SAVING THE "GLACIER GIRL" FROM WORLD WAR II

[nickp1987]

Wait wait wait, the video said that only THREE of these planes are still in flying condition!?!

That's...just depressing.

[FiveCentsPlease]

@nickp1987

It think it's more than three, although some are probably maintained in airworthy condition and not flown. I think the number is closer to ten or twelve. Others remain on static display. A private group has been working with Greenland to get permission to dig up the other five lost squadron P-38s, but it will be years before they are restored.

[NzMaze]

beautiful plane

[USSWISCONSIN64]

Best American pilot was in this plane too.

[KillingJokes97]

OohRah I wish I was 18 already...

[taylorc9487]

I had this plane exactly, or one of the other 3 reaming p-38 fly over me in Newport beach,ca a few months back during a July airshow, the roar of the engine was crazy. It also was a beautiful sight to see, hundreds of people were staring at the plane as it went by.

[tiredowalkin]

I bought a small piece of this airplane at Oshkosh, they had them in a little fishbowl and were charging 5 bucks each. A nice lady told me she went up there to the site and make sonofbitch soup for the crew recovering the plane.

[you2ubeviewer]

Just saw this plane, what an amazing story!

[biltongbru]

love this great story!

[galloway62042009]

shame they couldnt save the kee bird

[871yt]

The only video I want to see of George Stephanapolos is of him being beaten unconscious on live TV for his lies.

[356butch]

Buried under 250 ft of snow and ice...must be that global warming we've heard about...

[spiritofharold]

the p38 was a fantastic aircraft , a superb american design and some very brave men served in them , including some british pilots who loved it.

a beautiful aircraft , god bless all who flew them.

[mrfuzzer1]

Why did they restore it? That makes it so much less special. It would have been much more awesome to keep it as it was in a museum.

[LongBeachPits562]

@mrfuzzer1 I agree but disagree at the same time. Now it's flyable like it was that day. Instead of letting it rot, preserve it. That way the history lives on for a mch longer period of time.

[mrfuzzer1]

@LongBeachPits562 Im not saying leave it outside, you can preserve it without actually restoring it. Its not like a wall where you have to restore it in order to keep it safe and standing.

But i guess this was is alright but for me it makes it a little bit less special than it would be to see the remains of the plane. Each to their own.

[MrAirworthy]

is there any finding or should i say...what happened to the b-17 sat around 200 meters from glacier girl????

[FiveCentsPlease]

@MrAirworthy

The first aircraft found and explored under the ice was B-17 "Big Stoop" and it was found that the weight and shifting movement of the glacier had crushed and tore apart the plane. It was left and the location was used as a reference to find the first P-38. I think the B-17 should have been recovered as well. Two groups are presently planning and fund raising to go after the remaining planes.

[rajahbabe]

Check out the book MY COUSIN KILLED HITLER, based on the story of Marshal Zhukov. It tells a family secret about him. If only Hitler knew that one of those he hunted became the hunter instead.

[19thSFGA]

Roy who  ? LOL

[SvenTviking]

Happier story than the B29 they got out the ice, restored, re engined, and then as they were about to fly it out, the auxilary motor in the rear fusalage cought fire and burned the whole plane out. Bloody heartbreaking film that was!

[themedicatlivedotdk]

@SvenTviking

I seen that documentary. That was heart breaking. Especially everything that crew went through and did to get it going.

Poor fuckers seeing it burn up after getting it turning, burning and rolling.

[SvenTviking]

@themedicatlivedotdk I could't believe that no one had brought a decent fire extinguisher!

[FiveCentsPlease]

@SvenTviking

The did. It was in the back of the plane where the fire started. Such a tragic waste of a plane because of stupidity.

[fordxbgtfalcon]

@SvenTviking yes, very sad indeed.

[croozn888]

@19Truth53

Seriously, man, you might be the stupidest motherfucker in the known universe.

[BarthBunzel]

What a total waste of time and energy. It would have been easier to build them from scratch.

[osgood54]

I thought they found engine problems and Glacier Girl never made the flight to Greenland. So what was the end of the story?

[osgood54]

I saw Glacier Girl make her first flight after being restored at Middelsboro, Kentucky on a one strip airport.

