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A-1 Spad Skyraider references

phantom II

Master at Arms
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Maybe I'll start another thread... :(

Don't do that Paul, I can pull several comments out and make a Sandy Reference thread if you like.

Really, looking at the 1:48 Tamiya kit at Spruebro myself, y'all started something here.
 
I can pull several comments out and make a Sandy Reference thread if you like.

If you do that, Bob, I have a h*ll of a true story about a Skyraider model and the family of the pilot that flew it....

....Paul, looking forward to the rest of the build, like the others have said, there's something 'special' about this aircraft and the kit. Staying-tuned here.

:pilot

Ian
 
The Ritzmann Skyraider

In Spring 2011, I built and entered a Tamiya 1:48 A-1 Skyraider for the Vietnam War Group-Build at www.britmodeller.com . I was lucky enough to be voted ‘third overall’ in the resultant poll, and thought no more about it until a couple of months later when I was contacted directly by Lori Ritzmann-Regan.

She had been trawling the internet, looking for images and references to her father, and somehow had stumbled on my model. Y’see my Skyraider is finished as the personal aircraft of Lt. Cdr. William ‘Speed’ Ritzmann of VA-165 in October 1966. Lori joined Britmodeller solely to contact me, over a series of emails, I answered all her questions about the model, and most of all why I had chosen this particular aircraft.

So without actually meeting, we found the first of a number of ‘common bonds’ and became instant friends and have remained so ever since. ‘Speed’ Ritzmann went-on in 1967 to fly a second tour this time with VA-25, the last US Navy squadron to field the A-1 in the front line, he died in June 2009, but ‘his’ A-1 is resident at the USN Museum at Pensacola (although I think it may be repainted now), Before settling down with her family to live in Lake City Fl., Lori served with the USAF for a time, so I’d guess her Dads’ influence really did of rub-off.

Next year my family and I hope to vacation in the USA, and Lori and her family have (already) very kindly offered to put-us-up in their beach-house near Daytona Beach… all because of a model.



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This is the only photo I have of LCDR Ritzmann, Lori and the family kindly agreed to let me post it here. I'll send her the link to this thread. Thanks for taking the time to look and/or comment, guys.


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AFN

Ian
 
The Ritzmann Skyraider

How cool is that?!

That's one thing that makes our little quirky hobby worth it ain't it Ian.

And great build!! :pilot
 
This is the Hasegawa 1/72 kit, came with the toilet bomb. I read that there was another AD following in close that nearly got hit by the toilet when it was released, I think it flew up a bit before falling. Cain't remember.


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