P-63F at Cavanaugh

[Dan K]

I notice the spinner has had a color change. Could this be Phase 1 of "goin' pinball"?

[JFS61]

God I hope not.

[Lon Moer]

please no!

[RyanShort1]

It was fun hearing the P-63 arrive in Dallas on Friday. The pilot was telling the controller what kind of plane he was and I knew right away I wished I was about 10 miles closer to Addison.

[CH2Tdriver]

Please fix the national insignia.

[Taylor Stevenson]

CH2Tdriver,
Donate the prep, paint and time required to do it all and I'm sure they'd be happy to let you change the insignia...

[bdk]

CH2Tdriver,
Donate the prep, paint and time required to do it all and I'm sure they'd be happy to let you change the insignia...

Seemed like a polite enough request to me!

[Taylor Stevenson]

Ryan's was the only non-negative response to the posted photo...

CAF catches a lot of flak on WIX for schemes. It's important to remember that it is an all-volunteer organization, with a noble mission, operating extremely expensive aircraft, using only donations, show fees and certain rides programs. The schemes and restorations in the organization are shifting to be much more accurate (see That's All Brother, Dixie P-63, SBD, etc.), however I don't believe a majority of people, including enthusiasts here, understand how much time, effort and cubic $$$ it takes just to paint a fighter, let alone something larger. We're trying our best...

[Mark Allen M]

All valid points above. My only beef with the CAF is I wish when the SoCal wing cashes my checks they would at least remember the ole man’s name once in a while. Lol

Not that big a deal though. Just happy to help at least in keeping that Hellcat up and running. Great outfit I must say. Good folks who work very hard to keep em flying

[mustangdriver]

I completely respect and appreciate anyone who shares their aircraft with others. And the CAF has been doing that for a very long time. But, it also doesn't cost any more to get it right. It takes research. But the reward is that you didn't just throw paint on something. The reward is that you got it right, and you can educate others about what went in to getting it right. The Memphis Belle restoration is a prime example of how paint no only matters, but can help lay out the story. Look at what has been learned from that.

[Taylor Stevenson]

Mark,
Thanks for your support! The SoCal Wing has a lot of great folks and aircraft in their stable.

MustangDriver,
True, it may not cost more, but a lot of the aircraft that are the subject of negative comments on WIX and elsewhere were painted years ago, or inherited/donated in the schemes they currently have. Also, for a workhorse aircraft selling rides or participating in other revenue-generating operations, it's better to go with a gloss scheme for ease of maintenance. Specifically, with regards to the P-63F, two guys... let me reiterate... TWO individuals stepped up to the plate to get the aircraft back in the air after the gear-up. They spent tens of thousands of their own money and thousands of hours to repair the damage and get her on the airshow circuit for WIX et al to enjoy. This was a significant financial burden for that sponsor group and, frankly, I'm sure putting a new scheme on the aircraft was/is a lower priority than just keeping the aircraft in the air in the safe condition that it is in presently. The problem is, people complain about minute details without considering the bigger picture or acknowledging the facts surrounding a given circumstance. Also, in furtherance of my point above, I believe you will actually see that those involved in the most recent CAF restorations/paint schemes have done the research and have made the effort to return the aircraft to as original outward appearance as practical. Another thing to consider is a lot of CAF paint schemes are donated by large companies... If they mess up a color or emblem, its hard to go back to them and say "thanks for your donation, but you screwed this up!" It's equally counter-productive to have those companies who donate $30,000 to $100,000 paint jobs see their charity publicly criticized...

[Old Shep]

What Taylor says...

What exactly is the issue with that P-63? As one of only two F models, it’s paint scheme was pretty much featureless.

[Taylor Stevenson]

What Taylor says...

What exactly is the issue with that P-63? As one of only two F models, it’s paint scheme was pretty much featureless.

National insignia is close but not to spec. Other than that, this F looked like it did in "service" albeit painted silver and without the X on the nose. Regardless, 99.9999% of population doesn't know... Also, while there were two F model serial numbers issued, I believe this was actually the only one built...

[mustangdriver]

I guess we can just agree to disagree.

[Kyleb]

I completely respect and appreciate anyone who shares their aircraft with others. And the CAF has been doing that for a very long time. But, it also doesn't cost any more to get it right. It takes research. But the reward is that you didn't just throw paint on something. The reward is that you got it right, and you can educate others about what went in to getting it right. The Memphis Belle restoration is a prime example of how paint no only matters, but can help lay out the story. Look at what has been learned from that.

I'm guessing they did the F as accurately as possible given their resources. The Belle was the focus of much media attention during its service life, so it was pretty easy to find footage showing the details. THE (singular) F model P-63, not so much.

It is amazing to me that a nice flying restoration like this effectively generates a response of "sux" from certain people. Take a step back, look at the big picture (flying airplane, goes on tour, you can see/touch it at an airfield near you). Is it really a big deal that the details aren't perfect? Does it change the story? Does it change anything about the good that comes from a touring warbird?

Not in my opinion.