2012 NAHI winner

[F4U-1]

Congratulations to Duncan Cameron and his OY-1.
Overall winner 2012 National Aviation Heritage invitational.
Chuck Wahl
Vultures Row Aviation

[Taylor Stevenson]

Awesome!!!

Duncan's OY sets a new bar for accurate combat veteran restoration IMHO. His Iwo Jima combat veteran OY-1 was restored to its exact condition just after the conflict. Duncan replicated the combat damage according to original photos of the aircraft, and even included a rarely applied IFF system that was applied to some USMC OYs, including his own. His attention to detail is impeccable and his research has proved invaluable for the L-5 community. Duncan's driving force was solely to complete the project to honor its original pilot Mert. Through his hard work, long nights, and dedication to honoring the, often untold, story of the Liaison pilots of WWII, he has produced the most accurate Stinson "Flying Jeep" to date. I am proud to call Duncan a close friend and even more so to call him true mentor in my love for L-5's and accurate warbird restoration.

Congratulations, Duncan! You deserve it...

Taylor

Last edited by Taylor Stevenson on Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[JohnB]

Well done!
It's great to see a more financially modest warbird get some attention.

[jtramo]

That was a fantastic aircraft, truly. I coulda have sat there for an hour admiring their work. Congrats!

[k5083]

Nice going. Was this at Oshkosh? I got a couple pics of a nice OY-1 there but haven't had time to trace the N number.

August

[Taylor Stevenson]

Different aircraft. The Best L-Bird at OSH 2012 was an OY-2 (L-5G).

[Jerry O'Neill]

Congrats! Any pics for us to drool over?

[StangStung]

^^^This.

Lots and lots of this.

[k5083]

Different aircraft. The Best L-Bird at OSH 2012 was an OY-2 (L-5G).

I was actually thinking of this one, another Marine OY-1 Iwo Jima combat vet, but a different one.



August

[TimAPNY]

Someone has to have photos for us! All this talk about the aircraft I want some pictures!

Congrats on the award!

Tim

[mike furline]

Different aircraft. The Best L-Bird at OSH 2012 was an OY-2 (L-5G).

I was actually thinking of this one, another Marine OY-1 Iwo Jima combat vet, but a different one.



August

The one right in front of it, Iwo Jima Feb. 45

[Taylor Stevenson]

Different aircraft. The Best L-Bird at OSH 2012 was an OY-2 (L-5G).

I was actually thinking of this one, another Marine OY-1 Iwo Jima combat vet, but a different one.



August

Oh gotcha! Unfortunately, I missed OSH this year... That is a different OY as well... The NAHI Award recipient is an Observer...

T

[k5083]

That is a great shot of 02765. I hope the Estabrook School has a big model of it on display somewhere -- some nice local history and pride there. I see that Estabrook School is in Detroit which makes sense because if I recall correctly that's where these were built, correct?

August

[mike furline]

Here's 120452 and the original. The first pic is from Aerial Visuals Facebook page.

Is there documentation that shows 120452 is the same aircraft pictured on Iwo, or is 120452 a representation of an Iwo aircraft?

[Taigh Ramey]

Is there documentation that shows 120452 is the same aircraft pictured on Iwo, or is 120452 a representation of an Iwo aircraft?

It is the same aircraft and not a representation. The documentation is all there as is the repaired battle damage. I have to say that this aircraft was the highlight of my Reno experience. These guys produced a fantastic restoration and the detail and attention to authenticity was outstanding. On top of that to see Mert, the pilot who flew her in combat over Iwo, reunited with his aircraft was priceless.

Here is a shot of him and his wife. He was sharp and told some great stories that I hope were recorded.



I have other shots showing the detail and amazing effort that went into this true restoration that I will post later. What a beautiful project. As far as I am concerned this aircraft was head and shoulders above any other aircraft on the NAHI ramp and well deserved the Grand Champion title.

Well done guys!