Japanese Fighter in North Carolina???

[kalamazookid]

What an awesome thread. A good reminder that there's never a shortage of interesting people, places and stories in the world.

[Warbird Kid]

Sad to see the P-40 so battered now. Hopefully when the museum opens it will be moved and repaired. Hate to see Zeb's work be destroyed like that. One of my favorite threads of 2020 so far!

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Does anybody have contact information for Zeb Harrington? Air & Space Smithsonian has asked me to do an article about him and his airplanes, so I need to get in touch with him. You can PM me or send it to stephwilkinson@verizon.net if you'd like to keep it private.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Disregard the above post. I have all the contact information I need.

[Vagabond]

Hey All,

I'm delighted to see that Stephan's article with my photo of Zeb Harrington has been posted to Smithsonian Air & Space magazine online:

https://www.airspacemag.com/military-av ... 180974945/

Just talked to Zeb this morning to let him know. What a wonderful guy!

Thanks to all here for giving me the impetus and opportunity to find Zeb and his projects, meet him and bring his work (and mine) to a larger audience!

Cheers,
PH

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Hey, thanks to YOU, dude!

[Pogo]

Nicely done, both of you ... and Zeb too, of course!

[Hornchurch264]

Hi All -



I also found some AMAZING murals in Carthage and posted those as well. Turns out that James Rogers McConnell, the 4th of the 7 original founders of the Lafayette Escadrille was from Carthage, NC and the town certainly remembers him! Monument from France at the Gilliam-McConnell Field and a huge mural in town.

'



I've HUGELY enjoyed this whole entire thread, the mighty Zeb', the GORGEOUS F.84, then this STUNNING mural, amazing & jaw-dropping.

(Plz excuse the block cap's - just can't rave/fawn enough over these, it's a fabulous thread)


Makes a serious change to see some PROPER art ; Not like those hideous overpriced rubbish that hang in 'Art-Galleries'

Never could understand as to 'how' some rubbish/massively overpriced framed (poncy) "Art", can be worth MORE than a Flying Hurricane or P.51 Mustang.

Whilst I don't 'do' WW.I stuff, that unmitigated masterpiece of a mural had me drooling.

Perhaps it's just as well that I don't live there, else I'd get done for "Loitering with intent".

Even my lovely pretty Wife didn't get THAT much attention on our Wedding-night - (I wuz too knackered )

.

[Vagabond]

Hi Gang -

Here's an update on Zeb and the backyard Oscar.

I traveled down to see Zeb on the day after Christmas 2020 to give him a small gift from me. Neither of us had, at the time, received copies of the issue of Air & Space containing his article, so I mocked up a side-by-side layout in Photoshop, had it printed and mounted at Fedex Office. He was very pleased and appreciative! Fun. Then he gave me a tour of inside and shared his amazing P-40E Control Panel and the latest work on his 7.7cm Japanese Type 89 replica. Later we walked out to the Oscar to see the changes there.

Truly a great guy and so inspiring to me. I told him about the 7ft Christmas light P-47 I made for my wife and told him he was my inspiration.

Photos here:







Enjoy!

[CoastieJohn]

Ya have to respect ol' Zeb and what he is doing. It would be cool to see him actually get a ride "over the channel" in an actual warbird while he is still active.

[marine air]

I have the sole surviving Fleetwings XBT-12. I wonder if he would do a commission to build some wings and firewall forward for the BT. IT would be nice to get it back into display condition.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

When I interviewed Zeb for my Air & Space article, he basically said that he had no interest in working on commission, and that the money he might make was irrelevant. His only interest was in building airplanes--and other things--that fascinated him.

[Vagabond]

Hi All,

I dropped by down at Zeb's house to bring him his copy of Air & Space June 2020 with the article about him and the Oscar. I, of course, had him autograph MY copy for posterity. Fun!

Here is the man himself:



Yes, that is a replica of a French 1840 Musket made by Zeb. Yes, it shoots.

Cheers!