WIX Archives
Re: Was: Beware parts consolidation
Posted by Glenn Wegman on Tue Nov 20, 2001 10:31:33 AM
In reply top Re: Was: Beware parts consolidation posted by Paul Stewart on Tue Nov 20, 2001 09:56:00 AM
: The centre section/data plate thing is an artificial "valu
: e" created by the collectors and restorers market, rather
: than making any historical sense. In historical terms the
: propeller, gear, whatever from an old aeroplane is just as
: "relevant" an artifact as the centre fuselage section.
:
: It's not just a historical nonsense - we already have a pr
: ecedent in UK law with the two classic car owners who batt
: led in the courts about who actually owned a certain car -
: one had built from the chassis (the vintage auto equivale
: nt of the data plate) the other had built from substantial
: parts. Both claimed ownership of the original vehicle. Th
: e court ruled that neither restoration was more original t
: han the other, in effect both cars had the same status in
: law.
:
: The data plate idea is essentially a marketing gimmick, co
: nstructed to add a sense of uniqueness to a restoration, a
: n attempt to claim an authenticity for the whole airfeame.
:
:
: Essentially any given airplane is what it is, and I believ
: e what we need to encourage is fair representation of the
: facts.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I believe in the classic auto industry there is documentation proving which serial number engine was installed in which serial number chassis at manufacture.
To my knowledge (and I may be incorrect) there is no documentation showing which serial number engine or propeller was installed in a particular airframe at manufacture. I have seen records showing that a particular serial number P-51 had seven engine changes during it's first year of existance. (The first entry was the North Amerian test flight in Inglewood!)
By your statement would this mean that this particular aircraft could no longer be considered "original" and no longer be referred to by that airframe serial number?
Glenn