THUNDER ALLEY

We now live under the departure leg of Paine Field. I am delighted to see the Dream Lifter leave every now and then. What a roof rattler that is! Also see the Dream Liner now and then when number two comes back to the roost , so to speak. Now this summer I suppose that I will see things like Paul Allen's Hurricane, ME-109, P-40, P-47, etc. What a drag !
Switches

 

.....And maybe one of Bob Hammer's Me 262s!!

 

Dont know how you stand the pressure Bob. Throw me in that briar patch.

 

I'm confused about these...are they actual restorations or ground-up replicas? Either way, they are amazing!

Edit: Nevermind, www.stormbirds.com answered that question nicely. Beautiful planes, and a true labor of love.

 

The replicas are a much better way to go. The originals had steel skins in lieu of aluminum. The max time on the original engines was about 10 hours.

 

Also, one problem with the originals - weak nose gears - has been eliminated. It's rather like the modern replicas of the Shelby Cobras: not original, but actually better cars in most respects.

Last I heard, they have two more incomplete airframes unsold, waiting for buyers. I would think "neighbor" Paul Allen would want one for his collection.

 

Theses airplanes are true replicas, built of steel and wood. All parts were exact copies of the originals that came from Germany via Willow Grove NAS. I used to drive past those ME262's in 1950 when I lived in Doylestown, Pa.and wondered why they were left outside to rust away. The only departure from the originals is in the engines and for the good reason stated by Spasso. The modern engines weigh one half of the Junkers and produce twice the power. To get the proper balance in the airplane they had to encase the new engines in an aluminum can. The first time I looked at one close up many years ago I couldn't believe that the fuselage skin joints were taped over with PINKED COTTON TAPE. The same as used on the old fabric covered crates of WW1
Switches

 

I had a close up tour of those ME-262 replicas a few years ago, as a former employer of mine was thinking of buying one to add to his collection (he passed, as far as I know).

They are pretty neat. I believe they restored a real one and in return got to use it as a pattern.

 

You are correct.

 

Rough life Bob, rough life. Soooo, I took the bait and had to look up the Dream Lifter & Dream Liner and found this video. Pretty cool stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K4jg0TYc88

It reminded me of this in my locale. We've got this bad boy on static display.
http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=1