Warbird Information Exchange

I don't think he brought anything, other than his Mossie which stays there. I think he was a little burnt out with bringing planes after a couple of his WWI planes were damaged in transport last year.

He was pretty active selling and signing his books.

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I didn't see any of his aircraft but I did see him on Sunday evening at the Warbird BBQ.

Andy

Yeah, I saw him at the Warehouse signing his kids book on Friday or Saturday.

Kermit got miffed last year when one of his WWI aircraft was damaged and stated something to the effect that he wouldn't be bringing any aircraft this year (or maybe he said "ever again" - I don't remember).

That’s true. I saw him at the Basler Hangar assembling them. Heard from the DH4 guys (their airplane got damaged towing) that a couple of Kermit’s aircraft received damage. He went to a lot of effort and expense to truck them up there and put many hours of his own time.
The EAA dropped the ball on the commemoration of the 100th annniversary of the end of World War 1. Many people feel the EAA has “lost its soul.”

Weeks recently provided an update on his Sikorsky S-38 restoration and commented that it hopefully it will be at Oshkosh next year. At least in its case, there shouldn't be any concern over EAA grounds people having to tow it anywhere.

That was what I remember too. I thought he was also disappointed about the amount, or lack of, flying time allotted for his aircraft.
But, then I thought he made a comment about preparations for this year's Oshkosh in one of his videos earlier in the year. I guess if he was really PO'd he'd have the Mossie trucked back to Polk City.

In one of EAA's Around the Grounds videos before leaving for OSH I saw this new company KipAero, and made a point of stopping by and talking to the guys at some length. This Dallas outfit is building kits for replica Sopwiths. They offer the 1 1/2 Strutter, Pup, Camel and Triplane. They claim to be building off the original construction drawings and using correct materials, dimensions, airfoils, etc. I heard some marketing nonsense, like "We think of these not so much as reproductions but as continued production of these airplanes" (yeah, sorry, no). Still, the Strutter they had on display, if not up to Vintage Aviator standards, looked pretty good.



The kits run around $100k sans engine and instruments and supposedly take 2,000 hours to build. The most interesting engine option is the new-build 100-hp Gnome rotary by Classic Aero Machining in New Zealand, which they will supply for $65k plus shipping from NZ. For about $375k they will build the whole thing for you. It appears they have built five of these engines so far. Serial #1 is flying in a Fokker E.III in Australia, #2 will be going into a Camel in Ohio but was at OSH last week for demonstration, #3 is in the KipAero strutter, #4 is CAM's demo engine, and #5 is going into another Camel somewhere. They ran up engine #2 each day at the antique barn at OSH. Seemed like a nice engine.



The KipAero Strutter was on display at the antique barn next to the engine on Friday.



It's an exciting and ambitious project. If you bought one of the kits, though, it seems like you'd be signing up to be a beta tester. This Strutter appears to be the only plane built from KipAero plans to date, and it hasn't flown yet. Similarly, although there are all kinds of potential applications for the engine, there isn't much experience out there with it.



Good to see continued interest in authentic Great War aircraft, though.

August

They had one fitted in this Pup at Omake 2019

Dusk Patrol by Errol Cavit, on Flickr

mazdaP5, every time you post pics I'm impressed all over again, wish there were more, and hope you keep 'em coming. I'm just saying.

August, thanks for your latest post, I'm forever wishing more attention was given to Great War birds. (And seaplanes too, for that matter - one might never know the seaplane base even existed for all the coverage it garnered this year. Where's a Mars when ya need it...?)

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Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

I came across this video diary on YT, this one is mainly Mosquito and T-28s.

Not a Mars, but...


Phil

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A man's got to know his limitations.

Anyone notice on page 13 the photo showing the underside of the EAA B-17 that the "star and bar" insignia is misplaced on the bottom of the right wing?

It should be centered in the chord, on this one it's close to the aileron.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
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I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

You sure? On the B-17 I think they included the aileron when calculating the position instead of centering it on the available space minus the aileron.