You probably heard, then, about the demise of the Galveston Gal. Have you heard any information on why the plane failed? I'm curious. My dad rode in that plane a year before it was lost, and P51's of all variations are one of those things I grew up loving as a kid who had a dad that loved WWII aircraft.

 

So I looked up prices of P-51s and it seems they go for $1.5-2.5m


But is there anything cooler on the planet

 

I know that was a rhetorical question, but I'm still going to go with F-14 through F-22. And I'm excluding the F-35 on purpose

 

A) Jets are for kids
B) Kerosene stinks
C) Jets whine like women and children
This makes the Mustang the undisputed winner in this contest!

KCO, I don’t know that it’s fair to say the airplane failed. As far as I know that is not a known fact in any way shape or form. There are some theories floating about out there but they are not based on facts, only conjecture. Piecing the wreckage together may lead to some answers. I’ll leave it at that.

John

 

No. Absolutely no.

 

Thanks for the info on the Galveston Gal. I'd hate to think it was something other than a mechanical issue.

I go to air shows to look at and listen to two things: choppers and WWII aircraft. I realize we romanticize that war, but one of the reasons it stands out to me is the ingenuity and creativity we used to put our men in equipment that was capable of winning the war against a machine--the German military--that was very well built to do its job. The entire country pitched in however they could, we made sacrifices, we redesigned, we adjusted, and we prevailed. The aircraft seem to embody all of that, both because they were the height of the engineering efforts and because they look and sound so glorious. There's little better than hearing and seeing that Merlin driving that plane through the air, whistling at full burn.

 

KCO bear in mind when it comes to airplane crashes, an open, rational mind must be kept. I’ve dealt with four of them, each holding a very deep personal importance with me. Sorting it all out in one’s mind both personally and professionally is never easy in any way. Sometimes the conclusion is not what a person wants to hear which adds a very bitter sting to the situation.

In the end machines are just machines and an airplane is a machine: when operating correctly they do only what is asked of them reacting in response to, in this case the pilots input. Even the most talented pilots have been known to make poor decisions for any number of reasons. Machines also unexpectedly malfunction without prior warning. However because of redundancy in critical systems, “Mechanicals” are far less frequently determined as the cause of a crash verses pilot error.

America was once a great place where the seemingly impossible happened on a regular basis. The American “machine” that quickly pulled together and assembled itself to help win WWII is a prime example of that. The few remaining warbirds we try to keep flying are intended to be a tribute and reminder of the sacrifices made by former generations. Unfortunately, they also stand a glaring testament of how America today is slowly dumbing down from a steady stream of bad politics, apathy, and generations of self-absorbed people to name a few reasons.

I guess I’ve derailed the original intent of the thread…Sorry…back to oil analysis!

John

 

Thanks for the explanation, and you're right. Sometimes the truth isn't what we want to hear. I'm just saddened that the plane has been lost.

The rest of what you said, I agree with. It's unfortunate, but also very true.

 

Going back to the oil analysis, I just noticed something. You were using M1 5W-50. I noticed the Zinc content was 917, slightly above the 857 average. I have used M1 15W-50 for race engines in my motor for the track. And I just remembered it comes with extra Zinc for protection. I guess there is quite a bit of Zinc in the 5W stuff too. Good to know.

 

Yeah this thread got some really interesting side discussions!

Your right the zinc levels are pretty good in the 5w50. I beleive the race oil has quite a bit more still but not bad at all for the 5w50. My next round of oil analysis will probably be in the late July timeframe with 600 or so track miles on the motorcraft 5w50. Will switch to my castrol that I stockpiled last year when it was on sale. Should be able to have some reasonable data for three different oils later this year to support deciding what I want to go with long term

 

I noticed the zinc content as well. I was told zinc was removed from oil by EPA mandate...or am I thinking of a different additive anti-wear metal?

Does Motorcraft offer a full synthetic oil or are all their offerings semi-syn? I was led to believe the latter is the case by one of their service writers.

John

John

 

Motorcraft

XO-5w50-QGT ...
5W-50 Full Synthetic Motor

 

0W30, 5W20, 5W30, 5W50 are all offered as a full synthetic.

 

Interesting. When I asked my dealer to change the oil and requested 5-30 full syn he told me Ford didn't offer it. Normally I do all my own MX on the car but I had a $25 coupon so I figured what the heck, why not let them do it. I let them put the junk in and used it for a couple thousand miles before switching to Mobil 1 full syn 5-30.

John

 

I had to get my dealer a copy of the section in my owners manual that specifically required 5w50 full synthetic for my TP equipped car. They were convinced that ONLY the Shelby took full synthetic oil. I proved my case of course and am assuming they actually put in the right oil. I actually have considered pulling a bit out to send for analysis to make sure... but given half the mechanics were around my car when it was in the garage (I did hear them revving the engine while I was in the waiting room... think it was the first one they'd heard with GT500 axle backs), I have some faith they did it right

 

I've only found Motorcraft Full Synthetic being sold at my local Ford dealers. Cost $63 per oil change (5W20) with me doing it myself on my V6, 6 quarts and a Motorcraft filter I'm going to go back to synthetic 'blend' after i use up the full synthetic i have. From Walmart around $25 with filter per oil change

 

If you guys have NAPA around you,, they usually carry Mobile1 5w50. It also goes on sale once every two months or so, for ~$6 a qrt. That's when I usually stock up.

 

Yep took advantage of that last summer. Later in the fall NAPA had castrol syntec for around $6/qt too. Stocked up again

 

Advance Auto Parts has a Syntec special going almost continuously for going on 3 years now. Usually $32 for 5 quarts and a Purolator PureOne filter. I do that for both our cars.

 

You all know Purolator makes the Motorcraft oil filters for Ford. Just pointing that out..........