Warbird Information Exchange

Warbird1 wrote:
I wish Rod Lewis would buy it and send the project to Nelson Ezell out at Breckenridge. Even though they just finished the Red Bull plane (N25Y), they still have all of the tools, jigging and specialized equipment to rebuild a P-38. They've been on record as saying they would like to restore another one!

Actually, would not the folks who restored/rebuilt Glacier Girl have more tooling for a deeper P-38 project than White Lightening? Unless Nelson already procured those tools from the GGirl project.
Just wondering,
VL

I don't know, Vlado, good question. Perhaps WIXer, Steve Dickey, who helped rebuild N25Y will step in here to answer the question. I could be wrong, but my impression was that many, many parts off of White Lightening had to be custom made, and as a result they have a lot of specialized patterns and jigs ready to go. Whether they have more of that type of stuff than the Glacier Girl restoration team did, I don't know.

Steve, are you reading this?

Regardless, what if both groups combined there set of Jigs, information, etc.?

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

I'll bet that Nelson's crew got a lot of technical help from the GG team. If seeing what goes on behind the scenes in several restorations is any indication, the warbird world is VERY small, and the vast majority of owners/operators help each other out all the time.

WestPac also has a great deal of experience fabricating P-38 parts.

True, I forgot about them. Have they started on Paul Allen's P-38 yet?

Well, I don't know what happened to all the tooling for G.G., I don't think we ever borrowed or bought any. We simply made our own tooling to deal with this particular rebuild. Ya gotta understand that each rebuild is different even if it's two Mustangs side by side. Ask Mike V, he'll tell ya the same thing. Sure a vast majority of our in house tooling would be used but then you may have to spool up tooling for a part that was not made on the last one.
Its all about cubic $$$$$$$$$.
But I wouldn't say something like "so and so" needs to buy it just because "so and so" has the cubic $
I don't get why people on here like to spend other peoples money? Sounds kinda greedy(not trying to point fingers or start an argument, It's my two Pesos worth)

It's all in good fun, fantasizing and wishful thinking. It's all about the "have's" and "have nots". Probably 98% of this forum are in the "have not" category, so it's fun to live vicariously through other people and spend their money in a "make believe" world.

No harm intended.

This project would be a great tribute to the Medal of Honor Recipient pilot... I'd love to see her fly in original marking. Did this a/c have any kills during the war?

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Taylor Stevenson

Dunno if I agree with the "haves/have nots" and "vicarious fantasy" reasoning...tho there may be an
element of that. I think of it as more of a wish that the machine recieves an owner/caretaker who has the
resources to properly restore and care for these beauties. Preferably someone who is also in tune with
preserving and displaying the history of the aircrafts(or whatever for that matter).

Did you seen the Antiques Roadshow where the fellow brought the lovely polished Tiffany lamp in for appraisal?
What's it appraisal? "Before or after you polished away 80 years worth of patina, sir?" He certainly had the
resources to posess the artifact, but was he really the best person to CARE for the antique?
Just my one peso worth...

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DBF

"Reasonable cost to restore"....maybe as major P-38 rebuilds to airworthy go, it's reasonable. Remember, we don't particpate in the average garden variety hobby here.

Can someone update me on the total number of known existing P-38's in the world, fliers, static display, projects and scattered wrecks?

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Sounds like a job for...Classic Wings!!!!!

Howdy All

The current owner who is selling S/N. 42-66534 is Artemis Aviation Group LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. Registered as N66534 on the 17th of November 2008.

Lightning

Get Em Flying !

Oh for pete's sake, you can never have enough P-38 projects! It's like HO steam locomotives, 'cept about 25,000 times more expensive!

Rich

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com

Thanks guys. I have the recent CW issues but I was interested mainly in how many wrecks and partials have become known lately.

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"I love the smell of 100LL in the morning."