Brewster Model 239, BW-372 on display in Finland!

[Wmaker]

The work on BW-372 is completed and it has been put on display on Finnish Air Force's 91th anniversary last friday (6.3) in the Finnish Air Force Museum at Tikkakoski, Finland. Here are the first pics I've seen after the completion of the work done to the aircraft:

http://www.fsnordic.net/discussion/index.php/topic,75987.100.html (Pics of the completed display on the bottom of the page.)

First pics of a somewhat complete Brewster Model 239 cockpit taken on the 21st Century. I've waited this moment for over ten years now.

More about the BW-372:

http://www.warbirdforum.com/bw372.htm

http://users.tkk.fi/~ssipila/bw-372/

http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/photoreports/bw-372_photos/

[lyric1]

I am glad to see they kept what is left of it in it's original condition it is a well thought out display.

[Ex-jazz]

Kiitti linkeistä.

Komia on!

 

[Wmaker]

My squadron mate Dictonius (goes by the name of Tikto in the game) took some nice video of the BW-372 recently:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmEEOvvB-YI

The cockpit has now been fitted with gauges and is quite complete. Here's a pic taken by Dictonius of the ammo counters:



As can be seen the .30 cal has stopped firing for some reason during BW-372's final fight while the nose .50 has fired some 123 rounds before Mr.Pekuri ditched the fighter into the Kolejarvi.

BW-372 truly is quite a time capsule!

From Wikipedia:

[Krusty]

Is this the plane that was in the background of one of the Finnish AH get togethers a while back?

No plans to restore it or anything? Take it back to flying status? That seems to be all the rage here in America (take the wrecks and restore 'em).

[Strip]

I think flying a one of kind warbird like this is not a great idea, short of a full restoration this aircraft is displayed perfectly, its full of character.

Looks great!

Strip

[Wmaker]

Is this the plane that was in the background of one of the Finnish AH get togethers a while back?

Yep, as it's the only one of its kind left in the world. It's on a 3,5 year loan Finland from the Pensacola's National Naval Aviation Museum at Finnish Air Force Commander's request.

No plans to restore it or anything? Take it back to flying status? That seems to be all the rage here in America (take the wrecks and restore 'em).

Considering it's historical value due to the fact how good condition it stayed in the lake for all those years, restoring it in the complete sense of the word would be a total travesty. One of a kind piece like this can really tell a story and a huge part of that museum value would be lost if it would be restored to fly for example.

Finnish Air Force Museum's press release:

Brewster arrived in Finland!
Brewster arrived exhibition on 6th March 2009.

During an air battle on June 25, 1942, Russian Hurricane and MiG fighters managed to damage BW-372 flown by lieutenant Lauri Pekuri, so badly that the plane cought fire and Pekuri had to make forced landing into lake near Seesjärvi in Eastern Karelia in the Soviet Union. Pekuri survived, swam ashore and walked back to the Finnish lines.

Finnish fighter ace Heimo Lampi made a proposal and Finnish Timo Nyman and Russian Vladimir Prytkov with their groups searched the plane for National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, USA. After large searches which took four years Timo Nyman found the plane near Segeza in lake Kole in June 1998. Vladimir Prytkov and his group lifted the plane from the lake in August 1998.

Finally in 2004 it ended up in NMNA from where it was obtained as loan for three and half years to Aviation Museum of Central Finland / FiAF Museum. The searching group and the museum want to display BW-372 to honour the veterans and their sacrifaces.

BW-372 was recieved from the NMNA as a request of the Commander of Finnish Air Force, to solemnize the Air Force 90th anniversary. A notable group of Finns and Americans has taken part in negotiations for the loan of this a/c.Brewster is not restored to flight status but is displayed in the condition it was when lifted from Lake Kolejärvi (including all the battle damage). Dirt, mud, algae etc. irrelevant material has been removed. The damage caused by lifting and transportation is repaired. All the restoration is done by guidelines and under supervision of the NMNA.

[Guppy35]

I don't think it should be a flyer, but I get torn over whether or not it should be restored further.  Seeing it on it's gear and intact also has an appeal.   I suppose should another Brewster appear, it might allow for a complete restoration of 1 of them.  I've not heard what the plan is when and if it goes back to Pensecola.  I'm of the belief it should stay in Finland, but I'm guessing the US Navy folks might not feel that way.

