What about the O-1 Bird Dog ? I bet that is even less money. A Vietnam War O-1 pilot, was posthumously awarded the MOH. The brave hero (Captain Hilliard Wilbanks), was providing close air support to the overwhelmed grunts on the ground, by firing his M-16 from out the window of his cockpit and flying at the same time. He made four passes over enemy VC positions.
Have previously listed the Corsair, but will add a new favorite (favourite). Image Unavailable, Please Login
Really, it's about the smallest airframe that could be designed around the R-2800 that would hold enough fuel and ammunition. Along with the Sea Fury, the Sea Hornet, the Spitfire 24 (and Seafire 47), the P-51H, the P-82 and the La-11, the great finish to the piston-engined fighter story.
Russ, how can I get a larger print of that beautiful Camel shot? I'll trade ya' sumpin for it. Switches
When I saw the NACA comparative performance tests of this airplane at Langley Field with other airplanes there, nothing could match the climb or maneuverability including the vaunted P-51H that turned out to be a dog. The F8F outran most of them too. Switches
As an addendum to my earlier post on the Republic Rainbow (reply #58 above), here are a couple of photos of one in 1/72 scale that a friend of mine built from a resin kit for our recent Atlanta Model Expo. He says that the kit is a pain to build, but you've got to like the results! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Another beautiful airplane that was at the end of the reciprocating engine era. It extracted the most out of the R 4360 but also fell victim to it...and to the switch to turbine powered aircraft. Could have been great with some turboprops on it. Parallax problems would have surfaced with the contoured glass nose I think.
Found this movie. http://atcbox.zomaariets.com/Downloads/Movies/Mil-general/Ejection%20from%20a%20P-61%20Black%20Widow.wmv
