What ever happened to Bob Diemert

[bmc]

I saw some pictures on the Avcanada photo page of Diermerts planes from the 70's and was wondering whatever happened to him and his collection. Anybody know?

[Ballsssssss]

I would also like to know how to get my hands on a copy of "The Defender" .....National Film Board classic

[1000 HP]

Drive out to the Carman Manitoba airport. I bet he is still around there somewhere. I last saw him in the late 1980's while passing through with my champ. He was working on a couple of strange projects including a perpetual motion steam powered aircraft. My father went to school with him so that would make Bob about 67 years of age.

[ehbuddy]

Is this the same guy who was building a airplane that he thought would replace the A 10 Tank Buster?

It was some sort of armoured Turtle looking thing with a pusher prop.

[CAPGEN]

If you're looking for 'The Defender', check out your local library - if they don't have it, you can probably have it sent to your library all for free.

After I got my PPL, I was curious about the stories of old airplanes hiding in barns out on the prairies. I had read about his Zero rebuild and found a contact number on a website somewhere that said he offered 'tours' of his place. My old boss told me to make sure I watched 'The Defender' before I went - and you should too if you ever go.

I called him up and made the arrangements, and we landed on the strip in his yard. There were 4 or 5 buildings on the property that he unlocked and showed us. He had a foundry, a paint shop...a fleet of old cars, and I remember looking at something that may have been a Pacer...with an 'N' number and some sort of rocket-parachute unit on the back. I didn't ask many questions.

You can draw your own conclusions on the guy, but he's got some pretty neat stuff. You'd walk into these small hangars and there's a collection of props in the corner, aircraft parts...you know there are some stories behind them.

Oh, and his sidekick from the movie (the one who always wore the helmet) was still out there too. I think that video was made in 1986, but I felt like not much time had passed.

[ehbuddy]

http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fich ... p?id=17667

Check out this link.

[acadialives]

you can get the dvd the Defender by downloading nfb app for ipad

regards

[marcerickson]

Watch The Defender free online:
http://www.nfb.ca/film/defender?ec=en20110323

[Nark]

Thanks for the link Marc.

Interesting folks Diemert and Ball are.

[JDW]

I found that very interesting, I tried to do a little research on Mr. Diemert and it was heartening to see this comment from december 2010 in response to an article about the film; "I want a copy of this film, Bobs wife in the film is an aunt of mine, I know them very well and talked to Bob just yesterday. I’m only able to find a link to the internet version, is there one I can purchase somewhere? or a better quality that can be downloaded? There really needs to be a sequel to the film, alot has transpired since it was released, however the shop, Bob and Mr. Ball are very much still the same."
What an incredible individual, I can only imagine what he's been up to in the past two decades

[JDW]

heres another recent thread on Diemert with some cool pics http://forum.planetalk.net/viewtopic.ph ... t=defender

[Pat Richard]

wow...I don't know whether to laugh, or cry.

I do know I feel embarrassed to be a Canadian AME when I watched this.

Is he even an AME?

[4murslooth]

I watched the NFB video and had forgotten about Mr Diemert's "talent" of being a "free thinker," unhindered by aeronautical conventionality.

When "The Defender" was played on CBC, if I recall correctly, the commentator hailed this work as the answer to Canada's requirement for defence.

It is quite a look at an "aviation visionary."

[Beefitarian]

I watched the NFB video and had forgotten about Mr Diemert's "talent" of being a "free thinker," unhindered by aeronautical conventionality.

Ouch, that's mean. Unfortunately it's also accurate.

I love the guy for giving it a try but... Maybe work within the bounds of reality. We want to be able to load the thing up with guns and bombs. It can't get off the ground with one guy in it and no armour. Come on man.

Let's start with a copy of a wing that will fly. Then alter it slightly until you have your radical yet functional plane.

I wish there were more people like him at least trying to build better airplanes here in Canader. Maybe all the other people that are doing it leave for the US where they can get some support, since it's not some thing important like interpretive dance.

