 7th July! Course they can!
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Hope they have better luck next try. Would be nice if BBC2 or C4 would repeat the rather excellent doco they made about the exhumation of the Lightning and its background story.
(Although prob. no room in the schedule these days, got to have lots of interesting crap like football or Big Brother or soap operas eh?)
(Although prob. no room in the schedule these days, got to have lots of interesting crap like football or Big Brother or soap operas eh?)
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Coolant leak at Goose Bay
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and pictures from today 30th June here at http://fighter-collection.com/pages.php