Category: News

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Eduard Releases New Details on Upcoming New Tool Fw 190A-5 Light Fighter

Eduard has released new details on its upcoming new tool Fw 190A-5 Light Fighter model kit in 1/48 scale.

The offering will be released as a ProfiPACk edition kit containing new tool sprues and five marking options representing the classic fighter/JaBo variants. The decals were “carefully selected with regard to the armament variant (two-cannon wing), which is an important difference between this and the Fw 190A-5 kit of the previous generation.”

Liveries represent W/N 0152 594 flown by Maj. Hermann Graf, W/N 0157 298 flown by Maj. Josef Priller, W/N 1501 flown by Oblt. Walter Nowotny, W/N 538 of 6/Schl.G 1 and an A-5 flown by Oblt. Rolf Strohal of Stab I./JG 1.

The kit (82143) is currently slated for release in March. Click below to check out additional images.

Continue reading Eduard Releases New Details on Upcoming New Tool Fw 190A-5 Light Fighter

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Hawker Sea Fury WG655 Returns to the Air Following Re-Engineering

Earlier today, the Fighter Collection’s Hawker Sea Fury T-20 WG655/G-CHFP returned to the air for a series of three test flights following a period of re-engineering.

This particular machine was built by Hawker in 1951 and delivered to 781 Squadron. In 1957 it was converted to a target towing configuration and sold to the German Ministry of Defence. It was withdrawn from service in 1976 and ferried to Royal Navy Historic Flight in Yeovilton before being refinished at Royal Navy Air Yard Fleetlands. In 1990, WG655 suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff, resulting in a wheels-up forced landing and collision with a tree. In 1993, the remains were acquired by Chuck Greenhill of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Restoration was begun by Tim McCarter and his crew and finished by Sanders Aeronautics in California. The aircraft returned to the air in 2005 and was sold to the Fighter Collection at Duxford in 2008.

The recent effort included the installation of a P&W R2800 engine in place of the conventional Bristol powerplant. Future plans, including possible participation at the Flying Legends event this summer, have not yet been announced.

Click below to check out photos of today’s flights.

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SL721, One of the World’s Most Original Airworthy Spitfires, Finds New Home in Europe

Supermarine Spitfire XVI SL721, formerly operated by Vintage Wings of Canada in Ottawa, has been sold to an enthusiast and will be making its way to a new home in Belgium.

As previously reported, SL721 was built in August 1945 and delivered to the RAF, where it became the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshall Sir James Milne Robb, a WW1 pilot who served as Commander-In-Chief – Air Forces Europe following WW2. The Packard Merlin 266/R55-powered machine was sold in 1967 and transported to the US, where it would stay until 2002, when it was acquired by Vintage Wings of Canada. Today it is considered one of the most original airworthy Spitfires in the world.

Details regarding a home base and future plans are reportedly forthcoming.

(via Belgian Aviation Preservation Association and Platinum Fighter Sales Photo: Ahunt via Wikimedia Commons)

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Eduard to Release New 1/48 He 280 Model Kit

Eduard is planning to release a new Heinkel He 280 ProfiPACK edition model kit in 1/48 scale.

The He 280 was the first turbojet-powered fighter aircraft in the world, however, it was plagued with engine problems and only nine examples of the type were built before the project was cancelled.

The new kit (8068) will reportedly include options for machines powered by either HeS 8a or Jumo 004 engines, as well as pre-painted photo etched parts, paint masks and markings for three aircraft (although the ones shown are provisional).

The new kit is currently slated for release in April. Click below to see more.

Continue reading Eduard to Release New 1/48 He 280 Model Kit

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“Ultra Rare” WW2 MiG-3 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.

An “ultra rare” MiG-3 Soviet WW2 fighter / interceptor has hit the market.

The aircraft (S/N 4958) was reportedly built in 1941 and experienced a forced landing near Murmansk in December of that year. After the wreck was discovered in 2000, it was recovered and restored by Rusavia of Moscow.

