Sunday, April 12, 2020

Aircraft Vandalism: Cape Cod Airfield (2B1), Marstons Mills, Barnstable County, Massachusetts


MARSTONS MILLS — Two airplanes that were used during World War II were found vandalized this past week at the Cape Cod Airfield, according to the owner of the aircraft.

“Those airplanes in particular are veterans of the war,” said Cape Cod Airfield manager Chris Siderwicz, who noted the DC-3s are both close to 80 years old. “It is so disrespectful to them and to me.”

Siderwicz estimated the damage to the two airplanes to be between $10,000 and $15,000. The parts to fix the planes are difficult to come by, he said.

Siderwicz said he didn’t file a police report because he didn’t think police could do much about it. But a post detailing the vandalism on the airfield’s Facebook page has garnered more than 200 comments and has been viewed more than 180,000 times, he said.

“We really appreciate everyone reaching out to us about this unfortunate situation,” airfield staff wrote in a separate Facebook post Sunday. “We’re shocked at how much support we’ve gotten and are truly grateful by everyone’s offers and well wishes.”

While Siderwicz said he has no idea why anyone would damage the planes, he believes that it was done on purpose, citing the extent of the damage.

The elevator, or the flight control surface near the wing of an aircraft, was crushed on one of the planes. A DC-3′s elevator is made of aluminum alloy frames covered with fabric.

“They’re fragile, they need to be as light as possible,” Siderwicz said.

On the other plane, a bracket was broken on a trim tab, a piece of metal near the rear of the plane that helps the pilot control the aircraft. The trim tab also had eight rivets torn off.

It would have had to take one strong person or two people to be able to damage the trim tab, Siderwicz said.

“It’s a serious felony to tamper with airplanes,” he said. “It’s dangerous; it’s not like scratching someone’s car.”

Siderwicz said it’s unclear when the vandalism happened. He said he discovered the damage only after walking out to check on the planes on April 6.

The propeller-driven DC-3 model aircraft are rare, Siderwicz said, noting they were used by the Allied forces in World War II.

One of the planes is the only Douglas Sleeper Transport, meant for overnight journeys, left flying in the world and one of only eight known in existence, a Facebook post from Cape Cod Airfield said. The other was specifically built for the U.S. military for use in the war. After the war, both airplanes became commercial aircraft.

Together, these two airplanes have flown more than 130,000 hours, according to the Facebook post.

The two airplanes were bought personally by Siderwicz, who restored them and brought them to the airfield.

Siderwicz bought one of the planes five years ago and has been flying it regularly in the summer months. He purchased the second one three years ago and spent hours refurbishing it.

“I haven’t flown it yet,” he said of the second plane. “Now I have to do [the refurbishing] all over again.”

Siderwicz fell in love with DC-3s when he worked for Provincetown-Boston Airlines. The airline had 12 DC-3s, and he spent thousands of hours flying them.

He moved on to fly jets for Eastern Airlines and US Air, but the DC-3 remained a favorite. In fact, the two planes he owns used to be owned by Provincetown-Boston Airlines.

Siderwicz calls them beautiful aircraft with neat lines and a rugged, legendary reputation. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the DC-3 a workhouse that was vital to winning World War II.

“They’re special, capable airplanes,” Siderwicz said.

The damages sustained from the vandalism were not in the airfield’s budget, especially since the business, which offers private rides in replica 1930s biplanes, trips to Provincetown in Cessna planes and tandem skydiving, is closed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Repairing the airplanes is going to be challenging but possible, Siderwicz said.

“To try to maintain two 80-year-old airplanes is hard enough, let alone addressing the additional abuse,” Siderwicz said.

Since the outbreak, more people have been traveling through the town-owned trails behind the airfield, Siderwicz said. Still, he is not sure if the vandalism was caused by someone who was using the trail.

More people also are walking on to the airfield without permission, which can be dangerous because it houses private airplanes and is still open, he said.

“We want to let people know these are tough times for everybody, but we still need to operate safely,” Siderwicz said. “We don’t want to discourage people from getting fresh air.”

Although Siderwicz is not looking for any money to help with the repairs, he hopes that whoever did the damage is found and held responsible.

https://www.capecodtimes.com

Update:  Sunday, April 12th

First of all, wow- thank you for the outpouring of love and support, we never dreamed we’d reach so many people. We really appreciate everyone reaching out to us about this unfortunate situation. We’re shocked at how much support we’ve gotten and are truly grateful by everyone’s offers and well wishes. We’re trying to respond to everyone who has asked questions, but there are so many it is hard to keep up.


