VQ's P-61 "Lady in the Dark" has wrong serial number!
02-13-2006, 02:05 PM
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VQ's P-61 "Lady in the Dark" has wrong serial number!
Hi guys,
I am sorry to tell you all, but the decals of the VQ P-61 "Lady in the Dark" are not right, so are all of the plastic models, as far I know.
The serial number of the "Lady" is wrong!! Like on my R/C model too, and probable also on many others!
It is not 239713 (this plane is definitely not the "Lady", it flew in China, not in the pacific. Nose-art ?). "Lady's" serialnumber is 2397408!! and belonged indeed as known, to the 548th NFS (Le Shima, Iwo Jima, Okinawa).
The writer of a book about the 548th NFS, Eric Shulenberger (his father was a R/O in a P-61 of the 548th), wrote me that the serialnumber on my P-61B R/C model ("Lady in the Dark" ) was wrong, and did send some photos to prove it!
He brought me into contact with the pilot Solie Solomon (Lee Kendall now, he changed his name after the war, 88 years old now and still alive) to whom "Lady" was asigned, and did the last final kill of WWII!
Lee confirmed this and told me, that he had written an article (some years ago now) about this issue (and about this wrong serialnumber), and that he got the Disinguished Flying Cross Award after 45 years for this fact. (Flight, march 1991).
He did write it, because he was fed up with the fact, that many writers did repeate, on and on, the first error with this mistaken serialnumber!
( www.findarticles.com , for search there, type : the final kill)
I have 9 books about the P-61 and there is only one book now with the right serialnumber (the which one I thought it was wrong!!): P-61 Black Widow Units of World War 2, by Warren Thomson (Osprey Combat Aircraft nr.8), only the Lady on the Nose Art is there blue instead of read! (I have to check this further), and of course there is the book of Eric Shulenberger, I don't have that, but Eric did send me a lot photos, published in that book (a very nice gesture, because it is a very expensive book).
So I will change the serialnumber on my P-61, to get it right!
I have scratch build my model from own plan, 99.9% scale.
Scale 1:6,6, Span 122". Weight: only 41 Lbs. (larger than the Don Smith and Zirolli P-61, but lighter!)
Engines: 2x Laser 2.40 V-twin, four stroke (19x10 prop, 7800 RPM). Nice wide loops and other aerobatics!
Retracts: electric, about 8 seconds (screwjack), own design and construction (some legparts are bought)
Radio: 2 receivers, 27 servos!! 6 batteries (4x 1,7Nimh for receivers, 1x 1,7Nmh for retracts, 1x 0,7 Nimh for landing-lights). Working spoillerons combined with the tiny aillerons.
Extra functions:closed main well-doors, when gear is down(as it should be for a P-61B,like the "Lady" is)
Retractable landing-lights, dropping bombs and droptanks.
With the P-61, I was 2x European Star Cup Champion Scale (2000+2001). Winner (static, as well flying) of national contests, and 10x of international Scale contests all over Europe. (I stopped contestflying in 2003)
Another Large Scale model is my B-17 Flying Fortress:
Also scratch build from own plan. Scale 1:8. span 158". Weight: only 44 Lbs.
Engines: only 4x Laser 0.70, four stroke (13x6 prop, 9000 Rpm), flying real scale, not under-powered or over-powered, like most B-17's! (flew even on 2 cut-off engines. Happened once, flew to long, fuel was gone, but could keep on height, and flew a normally rectangular approach!).
Retracts: electric and also own construction, same as for the P-61.
Radio: 2 receivers, 14 servos, 6 batteries (4x 1,7 Nicd for receivers, 1x 1,7 Nicd for retracts, 1x 1,7 Nicd for landing-lights+ rotable upper-turret).
Extra functions: Landing-lights, rotable upper-turret, bomb well-doors or bomb-dropping (or sweeties for children), and parachute-dropping.
This model is a real winner;
With her, I was 4x European Star Cup Champion Scale(1994+'95+'96+'99).Winner (static, as well flying)
of national contests, and over 30 international scale contests, all over Europe. (last one in 2003, than I stopped contest flying!)
For these two models + Short Sunderland, have a look at my homepage (a christmas gift from my son Jorn)
www.home.versatel.nl/jan.hermkens/
P.S. I have my own calculation method for calculate engines for scale models (did it a lot for other modellers too), and it was always right!
Cheers, Jan Hermkens (the flying Dutchman), Netherlands.
I am sorry to tell you all, but the decals of the VQ P-61 "Lady in the Dark" are not right, so are all of the plastic models, as far I know.
The serial number of the "Lady" is wrong!! Like on my R/C model too, and probable also on many others!
It is not 239713 (this plane is definitely not the "Lady", it flew in China, not in the pacific. Nose-art ?). "Lady's" serialnumber is 2397408!! and belonged indeed as known, to the 548th NFS (Le Shima, Iwo Jima, Okinawa).
The writer of a book about the 548th NFS, Eric Shulenberger (his father was a R/O in a P-61 of the 548th), wrote me that the serialnumber on my P-61B R/C model ("Lady in the Dark" ) was wrong, and did send some photos to prove it!
He brought me into contact with the pilot Solie Solomon (Lee Kendall now, he changed his name after the war, 88 years old now and still alive) to whom "Lady" was asigned, and did the last final kill of WWII!
