[Publius6961]

You don’t suppose we can claim one or two of those for the Smithsonian, as partial payment for war debts?

[tanknetter]

You don’t suppose we can claim one or two of those for the Smithsonian, as partial payment for war debts?

Back when the Garber NASM restoration facility was still running weekend tours, and the NASM Hurricane was under resto, the restoration staff would tell a GREAT story about how NASM acquired its Hurri.

Seems the Imperial War Museum had several Hurricanes, and NASM proposed either a trade or permanent loan. IWM declined. Then the IWM managed to wreck one of its Spits (I think they dropped it from a crane or something) right before a major exhibit was due to open. Guess what? NASM had, as a surplus airframe, the exact Mk of Spit IWM wanted. IWM, suddenly very polite, asked for the Spit. NASM told them "Sure, but we want a Hurricane in return. We know you have four, here's the serial of the one we're willing to trade for".

Gawd, I miss those Garber tours. Won't get any good stories like that from the docents at Mall or Udvar-Hazy.

[Winniesboy]

You don’t suppose we can claim one or two of those for the Smithsonian, as partial payment for war debts?

As a matter of purely technical interest, the United Kingdom paid the U.S. the last remaining instalment of its last 50-year war debt at the end of 2006.