February 14, 2010

Lord of the Skies

I checked out Movie Director Peter Jackson's (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) Aviation site earlier today and felt the need to give it the big thumbs up in my Blog. After all Biggles is world famous for flying some of the aircraft Peter and the team at The Vintage Aviator are recreating with such astonishing precision.

Peter has been a lifelong Aviation nut, with a personal bent for WWI Aircraft. He has established a Museum and Aircraft Manufacturing business and they have built unbelievably exact replica's of various fighters that took part in that conflict. As an Aviation nut myself, I am staggered at the company's achievements and wish to congratulate them on their efforts.

All of the test flying and management of the operation has been overseen by an equally inspiring character - Gene DeMarco. Gene has featured for decades in the historic aviation game, flying for world famous flying shows and organisations. His experience is probably unmatched and in just about every photograph you will see of the aircraft Gene will be the man in the pilot's seat. You'd have to have just about the best job around Gene, and I bet you don't see it as work.

Visit the site - http://www.thevintageaviator.co.nz/ - and have a look at the planes they have put together, read the research and detail that has gone into the recreation of long defunct machines. They not only built the planes, but also the engines - all from known plans, intuitive guess work and researched historical documents and, and, they have a section devoted to building replica aircraft machine guns for their flying platforms. Unbelievable.

A personal favourite is the Albatross DV A, a fighter that Manfred von Richtofen - later known internationally and still, as the Red Baron,flew with distinction. The photo above is the actual aircraft built by the team and is being flown by Gene De Marco. It is represented in the markings of Jasta 5's Leutnant Josef Mai who reportedely scored 11 victories on this type of aircraft.

And you just have to check out the Spitfire and Sopwith Fighters flying side by side, graphically illustrating the enormous developmental acheivements of just 20 years in Aviation. You can see the Spitfire having to fly nose high to maintain formation with it's much slower predecessor.

Everything about this site underlines what you can acheive when you put your mind to it, and don't give up until you have acheived your goal! Well done guys, Magnificent stuff. Fantastico!

Think Long and Prosper
Biggles

1 comment:

  1. Is the Spitfire in the video you mention the one that Tim Wallis restored and then crashed in? Great site thanks for recommending it. JD.

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