Chappie wrote:
FW-189? Is that the twin-engined, twin-boomed recon aircraft?
I'm surprised to hear about an IL-2. Did not know there were many of those out there.
Chappie
Chappie, I'm personally a bit interested in trying to trace down this reported IL-2. It has made it into the list of aircraft owned by Vulcan Warbirds/FHC, as provided by several news articles on the museum, with all of the other aircraft mentioned within the list being rather well documented/known about already. I don't know if it is the same one or two stories repeated, but it seems like there has been at least a few IL-2 related recoveries within the last few years, and there was also some talk, as far as I can recall, about an IL-2 under restoration to flying condition in Russia.
With rather big airframes in this mix, even with the completion of the P-38, I wonder if there have been plans to expand the current FHC facility at Paine Field, or if they will eventually have to institute a program to rotate certain aircraft in and out of public display. Although I have yet to make it out there, it seems just based on photos from the current facility, that space is at an all-time premium with the addition of the B-25 this year (and Fw 190A-5).