Arlines

Air Classics, Jul 2002

BRISTOL FIGHTER

The caption with the photo of the "Bristol F.2A/F.2B" on page 70 of the May issue captures some of the history of the British machine. However, the photograph is of the American-made copy of the F.2B built by Curtiss which was designated the USAO-1. The engine is the 400-hp twelve-cylinder Liberty, not the Rolls-Royce.

This particular crash occurred at Wilbur Wright Field on 7 May 1918, after the fabric on the upper wing came off in flight - a failure that happened to several aircraft of this model. The bare wing spars are visible on the right side of the photo. The pilot suffered only minor injuries, but production of the type was canceled in July after only 27 had been completed. Bob Casari

6 Applewood Dr.

Chillicothe, OH

45601

GROUND THE

WARBIRDS

I am not a Warbird enthusiast but my interests are directed towards the airline industry and its aircraft and that is why I picked up the February issue - to read the article on the Howard Hughes flight around the world.

However, I can't but help to comment on what would happen if Section 1062 of Senate Bill S.1438 got approved (the current version of this provision has been defeated but it keeps cropping up). The section calls for the "demilitarization (destruction) of significant military equipment formerly owned by the Department of Defense" is passed into law. If it is, where do you draw the line above which retired military aircraft become "significant military equipment formerly owned by the Department of Defense?" We may be talking here about military jets all the way back to the F-86 and T-33. But what about the C-47s and C-54s that are still in daily operation? By now, certainly all but a negligible few survivors of either must be ex-USAAF or USN. What about the many T-6s that are still flying? What about the Neptunes, Orions, and Trackers being operated as fire bombers?

If this bill eventually becomes law, we are going to have the ridiculous situation that an American Warbird owner will be allowed to fly a former RAF Canberra jet bomber in the US, but not its license-built brother, the Martin B-57. The same would apply to a Spitfire versus a P-40 or P-51, or a Sea Fury versus a Bearcat. After all, the Canberra, Spitfire, and Sea Fury are not "significant military equipment formerly owned by the Department of Defense" because they were once owned by the RAF and Royal Navy. From a military standpoint, a Spitfire may not fall in the "significant" category anymore, but it sure did in World War Two.

A determined (and rich) Warbird owner could fly a Hawker Hunter or MiG 15 in the US, but not an F-86. And what is going to happen to that gorgeous Constellation of The Constellation Group? After all, it is a former MATS C-121. What is going to happen to the many Warbirds that are safely and harmlessly on display in the various American aviation museums? Is the government going to scrap the Smithsonian's collection of military aircraft? What about the USAF Museum?

Having said that, I strongly believe that high-performance jets such as Hunters, Sabres, F-104s, English Electric Lightnings, T-38s and so on do not belong in the hands of civilian pilots who have little training but a yen for speed. I believe these aircraft are best left in the hands of trained military pilots. And when they are withdrawn from military service, make a number of them incapable of ever flying again by destroying vital structural components and place them in museums. Don't just blindly cut them up for scrap. Do we want to see valuable American heritage being turned into tea kettles and soup cans?

Joop Gerritsma

POB 776

Welland, Ontario

Canada

L3B 5R5 TOWNSEND

THUNDERBIRD

I just received the May 2002 issue containing the second part of the story on the Ortner brothers. In this, there is a photograph of the Townsend Thunderbird, N794E. Enclosed please find two photographs of this aircraft at Oshkosh 1988. The plane was painted an overall yellow with a red spinner.

The local newspaper identified the plane as the "AIT Thunderbird" powered by a 450-hp radial which gave a cruise speed of 200 mph. At the time, the homebuilt was owned by Robert Chinnery of Independence, Missouri. The only obvious changes to the airframe are the new canopy and the taller fin extended back over the rudder.

Wayne E. Arner

350 N. 4th St.

Lehighton, PA

18235

JAPANESE ENGINE

JAPANESE ENGINE

I recently obtained a Japanese aviation engine from a friend who had it for 20-plus years. The nameplate on the engine states that it was made by SHODA Airplane Manufacturing in December 1944. It is a Type 96 water-- cooled four-cylinder four-cycle gasoline engine rated at 37-hp with a normal rpm of 1700. It could achieve 48-hp at a max 2400 rpm. I calculated the engine size to be about 159 cubic inches and it weighs only 85 pounds. A friend said Japan built some small powered gliders used for spy flights in 1943/44 and perhaps this engine was used to power such a craft.

I would appreciate any information readers might have on this engine and what it powered.