Re: Panel Lines

Rufus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> The one (two, actually) examples I'm thinking of came from a test 
> facility that perfomed destructive testing on the carcasses.  The 
> airframes have been restored externally, and IMO drastically over 
> painted for effect - the latest AV8A in particular.  Really funny 
> looking, as they are 25+ year old jets.  We also have some non-mounted 
> ones we roll around as needed for ceremonies...our A-7 is pretty shiney 
> as well - looks "weird" on the line next to the flyers.
> 
> I see goodly number of these scattered about SoCal - they don't really 
> start looking like "working" aircraft until they've sat out under the 
> desert sun for a few years...at which point the municipality has them 
> repainted and the saga begins anew...

While waiting to leave for germany with the guard in '82 we lined up
behind a bunch of Iowa Air Guard A-7s on the runway and got to watch them
fire up, squat down, and take off.

A friend found a F-4 while on a trip to the plane graveyards in I think
Arizona that was about to be scrapped. He came home, raised $17,000,
aquired the aircraft, got a plot of land and lots of labor donated, had it
trucked in, and set it up outside an American Legion building inside a
fence with lights and a veterans memorial. Its still unrestored in its tan
(now sort of pink) and green scheme it wore in the early 70s. Its looking
kind of shabby but it has that CARC paint that requires special handling.
Ultimatly it will get a shinier coat to withstand the weather better.

Ironically, a friend of his stopped in his office while he was raising
money and asked the tail number. Incredible, that was his very plane in
Vietnam! His co-pilot (who had later become a POW) and him were reunited
for the dedication and he now drives past it every day on his way to work.
Spent a few hours crawling in and around it once. Probably build my 1/32
Revell AG Phantom over the holidays.

Tom