Lee confirmed this and told me, that he had written an article (some years ago now) about this issue (and about this wrong serialnumber), and that he got the Disinguished Flying Cross Award after 45 years for this fact. (Flight, march 1991).
He did write it, because he was fed up with the fact, that many writers did repeate, on and on, the first error with this mistaken serialnumber!
( www.findarticles.com , for search there, type : the final kill)
I have 9 books about the P-61 and there is only one book now with the right serialnumber (the which one I thought it was wrong!!): P-61 Black Widow Units of World War 2, by Warren Thomson (Osprey Combat Aircraft nr.8), only the Lady on the Nose Art is there blue instead of read! (I have to check this further), and of course there is the book of Eric Shulenberger, I don't have that, but Eric did send me a lot photos, published in that book (a very nice gesture, because it is a very expensive book).
So I will change the serialnumber on my P-61, to get it right!
I have scratch build my model from own plan, 99.9% scale.
Scale 1:6,6, Span 122". Weight: only 41 Lbs. (larger than the Don Smith and Zirolli P-61, but lighter!)
Engines: 2x Laser 2.40 V-twin, four stroke (19x10 prop, 7800 RPM). Nice wide loops and other aerobatics!
Retracts: electric, about 8 seconds (screwjack), own design and construction (some legparts are bought)
Radio: 2 receivers, 27 servos!! 6 batteries (4x 1,7Nimh for receivers, 1x 1,7Nmh for retracts, 1x 0,7 Nimh for landing-lights). Working spoillerons combined with the tiny aillerons.
Extra functions:closed main well-doors, when gear is down(as it should be for a P-61B,like the "Lady" is)
Retractable landing-lights, dropping bombs and droptanks.
With the P-61, I was 2x European Star Cup Champion Scale (2000+2001). Winner (static, as well flying) of national contests, and 10x of international Scale contests all over Europe. (I stopped contestflying in 2003)
Another Large Scale model is my B-17 Flying Fortress:
Also scratch build from own plan. Scale 1:8. span 158". Weight: only 44 Lbs.
Engines: only 4x Laser 0.70, four stroke (13x6 prop, 9000 Rpm), flying real scale, not under-powered or over-powered, like most B-17's! (flew even on 2 cut-off engines. Happened once, flew to long, fuel was gone, but could keep on height, and flew a normally rectangular approach!).
Retracts: electric and also own construction, same as for the P-61.
Radio: 2 receivers, 14 servos, 6 batteries (4x 1,7 Nicd for receivers, 1x 1,7 Nicd for retracts, 1x 1,7 Nicd for landing-lights+ rotable upper-turret).
Extra functions: Landing-lights, rotable upper-turret, bomb well-doors or bomb-dropping (or sweeties for children), and parachute-dropping.
This model is a real winner;
With her, I was 4x European Star Cup Champion Scale(1994+'95+'96+'99).Winner (static, as well flying)
of national contests, and over 30 international scale contests, all over Europe. (last one in 2003, than I stopped contest flying!)
For these two models + Short Sunderland, have a look at my homepage (a christmas gift from my son Jorn)
www.home.versatel.nl/jan.hermkens/
P.S. I have my own calculation method for calculate engines for scale models (did it a lot for other modellers too), and it was always right!
Cheers, Jan Hermkens (the flying Dutchman), Netherlands.
02-13-2006, 03:06 PM
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RE: P-61B "Lady in the Dark". Wrong serial number!
hi Bill,
Yes one lesson of you how to add photos, to start a thread, etc, was sufficient. You are a good teacher, and I can know it, because I am one (teacher polytechnics).
Jan, the flying Dutchman from the Netherlands
(der fliegende Holländer, in German language! De vliegende Hollander in Dutch!)
Yes one lesson of you how to add photos, to start a thread, etc, was sufficient. You are a good teacher, and I can know it, because I am one (teacher polytechnics).
Jan, the flying Dutchman from the Netherlands
(der fliegende Holländer, in German language! De vliegende Hollander in Dutch!)
02-13-2006, 04:02 PM
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RE: P-61B "Lady in the Dark". Wrong serial number!
Jan:
Thank you for the kind words, among other things I was a teacher at times.
One more lesson, though. Duplicated pictures. or even one you just wish you hadn't posted.
Click on the edit button, in the next screen click the "Delete" button. This brings a pop-up with all the pictures listed, click the delete boxes in the one(s) you want to remove, then click OK, and when the pop-up goes away click the next OK button.
You can also add pictures to a post by clicking "Attachments" instead of "Delete."
Attached pictures are screen shots of doing this, starting with a double picture in a post, ending with the same post with the duplicate removed.
Bill.
Thank you for the kind words, among other things I was a teacher at times.
One more lesson, though. Duplicated pictures. or even one you just wish you hadn't posted.
Click on the edit button, in the next screen click the "Delete" button. This brings a pop-up with all the pictures listed, click the delete boxes in the one(s) you want to remove, then click OK, and when the pop-up goes away click the next OK button.
You can also add pictures to a post by clicking "Attachments" instead of "Delete."
Attached pictures are screen shots of doing this, starting with a double picture in a post, ending with the same post with the duplicate removed.
Bill.
