Category: Museums / Organizations

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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)

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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.

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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

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Phase II of B-24 Liberator Relocation Complete – Aircraft to be Restored for Static Display

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, GA has announced the completion of Phase II of their B-24 Liberator Project.

The B-24J-20-FO Liberator (S/N 44-487821) was originally built by the Ford Motor Company at Willow Run, Michigan 1944. It has been on outdoor display for decades, most recently at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Over that time it has worn several liveries, including Laiden Maiden, Louisiana Belle II (seen above), and Rupert the Roo II.

In June 2025 plans were announced for the aircraft to relocate to The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, a process that includes painting and restoration. The aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Phase I was completed in May with the ailerons, flaps, horizontal stabilizers, turrets, propeller assemblies, and all four engines being cataloged and removed for transport and restoration. The completion of Phase II saw the wing assembly, fuselage, and remaining major components leave Barksdale for restoration at offsite locations.

The aircraft will be installed within the museum’s expanded galleries for public exhibition with the projected date being sometime in the spring of 2027. Click below to check out newly released photos of the ongoing work.

Continue reading Phase II of B-24 Liberator Relocation Complete – Aircraft to be Restored for Static Display

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Vintage Aviation Museum to Acquire Tillamook Air Museum

Tillamook Air Museum in Tillamook, Oregon has announced that the Port of Tillamook Bay Commissioners have approved a term sheet for the land lease and future sale of Tillamook’s historic World War II-era hangar to Vintage Aviation Museum, a 501(c)(3) of Spanish Fork, Utah.

The move will see Vintage Aviation Museum assume operation of the Tillamook Air Museum and become its future owner / operator. They plan to relocate most of their aircraft collection to Tillamook while bringing additional historic aircraft to the museum’s historic 1943 airship hangar known as “Hangar B.” The goal is to eventually utilize the entire hangar for aviation-related exhibits, aircraft displays, preservation, education, and visitor experiences. The “Tillamook Air Museum” name will reportedly remain.

An obvious priority will be the repair, restoration, and long-term preservation of Hangar B, which was damaged during a windstorm in December 2025 when an approx. 200 ft section of the roof peeled back.

Additional information, including a reopening date, will be forthcoming. Click below to check out the full announcement from Tillamook as well as the recent announcement by the Vintage Aviation Museum.

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Shuttleworth to Restore DH.88 Comet After Incident, Project Page Launched

Following an incident at Shuttlworth’s Flying Proms Air Show on August 15 that resulted in significant damage, The Shuttleworth Trust has announced their intention to restore their de Havilland DH.88 Comet back to airworthy condition.

The DH.88 was a remarkably sleek British two-seat, twin-engine racing aircraft designed by A. E. Hagg specifically for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia. Built largely of wood with retractable landing gear, enclosed tandem cockpits, variable-pitch propellers, and two 230 hp Gipsy Six R engines, it represented an unusually advanced high-speed design for its day. Shuttleworth’s example, “Grosvenor House (G-ACSS),” is the very aircraft that won the roughly 11,300-mile race in 70 hours 54 minutes, helping make the DH.88 an enduring icon of 1930s aviation and an important influence on later de Havilland designs.

The aircraft rolled over on landing at the event and the pilot was extracted and sent to the hospital, being discharged soon after. Shuttleworth has launched a new, dedicated project page where you can stay up to date on the Comet’s progression.

(via Shuttleworth Photo: Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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Sopwith Camel Goes on Display at Pima Air & Space Museum

This week Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona placed their new Sopwith Camel on display.

The reproduction was originally constructed in Europe by John Shaw utilizing original drawings. A flight test was conducted in September 2017 which saw the machine reach roughly 150 ft before its original Clerget rotary engine “coughed and stopped,” resulting in a “heavy landing.” Thankfully Shaw escaped the incident, but the Camel suffered significant damage.

It was acquired by Pima in 2018 and restored for static display wearing the colors of a
Camel flown by Lt. Alfred John Haines of 45 Squadron in late 1918. It is again fitted with an original Clerget from the Pima collection.

For additional details on this aircraft, check out issues 1, 5 and 28 of The Flying Machine journal. For details on John Shaw’s second Sopwith Camel, check out issues 14 and 23.

Click below to view additional images.

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Two New Calendars Offer Nothing But Spitfires For 2027

More 2027 calendars are starting to hit the market as we move towards the second half of the year, and today we are featuring two of them focused entirely on the iconic Spitfire.

The first brings together a striking collection of historical photography from Imperial War Museum collections, offering glimpses of the heroic people who made up the Squadrons, and an example of the poster art of the time. Also featured is Duxford’s Spitfire Mk Ia N3200, which was recovered and restored before returning to the air in 2014. Each photo is accompanied by informative text and a datepad features previous and next month’s views.

The second Spitfire calendar is offered by Avonside Publishing Ltd and showcases the aviation photography of Darren Harbar. It features a large Monday start grid for entering important dates as well as a multilingual grid (English, French, German, Italian & Spanish). It measures 11.6″ x 23.2″ (295mm x 590mm) open.

Click below to check out product links and additional images.

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Moving a Lockheed Constellation is Not a Simple Process [Video]

Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks has posted a new video documenting the move of his Lockheed Constellation in preparation for construction of a new hangar.

This particular aircraft (N974R) is a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, the final Constellation variant. During its long service history it flew with Lufthansa and served as a freighter with Lockheed Air Service. It was acquired by Fantasy of Flight in 2011.

The new video is the first in a two part series and can be seen after the break along with Kermit’s overview of N974R’s journey to Fantasy of Flight. As you’ll see, the move is more complicated and interesting than you might expect.

Continue reading Moving a Lockheed Constellation is Not a Simple Process [Video]

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See What the New England Air Museum Looked Like in 1992 [Video]

Our YouTube channel DX Modelworks has taken a break from model aircraft build logs to bring you a new video showing what the New England Air Museum looked like in 1992.

The brief video tour provides general views, close-ups of aircraft such as the F6F Hellcat and the Fokker Dr.1, and a look at the models on display. It is a wonderful time capsule that shows how the museum has evolved over the years, and it also evokes nostalgia for those who visited during this period.

Check it out below.

Continue reading See What the New England Air Museum Looked Like in 1992 [Video]