Category: Museums / Organizations

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Museum to Display Full-Scale Spitfire Sculpture During RW388 Restoration

The original Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe based at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley, Staffordshire has been dismantled ahead of a major, off-site restoration that will see it returned to its former glory.

The museum closed on January 22nd in order to remove the aircraft (RW388) from the popular Spitfire gallery, where it has been on display since 1985. When the facility reopens on February 10th, the gallery will reportedly contain a temporary replacement in the form of a full-scale Spitfire sculpture crafted by apprentices at KMF Group Ltd.

As previously reported, RW388 was originally built by Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd. in 1945 and served in a training role during WW2. Following the war it was used as a gate guard at RAF Benson and RAF Andover before being officially presented to the city of Stoke-on-Trent by the Royal Air Force in 1972. After arriving at the museum, it was given a place of honor in the Spitfire gallery, which is dedicated to the type’s locally-born designer, Reginald Mitchell.

In 2019, the restored Spitfire is slated to return to the museum for display in a new, £6 million glass-fronted extension that will also include a new cafe and city square.

Click below to check out a time-lapse of RW388 being dismantled as well as photos of the replacement sculpture.

Continue reading Museum to Display Full-Scale Spitfire Sculpture During RW388 Restoration

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Stranded PBY Catalina Nearly Ready for Return to Flight

Following an emergency landing and three-month grounding, the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society’s (HARS) PBY-6A Catalina (A24-362/VH-PBZ) is nearly ready to return to the air.

The machine was en route to the Rathmines Catalina Festival back in October when it developed engine trouble and landed at Maitland Airport in New South Wales, where it has remained ever since. Major progress toward a return to flight was made earlier this week when a rebuilt Pratt & Whitney R1830 engine was delivered to the site from the machine’s home base at Ablion Park.

The engine has since been installed and test runs are planned for Wednesday. If all goes well, a test flight will follow and the team will return on a weekend to fly it home. Continue reading Stranded PBY Catalina Nearly Ready for Return to Flight

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TVAL Debuts New Albatros, Sopwith Pup at Hood Aerodrome

Yesterday, The Vintage Aviator, Ltd. (TVAL) debuted new Albatros D.Va and Sopwith Pup reproductions at Hood Aerodrome in Masterton, New Zealand.

The Albatros (seen above) is painted in the colors of a Jasta 11 machine flown by Ltn. Carl-August von Schoenebeck and bears the unit’s signature red on the nose, struts and undercarriage, while the pilot’s personal color, lilac, is applied to the tail surfaces. The new Le Rhone-powered Sopwith Pup wears the colors of N6185 “ANZAC” of 4(N) Squadron, RNAS, flown by FSLt C.J.Moir.

It is not yet known when the machines will make their public debut, as TVAL is not hosting any public flying weekends for the 2017/18 season.

Click below to check out a photo of the new Pup.

Continue reading TVAL Debuts New Albatros, Sopwith Pup at Hood Aerodrome

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Rare KB-50 Superfortress Arrives at New Home, Restoration to Follow

The Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum at Dover AFB in Delaware has reported the arrival of their newly acquired KB-50 Superfortress.

As previously reported, the aircraft (S/N 49-0389) was originally built by Boeing as a B-50D and delivered to the USAAF around 1949. During its service life it was converted to a KB-50 variant carrying auxiliary fuel tanks and a hose pod under the wings. In 1958 it was again modified, this time to a KB-50J refueling tanker which included the addition of two turbojet engines. In 1965 it was flown to Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, where it became part of the USAF Museum collection. It remained at the museum until 1996, when it was loaned to MacDill AFB in in Tampa, Florida.

The machine was relocated by Worldwide Aircraft Recovery of Bellevue, Nebraska with the final parts arriving on January 19th. The AMC aircraft restoration team will reportedly begin working on the aircraft shortly, although a timeframe for completion/display has not yet been announced.

Click below to check out photos of the KB-50’s arrival.

Continue reading Rare KB-50 Superfortress Arrives at New Home, Restoration to Follow

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EAA Meets Fundraising Goal For Airworthy Restoration of B-25

The EAA’s $400,000 fundraising initiative to restore their B-25H to airworthy condition has been successful.

The aircraft (S/N 43-4432) was originally delivered to the USAAF in 1943 and went on to serve as an administrative aircraft at several bases around the US. Following the war, it passed through the hands of several owners, including Tallmantz Aviation, who used the machine in the 1970 film Catch-22.

The B-25 was donated to the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1972 where it was restored to flying status as “The City of Burlington.” However, it was damaged in a landing accident in the 1980s, which resulted in cosmetic repairs and static display at the museum. Continue reading EAA Meets Fundraising Goal For Airworthy Restoration of B-25

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Spitfire RW388 Begins Journey Toward Restoration

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley, Staffordshire temporarily closed its Spitfire gallery on Wednesday as part of an extensive project that will see Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe RW388 “reborn.”

