Asheboro, N.C., anyone?

[WVOtoGO]

Anyone here know anything about Asheboro, N.C.?

For some dumb-ass reason (probably the sex), I’ve let the wife talk me into going there to inspect this new toy. She’s been after one of these for about 5 years now. I’ve grown tired of hearing “come on - don’t be a pecker” in that little English accent of hers. I caved.

Any cool things to do besides look at this airplane? Museums? Interesting dinning? Must see type of things?

[TheDon]

to buy???? a regular customer at my grocery store owns a spitfire.. hes shown me pics

[peragro]

Originally Posted by WVOtoGO

Anyone here know anything about Asheboro, N.C.?

For some dumb-ass reason (probably the sex), I’ve let the wife talk me into going there to inspect this new toy. She’s been after one of these for about 5 years now. I’ve grown tired of hearing “come on - don’t be a pecker” in that little English accent of hers. I caved.

Any cool things to do besides look at this airplane? Museums? Interesting dinning? Must see type of things?

Dude, I can't believe you resisted that for even 1 minute, much less 5 years!

That is one cool airplane. Are you going to offer rides???

BTW, don't know anything much about Asheboro, heard good things though. Get some BBQ while you're there.

[Dee8go]

There's a zoo in Asheboro. I'm not aware of much else of interest. If you drive north east a little ways, you'll find JR Cigar's Burligton outlet. I don't know if you're a cigar smoker or not, WVO, but JR's is quite a tobacco emporium! My favorite great aunt used to live there, so I often visited her and JR's.

On the other hand, I grew up in NC and was glad to leave. My mother and sister still live there. I like visiting, but would NEVER move back. In all fairness NC would probably be enough different from Texas to be a nice break from the routine for you.

Did you say your wife is British? I LOVE British accents. And you mentioned sex. Is there sex involved? I guess you have your answer, then. I'd go anywhere with my woman when there's sex involved. What else matters?

[CSchmidt]

Yeah, you are pretty much in the middle of small town NC. Most of my travels through there have been kid related. The statewide NC zoo is there, which is very nice. Up and down Rt 220 from Asheboro is an area / town named Seagrove I think. There are numerous pottery artists in the area.

50 Miles North/West is Greensboro or Winston-Salem, 2 very nice mid-sized cities. I think Winston has the better food. A bit farther easy is Pinehurst, golf mecca. On the far side of Pinehurst is Ft Bragg / Pope Air Force base. You might find more aviation based stuff there.

Have fun!
Chuck

[TwitchKitty]

Rent a motorcycle and ride up and down the Blueridge Parkway.

[John Doe]

The State Zoological Park is all that is in Asheboro. The Poddery at Seagrove is ok if you like that outdoor art kind of thing. Sidetrip to Pinehurst/Southern Pines area if you like golf is the thing to do

I think you may be thinking of Ashveville, TK--Asheboro is on the other side of the State.

Demon Deacs are playing the Blue Devils today in Winston Salem, but their QB broke his arm this week, so you may get to see Duke actually win a football game if you are into rare occurances

And finally, Asheboro is in a dry county, so if you want a cold beer at the end of the day, you better fly it in!!!

[TwitchKitty]

You right, I was thinking Asheville, like Asheville. I wondered about a plane like that in the mountains.

[WVOtoGO]

Originally Posted by TheDon

to buy???? a regular customer at my grocery store owns a spitfire.. hes shown me pics

Geezzzz. I hate hearing about folks that own Spitfires. Mainly because I become insanely jealous. In my book (and that of my English wife) there was no greater fighter built for WWII than the Spitfire. Sure the Mustang out performed it in many ways. But there are few things in aviation more awe inspiring than seeing that elliptical wing cut through the skies. It is a killer with a grace like no other.

Sad thing is - Of the 22K+ Spits and Seafires built, only about 50 still fly. Getting your hands on one (for sale) is not only near impossible, but extremely expensive. A nice one will bring twice what a Mustang will.
The other issue we have here at home is that my wife has flown two (quite a few times, I might add), and I haven’t even sat in one. We do know the couple in GB with the two seat Spit, so someday that will change. Until then, the wife will hold that over me from time to time.

Not sure if you’ve ever seen this. I think YouTube has picked it up as well as a few other video link sites.
I wasn’t over there at the time of taping, but I know quite well who was flying at the time. We have this shot on the office wall in the hangar.

Here’s the vid from a few years back:
FYI - The end has some R rated language by the way.

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/oh_my_god.htm

[WVOtoGO]

Originally Posted by peragro

Dude, I can't believe you resisted that for even 1 minute, much less 5 years!

That is one cool airplane. Are you going to offer rides???

BTW, don't know anything much about Asheboro, heard good things though. Get some BBQ while you're there.

Well there’s always more to buying a war bird than one might expect. It’s not just about handing over money and receiving the keys. There’s lots of paperwork and lots of training that have to go along with it.
I have no doubt that we could spend the night in a hotel room going over the operators manual, flying a few laps around the pattern with an experienced pilot (usually the owner). Then heading her home. But there’s more to becoming proficient in it than that.

