"New" Mustang Listed at Courtesy -N151W-Excaliber

[Warbirdnerd]

Come on Powerball...
http://courtesyaircraft.com/Current%20I ... 0P-51D.htm

[brucev]

Dale Snodgrass flew Excaliber two years ago at the Quad Cities airshow in Davenport, IA. I thought the announcer said the aircraft was owned by the Indiana Air Museum, was/ is it actually owned by them or just displayed there?

[Tim Adams]

That's one of Snort's most borrowed P-51's for Heritage flights in the midwest. I think I saw him fly it more than the actual owner!

Last edited by Tim Adams on Tue May 11, 2010 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Tim Adams]

Jim Reed is the owner.

[kalamazookid]

If you look around the Courtesy website, it appears that the entire collection is for sale. Looks like the end of an era in Valpo.

[Pat Carry]

The Indiana Aviation Museum's website indicates their facility in Valparaiso is now open for the season however it does list a couple of airplanes as being for sale. www.in-am.org

[Cking]

OK. I'll take it!
But first, what are "Transport heads and banks" and "Merlin fingers"?

Rgds Cking

[Jack Cook]

CKing those are good you want them!

[warbirdguy]

If you look around the Courtesy website, it appears that the entire collection is for sale. Looks like the end of an era in Valpo.

I noticed things slowed down a lot after the big fly-in in 2006 and was especially evident after the Corsair was sold in 2008. I remember someone saying Read intended to have the museum open for 10 years or so. This coming September will mark the 10th anniversary of the museum being founded so...

[Lynn Allen]

CKing those are good you want them!

They make life better for you...

[bdk]

OK. I'll take it!
But first, what are "Transport heads and banks" and "Merlin fingers"?

Rgds Cking

Commenrcial airliner Merlin heads and banks last longer between overhauls than the military units. The Merlin fingers are available from Jack Rousch and have rollers on the rockers where they ride on the cams so the cams last longer.

[Yak 11 Fan]

Merlin fingers are also available from sources in the UK and Canada and have a carbide pad rather than chrome, that way when the chrome flakes off it doesnt ruin the cam.

[mlenoch]

quote: "The Merlin fingers are available from Jack Rousch and have rollers on the rockers where they ride on the cams so the cams last longer."

Jack has discontinued the roller finger application. He has gone to the thicker chrome pads, which were a late war design to improve the chrome pad durability (read:reduce chrome flaking). Carbide pads are still available from the source in the UK; these were the original designs from the Canadian Merrlin Finger suppliers (the Walker family).

Jim Read's Excaliber likely has the Merrlin finger application.
VL

[Cking]

Thanks for the info gang. Again, I learn something new from WIX!
I have had a look at my bank account and I'm a little short of the asking price so I might have to leave it Any way I didn't like the colour!

Rgds Cking

[Lightjug]

Come on Powerball...
http://courtesyaircraft.com/Current%20I ... 0P-51D.htm

Yeah, come on Bryan's (warbirdnerd) powerball.

.... what?

I figure if he wins powerball he'll have enough left over to buy me Courtesy's Jug