P-51B "Berlin Express" to Cross Atlantic Ocean
- Thread starter Bomber_12th
- Start date
Bomber_12th
SOH-CM-2025
Yes, very lucky indeed. The aircraft never exceeded about 250 kts (or roughly 287 mph) on any of the legs of the flight over the Atlantic, however, so the potential for something like this to happen was not as great as it was when it occurred, which at the time the aircraft was going 360 kts (or roughly 414 mph). As I mentioned, after arriving at Duxford on Tuesday, it had been flown Wednesday, Thurdsay and Friday in aerobatic display routines over Duxford, including the one which it was doing yesterday when the plexiglass departed, and must have not shown any signs of cracking or other issues. The P-51B "Impatient Virgin" restored by the same company as "BE" and with the exact same Malcolm hood canopy/configuration has been flying since 2008 and has never had this happen.
NSS
Charter Member
And to top it all.
Just got home from the airshow today.
Sadly another Mustang down. Pilot O.K.
Hope you people across the pond can see the link.
http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/upda...ster-heritage-fighter-plane-ends-up-in-field/
Kev
Just got home from the airshow today.
Sadly another Mustang down. Pilot O.K.
Hope you people across the pond can see the link.
http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/upda...ster-heritage-fighter-plane-ends-up-in-field/
Kev
Bomber_12th
SOH-CM-2025
Sad to see, but I'm glad the pilot is okay and I know the aircraft will be back in the air as soon as is possible (just time and expense).
Someone on one of the Facbook group pages made a comment just now about how "they continue to wreck these airplanes", as if they are somehow priceless antiques that cannot be risked flying since evidently when something like this happens they cannot be repaired and thus are lost to posterity, yada, yada, yada... The fact is, is that these airplanes, both "Miss Velma" and "Berlin Express" in particular, didn't even exist 20 years ago, and wouldn't exist today, other than some parts on a shelf or in a display case, unless there were people with an interest in having Mustangs to fly. "Miss Velma" got started as just a grouping of parts beginning in 1999/2000, and was built-up almost from nothing. "Berlin Express" got started in 2010 using the identity of a Mustang from a heap of mangled/corroded remains that were dug out of the ground, and thus too got started from next to nothing. When these airplanes get dinged/bent/damaged today, unless they get flown nose into ground, they always get repaired and fly again (if the owner doesn't have the money, these types of planes have a habit of going where there is the money to repair and fly them). Often times too, these days, the repairs that are done are to structure/sections that were new now in the 2000's, not the 1940's.
Someone on one of the Facbook group pages made a comment just now about how "they continue to wreck these airplanes", as if they are somehow priceless antiques that cannot be risked flying since evidently when something like this happens they cannot be repaired and thus are lost to posterity, yada, yada, yada... The fact is, is that these airplanes, both "Miss Velma" and "Berlin Express" in particular, didn't even exist 20 years ago, and wouldn't exist today, other than some parts on a shelf or in a display case, unless there were people with an interest in having Mustangs to fly. "Miss Velma" got started as just a grouping of parts beginning in 1999/2000, and was built-up almost from nothing. "Berlin Express" got started in 2010 using the identity of a Mustang from a heap of mangled/corroded remains that were dug out of the ground, and thus too got started from next to nothing. When these airplanes get dinged/bent/damaged today, unless they get flown nose into ground, they always get repaired and fly again (if the owner doesn't have the money, these types of planes have a habit of going where there is the money to repair and fly them). Often times too, these days, the repairs that are done are to structure/sections that were new now in the 2000's, not the 1940's.
Here http://vintageaviationecho.com/operation-berlin-express/ is a super great article about Mission Berlin Express with beautifull images as well ! enjoy it!