Fighter Factory

[CH2Tdriver]

I remember Jim saying he could have had the original 20mm cannons that came with the aircraft, but decided that the headache wasn't worth it. Besides the space is used for baggage and the cannon would have just ended up on the hangar wall.

Objection to whose collection? Is this the same person that had an issue with TFC?

[Chappie]

Anyone heard of anymore aircraft being sold, I mean the ones that are not on Platinum? My wife wonders what will happen the the cars Yagen has....she loves that red Jag.

Chappie

[CraigQ]

Anyone heard of anymore aircraft being sold, I mean the ones that are not on Platinum? My wife wonders what will happen the the cars Yagen has....she loves that red Jag.

Chappie

Chappie only the four have been sold as of my last conversation late last week.

Craig

[Chappie]

Chappie only the four have been sold as of my last conversation late last week.

Craig

Hey Craig. Nice to hear you still keep in touch with the guys down there. Hope the new 'job' is going well.


Chappie

[Liza]

Six have sold: B-17, FW-190, Dragon Rapide, Storch, PT-22, and Hawker Fury.

[JohnB]

I've been told that Yagen has spoken to Seattle area collector John Sessions. According to this person, JY wanted potential buyers to make a written bid on a particular aircraft. Sessions said no, he didn't want to bid against his friends.

[kalamazookid]

So far then we have:

B-17 and FW-190 to Tillamook
Dragon Rapide to San Antonio, presumably to Rod Lewis
Storch to Minnesota
PT-22 to Florida
Fury to ???

[Liza]

Yes, the Rapide was purchased by Rod Lewis. I believe Cargill purchased the Storch. All I know about the Fury is it was sent to two different locations. Frame went one way and the engine another. No idea where or who or why.

[David J Burke]

I wonder if the Fury engine has been sold to an airworthy project and the airframe sold on as a static display airframe?

[Jim Beasley]

Please don't make irresponsible statements that "if it sells it won't be going back to the UK." You are fundamentally wrong. It has been registered in the UK (and flown) as G-BRAF for over two decades before I brought it to the US in 2008.

When it was being inspected for a new permit to fly, a certain former rep of the CAA was demanding that the spar be x-rayed. However, the 18 has a billet, not a nested, spar and therefore the xray was useless and not part of the proper analysis. The only reason that the nested spars on a spitfire are x-rayed is to determine if there is corrosion between the tubes. Not an issue with a one piece billet spar.

This CAA person also had issue with ceconite on the rudder because it was not called for in the original publications (or course ceconite wasn't available in 1945). I've had ceconite on my planes since the 80's (as have most) and have never had a problem.

That's it. It is not a coincidence that most of the TFC fleet was singled out by this person and once that person had left, the TFC fleet was rapidly back in the air. Similarly, after a thorough inspection in the US the FAA had absolutely no issues with certifying SM969. We have put over 70 hours on her with all sorts of flying and it has never been better.

So please don't make false, conclusory statements about my planes. I challenge any griffon spitfire in the world to come close to the reliability and performance of SM969.

Jim Beasley

I now see the MAM's Wildcat listed on Platinum Fighters.

One aircraft also caught my attention, not related to the MAM/Fighter Factory was Jim Beasley's Spitfire (w/Griffon powerplant). I've never seen this particular aircraft fly, I hope she stays stateside...

If it sells, it won't be going back to the UK. The CAA over there had some (totally bogus) issues with licensing it.

[warbirdfinder]

Jim said:
Please don't make irresponsible statements that "if it sells it won't be going back to the UK." You are fundamentally wrong. It has been registered in the UK (and flown) as G-BRAF for over two decades before I brought it to the US in 2008.

When it was being inspected for a new permit to fly, a certain former rep of the CAA was demanding that the spar be x-rayed. However, the 18 has a billet, not a nested, spar and therefore the xray was useless and not part of the proper analysis. The only reason that the nested spars on a spitfire are x-rayed is to determine if there is corrosion between the tubes. Not an issue with a one piece billet spar.

This CAA person also had issue with ceconite on the rudder because it was not called for in the original publications (or course ceconite wasn't available in 1945). I've had ceconite on my planes since the 80's (as have most) and have never had a problem.

That's it. It is not a coincidence that most of the TFC fleet was singled out by this person and once that person had left, the TFC fleet was rapidly back in the air. Similarly, after a thorough inspection in the US the FAA had absolutely no issues with certifying SM969. We have put over 70 hours on her with all sorts of flying and it has never been better.

So please don't make false, conclusory statements about my planes. I challenge any griffon spitfire in the world to come close to the reliability and performance of SM969.

Jim Beasley

Jim,

Excellent reply. Unfortunately there are people who never let facts get in the way of their story.

[David J Burke]

Spitfire G-BRAF did hardly any flying in the twenty years before it was acquired by TFC . It was airworthy in 1985 but with various moves of Doug's fleet his aircraft were seldom seen in the air. With his death in the early 1990's the vast majority of his fleet including G-BRAF entered storage. On acquisition by TFC it entered a comprehensive overhaul at Duxford before return to flight .

With credit to the site owner -this has a nice image of her in the ownership of Doug Arnold.
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Histo ... tfire.html

[51fixer]

Spitfire G-BRAF did hardly any flying in the twenty years before it was acquired by TFC . It was airworthy in 1985 but with various moves of Doug's fleet his aircraft were seldom seen in the air. With his death in the early 1990's the vast majority of his fleet including G-BRAF entered storage. On acquisition by TFC it entered a comprehensive overhaul at Duxford before return to flight .

With credit to the site owner -this has a nice image of her in the ownership of Doug Arnold.
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Histo ... tfire.html

While it didn't get in the air much it was registered and its permit to fly was renewed when it was returned to active flight status periodically.
Which worked to our advantage as the Griffon/Airframe had approx 15 flight hours on it when we 1st flew it here in the states since recovery from India.
It was last flown in the 91/92 time period per its logs.
After 92 it was stored in a Shipping Container until purchased by Stephen Grey in 06, not seeing the light for some 14 yrs.

[BK]

More planes reported (FC) on the move, Sopwith Camel, Fokker DR.1 (blue one), Fokker DVII, SNJ-4, and Avro 504K. All going across the pond to Russia.

[Liza]

Yes. I was at Fighter Factory this morning. Each of the five are in various stages of being taken apart for shipping.