Pounce Online

Issue date: 11/4/05 Section: the Big Picture

Media Credit: Rudy Frasca Rudy Frasca´s vintage World War II Fiat.

Media Credit: Rudy Frasca Rudy Frasca´s vintage World War II Mark 18 Spitfire

Champaign, Illinois is home to Frasca Air Museum, a division of Frasca International, Inc and the one of the countries finest collections of vintage aircraft. Rudy Frasca, company president and former U.S. Navy pilot is the owner of several World War II era fighter planes.

Frasca, a U.S. Navy pilot and flight instructor from 1949-1953 has balanced his post-military career between advancing the aviation industries flight simulation technology with Frasca International, Inc, and glorifying the industries past with his collection of vintage fighter planes.

One of Frasca's prized possessions is his P-40E Warhawk fighter plane, which he purchased for $126,000 in 1976 and is now worth around $1.2 million.

The plane is the exact type used by the famed Flying Tigers, an all volunteer World War II air unit which despite being out numbered for months and lacking any replacement pilots was able to shoot down 286 Japanese planes while losing only 12 of their own.

"The Flying Tigers played a very important part in the early stages of World War II, and were very instrumental in keeping the Japanese out of China" said Frasca whose own P-40E is adorned with the shark's teeth representative of the Flying Tigers.

Frasca's P-40E has been featured in several movies including 1941, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring John Belushi. Frasca himself flew the plane in the 1976 film Midway about the famous World War II battle of the same name.

The P-40E is not Frasca's only world renowned airplane; he is also the owner of a Mark XVIII Spitfire. The Spitfire was Britain's premier fighter plane in World War II and played a significant role in keeping the Japanese out of Britain.

Frasca purchased pieces of the plane from India, where several parts had been scattered in the desert. After restoration the Spitfire was eventually restored and has also achieved fame within the aviation community.

"Both these planes played a very significant role it the first 18 months of World War II" Frasca said.

Since 1958 Rudy Frasca has played a significant role in developing new technology in the aviation industry with his company, all the while keeping an eye on the past with his love of aviation history.

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