Many people have asked about a fundraiser of some sort in order to repair the DC-3s. We are humbled at how quickly people were willing to offer assistance. These are very kind offers, however we are really just looking for information and awareness, not for money or donations. We have never been people to accept charity, and especially not in the condition our world is in right now. So many people have lost their jobs, had hours cut back, and are struggling with the effects of COVID-19 that we could never consider accepting money.


Both Sid and his son Chris are licensed A&P IA mechanics, so they are able to fix this damage over time. Sid will rebuild the flight controls that were wrecked, but it is a major set back. We are still looking for any information you may have, so please continue to share and keep your eyes open.


https://www.facebook.com/CapeCodAirfield


Saturday, April 11th

In these difficult times we at the airfield know that more people than usual are utilizing the trails in the conservation land. We welcome this, however this increased foot traffic has started to bleed onto airfield property. Unfortunately, we made a horrible discovery recently. Both of the DC-3s on the airfield have sustained at least $15,000 worth of damages due to vandalism. These aircraft are antiques that were utilized by the Allied forces in WWII. Doing this to an aircraft is the equivalent to pushing down a World War II veteran just to watch him fall.


These two DC-3s are extremely rare and special in their own ways. One is the only Douglas Sleeper Transport (meant for overnight journeys) left flying in the world, one of eight that we know of that still exist. The other was specifically built for the US military as a C-53. Both DC-3s served the US in WWII, then became commercial aircraft. Combined, these two pieces of history have flown over 130,000 hours. Sid personally bought them and brought them here in order to save them as a labor of love. He is not a millionaire, so he cannot just send the planes away and pay for them to be fixed. These damages are not in the budget- repairing them is going to be a challenge.


We are offering a reward to anyone with any information that leads us to the person/people responsible for this vandalism. If you know of anyone who has been trespassing on the airfield, has a picture of them touching or sitting on these planes, or has mentioned touching these planes, PLEASE REACH OUT TO US - your information will be kept confidential. Tampering with an airplane is a federal offense... we’re trying to solve this problem WITHOUT pressing charges by making this plea to you.


This is an additional blow to our airfield family that we do not need in these trying times. With COVID-19, we are worried about our families’ safety, keeping our small business open, and now we have to worry about further vandalism to the property. Please share, and tell your friends to keep to the walking trails, not the airfield property.


https://www.facebook.com/CapeCodAirfield



MARSTONS MILLS – In a social media post, Cape Cod Airfield reported that in these difficult times we at the airfield know that more people than usual are utilizing the trails in the conservation land. We welcome this, however this increased foot traffic has started to bleed onto airfield property. Unfortunately, we made a horrible discovery recently. Both of the DC-3s on the airfield have sustained at least $15,000 worth of damages due to vandalism. These aircraft are antiques that were utilized by the Allied forces in WWII. Doing this to an aircraft is the equivalent to pushing down a World War II veteran just to watch him fall.

These two DC-3s are extremely rare and special in their own ways. One is the only Douglas Sleeper Transport (meant for overnight journeys) left flying in the world, one of eight that we know of that still exist. The other was specifically built for the US military as a C-53. Both DC-3s served the US in WWII, then became commercial aircraft. Combined, these two pieces of history have flown over 130,000 hours. Sid personally bought them and brought them here in order to save them as a labor of love. He is not a millionaire, so he cannot just send the planes away and pay for them to be fixed. These damages are not in the budget- repairing them is going to be a challenge.

We are offering a reward to anyone with any information that leads us to the person/people responsible for this vandalism. If you know of anyone who has been trespassing on the airfield, has a picture of them touching or sitting on these planes, or has mentioned touching these planes, PLEASE REACH OUT TO US – your information will be kept confidential. Tampering with an airplane is a federal offense… we’re trying to solve this problem WITHOUT pressing charges by making this plea to you.

This is an additional blow to our airfield family that we do not need in these trying times. With COVID-19, we are worried about our families’ safety, keeping our small business open, and now we have to worry about further vandalism to the property. Please share, and tell your friends to keep to the walking trails, not the airfield property.

Editor’s note: you can contact the airfield at (508) 428-8732 or via their facebook page “Cape Cod Airfield”

https://www.capecod.com

22 comments:

  1. Maybe they went looking for removable aluminum to take to the salvage yard for cash, kind of like Doctor Shivago pulling those boards off the fence to heat his home during hard times.

    Or maybe they came to pass some time playfully enjoying skateboard parkour on the planes (while recording a video for youtube) and were unhappy when the wheels went thru the fabric of the elevator.

    Tampering with aircraft may be a federal offense, but good luck dealing with that now that politicians have realized how much money can be collected in fines for being outside and/or not wearing your home-made face covering. The thin veneer of civilized behavior is being tested by the virus, it seems.

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  2. I have looked at the airfield aerial photo, where were these planes parked? Looks like two hangars at the sw end, why no wifi cameras on them? Today there are very good deals on cams that record and send a text , and with inferred night use.

