New Two Volume Series Details Vickers Aircraft of WW1 With Drawings, Photos, Color Profiles
Newly released from Aeronaut Books and author is Colin Owers is a two volume series on Vickers aircraft of WW1:
The story of how the Vickers, Sons and Maxim Ltd, heavy armament manufacturers, entered aeronautical manufacturing when the military potential of aviation became apparent, is told in these two volumes. Vickers aircraft were soon flying, originally being based on the French REP monoplane. Then in 1913 they exhibited what could well be the first British aircraft designed from the start as a fighting machine with a forward firing machine gun. This was developed into the F.B.5, better known as the ‘Gun Bus’. They were in service as soon as the war broke out in 1914 and for a while were successful. The advent of the synchronised machine gun fighter saw Vickers machines fall out of favour. They built many interesting prototypes but only three were manufactured in small series.
The Company produced some of the fastest aircraft of their time and in a civil world would have achieved fame; however, they were not suited to the evolving aerial battlefield. The Vimy bomber of 1918 was a sensation, lifting a greater bombload the Handley Page O/400 on less power. The end of hostilities meant that no Vimy flew on operations in WWI but it went onto a long career in the RAF and in civil hands in its Vernon version.
The story of this remarkable company is told in detail including contemporary drawings from official manuals and reports. Volume 1 has 182 photos, 30 color profiles, and scale drawings of 3 aircraft in its 207 pages. Volume 2 has 221 photos, 33 color profiles, and scale drawings of 3 aircraft within its 214 pages.
The two volumes, Vickers Aircraft of WWI: Volume 1: E.F.B – F.B.12 and Vickers Aircraft of WWI: Volume 2: F.B.14 – Valentia Flying Boat are currently available in paperback format.
Product Page (Volume 1)
Product Page (Volume 2)
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Shuttleworth Provides Update on DH.88 Comet Restoration Plan, Fundraising Appeal Launched
Shuttleworth has provided an update on plans for their original de Havilland DH.88 Comet following an incident at their Flying Proms Air Show on August 15 that resulted in significant damage.
The organization states that they have reached an agreement in principle with their insurers that will allow detailed assessment and repairs to begin. A fundraising appeal has also been launched to help facilitate repairs, restoration and preservation. The goal is not only to return the historic aircraft to the air, but to do so in time for the time for the 100th Anniversary of 1934 MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia, which was won by “Grosvenor House” (G-ACSS) in 70 hours 54 minutes. This is the very aircraft Shuttleworth is now working to restore.
Our aim is to raise £250,000 over the next 18 months to ensure that G-ACSS not only flies again but emerges from this restoration with a more extensive spares holding to support its long-term operation for future generations to experience and enjoy.
As previously reported, the aircraft rolled over on landing at the event and the pilot was extracted and sent to the hospital, being discharged soon after. Full details on the restoration plan (and a donation link) can be found on Shuttleworth’s dedicated project page.
(via Shuttleworth Photo: Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Arma Hobby Releases “Next Generation” P-51D Mustang VLR Kit
Arma Hobby recently released their new P-51D Mustang “Very Long Range” (VLR) model kit in 1/72 scale.
P-51D Mustang VLR was a late-war version of the famous American fighter adapted for Very Long Range missions. Aircraft of this type operated from Iwo Jima, escorting Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers over Japan and carrying out long-range strike missions.
As previously reported, the kit (70073) is described as a “modern next-generation Arma Hobby kit” and a “highly accurate” representation. It features an additional VLR sprue with Pacific-specific equipment: 110-gallon underwing drop tanks, 150-gallon streamlined drop tanks from the P-38 Lightning, and rockets for strike missions. Additional features include a detailed cockpit, canopy masks and high-quality Cartograf decals with marking options for two aircraft: “Snortin’ Phyllie” (1st Lt. Herb Straughn, 531st Fighter Squadron, 21st Fighter Group) and “Little One” (1st Lt. Francis J. Pilecki, 458th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group). The kit also features a free 3D file with seat with harness, exhaust pipes, and gun barrels.
