Something from
(almost) nothing:
P-40K is the new
reality in warbird restoration
By Fred Johnsen
 |
|
Warhawk restorer Erik
Hokuf, left, and owner/pilot Ron Fagen are justifiably proud of
their brand-new restoration of a combat-veteran P-40K Warhawk in the
Warbirds area at EAA AirVenture. Photo by Fred Johnsen |
Better than alchemists
trying to make gold from lead, the folks at Warhawks Inc. have made a
golden warbird from wrecked aluminum. Their scarce Curtiss P-40K Warhawk
restoration first flew June 5, following a lengthy recovery and rebuild
that started back in 1992. Few P-40Ks remain.
In that year, the
wreckage of a crashed P-40K was removed from where it lay for a
half-century in Murmansk, Russia. A Soviet pilot got the worst end of a
tangle with German fighters in this Warhawk after it had 10 months of
combat flying. The resulting crash-landing and subsequent deterioration
pretty much wiped out everything aft of the cockpit, says restorer Erik
Hokuf. Initially, Ken Hake brought the K-model to Kansas where he
performed substantial restoration on the airframe. The horizontal
stabilizer and enlarged vertical fin are new-made, mated to original
Curtiss elevator and rudder assemblies.
The K-model is
identifiable by its enlarged vertical fin. When some Warhawks exhibited
lateral control deficiency, Curtiss and the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics (NACA), NASA’s forerunner, tested alternate vertical
tails to find a solution to the problem.
Hokuf credits Hake with
creating tooling to build 80 to 90 percent of a P-40’s structure. In
2004, Warhawks Inc. bought Hake’s substantial P-40 inventory and
tooling and moved the project to Granite Falls, Minnesota. Owners Ron
and Diane Fagen have six P-40 projects, plus a P-38L and a P-39 to
rebuild. Erik Hokuf says the company intends to perform complete
restorations on these airframes and then sell the finished products.
Warhawks Inc. can furnish parts for other P-40 restorers. Chin cowls and
belly fairings are especially hard to find since they literally take it
on the chin when a P-40 makes a wheels-up landing. Warhawks Inc. can
manufacture new pieces like these, although Hokuf is pleased to note
this P-40K has a brand-new old Curtiss chin cowl.
The level of detail goes
beyond what can be seen, even with cowling panels removed for
inspection. Hokuf says the vast majority of the rivets in the airframe
were replaced as much of the Warhawk was reskinned. To match Curtiss
specifications, a batch of new rivets was made with the 78-degree
countersink bevel Curtiss used.
Hokuf and his compatriots
at Warhawks Inc. scour the country for usable parts. The drop tank
suspended beneath the P-40K at EAA AirVenture is from brand-new old
surplus stock that Hokuf uncrated just three weeks ago. To protect the
fighter’s finish when people climb up to the cockpit, Hokuf placed
original Curtiss canvas runners on the wing roots, still bearing tags
with the number 87—Curtiss’ model number for the P-40 series.
The classic diamond tread
main tires on the P-40K are part of a batch of 30-inch aircraft tires
molded by McCreary tires a few years ago. Soft goods, like tires, wear
out and must be replaced periodically. Joe Yancey at Rialto, California,
rebuilt the P-40K’s Allison V-1710 engine mounted beneath burnished
exhaust stacks.
All that detail is
complemented by a paint scheme that faithfully reproduces the hues of
gray, olive, and green Curtiss applied to this P-40K when it left the
factory. The Warhawk has already been visited by EAA judges who will
bestow awards on the best restorations at AirVenture. Nobody knows who
will win, but Hokuf thought he could detect enthusiasm for the P-40K
from judges who try to keep a poker face as they go about their work.
"You can tell they thought it was pretty neat," he adds.
