A 1951 Cessna 305A O1 L-19 Birddog has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

A pristine 1951 Cessna L-19 for sale. Сompletely restored, ~875hrs on the o470-11. Has new interior/glass, perfect paint, gravity fuel stc (no fuel pumps and no pressure carb), cruise prop stc (cruise at 125-130 instead of 100mph), weight increase stc, Eisenhower step. Has hydraulic brakes in the back (must have for the check-out), electric flaps. Flap motor and jackscrews just overhauled. Garmin radio and Garmin transponder with ADSB out. Rockets, bomb shackles, camera pod and composite bombs if you prefer that. New spare mag, starter, oil cooler and misc parts. Located at X50. Training and delivery available. Make an offer.

The aircraft is located in Edgewater, Florida and is currently available for US $189,000 although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.

In his newly released book Dakota Squadrons in Action From D-Day to V.E. Day: Airborne, Support and Supply Operations in the Liberation of Europe, author Clive Bennett provides “a microscopic examination of No. 46 Group’s flight operations, day by day, squadron by squadron, often down to crew names and takeoff/landing times.”

RAF Transport Command’s 46 Group, formed in January 1944 and operating Douglas C-47 Dakotas from RAF Broadwell, Blakehill Farm, and Down Ampney, provided critical airborne support, resupply, and casualty evacuation during WWII’s final phase. From D-Day on June 6, 1944, its squadrons delivered troops, paratroopers, and gliders over France, with WAAF ‘Flying Nightingales’ nurses aiding wounded on return flights—though LACW Margaret Campbell died in an October 1944 crash. During Operation Market Garden in September 1944, they conducted daily resupplies, earning Flight Lieutenant David Lord a posthumous Victoria Cross for bravery under flak, and in March 1945’s Operation Varsity, they enabled the war’s last major airborne assault, significantly aiding the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The 304 page title is available in hardcover and Kindle formats.

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ICM is slated to release a new B-26C-45 Marauder model kit in 1/48 scale.

The kit (48328) will reportedly include accurately reproduced geometry and proportions, detailed cockpit and fuselage equipment and decals with three marking options representing aircraft of the 17th and 320th US Bombardment Groups in Europe.

As of this writing, a final release date has not yet been announced, although it will reportedly be available “soon.”

(ICM via Aeroscale)

A 2004 Mustang II complete airframe project has been spotted for sale.

According to the listing, the Mustang is a two-seat, low-wing, experimental-category aircraft, known for high speed (up to 200 mph with a 180 HP Lycoming O-360 engine and constant-speed prop) and sleek design similar to the Vans RV-6. The aircraft carries 45 gallons of fuel with auxiliary and rare tip tanks, giving roughly 4.25 hours of range with reserves. This particular project has 1,197 total hours since new and comes with full paperwork, receipts, and FAA bill of sale. Damage is isolated and repairable, mainly on the left gear attachment and wing skin, with no spar or engine mount damage. The interior is finished, featuring tan seats, full instrumentation, electric trim, and strobes. The kit was ordered in 1997, completed in 2004, and the factory remains active with parts available. Sold as a low-cost project, storage is prepaid for 30 days, and it can be transported easily on an 18–20 ft trailer.

The airframe is located in in Hayes, Virginia and is currently available for US $8,495, although bids are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.

A 1981 Cessna 152 has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

This 1981 Cessna 152 is an excellent time-builder or flight-school aircraft featuring a 115-hp O-235 engine with only 40 hours since major overhaul and 1,406 hours since prop overhaul. With 12,138 total airframe hours and a solid maintenance history, it has been used in a flying club since 2013 and performs reliably. While it shows age cosmetically, this Cessna remains an economical and dependable trainer that’s ready to fly.

The aircraft is located in Livermore, CA and offers are currently being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.

Soon to be released by Air World and author Peter Croft is Bomber Crew Morale in WW2: How Bomber Command’s Airmen Faced Terrible Odds in the Second World War.

During World War II, 125,000 aircrew served in RAF Bomber Command, and 55,573—about 44%—were killed. Despite these grim odds, crews continued flying nightly missions, showing extraordinary courage and determination. RAF leadership tried to sustain morale through discipline, good equipment, and effective leadership, but much depended on the airmen themselves. Their patriotism, stoicism, and strong camaraderie helped them endure constant danger, from enemy fire to mechanical failures and accidents. Even without combat, simply flying remained a perilous task.

This new release “honors the bravery of Bomber Command’s men—those who survived and those whose lives were cut short—and reflects on their extraordinary courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.”

The 280 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release slated for January 30.

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Arma Hobby has released the first images of the test sprues for their upcoming new tool Me 262 A-1a in 1/72 scale.

As previously reported, the upcoming release will reportedly be offered in several boxings including the Me 262 A-1a Schwalbe, Me 262 A-1a with Wfr. Gr. 21 (with 3D printed rocket launchers), and Me 262 A-2a Sturmvogel.

The company reports that the kit is very close to completion and the sprues are currently being reviewed before pre-orders begin.

Click below to check out the newly released images.

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A full set of Spitfire plans has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

This is a full set of plans to build a full size flying Supermarine Spitfire replica aircraft. The plans were designed by Marcel Jurca in France. These are large paper plans, some of which are to be used as direct templates attached to aluminum or wood to cut out parts such as compound curves for wing shape, ribs, fuselage sections, etc. The airplane can be powered by the V-1710 Allison V-12 Engine, or the Merlin V-1650 Engines. The early non-high Altitude Merlins (V-1650-1) are available and much cheaper than the later high altitude versions fitted to aircraft like the P-51D. The plans show how to build a strong wood box spar mated to an Steel tube fuselage. The shape of the airplane is identical to a Spitfire Mk.9 with the famous elliptical wing, identical style landing gear, cowling, etc.

The plan set is located in Suwanee, Georgia and is currently available for US $1,200 although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.

A C-130 Hercules fuselage has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

Here’s a rare opportunity to own a c-130 fuselage. You could build a unique Airbnb or tiny home. Need a cool prop for an apocalyptic film? The nose cone is inside the plane as well as three wheels. There are many parts still inside the plane. This sell does not include wings, engines, tail fin.

The aircraft is located in Greybull, Wyoming and is currently available for US $23,000 although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.

New from Tempest and author Jane Gulliford Lowes is The Invisible Campaign: Bomber Command Gardening Operations 1940-1945 which details the crucial yet little-known aerial minelaying operations by RAF Bomber Command which successfully disrupted Axis shipping between 1940–1945.

The Invisible Campaign, based on Air Ministry and Admiralty archival material, together with squadron records, veteran accounts and logbooks as well as contemporary publications and press releases, provides the most detailed account of Bomber Command’s minelaying operations and their effects ever written.

Historian Jane Gulliford Lowes looks at the aims of the campaign and how it was implemented, together with the measure of its success and how it compared against the mining operations implemented by the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. The role of Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris in overseeing minelaying operations is assessed and the experiences of the men who delivered the campaign, particularly the hazards they faced, are explored.

Featuring a foreword by renowned historian James Holland, The Invisible Campaign – Bomber Command Gardening Operations 1940-1945 sheds new light on a little-discussed but important and ultimately highly successful aspect of Bomber Command and is a must-read for anyone interested the RAF’s in wartime bombing operations.

The 300 page, hardcover title is currently available for pre-order with release slated for December 30.

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