[Traku1]

Issue #5 of The Aviation Historian (www.theaviationhistorian.www) is now out and features a six page article about the Pax River Arados co-written by myself and a renowned aviation author in the UK. As far as I know the publication isn’t available here in the US and can only be mail ordered. In summary, the article covers how the Arados came to be at Pax River and there subsequent disposal. It’s noted that at the time of their disposal there was little interest among the aviation community on retrieving the aircraft based on their neglected condition. Included are photos I had taken in 1976 and a couple photos of one of the Arados when it was still on the tarmac and of the Bell XFL-1 in flight. Another theme of the story comments on the lengths to which contemporary institutions will go to in remote parts of the world to retrieve mere parts of wrecks in any condition. While at the same time there could be forgotten remains in our “backyards”. The story goes on to speculate about the likelihood of a qualified entity with the right resources to mount some sort of recovery of what remains of the Arados. A questionable endeavor based on the volume of landfill dumped at the site. After revisiting the site in July 2013 there are indeed pieces of aircraft mixed in among the concrete rubble. But what lies deeper down is impossible to guess.