MUSTANG DAY
A meeting of modelers and aviation
enthusiasts took place at Hangar 3 at the
Pilsen-Linie airport on the last Saturday
of June for the premiere christening of two
new Eduard kits: the P-51B/C Mustang in
1/48th scale and the P-51D in 1/72nd scale.
The B-17F “The Bloody Hundredth” was also
modestly featured, thanks to a stroke of luck
and logistical effort, as it was the very first
(and so far only) packaged box. Its big debut
awaits at IPMS USA in mid-July.
The event in Pilsen was planned to start at
11 am, but organizers from Eduard and the
local Classic Trainers were at the airport
more than two hours earlier. The first
visitors began arriving after ten o’clock. Their
number was limited to one hundred and fifty
to maintain the intimacy of the event. After
a welcome by Vladimír Šulc, Radim Vojta, one
of the pilots of the “Pilsen” Mustang, took the
floor and shared his experience of flying the
P-51D. He discussed the differences this
warbird presents compared to the Spitfire,
Hurricane, and Yak-3. Jiří Horák, the second
Czech pilot flying the Little Rebel, then
described some lesser-known technical
characteristics of the P-51D.
Both pilots, being modelers themselves,
highlighted details important from a model-
er’s perspective and addressed common
mistakes regarding the Mustang, such as
the positions of flaps, control surfaces, and
landing gear doors during various phases of
ground presence. After their presentations,
the Little Rebel was pushed out on a stand
outside the hangar. Inside, Eduard’s Mustang
kit designer, Stanislav Archman, gave a pre-
sentation.
The actual christening of the kits
took place before the flight program.
Saturday’s meeting concluded with a flight
demonstration of the Little Rebel, piloted
by Jiří Horák. Everyone agreed that another
joint event should be organized soon.
Classic Trainers are a fantastic group, and
their Hangar 3 is absolutely magnificent!
Jan Zdiarský
Photo: Jan Zdiarský,
Michal Krechowski,
Vladimír Šulc
Title artwork:
Piotr Forkasiewicz
29 June 2024, LKLN Pilsen-Line Airport
Hangar 3
INFO Eduard
23
July 2024