Thanks, I’ll pester them tomorrow….

I think if we use a comparison between the aircraft lost at Le Bourget storage facility and the CWH with aircraft lost in flying accidents it’s not that clear! Two Spitfires were lost for example in both those fires – more have been lost in flying accidents in the same time period. If you look at the overall figures for aircraft lost in warbird accidents the figures are quite frightening in comaprison to static museum losses.

Can we count the figures for the Brussels museum storage area?…. 😀

If I was to take any machinery to restore from any time since the industrial revolution, whether that be a cotton weaver or an FW190D, I would want the said machinery to operate in its correct manner. An FW190 cannot operate as it’s designers intended if it is sat in a museum.

Just a point to think about – in this industry, there are people who have created complete and airworthy aircraft from little more than rusted relics. If Mr. Allen was to stuff his Dora into the ground (assuming he decides to fly it anyway!) someone somewhere would be able to resurect it! Of that I have no doubt. Mr. Allen probably has enough money to build a new ‘Spruce Goose’, although possibly not the deranged mentallity…. Good luck to him!

I think for once I agree with Mr. Burke. Is this airframe so significant it actually needs saving? There are a huge quantity of preserved hunters (possibly more than any other type????) and is another F6 really going to make a great deal of difference to anyone’s collection. Just by what has been said on this forum, does it really have any saveable parts? We know the cockpit is decidedly knackered – the only real options as I see them are –

1: scrap
2: Preserve the whole aircraft (at vast cost….)
3: Preserve the aircraft with the view to either : a) parts reclamation (wings, tail, etc)
or b) remove the cockpit for scrap and graft on a complete nose section (cockpitters?)

in reallity, I think this airframe will be either cut up for scrap or torched by the ‘urban explorers’

reat news that someone is buying ‘real’ aircraft with a view to fly them. Paul Allen is a name that will not go away for a long time I think….

Should this FW190D fly, then I am absolutely positive that it would be perfectly safe:

It is a tried and tested design (a few may have crashed, but how many didn’t)

It would be flown well within its limits (unlike combat)

The pilot will have hundreds or thousands of like-aircraft hours unlike the pilots who flew it originally

There is no way that unless the aircraft (restored) met the required safety and reliability standards set by the governing body (FAA / CAA), it would be allowed to fly.

In my view, there is only one arguement – Mr. Allen has bought this aircraft (ie. it is now his sole property) and if he wishes to fly it, then it is up to him. All we can do is watch his progress and HOPE nothing serious happens.

Question – how many other rare aircraft are flying? By rare, I mean only one or two survive, or an aircraft with a tracable combat history which makes it significant…

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Is the helecopter (whirlwind?) still at the site? Is it for sale too? PM me