Warbird Information Exchange

Do you think we'll ever see a civilian Pucara warbird?

Why not The Vulcans & Harriers didn't kill them all.
From last week
November 24th
The first FAdeA IA-58H Pucara light strike aircraft equipped with new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-62 engines, after several delays, took its maiden flight.

The aircraft selected (tail number AX-561) in June received a re-modelled set of wings from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to accommodate the replacement engines, and then went through several ground tests in preparation for the flight.

FAdeA initiated the Pucara's engine upgrade process in 2011, selecting the ubiquitous PT-6A-62 to replace the discontinued Turbomeca Astazou XVIG, which was proving difficult to maintain.

The project plans to upgrade as many as 20 frames from Argentine Air Force stocks, but currently only one set of re-modeled wings has been received from IAI and it is unclear if more will be forthcoming in the near term.

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When I was young "sex was safe & flying was dangerous".

That would be cool. However I think the Argentine Air Force is going to keep them as long as they can and probably preserve a number as memorials to the late unpleasantness in the South Atlantic.

Why would IAI be tasked with remaking the wings? They were built in Argentina in the first place.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

I've always found the Pucara to be an interesting aircraft, and I've also been wondering if we'll ever see one on the warbird circuit. I suppose if someone had really deep pockets, one could probably be had. There's a lot of Pucara wreckage around, too. Perhaps enough pieces-parts could be brought together to form the basis of a reconstruction. Fun to dream, eh?

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida