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Nelson also does a nice conversion on the stock hydraulic system, which is much cleaner than the original. You can really notice the difference in the wheel well, where "Spirit Of Texas" and Howard Pardue's "Fury" are very clean with about 6 lines all neatly routed together, "Southern Cross" and other Sea Furies with the stock system look like pasta salad with lines running all over the place. Also, whereas I have F-102 wheels and brakes both SOT and Fury have P-80, which are much lighter. Of course Howard also has his tuned exhaust, and Stewart also has some major cleanup to the exhaust.
Both of these aircraft also have extra fuel tanks in the wings, which is nice as you carry extra fuel without the drag of the external drop tanks on cross country flights. I have to carry about 2-3" extra M.P. to keep up when we go to Reno with my drop tanks attached.
I would also say that Stewart has the slickest paint job out there (not just the stunning way it looks). Chad Ezell did an excellent job of making "Spirit of Texas" a very clean, smooth airframe.
I just had to leave those in the quoted text, they're so d*** good!
Victor, I'll bet the owners and pilots could learn a few things that are going on with their airplanes at speed from your photos, the way Bob Button learned about the "Voodoo bubbles" from a photo a few years back (whose photo was that? Wayne?).
One thing I've wondered about SOT is why the gold spinner? Maybe a spare from 'Fury?' The first thought I had was "why not a 'Lone Star' in white on a blue spinner?" Or a gold star on white (you'd have to have seen the statue on top of the Texas capitol building to know where I got that inspiration)
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