What kit to build, Titan T-51D Mustang or Supermarine Spitfire Mk26B
As a kid I dreamed of becoming a pilot. Once I got my CPL (1990) a new dream introduced itself: fly a Spitfire. That seems to be just a tad far fetched. As my retirement closes in, the day before yesterday I started pondering on what to do in that future (still some 8 years from now if that date is not pushed back before I reach the age of 59).
And out of nowhere came this search for kit planes, one lead to the other and before I knew it, I stumbled over two highly intriguing kits: one made by a company called Titan, they offer a 75% scale replica of a Mustang P-51D, their replica is called T-51D. And a 90% scale replica of a Spitfire by a company called Supermarine, their 90% scale model kit is called Spitfire Mk26B. Now, I'm not a fool and do realize neither of the two come to get even close to the thrilling experience the real stuff must have given it's pilots.
There is a difference between the 220 kt VNE of the replica kit and the 389 top speed of the originals, but a plane that does a cruise of around 163 kt with a max service ceiling of 18.000 ft (oxygen!!) and a g load of +6 to -4 g does sound really thrilling to me. The only piston engine aircraft I ever got to fly that speed wise came close to that 220 kt Vne was a Beechcraft Baron BE58, I never dared loop or barrel that one, both replica's should be able to, the Mustang replica being somewhat slower that the Spitfire replica. The T-51 offers passengers much more view that the Spitfire..
I'm looking for the feedback from people that actually built either kit and flew them. I want to learn what these people ran in to building, what they would recommend future builders to do differently as they learned after they completed their kits, how it flies, how they do maintenance, what avionics from where and why, etc etc etc.
I'm utterly new to this forum, for now I'm not allowed to add pictures or URL's, Google is your friend finding pictures of mentioned kits.