Simviation Forums

This is another fine replica; the last Palen project that he saw fly before he "went west" (no flight plan) in 1993 at the tender age of 67 (he died in his sleep, BTW- not in an airplane, which goes to show that you're far more likely to die home in bed than in an airplane). It does, however, have a proper period engine: a 200hp Mercedes that was supposedly built from stolen German plans (by whom, I don't know). It's currently the pride of the ORA fleet (until they get their "Spirit of St. Louis" replica complete and in the air!), and although the Albatros is still my personal fave, I love this airplane, too. It's a masterpiece, and it flies very well.
I usually add captions after previewing the photos... but this time i'll let the airplane speak for itself.






That's it for the outdoor airplanes; if anyone is interested, there are also some pretty good shots of:
Vintage motorcycles
Vintage autos (and a tank!)
Airplanes in the hangars (including Ryan NYP replica in progress, and some outstanding, rare original planes in various states)
Cars and cycles in the hangars
Engines (including Liberty running on test stand)
I'll probably post them eventually, but not for a while- unless anybody out there is itchin' to see them!

I'd like to see the tank...

I remember it well. Seems to have been completely refurbished since my visit with a new colour scheme. Didn't get to see it fly but I was most impressed by the novel "self-starting" feature of that Mercedes engine.

I'd like to see the tank...

The only pic of the tank (an original 1918 Renault) is a close-up; doesn't show the whole thing. But maybe I'll put up a quick "miscellaneous" group, including that, soon...

I remember it well. Seems to have been completely refurbished since my visit with a new colour scheme. Didn't get to see it fly but I was most impressed by the novel "self-starting" feature of that Mercedes engine.

Huh-now that you mention it, I'm not sure what you mean. I think I missed the startup last Sunday, but I've seen it before. Does it use a gunpowder charge or something like that?

Huh-now that you mention it, I'm not sure what you mean. I think I missed the startup last Sunday, but I've seen it before. Does it use a gunpowder charge or something like that?

No. It has a hand-magneto in the cockpit. Starting involves sucking in by hand as usual then carefully positioning the prop with one piston at TDC (ignition stroke). Then the pilot switches on the ignition & winds the hand-magneto like mad. Bingo.

Simple but effective. I believe this was not unique on aircraft of the period.

PS. The ultimate self-starter. The engine actually starts itself.

Are those authentic WWI longjohns the pilot is wearing?

Are those authentic WWI longjohns the pilot is wearing?

If you're talking about the guy in white, that's a member of the ground crew. I guess the white coveralls are more of a '20s/'30s thing...

If you're talking about the guy in white, that's a member of the ground crew. I guess the white coveralls are more of a '20s/'30s thing...

Hi Rotty...the white coveralls were worn by mechanics (to use a loose term to cover airframe and aeroengine trades) in most Air Forces,  Airlines, Commercial Operations for overhauls and Aircraft Builders.

They are still being worn by most civilian mechanics and companys like Spar Aviation.

The reason white was used was when working around the aircrafts engines one could detect possible problems.  If the mechanic rubbed up against a part or noticed a red or black stain on his coveralls he could tell if he was looking for an oil leak (black) or a hydraulic leak (red).
This helped to detect minors before they became majors.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug