Shadow
04-21-2012, 02:55 PM
Yar -- it's buried PILOT treasure!
Like a treasure chest stuffed with priceless booty, as many as 20 World War II-era Spitfire planes are perfectly preserved, buried in crates beneath Burma -- and after 67 years underground, they're set to be uncovered.
The planes were shipped in standard fashion in 1945 from their manufacturer in England to the Far East country: waxed, wrapped in greased paper and tarred to protect against the elements. They were then buried in the crates they were shipped in, rather than let them fall into enemy hands, said David Cundall, an aviation enthusiast who has spent 15 years and about $200,000 in his efforts to reveal the lost planes.
The 62-year-old man -- a British farmer by trade -- realized the fate of the aircraft thanks to an offhand comment a group of American veterans made to a friend, he told the Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/world/burmese-treasure-weve-done-some-pretty-silly-things-but-the-silliest-was-burying-the-spitfires-20120415-1x1kn.html).
''They told Jim: 'We've done some pretty silly things in our time, but the silliest was burying Spitfires.' And when Jim got back from the U.S., he told me,'" Cundall said.
The location of the planes, which remains a closely kept secret, was confirmed during a recent trip to the Far East country, he said.
''We sent a borehole down and used a camera to look at the crates. They seemed to be in good condition," Cundall told the Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/world/burmese-treasure-weve-done-some-pretty-silly-things-but-the-silliest-was-burying-the-spitfires-20120415-1x1kn.html).
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/04/19/buried-treasure-in-burma-squadron-lost-wwii-spitfires-to-be-exhumed/#ixzz1shsIXuPp
Like a treasure chest stuffed with priceless booty, as many as 20 World War II-era Spitfire planes are perfectly preserved, buried in crates beneath Burma -- and after 67 years underground, they're set to be uncovered.
The planes were shipped in standard fashion in 1945 from their manufacturer in England to the Far East country: waxed, wrapped in greased paper and tarred to protect against the elements. They were then buried in the crates they were shipped in, rather than let them fall into enemy hands, said David Cundall, an aviation enthusiast who has spent 15 years and about $200,000 in his efforts to reveal the lost planes.
The 62-year-old man -- a British farmer by trade -- realized the fate of the aircraft thanks to an offhand comment a group of American veterans made to a friend, he told the Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/world/burmese-treasure-weve-done-some-pretty-silly-things-but-the-silliest-was-burying-the-spitfires-20120415-1x1kn.html).
''They told Jim: 'We've done some pretty silly things in our time, but the silliest was burying Spitfires.' And when Jim got back from the U.S., he told me,'" Cundall said.
The location of the planes, which remains a closely kept secret, was confirmed during a recent trip to the Far East country, he said.
''We sent a borehole down and used a camera to look at the crates. They seemed to be in good condition," Cundall told the Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/world/burmese-treasure-weve-done-some-pretty-silly-things-but-the-silliest-was-burying-the-spitfires-20120415-1x1kn.html).
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/04/19/buried-treasure-in-burma-squadron-lost-wwii-spitfires-to-be-exhumed/#ixzz1shsIXuPp