P-61 Restoration Project...

[Double T]

This may or may not be "news" to many of you, but it certainly is to me. One of only 4 in the world... this will be the only P-61 restored to flying condition.

http://www.maam.org/p61.html

Enjoy.

Tim

[Wuzak]

Thanks for that DoubleT.

Looks like a very long and hard road ahead of them to make that airworthy.

Almost would have been better to start from scratch!

[GregP]

I wish them well. A flying P-61 would be a great thing to see.

I wish we could see a flying Japanese Betty bomber, too, and a few other Japanese types along with it. Too bad we destroyed almost everything after WWII in the South Pacific.

So, there are a few Lavochkins flying in the world ... at least an La-9 that used to be operated by Ray Hanna), a few Polikarpovs (maybe 3 or 4 I-16s), quite few US, British, and German fighters and bombers, but VERY few Japanese planes I know of. As of this writing, I only know of about 3 Zeros,an Oscar in Australia or New Zealand, and that is about it. There is one Kawasaki Ki-100 in England, but it doesn't fly and likely is not airworthy.

A few Japanese additions and the P-61 would be wonderful to see.

[Mark J]

Greg, there's a perfectly good Zero in the Auckland War Memorial museum (along with a Mk 16 Spitfire) here in NZ. It was 'liberated' by our troops near wars end and brought back here. It' was complete and unservicable with only minor defects at the time. The museum has resisted many attempts by the Japanese at buying it back.....and from warbird people trying to get it airborne again.

cheers

[curmudgeon]

quote:Originally posted by GregP

I wish them well. A flying P-61 would be a great thing to see.

I wish we could see a flying Japanese Betty bomber, too, and a few other Japanese types along with it. Too bad we destroyed almost everything after WWII in the South Pacific.

So, there are a few Lavochkins flying in the world ... at least an La-9 that used to be operated by Ray Hanna), a few Polikarpovs (maybe 3 or 4 I-16s), quite few US, British, and German fighters and bombers, but VERY few Japanese planes I know of. As of this writing, I only know of about 3 Zeros,an Oscar in Australia or New Zealand, and that is about it. There is one Kawasaki Ki-100 in England, but it doesn't fly and likely is not airworthy.

A few Japanese additions and the P-61 would be wonderful to see.

In the early 1950s I went to an open day at Ohakea AFB in New Zealand. The event was based around a flight of US jets (F-84s?) and a KB-29 (KB-50?) tanker. Further down the strip were a couple of WW II Japanese planes that had been captured in the Pacific ... Recently I've looked at NZ lists and can't identify these aircraft. This was the first time I visited Ohakea so must have been before the visit of the genuinely delta Vulcan (1956)(that was the one that crashed on return to the UK). Maybe someone in NZ can try to track down these airframes.

The Alan Bates page (http://www.wings.net.nz/abates.html) is wrong. The first machine to visit crashed in London in fog. I was very sad because I had talked a long time to one of the crew members. A different machine lost a leg at the opening of Wellington airport and made a landing at Ohakea, ending up on the grass. This machine was rebuilt and made several flights around the neighbourhood (including one to my primary school - many parents worked at Ohakea) before returning to the UK.

[Mark J]

Curmudgeon, the Zero I mentioned did in fact visit Ohakea in 1958 but was hung up in a hanger, not outside, as stated in this link about the aircraft.

http://www.j-aircraft.com/walk/robert_montgomery/auckland_war_memorial_a6m3.htm

Although this other link suggests it did in fact sit outside, at Ohakea, at least for a while. Good photo's too...

http://rnzaf.hobbyvista.com/zero3.html

And a few more photo's of it here

http://members.tripod.com/mitsubishi_zero/leanyears.htm

I've also heard stories of Mosquito's being lined up at Ohakea during the 1950's/60's, rotting, exposed to the weather.

cheers

[GregP]

Hi Mark_J,

Sorry the museum resists attempts to restore and fly the Zero. Changing the original engine for a Wright that is readily avialable and preserving the original or perhaps rebuilding it for at least bench running would be a good thing, and Zeros aere supposed to be one of the easiest-flying fighter aircraft ever made, at least below 330 mph.

However, it IS their Zero and I accept the decision of the owners to not restore and fly it. Maybe it will be available at some time in the future for restoration and flight.

Most of the really high-quality museums I have seen have their aircraft in airworthy status. Some choose not to fly them very often, but they keep them in flyable condition. I was there many years ago when Doug Champlin's collection flew into Mesa, Arizona and it was nice to see. They flew a Mustang, the P-40, the Thunderbolt, Hellcat, P-38, and several others. They did NOT fly them very often, but I was also present at an art auction in the Museum when they started the P-40 and the FW-190D-98 and warmed them up. The sound was wonderful. Thank Heaven the WWII birds in Arizona mostly fly, if infrequently.

[Lightning]

Hi curmudgeon,

Reading your comments in your June 1st posting concerning the Vulcan A-bomber brought back a pleasant memory. It was at an airshow at Frederick, Maryland, USA that I had the great pleasure of seeing one of these magnificent beauties in actual flight. The airport was too small for it to land, so it made several passes--some pretty low. It was sooo impressive!

