And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
caught a blurb claiming F-86 to be the most produced US jet fighter ever. Total production cited was 9860 aircraft between 1949-1956. Very beautiful Bird.
Money is probably not the issue. But. Airframe, engine, and avionics mechanics? With valid certifications? Ouch. Never mind traceable and certified parts. Double ouch. Might well be a case of buy 3 or 4 to keep one running.
I met a guy at a local airshow some years past. He had flown in with a Spitfire. I told him my Dad had flown an F4U during WW2. He pulled out his phone and showed me several pictures of an F4U that he had just bought. After viewing I had to ask "Where are the wings?" He said it didn't come with wings, but he told me "My team is fabricating jigs for the wings from the original blueprints right now". No, money is no object for some.
There are many small places around that country that specialize in certain parts - one shop does instruments, another engines, etc. For instance, Odegaard Wings (www.odegaardwings.com) up in ND does wings and other various parts for Mustangs and some Corsair stuff. RIP Bob.
I have read that the availability of parts and mechanics for this old stuff is better than it has been for years as the community has grown. Nowadays, if you want a part someone will make it for you with the wonders of CAD and machining. Once you make the first one its easy to make more I guess.
Know of at least one at the Deer Valley airport in northern Phoenix, Az. I've seen it tethered on the tarmac a few times and was fortunate enough to see it taking off a few years ago. Expensive hobby!
One of the beautiful fighters, along with the 06, Spitfire, Mustang, P38, they all have that certainty of looking right, the Russians in their SU57, a beautiful bird. The Grumman Bearcat is another, only one out of the cat series in my opinion that had that nice aesthetic of form follows function, proportion wise, kind of cute actually, read they make for a dandy of a race plane. Thought the twin engine Tigercat is a handsome heavy interceptor, more refine aesthetic than the P38, not to take anything form the 38, both superb specimens of that breed. Couple of the medium twin-engine bombers are racy handsome examples, hard to put one above the other, must a ben a true gas to be an 18-25 year old young man, the keys to these birds, hotrods of the air. But the Saber, they pretty much got everything right on that baby, the Mig15, now thats a really Russian looking fighter, only Russians could produce that aesthetic style, its got a certain industrial gracefulness, it too "looks" right. Hard to say what is the most beautiful fighter built. The 106 is near if not the top one, IMO, thought the rest are real close seconds if not closer. Then there's the A10 Warthog, talk about industrial art, its flying industrial art all the way, true form follows function designed around that monster cannon it carries. Everything you need nothing you don't. Similar with the A-7 Corsair II, built both Revell models, hung from the bedroom ceiling, something about that chin intake and shoulder mount wings, just had a soft spot for the thing.
Wiki says 22 airworthy. 20 in the USA
ReplyDeletecaught a blurb claiming F-86 to be the most produced US jet fighter ever. Total production cited was 9860 aircraft between 1949-1956. Very beautiful Bird.
ReplyDeletewho could afford to feed and house one? how many people can still work on them? where do you get parts?
ReplyDeleteMoney is probably not the issue. But. Airframe, engine, and avionics mechanics? With valid certifications? Ouch. Never mind traceable and certified parts. Double ouch. Might well be a case of buy 3 or 4 to keep one running.
DeleteI met a guy at a local airshow some years past. He had flown in with a Spitfire. I told him my Dad had flown an F4U during WW2. He pulled out his phone and showed me several pictures of an F4U that he had just bought. After viewing I had to ask "Where are the wings?" He said it didn't come with wings, but he told me "My team is fabricating jigs for the wings from the original blueprints right now". No, money is no object for some.
DeleteThere are many small places around that country that specialize in certain parts - one shop does instruments, another engines, etc.
DeleteFor instance, Odegaard Wings (www.odegaardwings.com) up in ND does wings and other various parts for Mustangs and some Corsair stuff. RIP Bob.
I have read that the availability of parts and mechanics for this old stuff is better than it has been for years as the community has grown. Nowadays, if you want a part someone will make it for you with the wonders of CAD and machining. Once you make the first one its easy to make more I guess.
DeleteThe japs bought all of them, for their Godzilla movies.
ReplyDeleteKnow of at least one at the Deer Valley airport in northern Phoenix, Az. I've seen it tethered on the tarmac a few times and was fortunate enough to see it taking off a few years ago. Expensive hobby!
ReplyDeleteOne of the beautiful fighters, along with the 06, Spitfire, Mustang, P38, they all have that certainty of looking right, the Russians in their SU57, a beautiful bird. The Grumman Bearcat is another, only one out of the cat series in my opinion that had that nice aesthetic of form follows function, proportion wise, kind of cute actually, read they make for a dandy of a race plane. Thought the twin engine Tigercat is a handsome heavy interceptor, more refine aesthetic than the P38, not to take anything form the 38, both superb specimens of that breed.
ReplyDeleteCouple of the medium twin-engine bombers are racy handsome examples, hard to put one above the other, must a ben a true gas to be an 18-25 year old young man, the keys to these birds, hotrods of the air. But the Saber, they pretty much got everything right on that baby, the Mig15, now thats a really Russian looking fighter, only Russians could produce that aesthetic style, its got a certain industrial gracefulness, it too "looks" right. Hard to say what is the most beautiful fighter built. The 106 is near if not the top one, IMO, thought the rest are real close seconds if not closer.
Then there's the A10 Warthog, talk about industrial art, its flying industrial art all the way, true form follows function designed around that monster cannon it carries. Everything you need nothing you don't. Similar with the A-7 Corsair II, built both Revell models, hung from the bedroom ceiling, something about that chin intake and shoulder mount wings, just had a soft spot for the thing.
The Tigercat is a beautiful plane also
ReplyDeleteThe Sky Raider was beautiful in an ugly sort of way like the Warthog. Both very effective
ReplyDelete