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1985 Corben Baby Ace D For Sale: “Recent Annual, Ready to Fly”
A 1985 Corben Baby Ace D has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
Excellent Corben Baby Ace D. Recent annual (condition) inspection. This aircraft has no issues and is ready to fly home! Only 200 hours Total Time since new—Airframe, 200 SMOH engine. No electrical system. Flies very nice. Extremely easy to fly and land. Great, inexpensive way to build flight time—will pay for itself. Engine alone is worth what I am asking for the entire aircraft. NO RESERVE—-I need to free up some hangar space!
The aircraft is located in Mineola, Texas and is currently available for US $10,500, although bids are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.
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WW2 Air Battles Over Hungary Detailed in New, Comprehensive, Richly illustrated Account
Coming soon from Helion and Company and author Dmitriy Khazanov is Air Battles over Hungary 1944-45 Volume 1: From Summer Skies to Autumn Firestorms: The Air War Over Hungary, 1944 – a “comprehensive, richly illustrated account” that surveys the escalating air war over Hungary in 1944, detailing fighter, bomber, and ground-attack operations across multiple nations and their human realities.
In the summer of 1944, Hungary found itself at the centre of a rapidly shifting front as Soviet forces surged westward and Allied bombing intensified. Air Battles over Hungary 1944–45 – Volume 1 offers a comprehensive, richly illustrated account of the escalating air war during this pivotal year, when the skies over Hungary became a deadly arena for fighters, bombers, and ground-attack aircraft from multiple nations.
This volume traces the development of the campaign from its early stages through to the final weeks of 1944. It explores in detail the operations and experiences of the Royal Hungarian Air Force, the Luftwaffe, the Red Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Drawing from a wealth of archival material, combat reports, memoirs, and previously unpublished photographs, the book reconstructs a dynamic and often chaotic picture of aerial combat as Hungary’s strategic importance grew. Continue reading WW2 Air Battles Over Hungary Detailed in New, Comprehensive, Richly illustrated Account
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Spitfire PR.XI PL983 Gets New USAAF Markings
The Aircraft Restoration Company’s Duxford-based Spitfire PR.XI PL983 (G-PRXI) has been given new, temporary markings in order to tell the wider story of reconnaissance Spitfires while giving a subtle nod to PL983’s postwar history, when it was gifted to the American Air Attaché use as his personal transport.
The new markings represent USAAF Spitfire PA892 “My Darling Dorothy” of the 14th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron / 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group. The markings were applied to represent the original RAF insignia being overpainted on base, “producing a subtle patchwork effect.”
From the moment we began marking out the stars and bars, it was obvious this scheme was going to have real presence. A Spitfire in American markings already catches the eye but there are plenty of details that make PA892 stand out even more. The yellow spinner gives the nose a bright flash of colour, while the hand-painted sign writing on the engine cowling adds that wonderfully human touch — the sort of detail that reminds you these aircraft were maintained, modified and personalised by real people working in real wartime conditions. Same with the red iron crosses, applied to acknowledge 30 photo sorties. Rather than looking too neat or factory-fresh, we applied with a makeshift stencil.
Click below to check out newly released images of the process and the finished product.
Continue reading Spitfire PR.XI PL983 Gets New USAAF Markings
Airscale Details 1/32 Bristol Blenheim Progress With New Renders
Airscale has released a new set of renderings for their upcoming Bristol Blenheim Mk IV kit in 1/32 scale.
As previously reported, the Mk IV was the principal later version of the Blenheim light bomber, entering production in 1938 with a longer, redesigned glazed nose that gave the bombardier more room and visibility, plus added armor and more powerful 920-hp Bristol Mercury XV radial engines. Flown by a crew of three, it could carry roughly 1,000 lb of bombs and served widely with the RAF during WW2 in Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Far East. Although fast by mid-1930s standards, it was increasingly vulnerable to modern fighters and anti-aircraft fire as the war progressed.
There will reportedly be an early version with the single VGO drum fed gun and no canopy blisters, and the later one with twin Brownings and blisters. Airscale’s latest update details the start on the B1 VGO turret, the tailfeathers and the Mercury engine. The developer states “lots more work ahead, but it is a wonderful aeroplane to work on.”
