All it takes….is money

Anything mechanical can be remanufactured. But in order to get any sort of financial sense out of it there has to be a large enough market to spread the costs…witness the price tags of modern combat jets. Development and technology costs are going up, while production numbers go down.
Our friends in the vintage car world already know this. There is a firm in Argentina that makes faithful replicas of Bugatis (they say even the unique bolts are interchangeable). Why Bugs? Well, there’s a international demand for them so it makes financial sense to go into production. Low South American labor costs probably help. I believe a new Type 35 goes for $135,000, about 1/2 or 1/3 the cost of an old one.
There’s enough of a demand for Me-262s (and the availability of “cheap” ex-Learjet engines to power them helped), but would there be for Typhoons?
One problem is the type is not very well known in the U.S. (where some potential customers would be…but I’m sure Kermit Weeks would buy one!!!).
But if they can make a one-off Vimy replica with auto based engines (Nissans or BMWs….I forget), I guess anything is possible.
So if you want to see a Typhoon fly, ask all you Spitfire flying chums to start demanding Typhoons and I’m sure somthing will happen.
As for the FW-200, maybe Lufthansa could foot the bill as a “heritage” aircraft.

HALIFAX WHEEL

Last week, someone posted a link to ebay, uk someone listed a Halifax control wheel..they wanted a stupid price though.

Pity the fool….

I wound’t want to be the next terrorist that tries something stupid in flight. Today’s passengers are likely to really hurt them.
That Englishman that tried to light his shoe bomb was lucky he wasn’t lynched on the AA flight.
Adrenalin mixed with fear/anger will cause otherwise normal people to do something they normally woudn’t do.

New training

I wasn’t aware that Northwest Airlines had a contract to train other airlines cabin crews! 🙂

*For you that have never had the dubious pleasure, the U.S. carrier Northwest has an industry-wide reputation for surly, rude and generally nasty cabin crews….also some of their female attendents look old enough to have dated Lindbergh.
I was on a flight to Hawaii once and they started yelling at a passenger to sit down. Really yelling. Short tempers that bunch 🙂

Hurricane

The “hurricane” hit in Oct. 1987. First I’ve heard of it.

Hope you weren’t trying to buy someones wife, they get very tetchy about that sort of thing, y’know!

Flood.™

No thanks, one English wife (at least at a time) in enough. 🙂

Nice Museum

It’s one of my favorites wghen I’m in the U.K. Good selection and a nice casual atmosphere.
Nice displays on local B-24 unit and U.S. fighter groups.
I really enjoyed going into their Valetta…

PS…I do wish they’d polish the Lightning. 🙂

Great Plane

Anyone know how many are flyable in the US?

Years ago I remember seeing something in Flying Magazine that hinted that they were a bit of a handfull on the ground and a lot had been damaged in ground loops. Any truth to that?

It will always be a favorite of mine because my dad did his primary training in one fefore moving up to Flying Fortresses in the 15th AF. 🙂