North Vietnamese wooden MIG 17

[Allan]

Hi blokes,

It isn't very widely known, but the North Vietnamese actually built a squadron or two of wooden MIG 17s for use as an unarmed reconaissance plane.

Someone in the NV Air Ministry read about the WW 2 Mosquito and suggested that a wooden MIG might be a useful addition to the NV Air Force.

The time was around 1968 and by golly the idea really swung. The plane was well-nigh uninterceptable and amazingly fast with a ridiculously small radar signature. It gave the SV and the Americans a great deal of problems.

The fuselage was made of non-strategic lightweight plywood, heavily varnished, of which there was much lying around in NV at the time. It was found that the tailplanes, because of high speed buffering, needed something harder and so a somewhat rare kind of cherry wood was used.

The use of metal in the plane was kept to an absolute minimum.

In-progress piccies later on in the week, around Thursday.

Allan in Canberra

[The Rat]

Okay, this is going to be good!    

[Brian da Basher]

Looks like another whif-marvel in the works from our friend in Canberra!

I'll be looking forward to those pics.

Brian da Basher

[K5054NZ]

Love the history. Now we know what happened to all the trees they cut down to make way for the Ho Chi Minh Trail!

[Allan]

Thanks blokes.

I'll get some photos taken tomorrow.

I went into the cut price cosmetics shop with my wife the other day and checked out the brown mascara. Found some good stuff there if you want to make some wooden planes.
I asked if they have any mascara or eye foundation that looks like polished, varnished wood and,
they told me to piss off.

Allan in Canberra

[K5054NZ]

Not surprising! Lana says, "What *rseholes! I bet if it was a woman they wouldn't tell her to 'piss off'!"

I agree with her, quite frankly!

I can't wait to see it. Quick tip, perhaps you've thought of this already, sand off every single panel line. Apart from around the engine. Look at the Mosquito as a guide.



Confucius say, "Wood makes you go faster".

[nev]

*intrueged*

[lancer]

Allan, you have a very fertile imagination. I love the idea!!!