A child-sized pedal airplane that any kid would be over the moon to own has run into some turbulence in an effort to give it away.
Pilot Barry Jackson spent two whole weeks building the P51 Mustang from a kit he bought online (for $500) and he would like to see it raffled or auctioned off for charity.
“I built it to donate it,” said Jackson, who doesn’t want to see the plane sell for a mere couple hundred dollars.
“You can’t buy these, I’ve looked all over the internet and there is none.”
The plane, named Old Crow, took Jackson two weeks to build.
Jackson doesn’t care who gets it, he just wants to see it auctioned or raffled off for a good price for a good cause.
But so far, his attempts to spark some interest from a couple charities haven’t taken off – he has already been turned down by two.
It’s confusing for Jackson considering the interest the plane gets from neighbours and kids.
“They just go ballistic when they see it,” said Jackson, who has had a couple local kids up to his place at Predator Ridge to try it out.
“When I was a kid, I would’ve killed to have something like this.”
He thought of keeping it, but since his own children are all in their 20s it might be a while before any little ones are around to enjoy it.
“I’m a long way from having great grandkids,” said Jackson, a semi-retired contractor and developer who just recently sold his airplane since flying for 55 years.
The plane, which is appropriate for ages four to seven, is a replica of the famous North American Aviation single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during the Second World War, the Korean War and other conflicts.
“The P51 actually won the war in Europe,” said Jackson.
Any charity or non-profit group interested in the plane can contact Jackson by e-mail at gbjmexx@aol.com.