Posted on 08/09/2017 9:33:40 AM PDT by simpson96
(full article title: A long lost airplane that crashed during WWII is finally discovered almost perfectly preserved on the riverbed of a remote Pacific island)
Holidaymakers can expect to witness numerous unexpected wonders when they explore the world.
But tourists visiting the Micronesian archipelago of Palau discovered an unusually rare sight, recently - after stumbling across a doomed WW2 plane.
The long lost aeroplane was found in a shallow river on the archipelago of Palau, which boasts 500 picturesque islands.
An image of the remarkable relic, which surfaced on Imgur, shows the plane largely intact with the wings still attached to the fuselage.
Eerily positioned upside-down, it's not clear which country the military craft belonged to, but the undisturbed site has now become something of a makeshift grave.
And, clearly, it exerts a fascination with holidaymakers, two of whom can be seen canoeing past the plane's rusted body.
Unsurprisingly, the image has stunned people across the internet, with one saying:, 'Looks like a movie set or the beginning or end of a novel.'
Another added: 'If was the pilot that died with that plane, I'd be happy with my final resting spot. So beautiful and serene.'
A third chimed-in: 'For me, it's the juxtaposition between the wreck and the person kayaking carefree right next to it. It seems disrespectful given that someone could have died in that wreck.'
One plane expert told MailOnline that the wreck is 'probably' that of an American aircraft, possibly a flying boat, he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
1st 2 photos aren’t same wreck as subject...I don’t think. Source article in Daily Mail identifies it as an Japanese Aichi E13A “Jake”.
Thanks!!
The box section in the fuselage goes much more forward, past the leading edge of the wings in the original photo.
Much smaller in the new photos.
I will ask around. I’m sitting at the FBO of I69 this very minute!
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If that thing is “perfectly preserved,” I’d hate to see a damaged one!
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FBO of I69? Airport? F??? B??? Overpass? I just know I am going to feel stupid when you tell me what it is!
I think the box section in the top two pictures has a panel of metal in place that either corroded or came off in some way on the bottom aircraft.
Also, the longer the box opening appears aft
I now feel pretty strongly it is the same plane type.
The aft wing root looks the same.
If there was skin where the red outlines are, these two would look quite similar.
The yellow outline looks like a pontoon mast fairing, the mast probably taken away with the pontoon when it detached.
I do believe this is a Aichi E13A.
Gad. I hate it when I question an expert in the media, simply because they never get any of this stuff right...and then they are right! I guess if they had called it a "Heavy Bomber", "battleship" or something like that that would have been expected.
Actually, no...in the picture I posted of a different wreck inverted of the same plane type, the flaps are pointing downward exactly the same way. (Flaps should NEVER point up, right? And those in the photo of the other wreck do.
Don’t you agree they are pointing towards the sand on the inverted plane?
Argh. Sorry, the views I posted don’t show it. There was another view on the pinintrest site that did from a different angle. I’ll see if I can find it.
Fixed Base of Operations. The place where you get gas etc at the airport - Eastern Cincinnati Aviation, Inc.
In this case I69 is Clermont County Airport, Batavia Ohio (like RSW is FAA’s designation for Ft Myers Florida airport, etc.).
It is also the home to Sporty’s Pilot Shop, probably the largest pilot gear catalog company.
They have Sporty’s Academy - a pilot training facility. My son is taking flying lessons - squeezed between football practice and Scouts!
Never did get any ideas as good as the ones on FreeRepublic earlier!
Whew! I am relieved it wasn’t something super easy! I am a ex-Navy guy, so FBO for me was always moving around!
One of my bucket list things is to solo an airplane. Don’t know if I ever will. But I’ll tell you this: You are one hell of a dad to enroll him in flying lessons.
I do enjoy this kind of thing on FR, though. I had a bunch of pictures that my Mother-in-law gave me from WWII. She worked at a drug store in Boston during and after the war, and people would drop of film to get it developed and would never come back for it. She found these images:
IIRC, the film was removed from the USS Leyte Gulf when she had the fire in Boston in 1953, and they were forgotten about. It was speculated the undeveloped film had been in the photo lab on the ship since the end of WWII. But nobody knows where they came from.
I asked for and got a huge amount of great info from a lot of Freepers. It is what this place is great for.
Just be glad they didn't call it a 'Glock AK-15 Fully Automatic Streetsweeper Assault Aircraft'.........................
LOL, just think if the plane had been a night fighter painted black...
She’s floating my device right now.
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