History Channel Documentaries

Chasing Warbirds (2007x28)

Air date: Jun 30, 2007

Obsession takes on many forms. For these guys, it's trekking across the globe to find and recover rare airplanes that crashed during World War II, then restore them so they'll fly again. Jerry Yagen is the Virginia millionaire plane collector who bankrolls the hunt. Murray Griffiths is the lead plane hunter who also runs a restoration shop in Australia. Mechanic Adam Maley rounds out the team, keeping things colorful with his West Virginia twang. This mission takes them deep into the treacherous jungles of Papua New Guinea to find a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane. Joining Murray and Adam for the trip is adventurer Tony Bierne, who knows PNG inside and out and can speak Pidgin with the locals. In their search, the team goes up against crocodiles, poisonous snakes and a completely unpredictable jungle. What they learn is that no matter how hard they try, it can all go to hell in an instant. They face obstacles that would make most men give up, but they're determined to find a P-38 – and preserve history. The entire time, Jerry squirms in his plush office, desperate to know what's going on but cut off from his team on the other side of the globe. And in Australia, Murray's wiseguy mechanics keep the work going on a Bell P-39 Airacobra, which Jerry wants flying in less than six months. The pressure's on, for this band of fanatics who've dedicated their lives... to Chasing Warbirds.