Warbird Information Exchange

A few restorations by Brian aka Mustangpilot

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Don't touch my junk!!

Beautiful, beautiful, amazingly unique warbirds IMO!

With as many Vietnam War vets pilots as there are, I'm suprised there aren't more warbird chopper restorations filling the ranks on thr airshow scene. Thr amount of material, effort, and overall focus that Mustangpilot has lavished on these historic pieces seems to be a rare exception to the status quo, although I know there are at least two other organizations out there who share the same specific focus. There have got to be gobs of war vet helos on the private market, and I'd imagine more than a few qualified professional veteran businesman/pilots to invest in, and showcase them. They are also relatively small machines and easily transporable compared to the average reciprocating-engined fighter (though arguably more complex). Has the whirlybird warbird "bug" just not reached critical mass yet, or am I just not plugged in to the facts of the matter?

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Are the wire cutters SE Asia equipment? Or "aftermarket"?
(Better yet........Or are these currently flying birds?)
Thx,
VL

These are flying restorations back to full miltary condition. These all were done for a collector in England.
Brian's company NW Helicopters really does great work. His Cobra is very cool!!

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Don't touch my junk!!

The wire cutters on Rotorcraft of the Vietnam era are "aftermarket". They didn't have that kind of stuff on line aircraft when I was in Aviation Maintenance back in the mid 1970's. We were done with Vietnam in what...january 1973?

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.

Beautiful!

Active duty choppers started being retro fitted with the wire cutters in 1982, at least the conus based birds.

I know for a fact someone'll be grateful I asked. What are wire cutters?

Look at the "Sword like blades" on the top of the canopies, they are for cutting a power line should the helicopter fly into one. Don't know how well they work.
Our Hueys in Vietnam didn't have them as stated above.

82 sounds righ, I returned to Muther Rucker from Germany in 82, and it seems to me that it was at Rucker that I first saw the wire cutter device. Don't know if it has ever been used effectively, but do know for a fact that Wires Eat Helicopters!!!

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Kind Regards,
Gary Lewis
J.A.F.O.

LOACH! YEAH!

Robbie

Various other toys Brian has had finished over the years, all associatied with the Olympic Flight Museum.







A future project...maybe Brian will let me start on it when I move back up there. Anybody know where to get some rotor blades??


A couple of videos I've made of the helicopters over the years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV2YZxYjkUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0_TL13Z5_k

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Brad

Also, Cobra Vodoo Venom is a Desert Storm vet. It has "Saudi Arabia, operation Desert Storm" in the log book.

Any other Desert strom warbirds in private hands????

Brian,

Who's "Outcast" OH-6???? Just wondering if its Hugh Mills??? I had just heard that he owned one for a while and just recently sold it.

BTW, not that I would sell it. But what is a OH-6 Skid tube still in the crate from Hughes (dated 6/69) worth?????

My want to have my friend take it with him when he attends the next "Outcast" reunion and have everyone sign the skid.

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Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

Wow, those things look good.

One quick note on the wire cutters - they are a "Safety of Flight" issue and in Europe (if I remember what I was told correctly by a helo pilot over there) are required for an airworthiness certificate. I think that while they may not have been originally fitted, it's an acceptable deviation for the sake of keeping it flying.