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!