[deer15]

@19Truth53 The CIVILIAN pilot is Steve Hinton-President of Planes of Fame Museum-one of the foremost collections of warbirds in the world. He is one of the worlds best pilots and has flown historic aircraft for more than 30 years and one of a handfull of pilot qualified to fly the P-38. I suspect the owners of the aircraft hired him to fly it BECAUSE HE IS THE BEST QUALIFIED. Get your facts straight, dumbass

[19Truth53]

Big Fucking Deal. He's a Richie Rich boy with a stable full of "historic airplanes." If he's so fucking "special" how come I've never heard of him? And only "a handful of pilots" can fly it because only an even FEWER number of money-bags like Hinton have the BUCKS to CONTROL of WHO flies them. So, not impressed, asshole!

[1230hagen]

@19Truth53 "If he's so fucking special how come I've never heard of him?" You've never heard of him because you're an uneducated asshole. Your comments are proving that.

[gman34798]

@19Truth53 "Warmongering Murderers".....WTF dude?

[AIRFAN60]

@19Truth53

Your mother must have had a bad case of nasty HOOKER DRIPPY cunt your so fucking stupid you make real AMERICANS sick. You know so little that Forest fucking Gump looks like a brain surgeon next to you. If there were any pilot's who flew the P-38 alive they wouldnt want to fly it. Why dont you shut the fuck up and stick to a subject you know about like doing the five finger shuffle on your piss pump you communist bastard.

[ghostridersixnine]

@19Truth53

hey fuck head,get the fuck out of this country asshole!!!! go to north korea,china,iran or some other country that takes you freedom!!! that way you might just find some sort of appreciation for what generations of "war mongerers" have bought you with thier lives!!! my family has served this country all the way back to the civil war including myself and its uneducated assholes like you that make me sick . my dad flew b17's in ww2 and he wasnt a fucking civilian you dick!!!!!!!!!!

[Spacestefano]

the cool thing is that i got to see glacier girl at an air show lol

[icefighter35]

what about the poor b 17?

[SWARD1550]

Electricbadger you are wrong they did not run out of money nor declare bankruptcy. Pat Epps and Richard Taylor did bring the plane up. Roy Restored it. Roy also helped with the funding the year they actually brought the plane to the surface but Pat and Richard are the ones that got it to the surface. Check your facts please

[slicedvomit]

The flying proof that states Greenland increased its polar height up until the 90's... beautifull.

[mhstsax07]

I am from Middlesboro, Ky...the place where Glacier Girl was restored. I wish she was still based at our airport. I'll never forget the day that she flew for the first time. Awesome...

[hutigg]

I would of loved to see her fly. I am continually crossing my fingers to see her. I have the book.

[electricbadger]

My granmas cousin (Richard Taylor) was one of the people who helped dig Glacier Girl out of the ice.

It's a shame you can't find much information about him, because him and his friend ran out of money before they managed to dig it all out. Someone else finished it off.

[alexiswolfe]

There's a P38 still buried in the sand just a mile from me on the N Wales coast, it's sad they haven't yet dug her out. Google 'Maid of Harlech' for story and pics.

[LoudS1l3nc3]

why these planes can't be made anymore? Without the military equipment, they would be nice sports planes

[GGigabiteM]

Various reasons really. First they'd require millions of dollars in maintenance every year, depending on how they're flown. Second would be getting parts for them would be nearly impossible, forcing you to make them yourself or getting them expensively special ordered. Along with other issues, like not being specifically designed as a sports plane makes them undesirable to own.

[LoudS1l3nc3]

Millions of dollars in maintenance? Really? These planes aren't like midern sophisticated jet fighters and i thought they would need more maintenance than a modern piston plane. The parts could really be a problem, but they could be made at the same time as the airplane, like making to planes and only putting one together. Also you can look at the reports of the time and see what parts were prone to fail.

[LoudS1l3nc3]

wiki says a P-38 costed almost 100000$ back in 1944. How much is that today?

[GGigabiteM]

The inflation calculator gives an estimate of $1,150,356 in 2008 dollars for the cost of a single plane.

And on the contrary, most piston fighters only have a single engine, a P38 has two. On top of that, they're counter rotating engines, which means that both engines are different because both props turn away from the fuselage.

Another problem is that alloys of the 1940's are either not available or nobody knows how to machine properly, which would result in having to retest everything.

[MrJp990]

@LoudS1l3nc3  maybe they lost the blueprints or designs?

[FinalLugiaGuardian]

@LoudS1l3nc3 They can be and are still made in some cases. There have been copies of planes like the P-51 made in modern times for sport that still fly. The problem that keeps many from being built is the huge cost in time and money it takes to build and maintain one. Remember the purpose of the original design was a high performance aircraft. In order to give the pilot the extra edge in a fight, alot of regular ground maintnence by a trained crew was needed.

[FiveCentsPlease]

Lower-cost, scaled-down replicas of several models are made today for sport fliers. For full-size replicas there is still lack of remaining engines to power them. Manufacturing new engines would be extremely costly for a low-demand market so any replicas being made today are short production runs for exclusive buyers. There have been a few new-build including Yak-3s, Fw190s, Me262s and a few others. Replicas ARE the future, but it's a small market with high operating costs and high insurance.

[TheNightrunner666]

@LoudS1l3nc3 the old planes are still used for racing mustangs jugs and lightnings al in racing

[mastercheif98612]

@LoudS1l3nc3 it looks better with the millatary equipment ever seen a millatary sporterized gun it look horrible and plus is takes how much its worth and deducts alot of money

[germanysjim]

@LoudS1l3nc3 Flugwerk in Germany started a company where they just made new reproductions of the FW190 , but they stopped making them after several years, I guess they made enough money, as each one sold for 760,000 euros

[mobius1aic]

@LoudS1l3nc3 There is a company building Me-262 replicas - equipped with modern turbofan engines though.

[cobrachoppergirl]

@LoudS1l3nc3 The P-38 was a very expensive and complicated plane to maintain built to be a speed beater, much like the Me-262, which was why most of them were buried with bulldozers and scrapped. The P-51 was a lot cheaper and easier to maintain, which was why it was kept and continued to see service into the Korean War. My grandfather who is still alive, flew P-38's, P-39's, and P-40's, and the P-38 was his favorite, because it had two engines and was fast fast fast.

[scottduncan44]

@cobrachoppergirl Actually the ME-262 was one of the finest designs ever in terms of field maintenance. It was design for easy access to major components and field service. Remember by the time the Germans finalized the Me-262 they had more experience than anyone at field maintenance under harsh conditions.

[Elthenar]

@cobrachoppergirl One thing i really liked about the P-38, made possible by it's twin engine design, was having all of it's weapons clustered right in the nose. From what I've read, it let the pilot shoot other planes at long ranges. It just cut the Zero's in half with with with all four 50's and the 20mm firing their bullets in a single stream.

[gendo1]

@LoudS1l3nc3 with those two engines they where high maneuverable too. Would be great fun if someone made civillian model for the 21st century!

[spanish111japan]

@LoudS1l3nc3 But nowadays planes are safer.

[TheDuvalMilitia]

@spanish111japan

They can be modernized...These things were built so much better.

[carsmasher]

I saw Glacier Girl in Columbus, Ohio at an airshow in September 2007. I had the chance to walk up and touch, what a feeling.

[shagnastly2]

I met Steve Hinton at an airshow back in 2003, got video footage of him flying a P38. Seems like a pretty nice guy

[letsgofly08]

Yeah same w here. Its was honor to meet him. =)

[Hennersbass]

i got mixed feelins about the restoration of glacier girl...great she flew again but part of me feels as if she should of been left where she was...as if she belonged there.

anyone who knows about the "Kee Bird" will know what i mean

[Gruppob]

if the pilot had died i would totally agree with you.

[proffromgview]

I disagree. This was not a tomb, these pilots got out, these planes are unbelievably great, living history lessons.  LET THEM FLY!!

[hutigg]

There are still two B-17G's and 5 P-38F's in the spot. DoDo and Big Stoop are the two B-17G's. I have the book called "The Lost Squadron."

[hawker445]

i saw this thing all restored in reno nevada

[blt4speed]

i would give my left nut to find somthing like that

[deuschlan]

And my right one too!!!

[1339LARS]

Naah, I would´nt go that far!

[deuschlan]

Yea i know,but sure would be a great plane to own.

[batura1]

thats sensational

[Keith2855]

Nice story.

WW2 planes certainally have that certain something.