Check out additional renders below.
Continue reading Airscale Details 1/32 Bristol Blenheim Progress With New Renders
1956 Cessna 310 Airframe For Sale: “Good Shape”
A 1956 Cessna 310 airframe has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
1956 Cessna 310. Both props and engines have been removed. Engine mounts were also removed. Missing right wingtip electric fuel pump. Otherwise, aircraft is in good shape. Has been sitting for 6 years. Last annual was September 2020. Total airframe hours are 5385. Can use for parts or restore. Must pick up in St George, Utah (SGU)…
The aircraft is currently available for bidding. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes several additional photos.
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SBD Dauntless: A Study of the U.S. Navy’s Vital WW2 Dive Bomber
Coming soon from author Ernest M. Snowden is SBD Dauntless: Naval History Special Edition, which builds on the expertise of the authors and historians of the Naval Institute Press to offer a study of this vital WW2 carrier-based dive bomber.
In 1942, half the aircraft spotted on an American carrier were SBD Dauntless dive bombers. From Coral Sea to Midway, they tipped over into near-vertical dives and released 1,000-pound bombs at close range against Japanese flight decks. Within minutes at Midway, three enemy carriers were burning, and by day’s end a fourth carrier was rendered a burning hulk. Across five carrier battles, SBD squadrons helped sink six Japanese flattops and more than 300,000 tons of shipping.
“The naval dive-bomber was to prove the hammerhead of the naval war,” wrote Naval Academy historian E. B. Potter. The tactic required an airplane built to dive steeply, hold steady as perforated brakes tore at the air, and survive the violent pullout. Ed Heinemann’s Douglas design did exactly that. Armor plates, self-sealing tanks, and more powerful Wright engines followed as combat exposed weaknesses and range limits.
Dauntless crews searched hundreds of miles of open ocean with little margin for error. Navy squadrons flew in every major carrier engagement of the Pacific War. Marine SBDs launched at Midway, then operated from Henderson Field during the struggle for Guadalcanal, striking ships and troop concentrations around the Solomons. The Army Air Forces’ A-24 Banshee saw combat in Java, New Guinea, and the Gilberts.
From its Gamma ancestry in the mid-1930s to its final carrier missions in 1944, the SBD stood at the center of the Navy’s early offensive―an aircraft built to dive hard, hit precisely, and change the course of an entire battle with a single attack.
The 116 page publication is offered in mook format (combination book / magazine) and is currently available for pre-order with release set for November 17.
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Cavanaugh Flight Museum’s A-1H Skyraider Returns to Flight, Air Show Visits Planned
Cavanaugh Flight Museum has announced that their A-1H Skyraider 39606 has returned to the air after six years of work, which saw the installation of a newly rebuilt Anderson Aeromotive engine.
This particularly historical Skyraider was originally built in 1955 and flown in the U.S. Navy off of the USS Ranger, Oriskany, and Intrepid. It was delivered to the South Vietnam Air Force in 1970 and then transferred to Thailand. It was one of the last Skyraiders to be flown out of Vietnam by Roger Youngblood in 1975 with the fall of Saigon. Our Skyraider was returned to the USA in 1980 and restored to flight by Fighter Rebuilders in Chino, CA in 1989. It’s also one a few A-1Hs left in existence and now painted in its original scheme as Wiley Coyote, flown by Dan Wiley. Lots of hard work and long hours by our staff mechanics Duane Oester and Jonathan Christof got this Skyraider in top shape for test flights.
The museum states that the plan is to take both of their Skyraiders (the second being AD-5W B/N 135152) to airshows across the country for display on the ground and in the air. The museum’s Addison, Texas facility closed in 2024 after 31 years. All aircraft, educational displays and memorabilia were moved to the North Texas Regional Airport. This location is currently not open to the public.
Click below to check out recently released photos and video of the Skyraider in action.
Continue reading Cavanaugh Flight Museum’s A-1H Skyraider Returns to Flight, Air Show Visits Planned
