Warbird Information Exchange

I'm intrigued to see how how you can get 90% out of the grand total of TWO Merlin-engined Buchons that currently fly.

Sounds like you need to apply for new operating limitations. Why can't you do acro at an airshow? I thought the range for proficiency flights was just increased.

One option is to have everything built (and sold to the end user) in Eastern Europe...lots of highly skilled workers and little chance of a successul lawsuit against the "manufacturer".

More than once there has been talk of Mustang production starting up in that area of the world.

And more than once it has come to nothing..?

T J

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Make my day, punk!

Aren't Flug Werk having P-51 parts (suitable only for Experimental-registered aircraft, but not Limited category ones) manufactured in Eastern Europe?

But the new C172s, 182s & 206s are what, a quarter of a million $ & up? Beech's 'new' Bonanzas & Barons are what, a half million & near a million? When used a/c of similar types in some instances can be had for maybe 20% of new? And the 'new' a/c aren't really any better (except the Cessnas have Lycomings on them. ). Now, consider those prices along the lines of an old warbird vs a new one.

Eventually it will happen as long as the interest remains. Technology will overcome the industrial limitations, as long as there is money and the interest remains. The 262 project is using cessna Citation engines. Even today the Merlin in the Mustangs is a more developed engine, it operates more effectivlly on less higher octane fuel, due to it's use in other fields (power boats etc.) Turbine engines are what will probably power future replicas, they won't have the same sound, but will have the look, so to speak. But fuel cost will no doubt be a determaning factor. I enjoy the reproduction area, but sometimes have mixed emotions on "real" aircraft, when one is lost. Sometimes some "birds" should go to "static" and in a museum.

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tracers work both ways

It has come to failure. IIRC, the Mustang was going to be reproduced as a full scale, detail accurate replica, in much the same vein as the 190's. I seem to remember that it was going to be newly manufactured in Romania. The pattern aircraft that they were going to use for it was a supposedly very stock Mustang that had never been demilitarized after it was obtained from San Salvador. That Mustang sat on Pardue/Ezell's ramp for several years, but apparently they had export problems and never could get it overseas. Perhaps somebody from the Breckenridge camp can shed some more light on this. AFAIK, the whole project fell through.

The Merlin is probably the most widely used V-12 high power piston engine in the world today, with something in the order of 300 - 500 in warbirds alone.

A single or two Napier Sabres (for instance) doesn't have the production scalability that has made the Merlin support worthwhile.

I assume that the technically less complex Axis axial flow jet is 'relatively' less lunatically expensive. But not cheap.

That said, indeed nothing's impossible, it's just how much cash and time d'you want to burn?

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James K

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

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Latest rumor is that a Bearcat from the land of the LBFM is headed to Russia soon where a series of 8-10 "new" F8F's will be constructed..

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..defeat is never an option!

Do you mean from the Phillipines? I didn't know the Phillipines had any Bearcats there. Please, more details if you're able to talk about it.

I thought they were from Thailand ?

That would make much more sense. I always thought the term LBFM was used exclusively for Phillipine prostitutes, but I guess it could apply to any Asian countries.

If I had the option of seeing some aircraft such as the Bf-110 fly, I wouldn't care if it was a replica or not. I use the 110 as an example because it was mentioned earlier, however there are many 'extinct' aircraft I would like to see replicas of. Look at how many airworthy Mosquito's are around.... currently none if I recall correctly, with the Fighter Factory getting one soon. The majority of that aircraft is essentially a replica, and I could care less, as I will eventually get the chance to see my favourite aircraft fly some day! At the moment I wouldn't care nearly as much to see replica P-51's as there are many authentic ones around, but for planes that nobody has seen fly in years... replicas are the way to go.