2 P-82s heading to OSH 2013?

[Warbirdnerd]

Sould be a great year...

Put EAA AirVenture 2013 on your calendar. That’s the year two North American Twin Mustangs are expected to be returned to flying condition by their owners, and go on display in Oshkosh. It got its name from the design, which looks like two North American P-51 Mustang fighters attached side by side.

One is powered by an Allison engine and is owned by an individual who would rather not have his project in the spotlight until the project is completed. The other is powered by the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and was the first Twin Mustang to fly, the XP-82-NA. It is owned by Tom Reilly of Douglas, Ga., who is performing the work with friends under a company called B-25 Group, LLC. He also operates Tom Reilly Vintage Aircraft and has restored 10 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers and several Boeing B-17s, including Liberty Bell.

Twin Mustangs emerged from the factory too late for World War II, but were flown in the Korean War and were later used for ramjet testing and icing research in the 1950s by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), succeeded by NASA. The P-82 models were intended for pursuit, while the F-82 models were considered to be fighters.

Reilly and his crew have invested two-and-a-half years in the restoration of the aircraft, which first flew April 15, 1945. That includes preserving graffiti found from the time of manufacture, including a message from one worker to another saying, “I’ll bring in the tickets to the theater tomorrow.” Reilly plans to open a website on his project in January. He estimates another 18 to 24 months of work is required. A third Twin Mustang once owned by the Commemorative Air Force has gone to the U.S. Air Force Museum after a legal battle.

Reilly said he was fortunate to locate a Merlin engine found in the garage of a home in Mexico City. Both his aircraft and the other one in restoration will use modern MT Propeller composite propellers. The propellers use a Kevlar cover over beech and spruce wooden cores. The special spruce wood required is grown only at elevations between 6,800 feet and 10,500 feet. The beech wood is compressed in a 10-ton press to increase its density. American distributor Flight Resource said the four-blade propellers will have a diameter of 11 feet and be fully featherable, yet retain the period look of the original propellers.

Found it here:
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... c_sect=tts

[Pat Carry]

Now that would be something to see!

[Robbie Roberts]

I was just going to post this! Take THAT, NMUSAF! You take ONE of ours, we will rebuild TWO more!!!

Sounds great!

Wonder if they ever thought of a hybrid P-82: FOUR engines, FOUR cockpits... We can just keep stringing them together all day...

Scott

[Obergrafeter]

String two of them together have five engines alla the twin Heinkel 111 glider tug.

[jet1]

I would love to see and hear them together in the air...maybe even get a checkout ride....hummm?

[Dan K]

Just had one of those warm & fuzzy thoughts:

IF both Twins actually make their OSH debut in 2013, what about making that year a Walt Soplata tribute event? Maybe a display area at Aeroshell for all those that show with a Soplata connection? Maybe Zack can bring up at the next EAA staff meeting.


I must confess that I thought the Anoka bird was closer to first flight, but I guess I'm willing to wait... here in the corner... in the dark... gently banging my head...

[Chris Brame]

The P-82 models were intended for pursuit, while the F-82 models were considered to be fighters.

Huh? Somebody needs to check their history books...

[mustangdriver]

I was just going to post this! Take THAT, NMUSAF! You take ONE of ours, we will rebuild TWO more!!!

Sounds great!

Wonder if they ever thought of a hybrid P-82: FOUR engines, FOUR cockpits... We can just keep stringing them together all day...

Scott

I hope it happens. That would be sweet. And just to set the record straight, the NMUSAF only took back what was theirs. I am just leaving the NMUSAF as we Speke and have to say that they have the ex-CAF P-82 looking sweet.

[MX304]

I can see the one in MN being ready by then. (If not before) If the other one is done by then I would be shocked. That will be the equivalent of building one from scratch in that amount of time.

[Pat Carry]

I was just going to post this! Take THAT, NMUSAF! You take ONE of ours, we will rebuild TWO more!!!

Sounds great!

Wonder if they ever thought of a hybrid P-82: FOUR engines, FOUR cockpits... We can just keep stringing them together all day...

Scott

I hope it happens. That would be sweet. And just to set the record straight, the NMUSAF only took back what was theirs. I am just leaving the NMUSAF as we Speke and have to say that they have the ex-CAF P-82 looking sweet.

Hey Chris, What does the new director have planned for the museum?

[Lynn Allen]

Looks like a good year to be there......

[agent86]

The CAF had how many years between the crash(Which was not a total) and the time the A.F. finally realized what they had loaned the CAF.That plane should have been repaired and reflown many yrs ago.Who should we be disappointed at? the A.F. for taking action or the CAF for not taking steps to fix it?

[kalamazookid]

Even getting to see ONE in the air someday will be incredible. I can't even begin to imagine what seeing two potentially in the air at the same time would be like. Hopefully the new-build props end up being the solution and we can see a P/F-82 flying someday.