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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 6, 2007 19:20:18 GMT 12
Has the Spitfire Mk V at Avspecs flown yet? If not, does anyone know the date sceduled (loosely) for the first flight? I have heard from some sources they hope to have it aloft this month.
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Post by beagle on Mar 6, 2007 19:52:15 GMT 12
Who owns this one. I take it she's not staying here.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 6, 2007 20:22:19 GMT 12
Beagle, it could be your's for US$3 million! www.provenancefightersales.com/spitfire.htmCurrently owned by Tony Raftis of Provenance Fighters, as I understand it. It's apparently the best restoration on a Spitfire ever, so I hear. |
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Post by beagle on Mar 6, 2007 21:23:20 GMT 12
I think I will just give my piggy bank a shake to see whats inside her.
Yes if I won something like 5 millipon I would buy it, but would prefer a flyable mossie though.
I thought you could pick up a spitfire for around 1 million but looks like I am wrong.
I see it has some history with it . I wonder how much it actually cost when brand new.
Have alook in your piggy too Dave and w emight go halvers.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 6, 2007 21:42:20 GMT 12
"I thought you could pick up a spitfire for around 1 million but looks like I am wrong"
Not since Provenance Fighter Sales came on the scene. It's prime purpose seems to be buying and selling at a large profit, thus pushing the market price up. Apparently the restorers are thrilled by this as many restorations cost more than the actual sale tag, so this will at least equalise it a little, and maybe they'll make a bit of profit.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Mar 7, 2007 10:27:30 GMT 12
The Mk V Spitfire has been sold already to a new owner in California. The very early model P40 Tomahawk under restoratoin at Avspecs has also been presold in the USA. Sorry guys, we'll all have ot be content with our Airfix versions.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 7, 2007 11:19:36 GMT 12
It's a pity they don't update their website then, I was nearly gonna buy it on Beags' behalf.
Is there any word yet on a first flight Joe? And on how long it may remain in NZ after Omaka?
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Post by flyjoe180 on Mar 7, 2007 11:40:14 GMT 12
No idea sorry, even the guys working on it I talk to dont know when it'll be ready to fly. I imagine it will be a case of complete the restoration, dissasemble it, and crate it off to the States. I'll keep you informed if I hear anything.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 7, 2007 12:10:53 GMT 12
Don't forget a short trip to Omaka in between!
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Post by beagle on Mar 7, 2007 12:11:41 GMT 12
we could have taken some of our vegies to WP and had a stall to raise some cash.
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 7, 2007 15:56:41 GMT 12
Is the Spitfire called "Marion", that was flown by a Canadian pilot during the war? I think this is the one that was owned by Pete Crosser (and another bloke, who's name I can't recall), but they swapped it for a fully restored and flying Perth-based P-51D Mustang. The Mustang is now based in either Victoria or South Australia and makes fairly regular appearances at Temora. I met Pete at one of the pubs in Temora last year: top bloke and great fan of the Brumbies!  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 8, 2007 11:04:46 GMT 12
This was till about a year ago indeed owned by Peter Croser and Mike Atchinson.
The latest Classic Wings magazine which has just turned up states "We can look forward to seeing this magnificent restoration completed and flying within the next few months."
That doesn't seem to bode well for the planned Omaka appearrance - which is but a few weeks away now!
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 8, 2007 13:16:33 GMT 12
That is a pity for Spitfire fans.
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Post by xr6turbo1 on Mar 8, 2007 18:10:27 GMT 12
I wouldnt loose faith just yet. Classic Wings went to the printers around 2 weeks ago and there is still 4 weeks to go and when one thinks about all those times when brand new P40s have shown up at major airshows in NZ you just never know, Fingers crossed  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 8, 2007 18:29:19 GMT 12
Indeed. The closest run thing must have been the Wanaka show where the P-40 was landed wheels up a couple of days before and they still got it flying for the show! These guys always do a great job to get aircraft to the shows. I really appreciated the hard work the Pioneer and Alpine guys put in to get the RAAF P-40N flying despite the trouble it was experiencing at Wanaka last year. The site of the three P-40's together was promised so they came through, despite lots of hard work and risk to the engine.
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petera
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 88
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Post by petera on Mar 13, 2007 2:21:32 GMT 12
This was till about a year ago indeed owned by Peter Croser and Mike Atchinson. The latest Classic Wings magazine which has just turned up states " We can look forward to seeing this magnificent restoration completed and flying within the next few months." That doesn't seem to bode well for the planned Omaka appearrance - which is but a few weeks away now! Me thinks, judging by the the photo in the just received Issue 59 of Classic Wings, this restoration still has a way to go. In UK terms, when they look like this, there is usually 18 months to two years to run including the CAA paperwork.  Time will tell. |
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Post by skyhawkdon on Mar 13, 2007 9:18:58 GMT 12
Indeed. The closest run thing must have been the Wanaka show where the P-40 was landed wheels up a couple of days before and they still got it flying for the show! . I think you are getting confused with the Polikarpov I-153 Dave, which landed wheels up on its first test flight just before a WOW (they couldn't lower the U/C). It wasn't repaired before the show but was on static display through it. The former Alpine P-40 was completed just prior to one show, it did its first test flight during the show (flown by Mark Hanna and still in its all metal finish). It was a real buzz witnessing that and I well remember the huge smile on Tim Wallis' face as he congratulated Mark after he landed. Mark put on a stunning display in it which was all the more amazing considering it was brand new and they were still ironing out a few post restoration bugs. It is a tribute to all the engineers who worked on it that it went so well right from the start. Same has to be said of the Pioneer team who have performed similar "miracles" to get P-40's to Wanaka! |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 13, 2007 9:35:44 GMT 12
No, I'm not referring to the Polikarpov or the P-40K. I refer to the former OFMC P-40E which Mark Hanna landed wheels up two days before the show, according to the DVD
I was there to see the P-40K's first flight, fantastic sight.
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Post by Bruce on Mar 13, 2007 10:41:41 GMT 12
I saw the mark V during our SAA visit in November, and I would say it would be pushing it to get to Omaka. At that time the fuselage shell was misingthe tail assembly and was entirely gutted, and both wings were still partly unskinned in the jigs. That said the Avspecs guys are quite capable it seems of working miracles, but I'm sure that they wouldnt want to do that if quality suffers. This aircraft will be worth waiting for - whenever it flies!
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Post by Radialicious on Mar 13, 2007 21:04:50 GMT 12
One of the P-40's had one undercarriage leg fold up just prior to a show. I'm not exactly sure of the damage but I seem to recall the prop had to come off and get repaired ASAP. A Curtiss electric prop is the hardest part to replace. In the true spirit of the Kiwi airshow, a team worked all hours to make it happen.
A friend of mine was, until last year rebuilding a P-40 and he was quite prepared to fit a Ham-Std hydromatic if he needed to.
The guys before are quite right. The last five percent of the rebuild seems to take 95 percent of the time and effort.
I too saw the Alpine P-40K on that first flight. It was about 7.30am (ish). We'd just parked the car as it taxied out and managed to dig out the cameras in time to record the beginning of a very special day.
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