Fighter Factory

[k5083]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies Lynn and Mark. I'm still a little dubious on how/when the criticism on an internet forum get picked up by media and create any real problems for the organization, but OK, at least now I know what you meant. As far as not being thoughtless and irresponsible and thinking about all the personnel involved, well, that is holding us up to a much higher standard than callers about the Yankees on sports talk radio, but fine, standards are a good thing.

Dean: Nobody can really pretend to know the answer to your question. What is clear about Yagen, compared with some other collectors, is that he does not just buy flyable airplanes on the market, which probably wouldn't increase the total number flying. He also sources projects and funds their restoration, probably spending a goodly amount more on them than they will be worth when finished. Guys like that get an extra star in my book. It's always possible that there might be someone else out there who would have sourced and restored any given project if he didn't, but there's no way to know. One could probably walk through MAM and review his project list and pretty easily identify the airframes that would be relatively unlikely to exist, in the form we see them, without Yagen. My sense is that it would include at least a dozen machines of exceptional rarity, which is a nice legacy for anyone, no matter who ends up owning the planes in the future. Ones that come to mind right away are the Mossie, the genuine 190 and 109, and the MiG-3, for openers.

August

[jspott]

The aircraft that were listed on Platinums web site have been taken down.

[Liza]

The Piper J3 Cub has been moved into the Fighter Factory hanger


A "new" Dragon Rapide. Will be a while before it's together.




SE5a in the background with part of Dragon Rapide in foreground left

[lmritger]

I heard a rumor that G-ACZE might be headed this way but I am so glad to see that it's been confirmed! I just knew Jerry wouldn't be able to stay away from such a beautiful aircraft; by all accounts G-ADDD was his favorite to fly in the collection.

The SE-5A under rebuild there- is that the same one he's had for a while, or a new acquisition?

Lynn

[Liza]

I think he's had it a while and finally working on it. Not 100% on that.

[kalamazookid]

Sell a Rapide, buy a new one with the same paint scheme. That's... interesting.

[Liza]

Very few Rapides available in the world and only one was for sale.

[Thomas_Mac]

New Facebook page showing lots of updates going on!

https://www.facebook.com/FighterFactory

[Liza]

The items currently in the Projects gallery have been moved into the warehouses to make room in the hangar for annuals. They have a bunch of planes to get ready for the airshow in May and Proms in June. So, those are on hold for a little while.

[Zac Yates]

Jerry's Tony has arrived in New Zealand for restoration:

[FAR148]

Will it be a flyer or static restoration?

[Zac Yates]

I think flyer, but don't quote me just yet.

[Dan K]

Here's a sick idea: Stick an R-2000 on all these static air frames and make flyable Ki-100s out of them.

http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Ki-100/Kawas ... ord-03.jpg

[Warbird Kid]

Here's a sick idea: Stick an R-2000 on all these static air frames and make flyable Ki-100s out of them.

http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Ki-100/Kawas ... ord-03.jpg

Or see if an Allison can fit inside the cowling specs.

[JohnTerrell]

The aircraft had been at Precision Aerospace since at least 2004, undergoing restoration to fly. Back in 2008, it was reported by Philip Makanna that there were four different Ki-61 airframes at Precision, with the most complete example being Kermit Weeks', which was being used as a "blue print"/guide to help in the restoration of Yagen's aircraft and the others (it was said at the time, that among the four airframes, two would be flyers (Yagen/Weeks), one would be restored to static, and another which didn't have a client/buyer at the time). It was said that Yagen's Tony would be the first to be completed/flown and would be powered by an original (then recently found) Ha-40, the variant of the DB601 built under license by Kawasaki. The wings for Kermit Weeks' Ki-61 have actually been in storage at Fantasy of Flight in Florida, so I don't know if that project actually will be going any further once Yagen's is completed.

I know HARS has at least a couple Tony projects as well, and they have this Ha-40 engine that used to be at Precision: https://www.flickr.com/photos/38049473@N00/356832932/ (among reportedly other surviving Ha-40's they have) and they too say that they will have an Ha-40 engine powering their flying Ki-61 restoration. http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbird-res ... kshop.html

Kawasaki, in Japan, has a very impressive, complete, Ki-61 on display (recently re-finished), as well as a very complete and well preserved Ha-40 engine on display:
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dwv4gLPdhJg/ ... rminal.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/or ... 8888dc.jpg

Maybe when this project is completed, Yagen will also be inspired to have his Oscar reproduction finished/flying as well? Also I'm really looking forward to seeing Yagen's P-39 completed at Pioneer Aero (just across from Avspecs), where it has been for the past couple years or so - it too was at Precision, undergoing restoration to fly, for what seemed like an eternity. From what I recall, Yagen has Pioneer working on it as a priority project to get completed/flying ASAP, and Pioneer will turn their attentions to his Kingfisher after the P-39 is finished.

With various projects leaving Precision, I wonder where that leaves Yagen's and Kermit Weeks' Corsair projects, or if they'll be remaining at Precision. I know Yagen has/had an F4U-1D and FG-1A projects said to be at Precision, and Kermit Weeks has had the center section for his FG-1D at Precision.