I don't recall the exact year, but I think it was around the summer of 1967. Would you happen to know which of those bombers was visiting the East Coast of the US at about that time?

Of the three British A-bombers--the Vulcan, Victor, and Valliant--I liked the Vulcan the best. (Sorry to depart momentarily from WWII.)

Regards,
Lightning

[GregP]

I, too, liked all the "V" bombers but, like you, the Vulcan was my favorite. It's a wonderful thing to see flying. I hope we can experience this in the future at some point.

Another favorite that never flys much these days is the Boeing B-47. Boeing has one in flyable condition, but does not fly it. Given the cost of oepration, I understand. I HAVE seen it taxi.

I'd really like to see a Mirage IV fly, too, or a Soviet Bear with the contra turboprops. I hear they are one of the loudest planes ever made, but can't say for sure since I have never seen one fly in person.

I HAVE seen numerson B-52s and they are impressive up close and personal, as are the B-1 and B-2.

Back to WWII, the B-17 is very nice to see fly. I have also seen a rejecte d takeoff in Arizona by the Sentimental Journey on a windy day. They started snaking on takeoff, aborted the takeoff, stopped, tunrned around, taxied back and did it again ... successfully.

[curmudgeon]

quote:Originally posted by Lightning

Hi curmudgeon,

Reading your comments in your June 1st posting concerning the Vulcan A-bomber brought back a pleasant memory. It was at an airshow at Frederick, Maryland, USA that I had the great pleasure of seeing one of these magnificent beauties in actual flight. The airport was too small for it to land, so it made several passes--some pretty low. It was sooo impressive!

I don't recall the exact year, but I think it was around the summer of 1967. Would you happen to know which of those bombers was visiting the East Coast of the US at about that time?

Of the three British A-bombers--the Vulcan, Victor, and Valliant--I liked the Vulcan the best. (Sorry to depart momentarily from WWII.)


Zero (and other Japanese aircraft) also WW II piston-engined RNZAF aircraft must have been Ohakea May 1954 (from details on a Globemaster photo found elsewhere). The files of 'The Dominion' would have details ('The Dominion' took over the local "Manawatu Times' c 1960).
The Auckland Museum's Spitfire is AVM Sir Keith Park's personal aircraft which he retained on his departure from the RAF. Park headed 11 Group during the Battle of Britain, allegedly was the last British pilot over Dunkirk in his Hurricane, was dumped with Dowding at the end of the BoB and later resurrected to secure Malta, organise air support for the invasions of Sicily and Italy. Ended the war in charge of air forces in the Burma theatre. Maybe you don't want to try to fly this aircraft ...

Vulcans were regular (but infrequent) visitors to Ohakea on a return flight from weapons trials at bombing ranges in Australia ... Your beastie Lightning was probably in transit from the annual air exercise and bombing contest with the USAF. As a bonus from their delta design Vulcans were also stealthy and used to give NORAD operators a very difficult task, especially when they were penetrating the US at 60,000 ft ...
Wrt WW II - successor to the Lancaster and designed by Roy Chadwick immediately after WW II (Lincolns were just modified Lancasters).

[Wuzak]

It would be fair to say that the Vulcan was the most technically risky of the three V bombers, and I think it was the Victor (correct me if I am wrong) which was the safety back up - the Hurricane to the Vulcan and Valiant's Spitfire, as it were.

The Vulcan must be considered the most successful too, and I think it was always the glamour aircraft of the RAF's bomber fleet.

Greg, I too would love to see a Tupolev Bear in action. Amzing plane, with 12,000hp per engine and giant contra=props, and a top speed well over 500mph, only 10 or so years after the great prop planes of WW2 were just sneaking up on 500mph. No wonder they are said to be loud - the prop tips must be well over the speed of sound!

Are they still in service?

What would be interesting is if someone built the smallest, lightest single seat plane possible around one of the Bear's engine/prop units....


For what it is worth, with the fuel crisis growing, and concerns with emissions I wouldn't be surprised if airliners began to move to turboprops. You would drop a bit in cruising speed but gain in efficiency. That and Rolls Royce and partners have developed the first Western turboprop engine that exceeds 10,000hp. http://www.snecma.com/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=42&lang=en
http://www.rolls-royce.com/defence_aerospace/products/transport/tp400/default.jsp
http://www.rolls-royce.com/defence_aerospace/downloads/transport/tp400.pdf

[Wuzak]

Here is the aircraft in which the TP400 engine is installed.

http://www.airbusmilitary.com/images/a400mcl1.jpg

The performance figures show a cruising speed of Mach 0.72 (475mph/765km/h) at 37,000ft (11,278m). Not bad for a transport aircraft.

A Boeing 777 has a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 (557mph/897km/h) at 35,000ft (10,668m), for comparison.

[GregP]

Turboprops offer some very nice economy; not too much better than a jet in most cases.

Today's people demand speed and convenience.

I doubt VERY seriously that the airlines will go to turboprops taht do not make the public happy. Short haul ... OK, medium range and over, NO.