Here are some links to an unbelievable collection. I have read he has some cars in the collection, but I haven't seen very many in the photos, mostly because the photos I have seen have been in aviation magazines or aviation sites. I have seen in a thread here and there on the old warbirds here, so I thought you guys might like seeing this as well. http://pacaeropress.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=3243121 http://www.warbirdinformationexchan...3&t=7722&sid=fc4718bf5220f7e0c6e1f8f5724253d2 Here's an article by his son on how he did it. http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/soplata.html?c=y&page=1
Hey folks, just a quick cautionary note... In the past, Walter Soplata was known to occasionally allow people to look around his property & collection. It's my understanding that those days are long past. He and his wife are elderly (as a matter of fact I don't know for certain that they are still living; the last I heard was about 2-3 years ago). He became reclusive and unwilling to talk much about the aircraft, partly because of enthusiasts and restorers who felt that he was very wrong for "hoarding" and "letting them corrode" instead of, apparently, doing his rightful duty by giving them up. This is rather ironic when you realize that he was one of the few to understand early that these aircraft needed to be saved for future preservation, and he was for damn sure the one who spent his money and effort to do so. If his at***ude doesn't seem reasonable, imagine if someone walked into your garage, looked around, and told you that it was your duty to give up all those parts that you had collected for years; after all, you certainly weren't doing anything with them. Much of the pictures that are found on the Web are actually from the '80s. He sold many of the planes through the '80s & '90s to warbird collectors/restorers. So far as I know, he still owns some aircraft, and it's my guess that someday the remaining ones will find their way to restorers as well. The bottom line is that every time an article or Web thread is published, dozens of people decide that they need to see all these planes for themselves....let the Soplatas enjoy their solitude, while you enjoy the pictures. Edit: a friend informed me that Mr. Soplata p***ed away on Nov. 5 of this year. R.I.P....may the skies always be blue.
WOW! I was originally trained for P-2V's. One can go to the Boneyard in Tucson,AZ and see lots more..from an airconditioned bus.
Wow!!! I had to read the whole story from the sons point of view, Very good read, Thanx for posting, God what a collection! R.I.P Walter
I'm sorry to hear of his p***ing, RIP. Nobody will be able to accomplish that again. Hopefully the aircraft and whatever vehicles he had found some good homes.
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