WIX Archives
Re: Scat VII Questions...Long
Posted by Tim Savage on Mon Feb 24, 2003 09:59:52 PM
In reply top Re: Scat VII Questions...Long posted by JimH on Mon Feb 24, 2003 07:08:45 PM
: this airframe went from service in the USAAF (Robin Olds)
: to Air Material Command here in the states...in 1958 it st
: art its journey through several civilian owners until endi
: ng up with David Lindsay...of Cavalier Aircraft...and as P
: aul Coggan wrote it is believed this airframe was stored i
: n crates until ending up with Gordon Plaskett. The airfram
: e was eventually purchased by Fort Wayne Air Service and t
: his is where my confusion enters. Many Reno books have st
: ated that this airframe was modified into the Lear Mustang
: racing hybrid "Vandetta". After the forced landing of Va
: ndetta, Jim S. stepped into to the picture and had her res
: tored to her partially stock TF version.
:
: I am with Rob...I too am a died in the wool keep em fl
: ying kind of guy...but this airframe deserved to be preser
: ved at the USAF Museum next to Robin Olds' F-4 Phantom. T
: his is a tragedy not only for the Shuttleworths, to whom m
: y heartfelt thoughts are with, but to the preservation of
: history. I remember seeing Jim and Scat at Geneseo in 1993
: ...he was enthusiastic about sharing his bird and its hist
: ory. It was almost electrifying to touch this airplane...
: knowing it had "been there"...and to see her fly is now a
: very precious memory.
:
: I am sure that this Mustang won't "die"...metal has a
: funny way of being reincarnated these days. Flying is inh
: erently dangerous and events like these are unavoidable...
: our lives are fragile enough and times like these allow us
: to reflect on the appreciation that Jim shared with us th
: rough his aircraft. I have no doubt that Scat VII will liv
: e again, with new skin, for the memory of Robin and in the
: memory of Jim Shuttleworth.
:
: JimH
I just came home from the funeral home to pay my respects to Jim. In the morning I will attend the funeral. Regardless of the true history of the airframe, Jim was a true gentleman, a special person who touched the lives of all he was around. It was evident that he had a profound effect on his community as the line was up to three hours long to pay one's respects. He has a special place in my heart as one who helped me get my start in warbirds back when I was in college by letting me live with his famiily and work on his T-6 for a summer.
As for the airframe. I believe that JimH is right about the lineage. I remember back in the 80s when John Dilley was creating Vendetta from this airplane, I gave him a hard time about turning such a historic airframe into a racer. Later, I went with a then young John Shuttleworth to watch the first flight of Vendetta at Fort Wayne Air Service. At that time you could still see the old civil registration etched in the aluminum of the side of the racer. After Vendetta had its accident up the road from here John offered the remains to Jim to be restored back to stock. From my understanding the fuselage then went out to Teeters to be converted to a TF and the original wing was remated. My understanding since the '80s is that this is truly Scat VII, or at least as much as any flying Mustang is truly original.