spellbinder99 Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Taken a few minutes ago, at the annual Fly-In at Parafield Airport in Adelaide South Australia. Nice to see a P-39 in RAAF markings and a real incentive to crack open the Special Hobbies box. If anyone needs any specific detail pictures I will going back to shoot some more after my camera recharges. Nice opportunity while it is out in the sun and a lovely sight! Cheers Tony reconspit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Great shots Tony! I've got the SH Airacobra too, and this is certainly some nice inspiration for it. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ron Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Very nice Is it airworthy or static? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spellbinder99 Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 Static, and given the state of the parts they started with and the mixed bag it was assembled from, probably a good thing.... But a nice job regardless. Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Beautiful Restoration! Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I have real mixed emotions about restored warbirds flying in the first place. Granted, it's great to see them fly, but horrible to see them crash. After all, these aircraft simply cannot be replaced, and another bit of history goes to the scrap heap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJ Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I have real mixed emotions about restored warbirds flying in the first place. Granted, it’s great to see them fly, but horrible to see them crash. After all, these aircraft simply cannot be replaced, and another bit of history goes to the scrap heap. I agree. One has to wonder if seeing them in flight does more to boost interest however. I love seeing these planes on the ground and in museums but there's nothing quite like the thrill of hearing those engines and seeing them fly overhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spellbinder99 Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 I heartily agree that flying an aircraft should not be at the chance of losing the last example as almost happened with the Bristol Bulldog back in the sixties. This one will never fly but it was never intended to, and if you knew the full story about it's restoration you would be amazed the path it has taken to get back to this state. The guys have done a top notch job and should any LSP members ever wander down to Adelaide, contact me and I would be glad to show you over this and the P-38. Cheers Tony reconspit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 It is indeed a beautiful restoration, kudos to the men who spend their time doing these restorative efforts; it's a whole lot of time consuming, painstaking work. Oh and Dave, I too love the sights and sounds of WWII (and other), aircraft that fly in my vicinity. I work about an eighth of a mile from a small airport that (used to), have an air show every year. The sound of a Mustang's RR Merlin put a smile on my face every time. And yet I do sort of wish they'd voluntarily ground the more unique subjects, of which precious few exist to begin with. Oh well, not my decision to make I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizly Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Yes, I have the Special Hobby kit in 1/32 but wouldn't a P-39 model in 1/24 be great. Given the actual aircraft is quite small, you wouldn't need to build an addition to your house or move the car out of the garage to store/display it. It also has car doors that can be opened to display the cockpit, a great big gun bay in the nose, main gear wells and a nose wheel well, an Allison engine that could be detailed...... A model dreams are made of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ron Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 And yet I do sort of wish they'd voluntarily ground the more unique subjects, of which precious few exist to begin with. Oh well, not my decision to make I guess. I used to think that way until I spent a three day long weekend at Duxford and saw the Fighter Collections P-39 fly, several Hurricanes and 12 Spitfires in the air at once, a Hawker Nymrod etc. Wow, they just don't portray what a certain type is all about until you hear and see it fly cause they are all a little different. You just can't get the feel, chills and thrills from the unique howl of a P-51 in a shallow dive nor the gear whine of a P-39 taxing by at idle from a 20-40 year old video on Youtube . The last 15 years have seen wonders in the WWII aircraft restoration seen. There are airframes all over this planet screaming to be restored or replicated. P-38's recovered from under Glaciers, small bits of Hurricanes in Russia that are somehow made complete and flying again with reproduction parts, new build Mossies/Fw-190's/Me-262's, Hawker Hinds and Nymrods from Afghanistan and Iraq, P-39's from Tadji and New Guinea. They are out there and many more will be found and restored in time. If I had the money my LSP hobby would be 1:1 scale WWII props restored to be flying David66 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 As an aircraft mechanic, I have heard these arguments more than once. Having spent a lot of time around Warbirds, and having been involved in a P-40 and a Corsair restoration, the only place these things belong is in the air. That is what they were built for. That is what they were designed to do- Any airframe can be restored to flyting condition...It purely boils down to 1) Money 2) Materials and parts 3) Expertise to fix it.......and some times one or more of these factors will make it unfeesible to make an aircraft airworthy... That being said, I would rather see them pulled from their graves, restored to static, and saved rather than rotting under the sea, or in a jungle somewhere. FWIW- THOR David66 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spellbinder99 Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 Thor, I am an aircraft mechanic as well, 13 years in the RAAF and the last 14 as a private contractor to the Defence industry, which is a fancy way to say I swing spanners on defence aircraft without wearing a uniform..... I agree about flying them if possible, but in the case of this P-39 the second option applies. If this restoration had not occurred, and indeed with our P-38 as well, they both would have been severely corroded bits of airframes, no more. Anything can be restored to fly with liberal application of money, but this restoration has provided years of activity, enjoyment and learning for the volunteer members of the museum. Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spellbinder99 Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 Oh, and their next restoration is an ex-Soloman Islands Corsair...... Cheers Tony David66 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 That is awesome. You guys do not need an extra tin-bender from Florida to help, do you? Loving the work. Keep it up. THOR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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