[judyc]

Hi guys;
So neat to see the run up of the D-13 on you tube. This event happened during an art show and Fighter pilot symposium in 1990 that Doug Champlin of the Champlin Fighter Museum at Falcon Field in Mesa Arizona hired me to organize.

We had over 25 artists display and sell their artwork. During one of the evenings, a fighter aces symposium was held highlighted by Oscar Boesch Sturm pilot (he's the one in the beginning of the film on youtube in front of the Dora 13), Gerhard Kroll D-9 pilot, Wolfgang Falck Father of the Night Fighters and Franz Stigler JV 44 pilot for the Luftwaffe. Also for the U.S. - Jerry Collinsworth, Jerry Brown, and several others all talked about their war time experiences.

The highlight of the show was when they flew Doug's Razorback P-47 and tried to start the Bf 109 converted from a Buchon but it didn't work! The most exciting part was when the Dora 13 was cranked up and ran for a while at idle. Jerry about wet his pants! Earlier in 1990 we had purchased some D-13 sparkplugs for Doug during one of our trips to Germany so that the engine could be cranked! Quite exciting!

It wouldn't run past an idle becuase the computer box wasn't functioning and the propeller had cracks in it that wouldn't allow the a/c run past an idle. At this time it still had the wings attached from the AF museum's D-9.

Doug sold the Dora 13 last year and it is now owned by Paul Allen in Everett Washington and they have vowed not to attempt to fly it, thank goodness! It would not fly anyway because it is still missing some crucial parts including the propeller and correct hollow propeller hub for the VS 9 prop blades.

It was a great weekend with the artist and pilots and the aircraft....ah memories!!!!

Hope you enjoyed our trip back into time,
Judy Crandall