Joe S
HK-1
For those that do not know, or have not yet heard, there is a very exciting development in the L-4 world and it is now time to make it public! My name is Joe, and a few years ago I became aware of the story of Rosie the Rocketer and Maj. Charles Carpenter through a story published in EAA magazine. I am an aircraft pilot and historian who searches for aircraft and while I tend to work in the Mustang and Spitfire arena, this L-4’s story really impressed me. As some have heard the original aircraft was located in Austria, on static display in a museum. Working with he Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts, we obtained the aircraft after over a year and a half of negotiation and have returned the aircraft to the United States. She arrived in the US just before New Years and is now in Oregon beginning her restoration. We feel that this is the most important and significant Piper L-4 extant, and the most significant one to have ever been used in combat. We were unsure of what remained, as our inspection of the aircraft was not able to be that extensive until we owned the aircraft.
Rosie was more original than we had hoped, even though she was in the midst of a restoration by the museum there. The plane was special to Austria’s aviation history and she was being refinished as OO-AAB, the second plane in civil registration sequence after WW2! When her new fabric was removed from the wings we were presented with very original wings, original wood spars with a “factory” splice as well as evidence (repaired in the field) of several bullet strikes in the airframe. The wood wings were assembled on 23 March and 20 March 1944 interestingly. All original factory crayon, pencil and ink stamps have been photodocumented before any disassembly and will be preserved, we are replacing as little as possible in the wings. Every bolt and attachment has been photo documented to create a record of what bolts were used. I am hoping to publish a record of the L-4 that results from this so that future L-4s will have information to be the most authentic Warbird Type possible for restoration.
Rosie was more original than we had hoped, even though she was in the midst of a restoration by the museum there. The plane was special to Austria’s aviation history and she was being refinished as OO-AAB, the second plane in civil registration sequence after WW2! When her new fabric was removed from the wings we were presented with very original wings, original wood spars with a “factory” splice as well as evidence (repaired in the field) of several bullet strikes in the airframe. The wood wings were assembled on 23 March and 20 March 1944 interestingly. All original factory crayon, pencil and ink stamps have been photodocumented before any disassembly and will be preserved, we are replacing as little as possible in the wings. Every bolt and attachment has been photo documented to create a record of what bolts were used. I am hoping to publish a record of the L-4 that results from this so that future L-4s will have information to be the most authentic Warbird Type possible for restoration.
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