JDK wrote:
Specifically I for one am comfortable that the degree of originality of any airworthy Hurricane is known, and documented.
I added Hurricane because of the BBMF aircraft, currently airworthy.. IIRC, that crash landed and burned a few years back.
I'm guessing new wood and if the fire was bad/long enough, it would need new fuselage tubing. Im sure the BBMF would do a proper repair job and not use any structure that could be compromised.
While it may be well documented, it terms or
orginal WWII-period factory airframe parts, I'd guess there isn't nuch left.
In that case, what's the difference between it and a Mustang or Spit that were rebuilt from a few pieces of metal dug up from a farm or after spending 50+ years under a beach?
However I certainly agree with your comments on the new build Fws, if there isn't any interchangeable parts with a period FW, then it's a replica.
As is often the case in our long distance conversations, we agree but we're up aginst perceptions of definitions here.
To me original is metal that was touched by the workers at Castle Bromwich or the NAA plant in Dallas..and not just interchaneable accurate, modern quality parts made in a high tech CNC, CAD-CAM workshop.