[LLv34_Camouflage]

I don't think it should be a flyer, but I get torn over whether or not it should be restored further.  Seeing it on it's gear and intact also has an appeal.   I suppose should another Brewster appear, it might allow for a complete restoration of 1 of them.  I've not heard what the plan is when and if it goes back to Pensecola.  I'm of the belief it should stay in Finland, but I'm guessing the US Navy folks might not feel that way.

Please note that there is already an intact "Brewster" in the museum, the Finnish-built wooden "Humu".  I completely agree with both museums' decisions to keep BW-372 in the current state.  It is absolutely beautiful and seeing the battle damage etc really tells the story.

Here's more info on the Humu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VL_Humu

Camo

[Wmaker]

I get torn over whether or not it should be restored further.  Seeing it on it's gear and intact also has an appeal.

I don't see any real possibility for that because of the reasons I mentioned. Admittedly, the aircraft nut in me would really like to see an intact Brewster aswell...and one screaming past the flight line at 450km/h in a Finnish airshow. But BW-372 is quite unique because of it's history, condition and the fact that it's 100% original. So it really would be tough to restore it further as there isn't really nothing left to do that wouldn't destroy the signs of the plane's history. Well, one thing could be done is to raise it on its gear like you mentioned. That alone wouldn't really hamper the plane's originality and AFAIK it was actually the original plan with Finnish Air Force Museum and Pensacola but it was later decided against it. Personally, I prefer it the way it is displayed, on its belly. That way the display can show much more of the plane and its details to the museum visitors.

I've not heard what the plan is when and if it goes back to Pensecola.  I'm of the belief it should stay in Finland, but I'm guessing the US Navy folks might not feel that way.

I probably don't have to mention where I would like the plane to stay, but it is now property of the Pensacola's Museum. While Finland is a country with excellent standards of living, it's a very very poor country when it comes to goverment funding of projects like this. When the search for the BW-372 was planned and started the funding came from the United States, and the plane was going to Pensacola from the start. Funding just wasn't there in Finland. I comfort myself by thinking that BW-372 will serve as quite "a calling card" of the Finnish Air Force's history on that side of the pond and tell a story of our small country in the process.

...and Btw, thanks to HTC and Greebo BW-372 flies again!

[Krusty]

Personally, I prefer it the way it is displayed, on its belly. That way the display can show much more of the plane and its details to the museum visitors.

That's a very good point. Some museums have upper levels where you can look down on something, but this gives that close-and-personal feeling standing next to it. A much more intimate viewing, I think.

[Charge]

"but this gives that close-and-personal feeling standing next to it. A much more intimate viewing, I think"

Having seen the plane a month ago I can tell that you are absolutely correct on that one Krusty. E.g. the engine and propeller look quite incredible up close as you have a very good view to it all and battle damage in wings etc.

I wonder how much of the paint was stripped when they washed all the muck from the surface and ferried it here and there... I recall that when the plane was lifted from the lake the paint job looked a bit better preserved than it does now.

Notice that the Blenheim they have now in that museum is restored to a factory condition and while it looks great I prefer the old planes to have as much of their original condition as possible. In Blenheim's case there was nothing to preserve as the plane was painted so many times over and the paint was in such a bad condition that it had to be stripped of all paint and repainted anyway.

Before: http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/photoreports/blenheim2001/muut.html

Now: http://www.ilmasotakoulunkilta.fi/IlmaSK/ilmaskmma.nsf/sp?open&cid=Content89E72 (In Finnish, notice that you can view the whole progress of restoring here, lots of details!)

-C+

[sparow]

It's weird how I suddenly feel that I understand finnish perfectly...  Joking! Pictures are worth a thousand (incomprehensible) words...

Really, excellent job! So much to retrieve yet...

<S> Finns

[bravoa8]

My squadron mate Dictonius (goes by the name of Tikto in the game) took some nice video of the BW-372 recently:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmEEOvvB-YI

The cockpit has now been fitted with gauges and is quite complete. Here's a pic taken by Dictonius of the ammo counters:

(Image removed from quote.)

As can be seen the .30 cal has stopped firing for some reason during BW-372's final fight while the nose .50 has fired some 123 rounds before Mr.Pekuri ditched the fighter into the Kolejarvi.

BW-372 truly is quite a time capsule!

From Wikipedia:

(Image removed from quote.)

I think it looks good old and worn out.

[Rich46yo]

Naw I want to see it shiney and new. Just like the first time it took off and changed history.

Fascinating aircraft and story. Especially since it was only a handful that flew.