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Re: Ed Russell Spitfire article text

Posted by AIRIC on Wed May 14, 2003 11:06:14 AM

In reply top Re: Ed Russell Spitfire article link posted by AIRIC on Wed May 14, 2003 11:04:24 AM

LOCAL NEWS
Millionaire 'itching to have a go'
Buys Spitfire, Harvard: Ontario architect made rich by Disney lawsuit

Anne Marie Owens
National Post


Monday, May 12, 2003

CREDIT: Lynne Sladky, The Associated Press

A Spitfire IX, front, and a Spitfire V fly over Cambridgeshire, England. Ontario architect Ed Russell has created a buzz and fulfilled a dream by buying a Spitfire and a Harvard trainer.


(Ed) Russell

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When Ed Russell became a multimillionaire after settling a court dispute with Disney last fall, he said he did not expect the newfound wealth to change his life very much.

Now, the Ontario architect in his late 60s has transformed himself into a vintage airplane magnate, creating a buzz among flying enthusiasts for spending $2.2-million in England on a Spitfire Mark IX and a Harvard trainer and announcing his plans to buy several more classics from the Second World War-era.

For those who operate in this rarified world of vintage aircraft, Mr. Russell is a classic buyer: He has limited flying experience but a lifelong passion for airplanes used in the wartime battles of his youth, and, most importantly, is rich enough to turn his dreams into reality.

When Mr. Russell climbed into the seat of his newly purchased Spitfire in an airfield in Duxford, England, late last week and fired up the engine of the powerful fighter aircraft, he looked very much the part of a boy with a new toy.

''You should have seen him, he had a smile that went from ear to ear and from front to back he was so thrilled,'' said Patrick Peal, spokesman for Historic Flying, the British company that rebuilds Spitfires and sold Mr. Russell his plane. He said Mr. Russell and his wife spent the past several days walking around the airfield ''like a couple of kids, they're so happy to finally realize this dream.

''This is a person who has had this passion for a lifetime and he's now been able to indulge it,'' he said.

When the company launched its high-end reconstruction business in the south of England a couple of years ago, a spokesman described its target customer this way: ''If they need to ask the price, then they probably won't be buying one. You're looking really at the dot.com millionaires, entertainers, pop stars, stockbrokers ... I'm getting quite good at spotting the time-wasters. I'm only interested in people who can write a cheque for 1.25 million [British] pounds.''

Mr. Russell amassed his wealth in a court settlement that stemmed from a dispute over whether the giant Walt Disney Co. stole his design for its Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. He reached a settlement out of court last September, a week before the company was to appeal a $240-million judgment in favour of the architect and his partner.

It was not long after that Mr. Russell began visiting airfields near his home in the Niagara peninsula, sharing his enthusiasm for vintage aircraft and seeking some advice on what it takes to fly these fighter planes.

''He's enthusiastic about it, that's for sure,'' said Drake Andrews, an instructor at the Welland Aero Centre, not far from Mr. Russell's home in Fonthill.

He said he talked with the novice flyer, who so far has conducted most of his minimal in-air experience at the Duxford airfield in England, about the training pattern recommended before attempting to fly the Spitfire.

The famous Second World War planes, pumped out in large quantities for the war effort with little attention to cosmetics and all attention to fighting power and speed, were integral to victory in the Battle of Britain, and became an enduring symbol of Britain's refusal to give up.

On its Web site, Historic Flying describes the appeal of the Spitfire this way: ''The larger machines feel as if they are angry. The sound from the exhaust stacks and the vibration transferred to the seat of the pants communicates visceral power, almost a desire to go kill something. Any hot-rod lover would enjoy this sensation of unbridled horsepower, this impatience to be turned loose and hunt.''

Historic Flying was established a decade ago to rebuild derelict Spitfires and sell them to interested customers such as Mr. Russell. The company's owner, Karel Bos, is a Dutch industrialist who, like many of his customers, fell in love with the famous aircraft and learned to fly one at the age of 68.

Mr. Russell has told Historic Flying he is keen to get his hands on other vintage aircraft from the same era, including a Hurricane, a Tiger Moth, and a Lancaster, in what they say will be ''a fabulous tribute to the airplanes of the period, in a museum located in the Niagara peninsula.''

Mr. Andrews is among those at the Welland Aero Centre who are keen to see these powerful planes preserved in a museum-like setting in the region, but fear that Mr. Russell might rush too early into flight.

''There are always stories of people who had enough money to buy one, but perhaps push the envelope and get into trouble,'' he said. ''Most of us who know Mr. Russell are a little bit concerned that perhaps in his enthusiasm he may not allocate as much time to each stage of training as he should, that he may want to jump to a Spitfire prematurely.''

He said the powerful fighter plane requires considerable training, so much so that even he, with more than 3,000 hours of flying experience, does not yet feel ready to tackle a Spitfire.

When Mr. Russell stood beside his new plane late last week, he told a local newspaper reporter in England that he had many friends ''itching to get inside and have a go in one of these.

''I have a number of Jaguars and a Lamborghini, but planes -- they're really fast,'' he told the Cambridge Evening News. ''I just love the speed.''

aowens@nationalpost.com

? Copyright 2003 National Post

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