WIX Archives
Re: Now you're talkin' sense!
Posted by Rob Mears on Sat Jan 10, 2004 02:25:21 PM
In reply top Now you're talkin' sense! posted by Lynn on Sat Jan 10, 2004 12:54:12 PM
: Along those lines, it does puzzle me somewhat that such re
: creation/reproduction projects aren't more commonplace...
I think once the majority of the new-production warbird types become airworthy, the concept will reside a little more comfortably in the consciousness of investors in the warbird community.
If I had a 'cool million' set aside that I could dedicate solely toward my flying future, I would think very seriously about investing an a Flug Werk FW-190. For about $700K I could have a new airworthy warbird, while setting the remaining funds aside for fuel, training, and insurance costs :) That said, I would still be hesitant about buying one until someone else (with more money who could make the investment at less risk) proved to me that they are a viable prospect. Same goes for the Me-262s and the Ki-43s.
The Yak-3 reproductions were very successful and IMO they have served as the proof basis for all the other reproductions currently in the works. Once a number of the 190s, 262s, Ki-43s are actually being enjoyed by their new owners, I think we will see a real boost in new-production efforts across the board. For now, I think the market base for these planes is still very much in the theoretical stage.
A decade from now we may see a sizable changes in the way warbird enthusiasts view the airworthy planes they cherish so much. We won't be limited to having to fly rare historic survivors in order to witness the majesty of our favorite warbirds in flight. I also think the "data plate restoration" debate will be seen in a new light once we see a new-production Spitfire residing next to what is effectively the same type of aircraft with a historical plate attached. We may look back for the first time and wonder what happened to some of the rarer surviving "ace" fighters that were effectively reskinned and rebuilt from the ground up. We may ponder what became of the 'real' parts of those planes that were used as common patterns then trashed so those planes could be returned to airworthy condition.
I can't say that it wasn't completely necessary to rebuild so many warbirds in this way. In retrospect, these efforts were necessary in furthering the life of the warbird movement to the point where we could even consider the viability of producing full scale reproductions to take the burden away from flying some of the more priceless aircraft. All in all I personally harbor little or no regrets as to the way the movement has grown and sustained itself over the years.
Since the degree of expertise being exercised in the world's various restoration shops is what dictates the "originality" of warbirds these days, I'll be just as content in knowing that half of the warbirds on the field have documented history while the other half are exactly the same - but without traceable histories. They will all still stand as touchstones to the visceral truths of aviation history as long as they are still able to take to the skies.