joe s wrote:
The cost of restoring an FW-190d is immaterial in that there are virtually none to restore, ONLY available engines exist. To buy the new build project is the only way that one would fly in the configuration that makes it historicly significant. So with the warbird scribes being what they are, and the current state of the industry being what it is, why did the idea of putting a merlin in a long nose even start. This is the same board that has had posts decrying the loss of the centarus powed sea fury among other things. the cost of re engineering a major comfiguration change like this would probably pay for two jumos. As for inverting the merlin, again, the cost of reengineering everything is greater then just building it stock. Look at the TFC p-39 and its incredible attention to detail, any of the flying heritage aircraft, and think of the money being spent to keep things accurate and original. Would an inverted merlin long nose d even be allowed at flying legends...DEFINITLY NOT. And justifyably so. Restoration is making it how it was, to the best of our ability. Looking at the investment that operations like TFC are making in their Beaufighter for originality and provenence will pay many dividends later. These aircraft and the reconstructions that follow are to recreate history the way it was, not the fastest cheapest way we can get close. IF you just want to see a close shape fly around and sound different, its a lot cheaper to go to the RC field.
Hi Joe, Welcome aboard!
The originals are institutionalized. And they probably should be. That only leaves recreations. The Flugwerke machine is a recreation,I'm talking about the D9. It not being able to fly at legends, is ok by me.
What I would do with a D9. (Any D9)
By O.P.
1. Do high speed flyovers at Auburn, saturday at noon.
2. Do high speed flyovers at (norcal airport name here) saturday at noon.
3. (The controversial part) I would have a beautiful nose art, featuring a reclining Heidi Klum, wearing some victorias secret stuff, and call the plane "Darling Dora", I'd also have a green heart with a 13 in it painted on the fuse just beneath the canopy on the left side.
4. Be the coolest kid at my field with my Super-Bitchin D9.
I'm not sure, but, there aren't any flying D9's, restoration or recreation. One regularly flying D9 is all I wanna see, of either type. The world is gonna get 10 Flugwerke A8's airborne in the next couple of years, those are complete recreations. The estimated performance specs on those planes are better than the originals. It is my view that all of the original warbird aircraft will be institutionalized within the next fifty years. The only place to see them will be on a museum floor. The only way a kid born today will be able to see them fly, is if we start building more of them now. Having the correct engine in a recreation is moot. Does it look, walk, fly, and quack like a duck? Then I guess it's a ............