Mitch,

Thanks for the information. I was the poster who saw your plane over
Greenville. I was hoping to find it at the airport later that day.

then you stated "This STUKA is the only flying version in the world", are
you referring to your aircraft, or is Louis Langhurst's JU87B2 flying?

In any event, I'd love to get a closer look ar your plane. Maybe next year
in Greenville.


- Steve

"Mitch" wrote in message
...

Have read the very interesting comments thus far regarding the STUKA
sited in Maine. One gentleman was correct. I guess the rest is opinion.
I own the aircraft which is a 7/10's scale replica of the JU87B2 which
was the only STUKA built by Louis Langhurst, completed in 1979 after
8,000 manhours of work. There were one or two other versions, built by
others, who were perhaps using Mr. Langhurst's drawings, but I am not
sure of that. This STUKA is the only flying version in the world, there
being two static actuals in museums in Chicago and Britain. It does have
a swastika on the vertical tail assembly and the rest of the paint
scheme is the one used by Oberst Hans Ulrich Rudel who was the WWII
Luftwaffe's highest decorated pilot. Oberst Rudel flew in my aircraft
(N87LL) in November of 1980 and said its characteristics were true to
the actual machine. I have used wind-driven sirens on the aircraft but
they are not permanently fixed for various reasons including some of
the ones mentioned by others in this forum. I have met a number of
people who were actually on the receiving end of the STUKA. They seemed
to have adjusted to the past and were not antagonistic toward me,
preferring to the portrayal of the historical accuracy of the craft to
something that is diminished by being politically correct. The actual
sirens were activated when the dive brakes were extended when
initiating the attack dive. The STUKA was equipped with the "ASKANIA"
auto-pilot which retracted the brakes and trimmed for dive recovery in
order to allow the pilot to recover from the high "G" forces of the
dives. N87LL will be on the Discover Channel Canada in October and
then, hopefully, in the U.S. this Fall/Winter, on a show entitiled "The
Greatest Ever". Watch for it. N87LL has been in numerous air shows,
OSHKOSH, opening ceremonies for the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, and a
number of Commemorative Air Force events over the years. It was
displayed in the San Diego Air and Space Museum for ten years after
which it was owned by Mr. Roland Weeks of Biloxi, Miss. I purchased it
from him three years ago and brought it to Maine a year ago. It is a
very well built aircraft and does have touchy landing tendencies as
someone pointed out. But, all in all it is a fine example of what a
genius like Mr. Langhurst was capable of. I plan to have it in more
shows as time and weather permits.


--
Mitch