What? They Cut Off The Wings!!
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Join Date: Feb 2008
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What? They Cut Off The Wings!!
As a fervent member/volunteer of a flight museum, I was so disheartened to learn that most of the aircraft in our static display will never fly. Never ever because these once beautiful and useful planes invariably had their wings sawed off to make their transport to the scrap heap, or to a nobler destination like a storage shed or field a bit easier.
I guess I am a purist; it is wonderful to be able to see and touch these airplanes, but without the total experience of actually seeing one fly, something is lost. I can appreciate that many museums do not have the funds to make their entire collection air-worthy, but if the possibility of flight still exists, that would embolden and inspire the fund-raising and sponsorship.
Maybe I am investing too much emotion into this, but cutting off a plane's wings seems sacrilegious - even violent.
Surely, more care is taken today to insure that the possibility of flight is maintained? I certainly hope so.
I guess I am a purist; it is wonderful to be able to see and touch these airplanes, but without the total experience of actually seeing one fly, something is lost. I can appreciate that many museums do not have the funds to make their entire collection air-worthy, but if the possibility of flight still exists, that would embolden and inspire the fund-raising and sponsorship.
Maybe I am investing too much emotion into this, but cutting off a plane's wings seems sacrilegious - even violent.
Surely, more care is taken today to insure that the possibility of flight is maintained? I certainly hope so.
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V2, aircraft often have the main spar cut for the reasons you give - mainly transportation. This means that the load-bearing strucuture essential to flight is weakened and cannot be repaired. Tragic, but I'd rather "never fly" than "used for fire training". 
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Somph, I would agree - something is better than nothing. Some aircraft have virtually gone extinct. If I remember correctly, none of the original Pan Am floating clippers survived. What a shame.
