WIX Archives
Re: Quite clearly lots of people do want to talk about it!
Posted by JohnH on Mon Jun 17, 2002 05:55:40 PM
In reply top Quite clearly lots of people do want to talk about it! posted by Paul Coggan on Mon Jun 17, 2002 03:39:56 PM
In 25 years of going to airshows I've seen my share of what can effectively be called "replicas". What stands out are the ex Pete Regina P-51B now owned by TFC and Jerry Gabe's P-51A. Essentially these are "replicas" but for many years the Regina P-51 was the only flying example of it's type, and the A was one of just a few A models flying around. For some reason this doesn't bother me at all, not as much as seeing a phony 1956 Ford show up at a classic car meet or something. I guess it's because so few are around and really can you tell that the examples listed above have few original B and A parts, the A in particular really being constructed out of a D fuselage???? I think it is good to have the info on record, in case someone is doing research and really wants to get down to the nitty gritty, but it has never bothered me in the slightest. Just the opposite I'm thankful for all the hard work that went into these "recreations" and have enjoyed seeing the B fly many times, although unfortunately it was with that godawful Kasperoff paint scheme that ruined the original Regina Don Gentile paint scheme. It was so bad that Pete must have cried himself to sleep the day he walked onto the Van Nuys airport and saw what Kasperoff had done... That after he was done being sick!!!!!!
JH