Warbird Information Exchange

Been emailed this

Hi all,

I think we've got our Fly Day schedule nailed down so I wanted to send it along. Many people have been asking me about it so I've tried to include you on this e-mail (probably a few that haven't asked either! Hope to see you there!


May 15: P-47, Storch

May 22: Spitfire, P-40

June 5: P-51 (Plus additional P-51s)

June 19: Bf 109, I-16

July 10: P-51, Hurricane

July 24: Po-2, JN-4D (Plus Guests)

Aug 7: Spitfire, Hurricane

Aug 28: P-47 (Plus Guests)

Sept 11: P-51, P-47

Sept 25: Bf 109, Storch

Cory

Cory Graff
Military Aviation Curator
Flying Heritage Collection

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'Coups De Foudre'
(511FS, 405FG watering hole), St Dizier, France 1944/45

Cool! Real flying, fire-breathing aeroplanes! Just add them to the list of planes I won't be able to go see fly this season! Oh, well, hopefully someone on WIX will see and shoot them! (and of course, share them with us all!!!! hint hint hint!)

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Aviation Illustration Website
http://shepartstudio.com/illustration/

Does anyone have an update on the status of the Fw190A?

No chance at seeing this great collection hit the road in the future?

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Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

Fw190A - you have no idea!!!!

Saw it in 1992 when first recovered and have been following ever since.

Finalising engine. Hopefully FHC will contact me when they get to paint her! (Recorded the scheme in 1992).

2013 - 70th Anniversary of build/loss though I hope it won't be that long to wait!!!!!

regards

MS

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'Coups De Foudre'
(511FS, 405FG watering hole), St Dizier, France 1944/45

Fantastic roster. I hope to get there one or two of those months, even though it's a long taxi ride from New York.

Any chance of seeing the Zero added to the lineup at some point during the year?

August

Yeah, I too thought this aircraft was pretty much ready to go almost a year ago. Still waiting to see what scheme she will be in.

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Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

I have my fingers crossed for trainer orange.

Finally, one most important question for shepsair: Have you seen Mr Allen lately and how is he doing?

August

While we're on the matter, how about an update on Allen's authentic Me 262? Is it still being worked on? Is it in England or the States?

You will probably never see this collection fly so far away as to lose sight of the hangar in which they sit. The curators are afraid to send them to any air show just in case a paying visitor comes to see an airplane and it not be there some weekend. It does not matter if 100,000, 200,000, 300,000 or 400,000 other people would get to see it, they are mostly concerned with the one person and the $26 they paid being upset. Too bad, they are truly beautiful airplanes.

Is that truly what is going on? I remember hearing years ago, during the formative stages of the collection, that the original intention was to tour the airplanes around the country to different airshows. Eventually even Allen balked at that when he was presented with the huge logistical issues that would have to be considered in supporting a "one-man Air Force", i.e. - parts and maintenance for broke airplanes on the road and the cost of gas, storage, hangar fees, available ferry pilots, etc. When it was all done, they decided just to keep the collection at home to keep the costs and logistics simple.

Update with current photo in CW 73 'Me 262 Survivors' Pt.2

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Classic Wings Magazine

https://www.classicwings.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ClassicWingsMagazine/

Preserved Axis Aircraft

http://www.classicwings.com

I'm not really bothered by that because it adds a margin of safety for planes that have been superbly restored to high original standards. I don't think visitor fees is the primary factor there. I can travel to see the collection some day and good video of the flying displays will gradually find its way onto the internet--there's good footage of the Me109E3 in flight available now. I'm starting to worry that the Fw190A-5 may never fly and just be parked as another ultra-rare example. One can still hope for White 1 to fly in a couple of years, maybe.

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

I have been told on numerous occasions that the FW190 will not fly due to it's rarity. Apparently it's the only long nose version extant and they don't want to risk losing it. The Zero has been sitting unfinished for more than a year now, it's close, but not there yet. As more airplanes come available from restoration shops around the globe, the museum intends to expand the current hangar to accommodate.

I think when we see a prediction like this we have to remember that "never" is quite a long time. Remember the 1990s when Mr. Allen operated as a shadow figure who wouldn't even admit he owned any planes, and nobody could see them? Then the existence of the collection (which was the worst kept secret in the warbird biz anyway) went public, but you could only see them by appointment and only photograph them with a docent standing in front of them so the pics wouldn't be saleable? Now they have a beautiful facility and predictable, scheduled flying, which is more than certain prominent Texas collectors do. The trend of FHC has been toward more visibility. Today's policies are not necessarily tomorrow's. That said, cross-continental tours in old single-engined fighters are not to be taken lightly and have resulted in the loss of some aircraft and tense moments for many others.

August