"Old" Nosen P-51 Worth It?
03-06-2002, 09:02 PM
#1
"Old" Nosen P-51 Worth It?
Well, a friend of mine has a 20 year old Nosen P-51 that has been sitting in a garage and was never flown. It has some brand of weedwaker engine on it and is complete, with old pushrods and pneumatic retracts. this thing supposedly takes 10 standard servos. We have been playing around with the idea of trying to put it back in service, but all the pneumatic lines are shot and it has old wood pushrods and who knows what kind of hinging. this plane looks like handlaid fiberglass and paint, which means getting in to replace lines will be a job. We are wondering if this will just be to big a project to take on, both time and money wise. Any comments. thanks.
03-06-2002, 09:15 PM
#2
Senior Member
My Feedback: (5)
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Oxford,
IN
Posts: 905
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"Old" Nosen P-51 Worth It?
The biggest question is, is it worth it to YOU...I know it would be certainly worth the time to me, but we all have different priorities...
Here's a few questions I would ask...
do you enjoy large scale?
Do you enjoy "tinkering" with engines? And are you willing to spend the $$'s, if you need to replace it?
Are you experienced in repairing silk, and fiberglass, or whatever it's covered in?
Are you willing to spend the time, to "make it right"?
Can you afford to make necessary changes - i.e., bring it "up to date"?
Do you have the experience to improvise without plans, etc, to accomplish what you have to do?
Can you fly a large warbird? It's not like flying a Cap, even - takes a certain amount of experience...
If not, then I would say, find someone who appreciates it for exactly what it is, and can "breathe life' back into it, and make sure it lives.
If you just want to do it as a challenge, and you fly .40 size fun fly's, and Sticks, and Hot-rods, probably not a good idea...you possibly can do more damage than good.
But if you are patient, can make-do with what you have, and are willing to put a few $$'s into it, servos, new fuel tank, tubing, pushrods, etc, etc, then I say 'go for it!!
BUT, don't be put off by it, it can be very challenging and rewarding - I have done a couple old-timers, and I had a LOT of work into them, quite a few $$'s, but the end result,was well worth it in my eyes...
Nosen planes were spectacular planes, just a "builder's nightmare" sometimes, although I am not familiar with the P-51, specifically.
Good luck if you decide to do it - it'll be a great learning experience, but if you DON'T, make sure you get it in the hands of someone who can, and will...no one will look down on you for not taking it on, in fact, they will look up to you for realizing the amount of work that COULD be involved...
Just my $.02 worth from an old f*rt that's been there!!
Keep us posted!!
Here's a few questions I would ask...
do you enjoy large scale?
Do you enjoy "tinkering" with engines? And are you willing to spend the $$'s, if you need to replace it?
Are you experienced in repairing silk, and fiberglass, or whatever it's covered in?
Are you willing to spend the time, to "make it right"?
Can you afford to make necessary changes - i.e., bring it "up to date"?
Do you have the experience to improvise without plans, etc, to accomplish what you have to do?
Can you fly a large warbird? It's not like flying a Cap, even - takes a certain amount of experience...
If not, then I would say, find someone who appreciates it for exactly what it is, and can "breathe life' back into it, and make sure it lives.
If you just want to do it as a challenge, and you fly .40 size fun fly's, and Sticks, and Hot-rods, probably not a good idea...you possibly can do more damage than good.
But if you are patient, can make-do with what you have, and are willing to put a few $$'s into it, servos, new fuel tank, tubing, pushrods, etc, etc, then I say 'go for it!!
BUT, don't be put off by it, it can be very challenging and rewarding - I have done a couple old-timers, and I had a LOT of work into them, quite a few $$'s, but the end result,was well worth it in my eyes...
Nosen planes were spectacular planes, just a "builder's nightmare" sometimes, although I am not familiar with the P-51, specifically.
Good luck if you decide to do it - it'll be a great learning experience, but if you DON'T, make sure you get it in the hands of someone who can, and will...no one will look down on you for not taking it on, in fact, they will look up to you for realizing the amount of work that COULD be involved...
Just my $.02 worth from an old f*rt that's been there!!
Keep us posted!!
03-07-2002, 06:45 AM
#3
Member
My Feedback: (63)
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: SPARKS, NV
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
NOSEN
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THE OLD NOSENS UP IN THE AIR IT SOUNDS AS IF YOU HAVE QUIT A BIT OF WORK AHEAD OF YOU,I HAVE BUILT A FEW OF THEM FROM NOSEN,P-51--P-47, THEY ARE QUIT A CHALLENGE,IF YOU PLAN ON TRYING TO FLIGHT IT REALLY CHECK IT OUT REAL GOOD FOR ANY WARPAGE,EVEN INTERNALLY,THE BALSA COULD SEPERATE FROM THE FIBER GLASS AS ONE OF MINE DID,SOME TIMES REDOING A PLANE IS NOT ONLY EXTERNALY,GOOD LUCK TO YOU,IF YOU EVER WANT TO SELL IT LET ME KNOW,I WOULD BE INTERESTED [email protected]