[formula4madness]

She's gone now. Sad. What is there? Only 2 left now? Crashed at an airshow in England.

[HansThunderbolt]

This one (Glacier Girl) is NOT gone!!

Your mistaken with another P-38 (piloted by Hoof, RIP).

I saw her fly recently at Reno and at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino where I met Steve Hinton. Great guy!

[kstennis2112]

I can't believe this story didn't acknowledge my grandfather Roy Shoffner and all the team members who made that restoration possible. The term "they" almost makes me sick. He spent 12 years of his life devoted to this airplane and some guy bought it 2 months after his death is getting all the credit. Unreal...but it's our media so it doesn't surprise me at all!

[UniversalVision]

Was your grandfather in the armed forces? He should have gained the respect he deserves. I am sorry for your situation. You should notify them.

[deathknight228]

@kstennis2112 Was your grandfather from Ky? I was lucky enough to see Glacier Girl about 10 years ago, I don't think she was complete when I seen her though.

[udanbug]

@kstennis2112 I felt the same way. If you're who I think you are, you should make your own video reply. In fact, I think Roy Shoffner's life would make a great story.

BTW, I worked for Dura-Line back in the '90s.

[22placid]

@kstennis2112 sorry for your los but i dont know if you remember the keeper it was a b-29 the went down and stayed intact and was trying to be flown back my uncle helped on that and when he got sick they re edited the videos and took him out of it he put 2 years into trying to get that home until it just caught fire

[SteveSabbai]

@kstennis2112 ...if your Grandfather was alive i would shake his hand and say Thank You...the media is notorious for not caring about the facts...

[AccordGTR]

@SteveSabbai it's not a documentary, it's just a short news story. Media releases stories so people will "stay tuned" to them so they can sell advertising. It was never a venue for the Truth anyway. Besides, it takes a lot of time and effort to establish one's credibility. But I agree with you, most of our mainstream media "hides the truth".

[kstennis2112]

I can't believe this story didn't acknowledge my grandfather Roy Shoffner and all the team members who made that restoration possible. The term "they" almost makes me sick. He spent 12 years of his life devoted to this airplane and some guy bought it 2 months after his death is getting all the credit. Unreal...but it's our media so it doesn't surprise me at all!

[kstennis2112]

I can't believe this story didn't acknowledge my grandfather Roy Shoffner and all the team members who made that restoration possible. The term "they" almost makes me sick. He spent 12 years of his life devoted to this airplane and some guy bought it 2 months after his death is getting all the credit. Unreal...but it's our media so it doesn't surprise me at all!

[75fin20]

im so glad that there is country that pays a respect to those ww2 warbirds. here in finland bf109:s where srapped whith ju88:s no mercy for the aluminium=sick

and some of these things where done in fifties

now thre is none flyinig junkers88 has that made world a lot safer??? no!

[mason104]

Thanks for this informative and amazing video!

[thegoosebrain]

I think this plane crashed at an airshow in the UK.

[spikejenkins]

I think not , no no no no your wrong!!!!!

[faireyswordfishmk1]

nah no chance i saw this baby fly at duxford shes a beaut of an aircraft

[madeljacky]

No it did not but one like it crashed at an airshow.

[thevegetarian]

It never made it across the atlantic you fools, there was an engine problem on the way and it didn't come. They are going to try again in 2009 though.

[salemcripple]

Why 09? Why not 08?

[thevegetarian]

Here is the statement from the organisers:

"Mr. Lewis and the Bolero team have decided such an arduous journey requires more time. He has discovered that a batch of radiators will only last ten hours before the piece fails. This kind of failure would be catastrophic crossing the North Atlantic and Mr. Lewis is not willing to jeopardize this priceless piece of history. To overcome this challenge, the team is pursuing new technologies to ensure the Girl makes it safely to the UK."

[thevegetarian]

Continued...

"Instead of working on a short window of a summer crossing this year, the team will pursue all remedies for a safe and successful adventure in 2009."

[riflelord2]

they must go back and get the othere planes in greenland now

[salemcripple]

Most were beond saveing, except this one. I remember watching this on the descovery channel several years ago. They found the bomber first, And then the p38's.

[hoejhus]

a great story about a great plane . amazing what kan be rescued by enthusiast :-)

[octane130]

Thanks for posting this video!!