Three Projects Arrive at Pioneer Aero

[Warbird Kid]

A complete Kingfisher should be used to make a mold, to make fiberglass replicas so the two Kingfishers on the USS North Carolina and USS Alabama can be brought inside. Not for nothing, I'm sure a replica Kingfisher would be sought after by most ship museums. Someone needs to make this happen!

[lmritger]

Chris, I'm pretty sure the one from the Alabama is now inside the pavilion on the museum grounds, but the one on BB-55 is still on the fantail. You're right, that would be a really attractive idea for the Alabama, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Wisconsin (!), Texas, New Jersey, Iowa, Missouri, etc.

Although now that you mention it, anyone know where to find a spare catapult to bolt on the stern of the Wisconsin?

Lynn

[Zac Yates]

For those who like numbers:
P-39:
- Pioneer page says this aircraft is P-39Q "Ex Soviet Airforce, recovered circa 1995 being restored to fly as USAAC 220341". Going through Goodall (http://www.goodall.com.au/warbirds-dire ... 6/bell.pdf) this was reported at Wangaratta in 2008 and is "hulks & parts of 2 aircraft".

Kingfishers:
- Bu.No. 5985, the well-known former Whaleworld aircraft which served with the RAAF as A48-2 and looked very complete when displayed, of Jerry Yagen
- Bu.No. 5982, another former RAAF machine which served as A48-7

The latest Classic Wings has a nice news piece on these three and confirms the P-39 (to be finished as 42-20341 in the SWPA) and Kingfisher 5985 are for Yagen and the other Kingfisher is Kermit Weeks'. The Ki-61 projects are also mentioned...very exciting times ahead.

Out of personal interest, does anyone have (or has anyone seen) photos or drawings of 42-20341?

[Dan K]

Chris, I'm pretty sure the one from the Alabama is now inside the pavilion on the museum grounds, but the one on BB-55 is still on the fantail. You're right, that would be a really attractive idea for the Alabama, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Wisconsin (!), Texas, New Jersey, Iowa, Missouri, etc.

Although now that you mention it, anyone know where to find a spare catapult to bolt on the stern of the Wisconsin?

Lynn

Makes one wonder what happened to all this good stuff:

http://daveswarbirds.com/tora/misc.htm

[Zac Yates]

I did a quick search online for the fate of the TTT Kingfisher and only found this:

"The OS2U Kingfisher that sat on a catapult on the battleship-set built in Pearl Harbor, was a fibreglass mock-up. It was only seen in a few short scenes before it was destroyed, but had a real engine (not working) installed as well as a detailed interior." - http://jonhs.com/movietrivia/tora.htm

[bdk]

Yanks has a Kingfisher project and I think that Palm Springs restored one and had it on static display for a while.

[raconnel]

On my wish list would be an SC-1 for one of the Iowa class!

Richard

[JohnB]

I did a quick search online for the fate of the TTT Kingfisher and only found this:

"The OS2U Kingfisher that sat on a catapult on the battleship-set built in Pearl Harbor, was a fibreglass mock-up. It was only seen in a few short scenes before it was destroyed, but had a real engine (not working) installed as well as a detailed interior."

I have a professionally reproduced (and licensed) 35mm slide from the film that shows it. An outfit sold them back in he '70s (remember the ad in the back of Air Classics?)
If any approved museum (i.e. not for someone's private stache or to re-sell on ebay) needs it, and the rest of the TTT slides, it's free for the asking.

[Zac Yates]

The latest Classic Wings has a nice news piece [...] The Ki-61 projects are also mentioned...very exciting times ahead.

Jerry's Ki61 arrived a few hours ago at Avspecs, across the airfield from Pioneer:

[deltascrew]

A complete Kingfisher should be used to make a mold, to make fiberglass replicas so the two Kingfishers on the USS North Carolina and USS Alabama can be brought inside. Not for nothing, I'm sure a replica Kingfisher would be sought after by most ship museums. Someone needs to make this happen!

Its definitely indoors I took these in May of 2013. Was back last fall and it was in same
condition
Pics here:
https://goo.gl/photos/MA4eSGkdc18FzTiYA

[Steve Nelson]

The Kingfisher in Battleship Park has been inside since at least 2005. I saw it there about a month before Katrina nearly wiped the place out. The museum has made an incredible recovery since then, but sadly the Kingfisher is one of the few aircraft still awaiting repairs.

SN

[ErrolC]

The P-39 is getting close!
Click through for photos

http://www.pioneeraero.co.nz/2018/06/14/p39-progress/

You know you are getting to the business end of things when you are building wing root fairings and fitting out the cockpit.

Here is a photo from December

P-39Q Airacobra 220341 by Errol Cavit, on Flickr

And some from Dave Homewood in March
http://rnzaf.proboards.com/post/262378/thread

[WatchersOfThePlanes]

Thank you for the update! Great to see that it is getting close.

[JohnB]

I've just finished reading Neptune's Inferno, a great book about the naval battles off Guadalcanal.

Being primary an aviation guy, I learned quite a bit about surface warfare.
It seems that U.S. cruisers usually has SOCs on board.
Also, if a surface engagement was expected, they would launch, or even catapult them unmanned, to be rid if a combustion source due to their volatile AVGAS. Even then, fires could, and were, started/fed from the hangar area with its POL, paints and dope, and its fuel supply.

[marine air]

If I had and restored a Kingfisher, I would put it on Edo or Wipaire amphib dual floats. It would look ten times better than the fixed gear. The fixed gear set up looks like a ground looping mother’” . With the amphibious, it would be practical to fly it, enjoy it, fly it around the country and share this ultra rare aircraft. The fuselage has already been beefed up to accept float fittings.