Warbird Recovery: The Hunt for a Rare World War II Plane in Siberia, Russia

I found Gordon Page's book "Warbird Recovery" to be a very enjoyable and compelling adventure. I was not able to put it down from the time I started reading it until I finished. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I appreciate the fact that there are people willing to put so much on the line in order to keep our rich history alive. It's this drive that will keep these planes flying long into the future and help all to remember the struggles and sacrifices that were made for us. Thanks Gordon to you and the people working with you that made this story possible.

For years I have been an aviation buff. Gordon Page put a dream of mine into words. I was there with him on every page. I have collected several bits and pieces of warbirds and can only dream of what Gordon has done. It is a very easy fascinating read, very tough to put down and leaves you wishing for more and more chapters. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone or any age.

I confess: I'm not an aviation buff. But I do appreciate a great story and Warbird Recovery is a gripping, real-life tale, filled with turn-the-page intrigue, shady characters, Russian history and laugh-out-loud humor. Take a journey with the author as he risks his life in pursuit of a childhood dream. Warbird Recovery is a terrific read!

I couldn't put this book down! I had been aware of the Bf 109 Project from the Warbird Recovery website and was very eager to hear the whole story. What a story it is! Wow, few of us who view restored warbirds can appreciate the effort that goes into them. This is a rare look behind the scenes and is quite an adventure story. Gordon Page does a great job at transporting the reader in time an place to experience the journey to Russia along with him. The many side trips along the way are the real gems! I kept reading to find out what would happen next! I can't wait to see what happens next and look forward to seeing these rare fighters take flight once again!

So the phone rings and someone asks if you'd like to go to Russia and get a P-63 King Cobra. 'What condition,' you ask. 'Just put oil and fuel in it and fly it home.' Your first thought has to be, 'you gotta be kidding.' But then, a flyable P-63 has got to be worth a small fortune. A million dollars wouldn't be out of order at all, depending on condition. Although there were some 3300 P-63's built, only a handfull remain, and most of these are not in flying condition. Would you go to Russia? Gordon Page did. And he found lots (30 perhaps) P-63's. From the photograph on the back, with the engine over here, the wings gone, the tail missing; I don't think that you can just put fuel in it and fly it away. His story of traveling to Russia leaves me with the impression that he is lucky to be alive. And he reports that his wife has refused to let him go again. Then after that, he made another trip, this time in search of a Me-109. He found it, he bought it, and another miracle, they shipped it. Not only did they ship it, but they included a second Me-109. Now, with a million dollars, you can get a flying Messerschmitt. I'm passing this book along to a friend of mine who goes to Russia (not far from the P-63's) a couple of times a year (gold mining) to see if he can find a P-63 -- it would be almost worth it's weight in gold. He went to Russia in 1993. This was one of the first to begin to try to do business in Russia. I don't get the feeling that things have improved very much.