The history of aircraft salvage in Papua New Guinea (PNG) spans over sixty years, from the war to the present day. Although few traces of the war remain in other nations, PNG is one of the few places on earth where wrecks remained untouched by the war.
Over the decades, these wrecks have gone from being worth only their weight in scrap metal, to relics sought after by wealthy collectors, worth millions of dollars when restored to fly or static condition, or hundereds of thousands of dollars for parts or wrecks only.
Most salvages were unreported, for fear of alerting local authorities or other salvagers, others done illegally. The personalities, true stories and detailed history of each of these known salvages have never been documented together. In addition, the facinating history of salvage, divided by decade places each in the larger context of history.
As salvages continue to the present, detailed information is more difficult to attain. Ironically, most salvagers claim to recover wrecks for the preservation of history, but are hesitant to present information on how they aquired them or their true wartime history.
Are aircraft wrecks historical relics or comodeties? You decide. Undoubtedly, PNG has made a huge contribution to the world's warbirds collections and museums, with over a hundered salvages that this report documents.
- 1942-49: War & Post War Salvages
- 1950s: Scrap Metal Market
- 1960s: Interests Awakens
- 1970s: Warbird Era Begins
- 1980s: Salvage Boom
- 1990s: Higher Stakes
- 2000s: Permits, Lawsuits & Illegalities
- Registry of PNG Salvaged Aircraft
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If you have any information, photos or stories related to aircraft salvage in PNG, please email me. All contributions are credited or kept anonymous.
