Greenamyer is a notorious cheapskate, with little patience, that was the biggest issue. I've heard other stories about him from someone in the museum/restoration business, when I mentioned the Kee Bird story this guy first rolled his eyes, then muttered something unpleasant about Greenamyer . Just a couple things I remember; Greenamyer puts a $50 military surplus ejection seat in his F-104, then pushes too hard in pursuit of his speed record, punches out, and by some miracle it actually worked and saved him (Starfighter gone though)... He "donates" a plane to a museum (4 engine something I forget) flies it in, parks it them leaves in a big hurry ditching the reception shindig. Later when the museum tries to taxi it they find he jacked (among many other parts) 3 out of 4 starter motors before he left, so they had to start one engine at a time swapping the starter between them. Bottom line with Kee Bird is he didn't have the patience, money, or resources to do it right... ... mostly patience though. So he ends up burning down a valuable piece of history. It was better to leave it be (it WAS well preserved) then try and do it all half cocked like Greenamyer. In the end he must of been out of his mind taxiing a B-29 that fast on a surface that bumpy, WITH the APU still running. Kee Bird had been there 50+ years, would it have killed him to wait a few more years till he had the financial backing and resources to do it right?Watch the rest of the show where they dang near wreck their transport Caribou several times, seriously overload it, fly it back on one engine, and put PROPANE in the tires. It was kind of a joke of an expedition from the beginning. Greenland is all pissed at him now because instead of cleaning up the mess he just bulldozed it all into the lake and left, refusing to clean it up properly, so now the lake is an environmental mess adding insult to injury.
tragic way to end, but slightly better than catching fire in the air with crew onboard.
