Mikehorrell

Bill Surgi flew as a Navy enlisted command pilot into the early 80s as a full time member of a Naval Reserve Squadron (I don't remember which one) at Andrews AFB outside of Washington, DC. He once buzzed a bunch of us in an R5D that was being used to smuggle a cargo of aircraft plans that the Smithsonian had planned to destroy to a 'secret location" in the mid-west where I believe they are still safely tucked away out of the hands of idiotic bureaucrats. He was a very active member of aircraft restoration groups in the DC area and a fine man. As a Lexington survivor, he was a member

LOL!! Probably should have taken their advice...

If no one cared, no one would be reading. Why are you here? Just for the opportunity to lecture others?

I'll spend a bit more than I have to if it's in support of a local business, but I'm not going to bend over and take it dry. If I can get a good selection of books and magazines at the local shop, I'll buy there even at full cover price; if not, then I go to Amazon. Ken's production is so low that his "safe the local hobby shop by buying my products at full MSRP" plea is just nonsense since few of the LHS have ever stocked PCM products.

Absolutely correct. There have been at least three or four threads about this over on HS and anyone who wants to bother can go back and read them and if you do, it's blatantly obvious that Ken's mostly concerned about Ken's bottom line, which is legitimate, but this whole "it's for the good of everyone" position he takes is total crap. As long as Ken continues to make a product people are interested in at a price they're willing to spend for that product, PCM will be OK. If he doesn't make what the market wants or misses his price points, then he's in deep kimchee. The model ship

I don't want to cross post but you may find it interesting..

I don't want to cross post but you may find it interesting..

Excellent job! I really enjoyed seeing what you'd done. I'm probably one of only a handful of people still alive that have flown in a Vultee V-1; the former "Examiner" plane now in Lady Peace markings on display in the Richmond, VA air museum. As you noted, the aircraft was originally one of two used by W. R Hearst as executive transports, the other being lost in a crash. It went through numerous owners post war slowly descending into shakier and shakier uses and at one time wound up being used to smuggle rare animals and birds from Central America into the US. It eventually wou

Speaking as someone who flew tail wheel aircraft for many years, tying back the stick in an elevator up position 99% of the time is a standard practice when not using gust locks. In gusty winds, the surfaces can be blown suddenly to their maximum deflection and that can damage them. A secured stick will not only lock the elevators, but also the ailerons. The "up" position of the elevators also kills lift and helps prevent the aircraft from being tipped up on it's nose. This was not a VVS-specific practice; it is basically universal. Did Yaks have cockpit activated gust locks li

Thanks, Dimmy. Perhaps it's the angle from which most photos are taken that hides them.

Hi, Viktor! I received Part 2 this morning and it looks great! Thank you very much! I do have a question... One photo clearly shows the white aiming stripes on the top of the cowling and your caption states that this was common on the two-seater. Looking at many period photos, I have rarely seen any indication of these on in-service aircraft. Could you clarify this for me, please? Thanks again! Mike

I just wanted to say that the information that continues to come forth in this thread is absolutely amazing! Thanks to Dimitriy, John, Massimo, et al for not only digging up this info, but for posting it where people like myself can read it!

It's not actually lack of interest. I think a lot of people take a certain basic interest in this, but like me, don't have anything worthwhile to add so unlike some self- appointed Modeling Gods who feel compelled to comment on everything, most of us take it in for what it's worth, make a mental note, and then move on to the next thread.

An EXCELLENT post, Ross!! (BTW, I'm pretty sure that judge emigrated to the US... )

Got it! Thanks a lot for staying on top of the data flowing in and making updates as appropriate. Your efforts are genuinely appreciated! Mike