OSCARS ON THE MOVE

Air Classics, Jul 2005

As this issue goes to press, three of the four Nakajima Oscars at the Texas Airplane Factory are being moved to Dave Goss' new restoration facility at Casa Grande, Arizona. "This move had been planned for six months," stated owner Doug Champlin. "We were waiting for wing number four to come out of the jig before we moved the aircraft and fixtures. Once at GossHawk, the second Oscar will be completed and flown."

As readers know, the first Oscar, which is owned by well-known Warbird collector Jack Erickson, was damaged during a taxi run in October 2004. Repairs were completed and the aircraft made a successful first flight on 21 February at Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas. Veteran Warbird pilot Dick Foy made the flight. However, when a second flight was attempted on 25 February, the landing gear collapsed during the takeoff roll causing serious damage. We will be featuring further updates on this exciting project in future issues.