Category: Modern Era (1945-Present)

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Race 232, “World’s Fastest Sea Fury” Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 N232MB, a 2006 National Champion and winner of Reno Unlimited Gold, has hit the market.

Dubbed “world’s fastest Sea Fury,” the aircraft reportedly received a full restoration to 0 time condition as well as a modification to Unlimited Air Racer configuration by Sanders Aeronautics in 1998. These modifications were said to be done “to enable the airframe to be returned to stock condition.”

The machine was originally built as a Mk 11 in September 1947 with a Bristol Centaurus engine, however, this was replaced during restoration with a Curtis Wright R-3350-93 (currently in need of overhaul), a process that is said to have included the installation of a custom engine mount. Additional work reportedly included a boil-off heat exchange system, new oil and fuel lines and new instruments and wiring. In addition, the wing inlets on the left side were sealed in an effort to reduce drag, and a racing canopy was designed to replace the stock unit.

The machine is reportedly offered with two sets of wings: 1 set stock wings (installed) and 1 set of clipped Sea Fury wings for racing. Race 232 is currently available for $750,000. Click here to check out the complete listing.

(Photo: D Ramey Logan from Wikimedia Commons)

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Tamiya to Release New 1/48 F-14D Tomcat Model Kit

Tamiya has announced the upcoming release of a new F-14D Tomcat model kit in 1/48 scale.

The kit (61118) appears to be based off the company’s new tool F-14A kit (61114) which was released in 2016. It is said to be a faithful reproduction of the machine and reportedly includes movable wings and a number of weapon/reconnaissance options, including laser and GPS-guided bombs and late stage air-to-air missiles, as well as lantern, jamming and reconnaissance camera pods. Three marking options will also be included representing machines from VF-213 “Black Lions,” VF-101 “Grim Reapers” and VF-2 “Bounty Hunters.”

The kit is currently slated for release on August 4. Click below to check out additional images.

Continue reading Tamiya to Release New 1/48 F-14D Tomcat Model Kit

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Original NASA F/A-18 Hornet Simulator Tub Offered For Sale

A unit described as an original NASA F/A-18C Hornet tactical operational flight trainer tub has hit the market.

The simulator reportedly consists of the overall aluminum frame, a seat, two sets of front instrument panel frames (for analog and glass cockpit setups), throttle panel, most of the side interior avionic panels and electric load controller for the control column.

The unit is described as a great foundation for those seeking “100% realism” in their simulator project. The unit is currently based in Orlando, Florida and is reportedly authorized for US buyers only. It is currently available for $7,000, although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the complete listing on eBay.

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Museum Completes Repaint of World’s Only “Big Tail” SR-71

Yesterday, the Air Force Armament Museum located at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida completed the process of repainting their SR-71 Blackbird.

As previously reported, the aircraft, SR-71A S/N 61-7959, was completed in 1965 and, in 1975, was modified with a nine-foot boom on its aft end carrying Electronic Countermeasures and an Optical Bar Camera. The result earned the machine the moniker “Big Tail” and it would remain the only example of the type to be fitted with the modification, as tests revealed that the equipment provided no marked advantage. The aircraft performed its last flight in 1976, being placed in outdoor storage before being moved to its current home in 1991.

The project utilized 22 gallons of primer, 22 gallons of paint and newly manufactured information decals. Click below to check out images of the completed machine, including a scrollable panorama.

Continue reading Museum Completes Repaint of World’s Only “Big Tail” SR-71

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MiG-17 “Complete Aircraft” Project Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

A Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 project has hit the market.

The aircraft (nose number 726) was reportedly built under license in Poland and was flown with the Polish Air Force from 1960-1991. Following retirement from military service, the machine was acquired by a new owner and transferred to the US for restoration to airworthy condition, however, the restoration never materialized.

The aircraft has been in museum storage for the past 15 years and is based in Washington State. It is currently being offered for $29,500. Click here to check out the complete listing.

