Anyone want a Spitfire?

[grimey]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/17 ... latestnews

Burma has signed a deal with a British aviation enthusiast to allow the excavation of a World War II treasure: dozens of Spitfire fighter planes buried by the British almost 70 years ago.

Aviation enthusiast David J. Cundall discovered the locations of the aircraft after years of searching. The planes are believed to be in good condition, since they were reportedly packed in crates and hidden by British forces to keep them out of the hands of invading Japanese.

[longjon]

Interesting, I wonder if they had time to pickle the engines or slap grease on anything? Probably not so all those years in that hot humid climate they will be a solid piece of rust. It does say buried so maybe something will be salvageable.

[SeptRepair]

It has been suggested the aircraft would have been pickled wrapped in cosmoline. I doubt the containers are tightly sealed so I suspect the fuselage/wings/control surfaces have been sitting in these container submersed in water all these years even though buried. Burma gets a lot of rainfall so the water table is probably 2 feet below the surface. That cosmoline can only last so long, so I figure you will encounter severe corrosion. I hold out hope the Griffon engines are in steel sealed containers. Those types of containers back in the day had a small nitrogen charge to keep the humidity out for long term storage.

[longjon]

just found a 6 page thread on this topic on PPRuNe under history and nostalgia

[Taiser]

They think they have about 60 of them down there!

Wow...

[co-joe]

I'll take two please.

[Blakey]

Did I just hear a bubble burst?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -hunt.html

Too good to be true I guess.

[fleet16b]

This rumor has been going around for years
Just like the Spitfire in the cave in Australia etc
If you do a little researching you will find dozens of these stories.
Most of us that are deeply into vintage aircraft restoration dismiss this stuff
but are always hopeful that it may one day come true.
This expedition is particular has been unrealistic from the beginning with reports of 10, 30, 60 and as many as 120 Spitfires buried.
They would be data plate projects at most but then again a large numbe rof the Spitfires flying are just that, newly manufactured parts assembled around an original data plate.

[grimey]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21074699

Well poo.

[Beefitarian]

Fleet's post has me wondering. Other than cost, what prevents someone from making a completely new spitfire including a new name plate?

[lownslow]

Fleet's post has me wondering. Other than cost, what prevents someone from making a completely new spitfire including a new name plate?

Complexity of components aside (but hey, if Supermarine made them someone else can) the only thing maybe in your way is the 51% rule. Essentially if you make more than 50% of the airframe it's a homebuilt and the value of the finished aircraft will be much lower than the real deal. Maybe the insurance company will go easier on you but if you break the thing it will still cost as much to fix as a Spitfire would. Having said that, most warbirds being restored nowadays probably use way less than 50% of their original structure but they DO start with an identity, history, and most importantly a data plate. Maybe the law man makes an exception based on provenance, maybe the shops restoring these things get PMAs for the parts they fabricate, I don't know.

Anyways, if you start with literally nothing you cannot have a Spitfire BUT you can have a completely accurate replica so long as you register it as your very own "Beefermarine Spititarian," or whatever.

LnS.

[Pavese]

Fleet's post has me wondering. Other than cost, what prevents someone from making a completely new spitfire including a new name plate?

That's dangerously close to falling over the edge of the slippery slope of warbird credibility........

I suppose it's nothing new to the insider but it'd be a nasty thread in the public news.

Isn't there someone now that's making reproductions of a German WWII A/C? FW-190?

D

[linecrew]

Isn't there someone now that's making reproductions of a German WWII A/C? FW-190?

D

Yes, these guys: http://www.flugwerk.de/

[co-joe]

I saw they're making P51's as well. At a quick glance I didn't see mention of a powerplant. Other than shopping for a merlin, what can you power a 1:1 scale warbird with an actually get WWII performance? http://www.pwc.ca/en/engines/pw100 maybe?

[DanWEC]

There have been recent updated some updates on this original topic in the last few days- The expected location has yielded no planes. Boo.
Apparently there is some bitter divide happening among the team because of the failure too.

[Beefitarian]

Fleet's post has me wondering. Other than cost, what prevents someone from making a completely new spitfire including a new name plate?

