Ace-Garageguy

Say...what??

Thanks again, Ray. They've kinda extended the deadline past the end of the year, so as I'm not going to do much on any other builds, there's a chance this one will at least get paint, decals, and be sitting on its wheels before I have to pack everything up. I've already got the paint, all the parts and decals, and I'm trying to not get too carried away with much else...though I still need to address some kind of rollover structure. Thanks for your interest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Assembled the modded spindles and lower control-arm unit to the chassis, keeping the posable steering setup the diecast came with... ...so I could put her on stands to establish the front ride height (which will be lower than this); note the white dot on the spindle, which is the plug in the original stub axle hole... ...and then mark the position of the new stub axle hole (from the ground) on the uprights (which will be radius of the front tire). Once that's done and the spindles are drilled, with 1/16" brass stub axles inserted, I can put her on her front wheels, then level the butt to match, and figure the rear spring hanger heights. And once that's done, I can work on the body, interior, and chassis separately as time permits.

Yup. That one was a combination of problems with two magnetos somebody should have caught (initially blamed on wet mags, but the investigation revealed simple internal defects any A&P should have noticed), and a a few unfortunate pilot decisions.

No real problems, 'cause everybody did their measuring and dividing pretty well. All the iterations of the old AMT '29 Ford A roadster (born in the original Ala Kart kit) work on both the old and the newer Revell frames too. Just FYI, all Model A frames 1928-1931 are essentially the same in reality.

But how do you really feel?

Parts is parts.

I made this mount from sheet styrene to pick up where this early Olds OHV V8 engine's mount is in reality. Notice how it clears the fuel pump...

Four, because counting is hard.

The causes can only be one of these: 1) Mechanical failure of something in the flight control system of the P-63. Since aircraft parts are subject to rigorous inspection, they don't just "break", so a failure would come down to human error during restoration or maintenance. Not a frequent occurrence, but it happens. I've worked with a few A&Ps I wouldn't let put gas in a lawnmower. I know of a fatal King Air crash, shortly after takeoff, where an "A&P" with a bogus license failed to properly reconnect the ailerons during a 100-hour inspection. 2) A massive medical issue experienced by the P-63 pilot, causing him to lose consciousness and control of the aircraft. This has been known to happen. 3) Absolute incompetence on the part of the P-63 pilot, or unfamiliarity with the aircraft. Possible, but not likely. 4) Deliberate collision. Extremely unlikely. 5) B-17 being in the 'wrong place' according to planned maneuvers during the show, but it would still be the responsibility of the P-63 pilot to not fly into it. It will be interesting to see the NHTSA/FAA findings from the investigation.

More info halfway down this page:

Right.

Aw hell. If it's the 17 I think it was, I probably know some of the crew members.

Thanks. I tried. I really really tried.

Thanks to all you guys for your interest and comments.