P-51 rc plane restoration for museum and tribute to Bill Getz

[davegee]

Hi Erich: yes, I'm sure that is almost impossible, especially 66 years or more on, now, to try and definitively ascertain who shot who in battles that sometimes lasted just seconds. I flew with a colleague at work a long time ago, he had shot down an Me-262 in his P-51 during the war. I was anxious to talk with him about that encounter, but I remember his reply "That was a long time ago." His tone told me that he did not want to discuss it further.

dave

 

[Erich]

may I ask the pilots name and group Dave ? piston engine kills against LW jets is a sticky thread on this site, far from complete

 

[davegee]

Hi Erich: Wow, that was about 25 years ago. The pilot's name was Bob Braunschweig. I'm sorry I don't know any more than that. It has probably been close to 25 years since I worked with him, and at the time, I was much more keen on bomber history than fighters, as both my dad and my father-in-law were combat bomber pilots flying out of England during the war.

 

[Erich]

I'll take a peek at my data files to see if I can find the guy. funny I had two relatives serving on the "other' side of the sphere ( Luftwaffe that is)

 

[davegee]

I look forward to hearing if you come up with anything!

Cheers,

Dave

 

[davegee]

Hi All: completing this blog, we had the investiture of the P-51D Saucy Shirley today. They arranged for a color guard, play the Star Spangled Banner on a trumpet, and then brief remarks by
Bill Getz, the guest of honor, Gordon Page, founder and president of Spirit of Flight Center, and myself. As I was tied up speaking, I wasn't able to take good pictures of the event, but I'll post a couple, anyway. I appreciate everyone's interest in this blog the past few months.

Davegee

 

[Terri-Tsu]

Awesome sauce! I love stuff like this....that RC P-51 looks HUGE what scale is that exactly?

 

[davegee]

Hi: This plane is about 1:4.53, that is, between 1/4 and 1/5 scale. It is very large, the wingspan is 98".

Regards,

davegee

 

[Terri-Tsu]

what kind of engine? like what kinda fuel mixture or how does that work? That must be awesome

 

[davegee]

Hi Terri-Tsu: This was a very old kit, I'm guessing maybe 20 years old or so. It had "ancient" components like servos unlike any that I have seen in the past 10 years I have been in the hobby. The engine was a gas engine, probably a type of modified chainsaw engine that was adapted to use on large r/c planes. These days there are much more sophisticated engines designed for rc planes that are incredibly reliable and powerful, for their size. The old engines might have used a mixture of gas and oil, as we do today, about 1 oz. per gallon, if memory serves. I don't know much about the history of this plane because it had been donated to the museum, and I did a total rebuild and makeover of it that would make it unrecognizable from what it was when I started last March.

davegee

 

[drgondog]

Great job, I know Bill is Hugely pleased!

 

[Airframes]

Good to see it finished and in it's new home.

 

[Gnomey]

Very nice work! Great to see it on display.

 

[davegee]

Thanks, All. It was a real relief to have it safely placed in the museum. Just one more bit to do, and that is hanging it from the ceiling. I already pre-drilled two holes on top of the fuse that will fit screw eyes to hang it. Don't want it to come loose once it's up there!!

 

[adam402]

cool ,,, nice work on rc jets
cool pic carry on

 

[drgondog]

Hi Erich: Wow, that was about 25 years ago. The pilot's name was Bob Braunschweig. I'm sorry I don't know any more than that. It has probably been close to 25 years since I worked with him, and at the time, I was much more keen on bomber history than fighters, as both my dad and my father-in-law were combat bomber pilots flying out of England during the war.

He is not listed in USAF 85 with any destroyed credits - but his claim could have been for a destroyed and downgraded to a damaged - and wouldn't show up in USAF 85