The machine was test flown in 2005 “using parts salvaged and restored together with a compete Mikulin Am-38 engine ex Il-2.” It is currently painted in Soviet AF colors and is said to be fitted with an Allison V-12 engine “for easier operations.”

It appears that the price is available on application. For additional information click here.

(via Historic and Classic Aircraft Sales Photo: Alan Wilson via Wikimedia Commons)

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F4U-7 Corsair Performs First Engine, Taxi Tests in New AU-1 Livery [Video]

Flying Colors Aviation of Benton Harbor, Michigan has reported the first run up and taxi tests for an F4U-7 Corsair which they recently refinished.

The aircraft appears to be B/N 133714, which was once on display at the USMC Museum in Quantico and flew in the TV series Baa Baa Black Sheep. It now wears the colors of AU-1 B/N 129378 (pictured above) flown by Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. John F. “Jack” Bolt, who served in WW2 and the Korean War and earned ace status in both conflicts.

The aircraft will reportedly by departing soon, although an exact date and time had not been announced at the time of this writing. Click below to check out a photo of the repainted machine and a video of the recent engine test.

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Udvar-Hazy to Host British Warbird Fly-In Commemorating RAF Centennial

In order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force, the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia will be hosting a fly-in featuring a number of British warbirds.

“The Great British Fly-In” will reportedly feature more than ten former RAF aircraft that are either currently on display at the museum or will be flown in for one-day-only event. In addition to Spitfires, a B-25 Mitchell and a P-51 Mustang, the fly-in will feature talks by RAF officers and museum experts, presentations about the museum’s newly acquired Sopwith Camel (featured in The Flying Machine #6), interactive STEM demonstrations and performances from the RAF Band and drill displays from the Queens Colour Squadron.

The event is currently scheduled to take place at the museum on April 15th from 10am-4pm. Admission is free, although parking will cost $15. Click here for additional information.

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Sim Developer Flight Replicas Releases Screenshots of Upcoming Handley Page Halifax

Flight Replicas, which creates “high quality simulator aircraft for Microsoft Flight Simulator FSX and Lockheed-Martin’s P3D” has released new screenshots of their upcoming Handley Page Halifax Mk.III.

The aircraft is still a work in progress and additional details are scarce, although the package will reportedly include a representation of the HP.70 Halton civilian Halifax variant.

Click below to check out additional images.

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IWM’s Hawker Hurricane Gate Guard Returns With New Livery

Earlier today, the Imperial War Museum at Duxford returned their Hawker Hurricane gate guard to display with a new livery.

As pictured above, the reproduction previously wore the markings of P2954 of 302 (Polish) Squadron flown by Tadeusz Pawel Chlopik, RAF (Polish Air Force). The new colors represent V7467, flown by Douglas Bader of 242 Squadron, RAF.

Click below to check out a photo of the Hurricane’s new appearance.

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Spitfire to Arrive at Australian Home Following 10 Year Restoration

Fighter Pilot Adventure Flights, a Brisbane, Australia-based flight adventure company, has announced that their Spitfire Mk XVI (TE392) is about to arrive following a 10-year restoration.

The aircraft operated with the Royal Air Force and served as a gate guard at numerous RAF bases (including Wellesbourne Mountford, Waterbeach, Kemble and Credenhill) before being acquired by Warbirds Of GB, Ltd. and partially restored. It passed through the hands of several additional owners before arriving at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Texas, where it was restored to airworthy condition. It returned to the air in December 1999 but was damaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Ike in 2008.

The current restoration is nearing completion and Performance Aero will reportedly reassemble the aircraft and apply finishing touches before its expected arrival next week. It is expected to grace Australian skies by August of this year.

(via Fighter Pilot Adventure Flights Additional Information via Warbird Registry Photo: Bill Abbott via Flickr)