The aircraft, which was built by Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd. in 1945, served in a training role during WW2 and also towed targets for Navy ships. Following the war it was used as a gate guard at RAF Benson and RAF Andover before being officially presented to the city of Stoke-on-Trent by the Royal Air Force in 1972. It was installed at the museum in 1985 and has taken a place of honor in their Spitfire gallery, which is dedicated to the type’s locally-born designer, Reginald Mitchell.

The museum closed the gallery in order to begin the process of disassembling the aircraft so it can be removed from the museum for restoration “to its former glory.” The full museum will be closed beginning on January 22nd so relocation can be carried out, with reopening scheduled for February 10th. Continue reading Spitfire RW388 Begins Journey Toward Restoration

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Aviation Book, Model Donations Sought to Help Fund Refurbishment of Hawker Hunter F.2

The Sywell Aviation Museum at Sywell Aerodrome in Northampton is seeking donations of military/aviation books, models and model kits in order to raise funds for the restoration of the collection’s Hawker Hunter F.2.

The aircraft, WN904, was constructed by Armstrong Whitworth in 1953/54 and performed its maiden flight on July 27, 1954 before being delivered to 257 (Burma) Squadron, RAF. However, its service with the squadron was cut short in January 1956, when it was reported as damaged and in need of manufacturer/contractor repair. Documentation suggests that the incident may have been an emergency landing at RAF Kenley that saw it go through two hedges and over a public road.

Gloster carried out the repairs on the machine, but by this time, 257 Squadron was upgrading to the F.5, which resulted in WN904 being struck off charge in November 1957. Continue reading Aviation Book, Model Donations Sought to Help Fund Refurbishment of Hawker Hunter F.2

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Unanimous Decision Secures New Home for C-53 “Beach City Baby”

Commissioners in Venango County, Pennsylvania have reportedly approved a “memorandum of understanding” with Vintage Wings, Inc. that will see their newly restored C-53 Skytrooper housed at the Franklin Venango Regional Airport.

The unanimous decision paves the way for the Skytrooper to be flown from its current location in Ohio to its new home – an event that is expected to take place this summer.

The aircraft (S/N 41-20095) was constructed by Douglas and was on the factory floor when the Pearl Harbor attack occurred in December 1941. It was delivered to the USAAC in January 1942 and was soon flown to Africa to participate in Operation Torch. The machine also saw service transporting troops and VIPs during the war and completed its service with FEA, Cairo Division.

Following civilian service with Danish Airlines/SAS and a stint as “Buckeye One,” the official state aircraft for the governor of Ohio, the Skytrooper was retired and flown to the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio where it remained until 1990, when it was acquired by Ohio University of Athens and stripped of its engines. Eventually Ken Joseph stepped in and returned it to an airworthy state, obtaining a ferry permit and flying it to Beach City, Ohio in 1992. Continue reading Unanimous Decision Secures New Home for C-53 “Beach City Baby”

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Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Avenger Expected to Return to the Air in 2018

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Ontario has applied civil registration C-GCWG to their TBM-3E Avenger in preparation for its upcoming post-restoration test flight, which is expected to take place this year.

The aircraft (S/N 53858) was constructed in 1945 by General Motors, Eastern Aircraft Division and served with the US Navy until the 1950s. Upon entering civilian service it was converted to a spray plane, operating first in California and then New Brunswick before being retired in 1992.

The Avenger was acquired by the museum in late 2009 and a team of volunteers has since invested thousands of hours to restore it to airworthy condition. Although currently without markings, a post-war RCN Avenger AS.3 livery will be applied sometime after the first flight.

An official first flight display will take place, however, dates for the first engine run up and flights are currently described as “moving targets.”

(via Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Additional Information via Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Photo: JustSomePics via Wikimedia Commons)

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Rare Bristol Freighter Arrives at New Home Following 11,000 Mile Journey

Earlier today, one of the last remaining Bristol Type 170 Freighters was transported to Filton where it will become part of the new Aerospace Bristol museum.

Designed and built by Bristol in 1944, the type served as a both a freighter and as a passenger airliner. Although 214 were built, only 11 remain and, until now, none of them were in Europe.

The arrival of NZ5911 (a Mark 31M military variant of the type) caps off an 11,000-mile journey that began at Ardmore Airport in New Zealand back in October. Its journey took it to Singapore, Jordan and Athens before it arrived in the UK on December 28th (its first return since 1954).

The journey to Filton began at Portbury Dock aboard a Kings Heavy Haulage truck, traveling the M5 and A38 to the Brabazon Hangar where it will be stored and assessed by the Aerospace Bristol team. A timeframe for restoration and public display has not yet been established, as fundraising is still ongoing for its hangar.

Click below to check out a video of today’s journey, as well as photos of the fuselage following its arrival.

Continue reading Rare Bristol Freighter Arrives at New Home Following 11,000 Mile Journey