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Classic Wings Magazine WWII Naval Aviation Research Pacific Luftwaffe Resource Center
When Hollywood Ruled The Skies - Volumes 1 through 4 by Bruce Oriss


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:10 am 
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Saw on the Flypast forum that the Tom Blair Flugwerk FW-190 short nose is enroute to Duxford for flight testing before going to Kissimmee.

Also intresting was a listing of his collection:

P-51D Mustang
P-40K Kittyhawk
Spitfire MK. V JG-891
Spitfire MK. IX PL-344
Spitfire MK. XIV RN-201
Spitfire MK. XVI TD-248
Hawker Hurricane
Buchon ME-109 White 1
Flugwerk FW-190 X2 Radial and Long nose D9
P-38 Lightning ( former Lone Star plane )
Grumman Bearcat
L-39 Albatros Jet

IMPRESSIVE !

Looks like he has one of the largest private collections of Spitfires.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:05 pm 
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How does one get to see these beauties? Are there any airshows he regularly attends?

August


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 Post subject: Blair
PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:20 pm 
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I knew he was collecting but hadnt heard what all was in his collection! What Hurricane and Bearcat did he end up with?

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:33 pm 
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not sure what Bearcat, but he purchased the Real Aeroplane Company Hurricane and it is currently with HFL at Duxford undergoing work and re-spray in new colors.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:40 pm 
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I believe that this collection is going to be based on the spot where Tom Reilly's place use to be. I stopped by a couple of weeks ago and saw that the building is coming along nicely.

Chuck G can chime up on this one.

Matt

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:52 pm 
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Here are some pics I got last month of a/c
mentioned in this post. All looked immaculate.

If you are ever in this area, there is plenty to see.
While there, I stopped at Warbird Adventures and said hello to Chuck.
He made sure I also knew to visited the FW, White 1, just down the
street under restoration.

Bill


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 Post subject: Photos
PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:29 pm 
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That's some nice lineup in that hangar. I think the polished Mustang may have been Dick Thurman's. Could the Spitfire be the one from California just judging by the J on the side? Does anybody know about the paint scheme? I don't remember seeing one with the grey on the top lighter than the underside, but there are many variants not always as one sees in the book.

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 Post subject: Re: Photos
PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:37 pm 
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Bill Greenwood wrote:
That's some nice lineup in that hangar. I think the polished Mustang may have been Dick Thurman's. Could the Spitfire be the one from California just judging by the J on the side? Does anybody know about the paint scheme? I don't remember seeing one with the grey on the top lighter than the underside, but there are many variants not always as one sees in the book.


If you mean the Spit that used to belong to David Price/Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, no that is not the same aircraft. That one is now in a museum in Brazil. Tom Blair's Spit pictured above is PL344, formerly of Charles Church and then Kermit Weeks. Their has been much discussion regarding the paint job with the general consensus being that it is simply innacurate!


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 7:14 pm 
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Mr Blair's new Spit XIV has been assembled in Kissimmee and has flown a dozen times in the last two weeks. The IX in the picture has been disassembled and is on it's way to Duxford.
The P-51 pictured above is his too and flies quite regularly. The P-38 is being overhauled and should be ready to fly again in the spring. I havent seen the Bearcat yet. His hangar is being made ready for his new exhibit in Kissimmee and it should be a great collection of flying warbirds.

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 8:31 pm 
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Is the Bearcat the wreck of the ex-Elmer Ward, ex-TFC 'Gulfhawk'?


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 9:32 pm 
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I believe the Bearcat is a project plane. Does anyone have a photo of Blairs Global Express with the Spitfire painted on the bottom ? I remember reading about it in another forum.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 9:37 pm 
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Hunter1 wrote:
I believe the Bearcat is a project plane. Does anyone have a photo of Blairs Global Express with the Spitfire painted on the bottom ? I remember reading about it in another forum.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 10:11 pm 
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Wow, very cool ! That is one sweet way to travel !


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:53 am 
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Well Tom Blair's FW190 has had a trundle around the Duxford taxi-ways a few days ago.

Scroll down this page of this thread on Plane Talk for photos..... 8)

http://forum.planetalk.net/viewtopic.php?t=2925&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:37 am 
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Nice collection!

Sorry for going a little off topic, but I couldn't stop noticing the splendid hangar floor. Man that's clean! How is such a coat obtained? Is it paint? Epoxy perhaps? I think I'll put that in my new garage (now that I don't have a private hangar :roll: )

Nicolai

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