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Something told me this aircraft might appeal to him, even though it lacks the kind of firepower I hear he normally looks for. If you squint, you can see elements that were to make up elements of aircraft as varied as the FW-190 and the Corsair F4-U.

Happily, a whole site exists on this seldom featured plane, and my travels of the last week took me through Bucharest, Ploesti, and Brasov. Below are my pics of the aircraft mentioned below.

"The fighter was deployed on home defence in the Bucharest and Ploesti areas as well as in the attack role on the Eastern front during 1942-3. It was sometimes mistaken by Allied pilots for the Focke-Wulf Fw-190.
A number of I.A.R. 80's were scrambled against the well-publicized USAAF mission to bomb the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania on 1 August 1943. The B-24s of Ninth Bomber Command took very heavy losses from flak, fighters {Bf-109s and I.A.R. 80s} and navigational errors. The Ploesti raids of July 9 and 15, 1944 were met by about 25 I.A.R.80 sorties.
After World War Tzwo, the Russians shipped home the entire I.A.R. factory and all aircraft from Brasov, as "war reparations". There was even a joke around, at that time: Do you know the Principle of Lavoisiev? Nothing is lost, everything is transported.

Sometime in the mid-eighties, a group of enthusiasts in Brasov dug up every original part they could find, built what they couldn't find, and now an I.A.R. 80 is proudly on display at the National Military Museum in Bucharest, see the picture below.

From: www.fortunecity.com/ta...0/iar.html

Nice pics!! You're right, it does look like a mix of several designs...

Did you get any specs on that baby?

- Shadow_Bshwackr

Nice pics!! You're right, it does look like a mix of several designs...

Did you get any specs on that baby?

Da. Check'a da' website inna' da' linky provided.

nice lookin plane. does kinda have the corsair look to it.

Thanks!!! It certainly is an interesting aircraft and, from what I hear, one of the hot tickets to fly in IL2 (any comments on that?).

Although it reads like this design preceded the F4U, it's hard not to read in some influences of it, in the canopy, as well as maybe some Hughes H-1 (especially when you look at the 3-views on the website link). The "plank" style wing and long moment between the wing and tail are also interesting features.

No ropes around the display....lucky you (and us)!

- JG300-Stoopy

No ropes around the display....lucky you (and us)!

None needed....while it isn't a crowded museum, generally, there are, at any given time, 3-4 husky young Romanian soldiers with AK-74's (magazines affixed, can't say what's in 'em) patrolling the grounds.

The staff is quite friendly and helpful. One nice young thing in the uniform and small armaments area actually moved ropes for me to get better pic of the 37 barrelled 11mm "machine" gun!