How would you like to have to pay the bill for this "engine job "??? They're doing the top 1/2 of 3 and a complete on the 4th. The guy told me the "complete on the 4th will cost $120,000. Now I know why they charge $2000 for a ride !
MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm Lancaster.......... $2000 a pop, hell that would be worth it. The merlin would have to be the worlds most expensive piston aero engine, not that rare just in too much demand.
Last I heard, a shop in the south west charges about $50,000 US for a rebuild. Mild mind you; valve job, rings, gaskets. Any V-12 insn't cheap these days. By the way I got to see her fly at Oshkosh this year. The sound is stunning. The only thing that sounded better was the one year they had a Shackleton there with 4 Griffons! And here's the Lancaster. Not sure if its the same plane. (how many flying Lancs are there?)
Sounds like his mechanic is being duly compensated for his skills. It's not like you can just pull over if the engine takes a dump. Shawn
There is a whole two flying Lancs, the BBMF's and the Canadian one. Most of you guys would have seen this, but even the sound of one Merlin gets the heart racing, just ask these guys! Ps, how do I get the vid to show up here?
One of the pilots that flies that plane lives around the corner from me and he buzzed his own airfield with it one day. He banked it over my front yard... an AWESOME sight (and sound!) http://www.lancasterfm104.com/ Here is one they are restoring that was on a plinth in Toronto for years. Stu
Cool, I've got some Merlin shrapnel sacrificed to the gods of speed. My neighbor has a lanc sitting in a half dozen containers,hasn't seen the light of day in years. He did have a flying Misquito but I think its up in Oshkosh now. Had a spitfire,mustang,and a P40 fly over in tight formation recently and I believe its Crazy Horse the P51 thats been tearing it up overhead last week. I get to see a lot of it and it still gives me goosebumps. Oh the shrapnel is from Precious Metal attempting a piston power airspeed record 20 some yrs. ago. Had a bunch of those blue bottles behind the pilot...
You guys should read a book called "Fly Low, Fly Fast". It's about the unlimited cl***es at the Reno air races. Talk about adrenaline junkies, these guys make the stuff we do look like a sunday drive. BTW, the propeller shop I used to work at did some work on the prop and governor used on the Red Knight Shawn
That would make me a name dropper wouldn't it? not to be missed by any propellerheads though. www.fantasyofflight.com
Weeks, used to come into a museum I worked at trying to buy one of our airplanes. Last time I saw him (Going back like 15 years ago) He offered a blank check for the plane, just add your price he said!!! Too much money that guy, the plane in question is an Aussy Built DAP Mk21 Beaufighter, it is so original that one could fly it out of the local airfield with a good weeks work on it!
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