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    Replies
    1. Link below is a nice drone video that shows where they were parked two years ago. One of the planes has been there since 2016. At the end of the video you can see the adjacent automobile parking lot with no gates. There is no perimeter fencing at all and just a decorative two-rail fence by the parking lot.

      They need to put up a regulation tall hurricane fence with Federal Penalty Warning signs to make a boundary around the the DC-3's if they expect to keep out passers by.

      https://youtu.be/YcL9KLUNxUc?t=157

      Delete
  3. "Siderwicz said he didn’t file a police report because he didn’t think police could do much about it."

    It would seem that you should file the report regardless in case there are other investigations you don't know about, to inform the allocation of police resources and routes, and in the interest of security of the property and aircraft. Of course, if the report were not fully truthful or deliberately omitted material facts, then filing the police report could be a crime in itself...

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  4. Inflight video of his N61981 (Formerly N35PB):
    https://youtu.be/AcJG3G43lEk
    https://youtu.be/A7dSrK2Yj_U

    Seeing a DC3 at Cape Cod Airfield is not just a recent thing:
    https://youtu.be/KFTC_6bKAFY

    N137PB is the other plane, interesting info and pix on both planes is contained in several places about halfway down this page:
    https://www.sunshineskies.com/pbadc3now.html

    Darn shame that the birds sit out without even a fence to deter misdeeds in this changing world. Kudos to Mr. S that he can keep them going.

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  5. Something doesn't add up - why wouldn't you file a police report after making a big deal about it on social media...

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    Replies
    1. Police reports of one-off vandalism when there is no video or other clues won't do much other than support filing insurance claims. The statement "The damages sustained from the vandalism were not in the airfield’s budget" suggests no insurance for that.

      The "we’re trying to solve this problem WITHOUT pressing charges by making this plea to you" bit is an appeal to decency, hoping that if there is no threat of charges some local well heeled family will quietly come forward because they overheard little Johnny telling his pals about doing the deed or that he has stupidly recorded the images on his cell phone or Facebook postings or his YouTube channel.

      Slim chance, but worth a try. Can spend the reward money on fencing if nobody steps up.

      Delete
    2. I know what you are saying but Police should be informed whatever the reason - something really wiffs of bovine excrement here

      Delete
  6. High winds can cause damage to aircraft. Report it to the insurance carrier, law enforcement, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation. Stop diddle-dicking around, Cape Cod Airfield.

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    Replies
    1. Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security.

      Delete
  7. Something is fishy about the Cape Cod Airfield story.
    Please get in contact with Mark Ellis, Barnstable Town Manager.
    There's an airport commission meeting planned for Tuesday, April 21 at 4 PM.

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    Replies
    1. Does the Town of Barnstable issue payments, i.e. payroll to the airport management? Who is overseeing the airfield management?
      What else is there that the Cape Cod airport management not reporting to the police?

      Delete
  8. None of the extraordinary lengthy facebook posts makes sense. It stinks to high heaven. None of it makes common sense.

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    Replies
    1. No pictures or video of the damaged aircraft on their FB page = STRANGE!

      Delete
    2. "we are really just looking for information and awareness"
      "lead us to the person/people responsible for this vandalism"
      "if you know of anyone who has been trespassing on the airfield, reach out to us"


      "We" and "us" should have already filed a police report of the wrongdoing instead of taking action on their own. Police officers are equipped with the proper intervention tools and trained to deal with incidents which may escalate to become violent.

      Delete
  9. Maybe they know who did it but the individual(s) are untouchable - otherwise it reeks of BS.

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    Replies
    1. Airfields always have friends and foe in local communities. How about the Airport Commission minutes from October 2019 that include a statement that there is a person trying to shut down the airport:

      "11. Announcements - Commissioner's Comments
      Chairman Griffin announced that the Marstons Mills Cape Cod Airfield celebrated its 90th birthday. It is still a grass airstrip and a gem to aviation. There is a person trying to shut down this airport, but the community has rallied around the airport for support. Commissioner Bierwirth commented that this issue will be resolving itself shortly.
      "

      https://tobweb.town.barnstable.ma.us/BoardsCommittees/AirportCommission/Minutes/2019/10-22-19_Airport_Commission_minutes.pdf

      Delete
    2. Maybe some of the strange comments here that talk about fraud but don't seem to have any logical basis are from that person who wanted to shut down the airport.

      The meeting minutes make it sound like that person was not going to get what they wanted because support for the historic airfield is so strong there.

      Delete
  10. It is important to note that many forms of insurance fraud involve filing a false police report. The manager didn't report the "vandalized planes" to their insurance carrier/agent or municipal police ... because to do so would be committing *fraud*.

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