Complexity of components aside (but hey, if Supermarine made them someone else can) the only thing maybe in your way is the 51% rule. Essentially if you make more than 50% of the airframe it's a homebuilt and the value of the finished aircraft will be much lower than the real deal. Maybe the insurance company will go easier on you but if you break the thing it will still cost as much to fix as a Spitfire would. Having said that, most warbirds being restored nowadays probably use way less than 50% of their original structure but they DO start with an identity, history, and most importantly a data plate. Maybe the law man makes an exception based on provenance, maybe the shops restoring these things get PMAs for the parts they fabricate, I don't know.

Anyways, if you start with literally nothing you cannot have a Spitfire BUT you can have a completely accurate replica so long as you register it as your very own "Beefermarine Spititarian," or whatever.

LnS.

That's probably a good point. It would be less expensive to make half of one that is sort of authentic and therefore worth more.

Mine would be popular though. Nice roomy two seaters.

[lownslow]

Beef, I was going to make up a list for you of available Spitfire kits and plans but conveniently enough this guy already has:
http://www.spitfirebuilder.4t.com/index.html

Take a look at the full-scale Jurca-designed one, isn't it gorgeous? All-wood and IMO the most proven of the replica Spits.

Further to the list I liked above, there are a couple more airplanes that while not specifically Spitfire replicas they'd make nice fun airplanes and can be dressed as a Spit.

The Silence Twister really looks the part, save for the canopy and the paint:

http://www.pacificaerosport.com/twister.htm

There's also the Piel Emeraude. Sure, it's not really that close but it has an elliptical wing and I'm sure you could make one kind of Spitfire-esque if you wanted to. With side-by-side seating the wife would probably want to come along with you, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piel_Emeraude

LnS.

[Colonel Sanders]

Enough spitfires already. Get one of these:



A man's engine, with the elliptical wing that you want

[tiggermoth]

Enough spitfires already. Get one of these:

A man's engine, with the elliptical wing that you want

Personally, I am a fan of these.........you got your "man's engine", you got your elliptical wing, and its even British.

[Beefitarian]

Those are all nice. I'm going to wander off. I'm not after anything more than a nice L-19 these days.

Though if I end up with a larger cash surplus I'll alert everyone.

[tiggermoth]

Those are all nice. I'm going to wander off. I'm not after anything more than a nice L-19 these days.

Though if I end up with a larger cash surplus I'll alert everyone.

I hear ya Beef. I suspect the only Sea Fury I will ever own is one of these.....(just gotta get it built now)

[North Shore]

There's one sure way to ruin an elliptical wing: take an axe to the last 12'' or so - leading to the saying about 'clipped, cropped and clapped'...

The Jug sure is a nice-looking machine, tho...

[GyvAir]

The search resumes!

David Cundall, an aviation enthusiast from the U.K., is back in Burma searching for buried Spitfire airplanes, with a new sponsor, according to recent news reports.

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Sp ... 239-1.html
http://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-places/ ... es-resumes

[rigpiggy]

Fleet's post has me wondering. Other than cost, what prevents someone from making a completely new spitfire including a new name plate?

Complexity of components aside (but hey, if Supermarine made them someone else can) the only thing maybe in your way is the 51% rule. Essentially if you make more than 50% of the airframe it's a homebuilt and the value of the finished aircraft will be much lower than the real deal. or whatever.

LnS.

Actually their are plenty of planes built from the data plates. The Dataplate is the airplane, the reverse problem is more likely an issue as some Reno Racer made a "homebuilt P51" and the FAA wanted to register it as a Mustang.

Most Warbird rebuilds use the old parts as patterns and are way more than 51% new
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... metal.html


http://acesflyinghigh.wordpress.com/201 ... lys-again/

[Beefitarian]

Isn't there someone now that's making reproductions of a German WWII A/C? FW-190?

D

Yes, these guys: http://www.flugwerk.de/

At least they're not waiting time on the Internet.

How about these guys? http://www.sam-aircraft.com/page-31

Not quite elliptical and it has one of those snow mobile engines but I think it looks interesting.