The Historic Aircraft Collection has announced the first post-restoration flight of de Havilland DH.9 E8894/G-CDLI.
As previously reported, the aircraft is one of two DH.9s discovered in an elephant stable in India and restored over a 15 year period by Guy Black’s Retrotec workshop in East Sussex, England. While the first example (D-5649) was rebuilt for static display at the Imperial War Museum, this second DH.9 was restored to airworthy status and is powered by the only airworthy Siddeley Puma engine in the world. The aircraft is owned by Retrotec’s sister company Aero Vintage and operated by Historic Aircraft Collection.
The flight was reportedly conducted yesterday from the Imperial War Museum’s Duxford airfield with pilot Dodge Bailey at the controls. It lasted 30 minutes and was described as “trouble free.”
Click below to check out photos and video of the test.
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On October 19, The Historic Aircraft Collection’s newly restored de Havilland DH.9 E8894/G-CDLI performed its initial engine test at Duxford.
The aircraft is one of two DH.9s discovered in an elephant stable in India and restored by Guy Black’s Retrotec workshop in East Sussex, England. While the first example (D-5649) was rebuilt for static display at the Imperial War Museum, this second DH.9 was restored to airworthy status and is powered by the only airworthy Siddeley Puma engine in the world.
The machine is reportedly undergoing ground runs for CAA paperwork. At the moment, a time frame for flight testing has not yet been announced. Click below to check out a video of Friday’s test.
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Storch Fi 156 G-BPHZ, currently under restoration in the UK, has hit the market. The description states:
Under restoration at Retrotec with an original Argus engine. Post-war use with French (as F-BJOC) as an Argus engined MS 500 with all the evidence of German manufacturer’s specification, including side opening doors, and many other brackets and parts not always seen on MS 502 and 505. Later on BJOC was converted to MS 505, but the original MS 500 data plates is still affixed and is a war-time German design. Most minor components and assemblies (for example the undercarriage and control brackets) are German Fieseler 156 marked. Tail number 1827. Original rear gunner’s ring for MG 15.
The airframe can reportedly be rebuilt “as a Fi 156 C1 with a guaranteed genuine identity if preferred,” and will include “metal wings and empennage for practicality, but the fuel lines from the wing tanks will be routed as on the Fi 156 specification.” The description also states: [continue reading…]
Leicestershire-based charity The People’s Mosquito (TPM) has announced an “achievable, structured five-year engineering plan” to return de Havilland Mosquito RL249 to UK skies.
The news reportedly comes after close consultation with the historic aircraft experts at Retrotec, Ltd. and includes the launch of a dedicated fundraising campaign which seeks to raise “£499,000 over the next 12 months to deliver the successful front-end engineering, tooling and design and fabrication of the Mosquito FB.VI fuselage mould in the UK.”
The funding will reportedly support “crucial UK CAA due diligence from the outset of the project” and enable Retrotec’s engineers to analyze TPM’s massive technical library and develop exact computer aided design (CAD) models for the airframe. Additionally, the funding will allow Retrotec’s workshops to be reconfigured to accommodate the build and enable the fabrication the Mosquito’s unique fuselage mold, which will see the return of a manufacturing capability “not seen on these shores for more than 75 years.” [continue reading…]
An effort by Leicestershire-based charity The People’s Mosquito, Ltd. (TPM) to return a de Havilland Mosquito to UK skies has taken a major step forward with the announcement of a contract with East Sussex-based Retrotec, Ltd. to construct and test the machine.
The deal will provide Retrotec’s restoration experts with full access to TPM’s massive collection of Mossie engineering drawings and allow the aircraft to be to constructed in the UK. TPM Managing Director John Lilley states: [continue reading…]