It often takes years to find the right one as well. I can jump on line and find half a dozen P-51s for sale in two minutes. B-25s (as most WWII Bombers) on the other hand, tend to stay with their owners for quite a while. Not too many on the market. We’ve had an ear out for quite some time. Thought seriously about a WWII (or vintage) twin for the past few years. The wife is just a bit more ready than I am.
So anyway - Up pops this one. Looks nice. But it’s not done. The owner died prior to finishing the restoration. That means I have to finish it. Or hire someone who knows more about this aircraft than I do (Just about anyone) to finish it for us. ($$$$CAAA-CHINGGG$$$$) The good news is it’s cheap, as B-25s go. But there’s a few major items (props, an engine, fuel cells) that need attention. Not to mention some list of issues from a test flight that we’ve yet to see. There’s also getting the trailer load of spares home.

So - That’s why it’s been 5 years, and not 1 minute. Though I will admit - This one did look good within the first minute.

Though it sucks for cross country flights. I’m thinking we’ll take the 530 just to see the mountains up close. Secluded picnics are in the plans as well.
Thanks for the tips guys on the sites. We’ll do the BBQ for sure.

PS - Yes, the wife is a Brit. Yes, I love the accent too. But, after 12 years, I don't really think about it. Everyone else sure has to comment though. She can sure do some pretty cute things over the radios with it.

[peragro]

Originally Posted by WVOtoGO

Well there’s always more to buying a war bird than one might expect. It’s not just about handing over money and receiving the keys. There’s lots of paperwork and lots of training that have to go along with it.
I have no doubt that we could spend the night in a hotel room going over the operators manual, flying a few laps around the pattern with an experienced pilot (usually the owner). Then heading her home. But there’s more to becoming proficient in it than that.

It often takes years to find the right one as well. I can jump on line and find half a dozen P-51s for sale in two minutes. B-25s (as most WWII Bombers) on the other hand, tend to stay with their owners for quite a while. Not too many on the market. We’ve had an ear out for quite some time. Thought seriously about a WWII (or vintage) twin for the past few years. The wife is just a bit more ready than I am.
So anyway - Up pops this one. Looks nice. But it’s not done. The owner died prior to finishing the restoration. That means I have to finish it. Or hire someone who knows more about this aircraft than I do (Just about anyone) to finish it for us. ($$$$CAAA-CHINGGG$$$$) The good news is it’s cheap, as B-25s go. But there’s a few major items (props, an engine, fuel cells) that need attention. Not to mention some list of issues from a test flight that we’ve yet to see. There’s also getting the trailer load of spares home.

So - That’s why it’s been 5 years, and not 1 minute. Though I will admit - This one did look good within the first minute.

Though it sucks for cross country flights. I’m thinking we’ll take the 530 just to see the mountains up close. Secluded picnics are in the plans as well.
Thanks for the tips guys on the sites. We’ll do the BBQ for sure.

PS - Yes, the wife is a Brit. Yes, I love the accent too. But, after 12 years, I don't really think about it. Everyone else sure has to comment though. She can sure do some pretty cute things over the radios with it.

Best of luck with the purchase, if you should choose to go that route. They do a lot of plane restoration around here. It's always great to see a part of history saved and restored to what it was - even if it isn't 100% what is was.

If I had the money and the skill, I couldn't have resisted it for 5 years. Of course, the logistics of the matter, especially the safety aspects, could never be rushed.

My mom, or should I say mum, is british. I've listened to her my whole life and to me she doesn't have an accent. When I was a kid I was in love with this model of a Churchill tank at the local hobby shop. I'd go in every week or so and look at the thing. Mom was with me, as she drove sometimes. She never said a thing about that tank. A few weeks before christmas, I rode my bike over to the hobby shop and the model was gone! I asked the owner what had happened. He told me that "...some lady that talked funny came in and bought it the other day." Needless to say, I still thought is was a cool model come Christmas morning.

[iceman3876]

I think they grow alot of chickens there. My advice...fly that plane outta there as fast as possible. And dont ask for directions...Oh! and dont forget to zip your britches before you go there....those darn chickens can hear a zipper a mile away...

[elau]

Are you driving down there? If you are, don't blink or you miss the town. Yes, I grew up in Roanoke, VA. So I know a little about towns in N.C.

[andersbenz]

Great airplanes. But then I am biased as my dad flew in them when he was in the Air Force back in the 1950s.

[pastmaster]

WVOtoG0,

I saw a twin cockpit Spitfire, ex-Irish Air Force, this one, at the Willow Run Airshow, in 1970-71.
I met Don Plumb and talked to his Pilot, a Battle of Britain Veteran, who flew the Airshow with this rare aircraft. The US Air Force Thunderbirds flying F4 Phantoms, at the time, performed their MAGIC, I had never seen anything like it! The Spitfire's performance in contrast to the F4 Phantoms, power and speed, really showed the elegance of the Spitfire! In a class by itself, not better than the P51 Mustangs, but different.

I found this link to it and Don Plumb, it was back at Willow Run, this Summer, I wish I had known it. Hope this helps.

http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/specs/supermar/spitix.htm