Is it possible to build a WW2 Fighter?
- Thread starter Blacky
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GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
There's a full scale replica Storch that flies in this area. It's the newer Serbian manufactured version and it's painted in Afrika Korps camo.
It's powered by a Lycoming if memory serves right.
It's powered by a Lycoming if memory serves right.
cvairwerks
Senior Airman
Well yeah, it wasn't built for speed...
Winner of the understatement for the morning...
Winner of the attitude for the morning award...
Used to watch them at the Hahnweide airshow back in Germany. Loved watching them practically hover down the grass strip into the wind.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
There's a local group of Bush Pilots and they had an open fly-in at Benton (O85) and the Storch made a surprise visit.
There was a nice breeze out of the North that morning and the Storch's approach on 33 was literally at a person's brisk walk, and held steady at about 25-30 AGL all the way to the ramp area, where he cut back and it gently set down like a feather.
The Bush Pilots were all cheering at the sight - it was truly impressive to see.
Conslaw
Senior Airman
I read a number of years ago that there are enough P-51s flying to create a market justifying building new parts for just about every part of the airplane. In theory, then, you could build a P-51 from scratch if you had enough know-how, equipment, time and money to do it. But it won't be a Mustang unless it has an original serial number. That's why even some real basket case wrecks are valuable - they at least come with a serial number. Maybe somebody with more knowledge of FAA regulations can chime in on the difference it makes with a serial number or no serial number to get approval to fly your aircraft.
cvairwerks
Senior Airman
Doing something like a Mustang, one runs into quite a controversy with it being a rebuild, a replica or a representation. The definitions are open to wildly varying interpretations based on a number of criteria. It's a highly volatile subject that can get nasty real quickly. My take is be truthful with what you call it and how you document it. Coming from the aircraft production side of the world, as long as you have an original dataplate, it's rebuildable. No dataplate, but per original and operational prints from it's operational life cycle, it's a replica. If it looks like, flies like the original, but has enough differences that the original manufacturer would have to assign a different model or block designation, it's a representation.
95% of the people that look at a Mustang wouldn't know the truth about whatever airframe they were standing in front of unless they were told. The absolute purist count rivets and complain about incorrect paint color formulations and wire types, while the realists see it for what it is..a great flying and fun aircraft!
95% of the people that look at a Mustang wouldn't know the truth about whatever airframe they were standing in front of unless they were told. The absolute purist count rivets and complain about incorrect paint color formulations and wire types, while the realists see it for what it is..a great flying and fun aircraft!
imalko
Chief Master Sergeant
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GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Yes sir, that's the one.
Buster01
Airman
You might want to consider the Spitfire kit made by Supermarine Aircraft.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
That's pretty cool.
CHAD VEICH
Airman
- 12
- Jun 6, 2020
swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 3,954
- Jun 25, 2013
You may want to visit one of the homebuilder websites, like homebuiltairplanes.com/
Finknottle
Recruit
- 1
- Dec 11, 2020
Back in the ancient ages of the internet ~20 years ago, there were the guys up in the Dakotas, iirc, that built a pair of fiberglass Bf-109s. So, it's not impossible...
Deleted member 68059
Staff Sergeant
- 1,058
- Dec 28, 2015
You can absolutely do it, for a serious air-superiority fighter like a 109, a conservative estimate if you already have the appropriate facilities, tools and staff, would be a baseline of 3million USD. At least half a million of that would go on a Daimler-Benz engine alone.
You can get kits for the 190 and Spitfire, if you dont have 20 years to spare, and a pile of gold bars, I would do that if I were you.
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Bozothenutter
Airman
- 56
- Feb 10, 2021
Remember the Spitfire Mk.I that was recovered from the Calais beach (more destroyed really, "let's put a rope on an a/c that's been buried for 50 years and is filled with sand and pull it out with a tractor")
That was basically rebuilt around a dataplate, and very nicely too!
Even engines can be manufactured, IF your pockets are deep enough, Audi had new blocks cast by Crostwaithe&Gardiner for their 30's F1 cars smuggled out of Russia...
That was basically rebuilt around a dataplate, and very nicely too!
Even engines can be manufactured, IF your pockets are deep enough, Audi had new blocks cast by Crostwaithe&Gardiner for their 30's F1 cars smuggled out of Russia...