[624]

I saw some pictures on the Avcanada photo page of Diermerts planes from the 70's and was wondering whatever happened to him and his collection. Anybody know?

zeros

We took a tour of both Diemerts place and one of the Blayd corporation in the early 90's. While at Diemerts we were not supposed to talk about the defender.
The place that ended up with the zeros, at that time were building 2 new replicas, with spare parts. They were being built based on what parts they had and the original drawings for the aircraft. They told us they had one of the engineers who designed the airplane give them advise on the drawings they acquired and building the aircraft.

[NWONT]

I believe the pics of Diemerts planes were the ones I posted. I was an apprentice engineer for Ontario Central Airways in Gimli Manitoba back then. I had a Stinson 108 with a 190 HP Lycoming and a friend asked me to fly him to his home town of Carman to pick up his father and bring him to Gimli for a visit. This friend worked for Saunders Aircraft and later joined us at OCA when Saunders went under. His name was Brian Harrisson and he is an Electra Captain for Buffalo Airways. He got quite a bit of camera time on the last show. He was a good friend of Bob Diemert and knows much about what happened back then. I haven't seen Brian since 1994 when we met fire fighting in Penticton. If any of you know him he may want to give an update on Bob.

[Bent wrench]

He is still in carman Manitoba a friend of mine went and seen his place and his latest " ideas / inventions " in the summer that had just past.... What a character he seems to be.

[bkn4thr]

A6M2-21 c/n 5549 (Nakajima built) WI-187 Recovered from Balalae Island in 1965 after service with 201 Kokutai, was with Robert Diemert, Manitoba, Canada. Now reported with Blayd Corporation, Carman, Manitoba, and being used as a pattern for building a new Zero. Project commenced in 1994 and is estimated to take 60,000 man-hours. The new aircraft will fly with a P&W R-1830 engine.

A6M2 Built by Blayd Corporation using almost all new parts copied from above aircraft. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney 1830 engine, and completed by Tri-State Aviation of Wahpeton, ND. This aircraft first flew on 29th July 2004 and is painted up in the colour scheme of A1-1-129, an A6M2 flown from the carrier Zuikaku in early 1943. The aircraft is currently based at the Fargo Air Museum, ND, and is said to be for sale.

A6M2-21 c/n 5451 (Nakajima built) code W1-150. Recovered from Ballale, Solomon Islands, 1960s. Cockpit section used in restoration of 5356. Rebuilt with parts from c/n 5356 by Robert Diemert. Some confusion exists over the c/n - 5355 and 5356 have been quoted. 5451 is alleged to be the front section.
Was flying with 1200hp P&W R-1830 motor as N58245 with Confederate Air Force, Midland, TX, USA, then to the CAF wing at Camarillo. Latest reports indicate that because major repairs were becoming necessary to maintain it's airworthy status, the aircraft was sold in late 2005 to the new Pacific Aviation Museum at Ford Island, Hawaii. Presumably it will be on static display there.


Last time i was in Diemerts shop he was forming turbine wheels of blades for a perpetual steam powered plywood P51, that was ten years ago for sure.

[takatiki]

Last time i was in Diemerts shop he was forming turbine wheels of blades for a perpetual steam powered plywood P51, that was ten years ago for sure.

Was it supposed to fly too ?

[W5]

I watched the NFB video and had forgotten about Mr Diemert's "talent" of being a "free thinker," unhindered by aeronautical conventionality.

When "The Defender" was played on CBC, if I recall correctly, the commentator hailed this work as the answer to Canada's requirement for defence.

It is quite a look at an "aviation visionary."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmJg55puhaQ

[kenair]

Robert "Bob" Diemert whose Hurricane flew in the Battle of Britain movie died yesterday at his home in Carman Manitoba
There is a Facebook group on Diemert's warbirds at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1586507791506826

[Flight94]

Thanks for sharing that, sad to hear. I always wanted to stop at his place at meet him, what an interesting guy.