Paul Allen's Collection

[P51Mstg]

The AOPA says::::>

FLYABLE VINTAGE AIRPLANE COLLECTION TO OPEN IN JUNE
The collection of 15 famous and flyable vintage warplanes from around the world owned by Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen opens to the public June 6 at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Like Planes of Fame in Chino, Calif., the aircraft will be regularly flown in demonstrations open to the public. It will be called the Flying Heritage Collection and includes the British Supermarine Spitfire, the German Messerschmitt BF 109, the Japanese Zero-Sen fighter, the North American P-51 Mustang, and a rare North American Hellcat.


Maybe a Hellcat is rare in that collection since they only have one of them......... But to me I can see a flying BF-109 or Zero as being the rare one............

Mark H

[Russ Matthews]

Maybe a Hellcat is rare in that collection since they only have one of them

Ah yes... but, notice that they have a "North American Hellcat" (and not one of those dime-a-dozen Grumman variety Hellcats)

[P51Mstg]

Yeah, that one slid right by me, I was out working on the YB-49...........

Mark H

[corsair166b]

The 'north american' part of that sentence makes it EXCEEDINGLY rare....the only NA Hellcat in existence in my book....

gotta love the media...

M

[Django]

Do you think it is water cooled?

[k5083]

Well, they were all made in North America, so it still isn't that rare.

August

[Jerry O'Neill]

"I told them we already have a North American Hellcat and it is very nice!"

Ahh... but show me a flying "South American Hellcat" and I will come running to see it!

Jerry

[Mudge]

I just looked at the AOPA site and they've changed it to Grumman.

Mudge the researcher

[ArtS]

Well, now that it is made by Grumman, it's only as rare as the '109.

Regards,

Art S.

[TimAPNY]

"I told them we already have a North American Hellcat and it is very nice!"

Ahh... but show me a flying "South American Hellcat" and I will come running to see it!

Jerry

Now that is VERY Funny!

Tim

[warbird1]

Maybe a Hellcat is rare in that collection since they only have one of them

Ah yes... but, notice that they have a "North American Hellcat" (and not one of those dime-a-dozen Grumman variety Hellcats)

That's not nearly as rare at the North American Muscat! Rumor is the airplane smells like wine!

[warbird1]

I wonder where they are going to get pilots to fly them from? It seems there are very few pilots qualified to fly them that are available close to Seattle. Does anybody know who has flown Allen's birds in the past? I only know two, for sure, that have flown his airplanes with any regularity - Steve Hinton, and Budd Granley. Anybody else?

[Hal B]

I wonder where they are going to get pilots to fly them from? It seems there are very few pilots qualified to fly them that are available close to Seattle. Does anybody know who has flown Allen's birds in the past? I only know two, for sure, that have flown his airplanes with any regularity - Steve Hinton, and Budd Granley. Anybody else?

Greg Anders has flown the Mustang a couple of times...