WIX Archives
Gregory: please contact me off-board. Thanks! n/t
Posted by Ray Crawford on Mon Jan 13, 2003 08:06:14 AM
In reply top Re: Legalisation what? (long) posted by Gregory on Sat Jan 11, 2003 05:55:56 PM
: Paul -
:
: Thanks for clearing up the issue.
:
: I don't think that legalisation was an issue in deciding t
: o sell I-SPIT. Certainly the lack of infrastructure played
: a role, as did some personal aspects.
:
: Enac (formerly RAI) is generally tighter than US/UK author
: ities but not uncooperative. Rebuilds such as the two Macc
: hi 205s and the G.59 could not have been accomplished with
: out its cooperation. On the other hand, Diemert-style oper
: ations would never get off the ground here. Certainly the
: military have always resisted proposals to fly their own v
: intage types (mainly the Harvard) but let's keep things in
: perspective: the RAF is the only Western air force with a
: regular active vintage unit.
:
: As to the prevalence of "lighter" types, bear in mind that
: the T-6 is larger than the Macchi fighters .... Seriously
: though, the real issues are the lack of rebuildable airfr
: ames (Italy built only about 11,000 aircraft in WW2) and o
: f spares of any type. I get a call a month from people wan
: ting to build a Fiat or Macchi, and I give them the same a
: nswer - find the engine first. The drawings exists and, gi
: ven the resources, the aircraft can be built, particularly
: if US hardware and systems are fitted. But you need engin
: es and propellers, and there are precious few of those. Te
: xan/Harvards are easier to come by and spares are easily f
: ound. There is a T-28 at Brescia and talk of a P-51 on the
: cards.
:
: Finally, the luxury tax. When it was introduced, GAVS was
: able to obtain an exemption for all pre-1960 types. Other
: private owners turned over their aircraft (on paper) to li
: censed operators, whose aircraft are exempt from the tax a
: s tools of work. At the end of the day, I think perhaps n
: o more than fifty aircraft were actually taxed!
:
: So why are there not more warbirds in Italy? GNP is not a
: problem, but the size of the aviation community is. IIRC,
: there are no more than 1500 aircraft registered, of which
: no more than 300 truly private. To have three Mustangs and
: a Spit would be statistically unlikely.
:
: Of course whenever I win the national lottery I'd be happy
: to baffle the statisticians ...
:
: Gregory