So now comes the challenging part.
Since Hagen had plenty of money on hand, he was able to fly to PNG to assist with the salvage effort. As if salvaging a World War II plane that was 60 or so years old wasn't tricky enough, he had a team of 43 people ready to work hard and bright, and they still had to contend with the harsh conditions of the environment. They toiled in the hot sun for almost four weeks, battling insects, scorpions, and even crocodiles, to remove the plane's engines, cut off the wings, remove the tail, and hoist the fuselage.