(No association with the RAAF
WWII squadron)
The owner, Bruno Carnovale
has declined to be interviewed to date.
The
group's motto is "preserving
yesterday's history for tomorrow". The group has
no museum location, webpage or any facilty open to the
public. Involved in several restorations of
WWII aircraft, and was active in recovering aircraft from
Papua New Guinea
since 1998, with an export permit grantedby the PNG Museum for
wartime scrap in parts of the Finchafen area.
In 2002, thousands saw their work, when the truck loaded with
exported airframes three P-47s and a P-38 was spotted on the
Melborne highway during rush hour. Most of their salvages were then exported to the United States, to WestPac. Reportedly,
Paul Allen's Flying
Heritage Collection is now the owner of these aircraft.
Finschafen Recoveries
Three Thunderbolts and two Lightning were recovered
in November 1999. The wreckage
was dug up from Finchafen, and one P-38 from Morobe Province. These relics were containered at Lae,
and shipped to Melbourne,
Australia. In 2002, they were ransported by road thru Melbourne, and
then containered and shipped to California, along with (unconfirmed) P-38F
42-1265 and three Thunderbolts, reportedly P-47
42-75284, P-47 42-22521, P-47
42-8074.
P-38J "Jandina III" Serial
Number 42-103988
Pilot Robbins force landed May 7, 1944. Recovered in 2002, to Australia then to Westpac
P-39F Airacobra Serial
Number 41-7191
Pilot Chapman MIA case tail & parts removed
from the PNG Museum in 2001
P-39 Airacobra Serial
Number ?
Removed
from the PNG Museum between late 2000 to early 2001
P-39 Airacobra Serial
Number ?
Removed
from the PNG Museum between late 2000 to early 2001
P-40 Warhawk Serial Number ?
Piloted by
Lt. James O'Neil recovered from Finschafen
Ki-43 Oscar
Removed
from the PNG Museum between late 2000 to early 2001
