Walter Soplata

[gin sot]

Walter Soplata was an aviation enthusiast that began collecting airplanes while working in an aircraft scrapyard following World War Two.  Against all the odds, he was able to assemble a collection of rare warbirds (or amass a junkpile of them, depending on one's perspective) that he bought for scrap prices and dragged by hook or crook back to a plot of land outside Cleveland.  There they have sat, unprotected in the open, through the intervening decades.

Among other odds and ends, he has an F2G Corsair, two Twin Mustangs, a Vought F7F, early versions of the P-80 and Skyraider, and a B-36.   

Anyway, while the article is fascinating enough as a brief biography of an aviation cat lady, the photos of the aircraft and the extreme weathering they display is a must see for any modeler who can appreciate truly fine dilapidation. 

[Mr Potato Head]

I live right outside of Boise Idaho and we have in Caldwell Idaho the "War Hawk" museum, and they have two restored P-40 War Hawk's from the "Flying Tigers' fame and of course Boise is famous for the "Boise Bee" one of WWII first "Ace's" but what really stands out is that they have two restored  P-51's, a "B" and an "F" model and the "B" is valued at over $2.5 million, so if this guy, Walter has two sitting on his lot? Man talk about your "diamond in the rough" If you are ever in Boise, first call and stop by my house for a beverage and don't miss a chance to see the War Hawk museum, there are lot of cool exhibits and they just got a grant to build a new wing and they are going to get an SR-71 Black Bird and a U-2 spy plane, but come see the P-51 she is so beautiful, she looks as fresh as the day she was born over seventy years ago!
Gil
Star Id

[lab-dad]

So sad......
Typical of all the hillbilly types.
"you want to sell that old _____"
"Nah, Ima gonna fix er up sum day"

May be some millionaire will get them and put them someplace appropriate.........
And no, I'm tapped out.
-Marty

[mabloodhound]

Those are actually twin Mustangs, P82's/F82 and the photos are from 1987 .   Only 273 were built.   4 airframes survive today.
More photos are here. http://pacaeropress.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=3243121

But more info shows the twins were purchased in 2008 and are under restoration http://www.johnweeks.com/p82/index.html

[gin sot]

I think the saddest excuse I ever saw for an air museum was the one in Florence, South Carolina.  I have no idea whether it's even there anymore, but there was all sorts of nifty Space Age death machinery rotting away when I stopped in about twenty years ago.  Surly custodian, as well.  About the most depressing roadside attraction I'm aware of that doesn't involve caged animals.

In his defense, Walter was doing the best he could with his limited means.  And if it wasn't for his intercession, some of these antiquities would now only be known from pictures.