The XP-82 has flown!

[Rod Schneider]

https://www.facebook.com/Xp-82-Twin-...Fmv4yw9-fMgcdw

The Xp-82 made it's first flight yesterday down in Douglas GA!!!

[mazdaP5]

Excelsior!

[Bill Greenwood]

Who was the pilot, the report says "Ray". Was that Ray Fowler?
And is this the plane that was taken away from the CAF some years ago or is this one built more from scratch?

[champ driver]

Great news.
Bill, this lists all of the P-82 survivors.

http://johnweeks.com/p82/index.html

[L16 Pilot]

It almost seems like there was a twin Mustang at Lackland AFB when I did basic in 1957. Maybe the same one?? You can get on the base if you're a retired and going to the hospital there or know someone who has access. They do have a bunch of vintage aircraft scattered around the old parade ground.

[Rod Schneider]

Who was the pilot, the report says "Ray". Was that Ray Fowler?
And is this the plane that was taken away from the CAF some years ago or is this one built more from scratch?

It was Ray Fowler that flew it! This is not the CAF plane, it was rebuilt using parts acquired from Walt Soplata (one fuselage and other parts) and from several crash sites, not to mention a lot of newly manufactured parts!!

[Bill Greenwood]

Thanks , If you know Ray, the next time you see him ask him about our flight some years ago from formation practice at Kenosha to or should I say almost to Oshkosh. It started out as an easy as pie cruise at about 5000 above a broken layer with lots of blue sky and 30 minutes later turned into scud running low enough that my co pilot claimed "the cows were ducking." I turned avound back to West Bend , found it down the highway at about 600 ft and there were perhaps 80 planes there including Bill Harrison with the EAA B-17. Ray was number 2 and the leader squeezed into Fon du Lac in barely vmc, and Ray with him. Ray said later that what made it even harder as he had not even uncaged his gryo so didn't even have a working attitude indicator in the 51. A P51 is a fast airplane when you are down low and maybe can see a mile more or less.
We were so busy with the formation planning that morning, that I didn't get my own weather briefing and don't think many others did either. It was so nice at 10am and we didn't realize that a cold front was moving down from NW and would arrive at Oshkosh at about the same time we did, and lots of other planes did also. Gen Anderson was with us also and he turned back about when I did. We were probably 10 miles from Fond du Lac by then. I hadn't even planned an alternate as I had no concerns about the weather. I just sort of knew West Bend was somewhere down SE and we went down the highway below 1000 ft and I was thinking they don't build any towers in the middle of the highway.We had more luck than skill then. and the weather passed on by, and after a poor lunch at Arbys, we hopped over to Airventure with no problem.

[Rod Schneider]

I'll have to ask him about that! I've known him around 10 years, in fact, he's flying the P-40 in my avatar. I'm sitting in the back seat I work on the B-17 that the Liberty Foundation operates. (Madras Maiden/Ye Olde Pub) He's our Chief Pilot.