(Image: arz via Wikimedia Commons)

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On-Board Footage Captures Original SPAD XIII’s Flyby With Rafale Fighter [Video]

During the 2018 La Ferté-Alais airshow in France, spectators were treated to a flyby from Memorial Flight Association’s original SPAD XIII and a French Dassault Rafale – an event that encapsulated a century of aeronautical development.

This particular SPAD XIII is the oldest known example of the type in existence, as well as the only original example flying in the world. The aircraft was built in February 1918 by Société Kellner Frères Constructeurs as #4377 and was recovered from an attic in the 1970s by Jean Salis. Restoration began in the 1980s and was completed following its donation to the Memorial Flight Association in 1990. It returned to the air in 1991 and now wears the colors of the machine flown by Henri Trémeau of SPA 83.

The remarkable flight was captured from the ground as well as the air, and can be seen in the video below.

Continue reading On-Board Footage Captures Original SPAD XIII’s Flyby With Rafale Fighter [Video]

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“Only Flyable” Grumman AF-2S Guardian Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

Grumman AF-2S Guardian N9995Z has hit the market.

The airframe reportedly has a total time of 1,270 hrs while the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-48W engine has 200 hrs SMOH by Aero Union. The machine is said to have last flown in 2011 and is described as the “only flyable example of the first purpose-built anti-submarine warfare (ASW) carrier-based aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy.”

The aircraft (S/N 126792) has reportedly undergone an overhaul / IRAN which includes an overhauled propeller and propeller governor, an overhauled carburetor, recovered control surfaces, new glass, new main tires and tubes, new tail wheel, new service and hydraulic lines, new wing fuel tanks, airframe soda blasting and a new U.S. Navy livery.

The Guardian is located in Texas and is currently being offered for US$450,000. Click here to check out the complete listing.

(via Trade-a-Plane Photo: RuthAS via Wikimedia Commons)

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First F-100C Super Sabre, Once Flown By Neil Armstrong, To Be Renovated

Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California has reported that their F-100 Super Sabre has been relocated to their restoration hangar for renovation.

This particular aircraft (S/N 53-1709) was the first F-100C built and was reportedly flown at one point by famous Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong. It served with NASA at Moffett Field and Dryden as well as the Langley Research Center, being modified for variable stability and also seeing use testing direct-lift control for air-to-air-refueling. Following retirement in 1972, the F-100 was transferred to San Jose State College Aero School for instructional use before eventually arriving at Castle for display in 2004.

Additional details on the renovation have not yet been reported. Click below to check out photos of the recent move.

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Cold War-Era Hawker Hunter GA.11 Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

Hawker Hunter GA.11 XF301 has hit the market.

The aircraft is described as an ex-Royal Navy team “Rough Diamonds” machine with only 3,325 hrs in its logbook. The offering reportedly consists of the complete cockpit and fuselage which are currently in storage in the US. Logbooks are also said to be included, but no engine.

Check out the complete listing below. Continue reading Cold War-Era Hawker Hunter GA.11 Offered For Sale

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Restored, Original A-6E Intruder Cockpit Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

A Grumman A-6E Intruder nose / cockpit section has hit the market.

The section is described as an original Vietnam War A-6A Intruder that was converted to a KA-6D before being cut up for use in the 1991 movie Flight of the Intruder. The current owner reportedly acquired it from Hollywood with no interior and some missing panels, and spent the last 20 years collecting missing parts to restore it for display. It is now said to be “complete with all the interior items.”

The cockpit has the correct GRU-7 pilot and BN ejection seats complete with seat kits, straps and parachute containers. The pilot’s side has all the instruments, throttle quadrant, VDI, Gunsight, control stick and rudder pedals, etc.. The Bombardier Navigator side is complete with a radar scope, radar control pedestal and all the console boxes that make up the weapons system. The BN side will also come with the radar scope big plastic cover to make it easier to see the radar. Sticking out the top of the nose is the correct inflight refueling probe. The boarding ladders fold out and can be used but they hit the ground. The canopy and windshield glass is good with no damage. It has the correct radome with no damage.The canopy can be opened and closed with a hand crank in the back of the cockpit.

The section is reportedly located in a San Diego museum and is currently being offered for $24,999.95. Click here to check out the complete listing on eBay.

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