Warbird Recovery: The Hunt for a Rare Wwii Plane in Siberia, Russia

by Gordon Page

Author Gordon Page takes you on a harrowing adventure to the east and west coasts of Russia in his hunt for rare World War II aircraft. Encountering greed and bribery at every turn, Page risks his safety for a lifelong dream. I called Mike minutes after I hung up with Peter and asked him if he would join me on an adventure to Russia to acquire a Messerschmitt 109. Once again, he laughed at me. I didn t know anyone who traveled as often as Mike or who had the expertise to recognize if I was buying a Messerschmitt 109 or a pile of junk. I practically begged him to join me, even bribing him by saying that we could come back through London for an extra day and he should plan to meet up with a long-time German friend of his who he had talked of often. Eventually, he began to take interest. He agreed to join me but only for the three days that I had promised. I told him to prepare his passport and apply for a travel visa to Russia. We would leave within the month. He would also need a money belt. I had no desire to carry all of the cash for the purchase on my own. Before we hung up, he asked me what my wife thought about a return trip to Russia. I told him that I was just about to go buy a few dozen roses to improve the odds of her approval but that his agreeing to go with me would go a long way with her. At least I hoped it would.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed throughout this book...it was meant to be a comedy, right? Sometimes they seemed like bumbling idiots in their quest - but it's really about being dedicated to a restoration project.
Great tales of adventure by your average, everyday Joes, funny in many parts - made me laugh out loud! Hard to believe some of these things happened while searching for a plane; harder to believe that they actually got one! I say this with all respect... it was a very good book with a favorable outcome despite all that happened along the way.