Warbird Information Exchange

I was watching a new show the other night on the military channel. The company was restoring a german tank. http://military.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=52.14319.115495.29904.x This show refers to the tank as the crown jewel of Tanks for these restorers to get their hands on. The show stated that there were only 3 operational Panthers in the world and they even thought they were crazy for investing so many $$MILLIONS$$ into the project it was worth it.

With that said

***** What is do you believe would be the crown jewel for :

Single Engine
Multi Engine

Single Engine Jet
Multi Engine Jet

This is not a battle over what aircraft is better than the other but rather what would be the "Hens Tooth?"

TBD
JU-88 or Betty

P-80
Arado 234

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That was pretty cool,

Single Engine:
TBD Devastator (Ditto)

Multi Engine:
Savoia Marchetti SM.79

Mike

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"So there I was, knee deep in a river I couldn't pronounce..."

There's a 'spare' fuselage in Italy, and the wing was mainly wood so could be replicated without investment in tooling....................

I saw that one too! Depending on the payout, that would be one of those "When I win the lottery" and then some!

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"So there I was, knee deep in a river I couldn't pronounce..."

A Whitley bomber
Roc, Skua or a Fulmar
fighter- Wirlwind,

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Don't touch my junk!!

Single Engine:
FG-1D (I love em!)

Multi:
P/F-82

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Taylor Stevenson

Hi Jack,
On a British kick today? As to the Skua or Roc, I've just finished proofing Matt Willis' excellent Skua & Roc book which will be published soon. As ever, the achievements of the men who flew these mostly forgotten aircraft in the Mediterranean and Norway campaigns of 1940 make fascinating reading. After the Royal Navy gave up on the dive-bomber concept (after sinking the Cruiser Kongsberg) it's lucky for all of us that the USN kept on with the SBD.



http://mmpbooks.biz/books/o8106/o8106p.htm

There's a sole surviving Fulmar in the world. It was the first one - the prototype, and later modified into the prototype of the Mk.II as well! It was flown by Fairey Aviation for many years, but finally retired to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton.



As you may know, there a project underway in the UK to build a Whitley, and a Whirlwind would be nice...

Missing historic types?

A flying Supermarine Walrus. There's not a single airworthy British marine aircraft anywhere in the world; yet for a maritime nation, that's disgraceful.

Unarguably a replica of the Heinkel He-178, the worlds first jet aircraft has to be very much missed and required; static or airworthy.

There's a lot of others I'd like to see, there's plenty more I have seen, thanks to people already giving more than the aircraft's 'worth'.

Cheers,

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

I know of at least one static one in existance, at the Planes of Fame museum in Chino. I think those are such a cool looking plane.

Too many choices for all of the categories for me, except multi engine jet. I'd give anything to see a CF-100 flying. I'd sell my soul if I got to be the pilot flying it! Sadly I don't think either will ever happen unless I win a huge jackpot!

Unless I'm missing something, you are thinking of the (indeed cool, but less historically important) Heinkel He 100 piston fighter, not the He 178 jet test-bed.

Chino's He-100 is a full scale model, as it's non-aircraft construction, but it's very convincing and a brilliant job. A highly modified He-100 did hold the world air speed record for a while...

He-100 (Lovely):


He-178:

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Actually, James, I wonder if he's thinking of the He-162?

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Well that makes sense, although it's been an interesting wander in the meantime!

Guy Black in the UK has acquired a He-162 with a view to rebuilding it to fly, and that'll be worth seeing. Guy's team make these things happen too...

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Well at least I learned of two new planes... I had never actually heard of a He-100 or the He-178. Sorry about that, and thank you! Now it's time to look up both of those planes because they look quite interesting.

Something using the later Napier Sabre would be nice...
www.hawkertempest.se/engines.htm

Maybe in a Mk.V or VI one of these?
www.hawkertempest.se/profilesgraham.htm

I wonder what a Napier Lion sounded like in the air?
www.seawings.co.uk/nlionpage.htm

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