I bought this CMP P-40 five years ago on eBay and the problems started the day I got it. It was described as like new in box. The seller just slapped a shipping label on the outside of the plane's box and threw a couple pieces of tape on it. By the time I got it there were holes in the box with hardware leaking out.
I open the box to find all the balsa formers were broken out of the fuselage, some of them were inside a hardware bag so obviously not shipping damage.
So I set out to repair the damage and start my intended conversion from glow to gas. Formers went back in, a new radio tray was made, a firewall and nose reinforcements were made.
To save a little bit of money I bought an AGM 30 and built the plane around it. When it came time to start the engine I had no spark. Rather than make good on it, AGM gave me a $5 discount code for a replacement ignition.
Once I had spark I still couldn't get it to run unless I was putting the fuel in myself. The engine was off and apart several times before I was frustrated enough to order a DLE. I mounted the DLE, connected the fuel line and it was running perfectly within a couple flips of the prop.
At one point the plane took a mysterious dive off the work stand. I had to remove and rebuild one of the elevators.
When it was finally time for the maiden my air compressor fell apart when I was filling the retract tank. I took the compressor apart and fixed it, aired up the retracts - assuming I was locking them down and leaving them there for the first flight.
First takeoff was uneventful and the plane flew well until what sounded like an ignition miss started. I landed and one of the mains collapsed on rollout.
After running it on the ground without issues and topping off the air I taxiied back out, a bolt fell out of the scissors on a retract strut and ended the day. I drilled the struts to put screws all the way through and used lock nuts.
Paint, canopy and cowl were finished over the winter since I now knew it was a good flyer. New ignition battery and new switch. The first uneventful flight of this year ended with another main collapse. Pulling the retracts out and looking them over I found both of them were machined without down locks (thanks Century Jet!)
After machining my own down locks and replacing the broken prop I again headed out. After a successful P-47 flight I go to top off the P-40 air and the compressor case literally breaks in half, the cylinder separating from the motor. At this point I had a feeling I shouldn't fly the plane, but the retracts were already locked down and I don't know when to give up. After a nice takeoff and climbout, half way across the field on the downwind leg I watch a wheel with the axle still in it fall away from the plane. Lost an axle set screw - that one's on me.
I had enough air to pull the gear up so I bellied into the tall grass, again losing the prop.
Fixed the retracts again, ordered a prop from the local hobby shop. Go back to the hobby shop four days later to find he didn't order it; ordered from Tower on my own.
The prop came Saturday and just like clockwork, as soon as the plane is ready to fly again then the rain and wind start. This was a common theme all year. It was rare to line up good weather and a serviceable P-40 on the same day.
Last night I wasn't really in the mood to fly but the weather had finally calmed down so I talked myself into it and went out, I had the field to myself on a calm evening.
Six minutes into the flight the engine starts to intermittently lose power. At first I thought it was fuel related. Within a few seconds I threw the gear down and entered downwind. Throttle at idle and making the turn to final, the throttle servo starts opening itself. At this point I realize my power issues were likely because the throttle servo had been closing itself. I'm high and fast on final, finger on the switch to kill the engine in flight if I need to. Lined up with the runway and 30 feet off the ground I lose ailerons, and then it makes a 180 turn and starts flying away from the field under power (stick still at idle). I regained throttle and ailerons but with a pedestrian walkway one direction, a $40,000 Camaro with people in it near the plane (it's near the entrance drive now) and an active construction zone in another direction, I decided to let it go down straight ahead rather than try to regain control enough to climb and line up with the runway again. I didn't see the ending due to tallish grass, but it ended up on the mains and it looks like the nose broke free during the impact because of the weight.
After all the money and time spent on it I'm not really upset. It became more and more clear over the last five years that this plane didn't intend to let me fly it. It gave me four flights total, and man did it look and feel good in the air.
After picking up the wreckage all the controls worked without issue and battery voltage was good. Transmitter voltage was good also. I don't know if it was a receiver issue, an intermittent battery problem, ignition interference or what.
These pics were taken ten minutes apart.
