My Chino pics

[Chad Veich]

I've just added an album with some digital pics I took at Chino on the Friday prior to the show. Please drop by and take a look if you have not seen enough pics from this event already!

http://community.webshots.com/user/CVeich

[bdk]

Great photos, question did all three P-38 fly together.
Cheers

Only the POF P-38 flew. The Yanks P-38/F-5 hasn't flown in years, and I don't think the former FHC/TFC/? P-38 has flown in a while either (since it was ferried to Chino from Rialto?).

[Joe Scheil]

The two early models, the A-36 (private owner) and the P-51A (museum aircraft) are both inactive for heavy maintenence, and will not be flying anytime soon. Its important to remember that super rare "special" aircraft are the norm at POF, and that the Museum operates on a different funding basis than customer projects at Fighter Rebuilders. The P-39Q is the current project that is absorbing all of the work of Fighter Rebuilders. The P-51A will recieve parts and work as fast as volunteer help allows. A huge number of the Museum aircraft fly, and do so on volunteer help and dollars. No other organization flies so many heavy iron aircraft with the safety record the POF has, with the continuing restoration work concurrently running besides. Waiting in the wings are several super projects including the Mustangs, A, A-36 and another D, Bearcat, and who knows what else!!!

[bdk]

A huge number of the Museum aircraft fly, and do so on volunteer help and dollars. No other organization flies so many heavy iron aircraft with the safety record the POF has, with the continuing restoration work concurrently running besides.

Joe, are you in sales?

The P-38 recently had an engine change, and the P-40 had an engine change with the test flight only occurring on the Friday of the airshow. I think that right now a lot of effort is going into supporting the national tour which generates money for the museum.

Luckily there isn't anything seriously wrong with the P-51A, it's just a matter of priorities. I think that it was sidelined with a radiator problem at the airshow a few years ago- in any case it was generating copious amounts of steam!