Category: WW2 Era (1939-45)

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Spitfire RW388 Undergoes Trial Wing Fitting As Restoration Progresses [Video]

Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe RW388 has undergone a trial wing fitting at Medway Aircraft Preservation Society as work progresses to restore the iconic aircraft to its former glory.

As previously reported, the machine was built by Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd. in 1945 and was used for training and towing targets for Navy ships 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. It was installed at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley, Staffordshire 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.

In addition to the successful wing fitting, work on RW388’s Merlin engine is also said to be nearing completion. 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 photos and videos of the recent work.

Continue reading Spitfire RW388 Undergoes Trial Wing Fitting As Restoration Progresses [Video]

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“Almost Complete” W.A.R. P-51 Airframe 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 W.A.R. P-51 has hit the market.

The airframe is said to be “almost complete” and only in need of “finishing touches to the canopy, interior, and control surfaces.” It is described as including a new uncut canopy, a full set of plans, hydraulic retracts and Engine Information System Dash.

The machine is located in Rowlett, Texas and is currently being offered for $2,800. Click here to check out the complete listing on eBay.

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CAC Wirraway’s Path Toward Flight Continues With Engine, Taxi Test [Video]

Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks has shared a new video showing the latest engine, taxi test of his recently acquired CAC Wirraway, which will eventually be the only example of the type flying outside Australia.

The type was an Australian development of the North American NA-16 and the predecessor of the CAC Boomerang. This particular aircraft (A20-704) was delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1945 and was slated to be converted to a target tug, although this never happened. It was instead placed in storage at RAAF Tocumwal and later assigned to 24 Squadron before being struck off charge in 1959. In subsequent years it passed through the hands of a number of owners, including Murray Griffiths, who restored the machine and returned it to the air in 1997. It arrived at Fantasy of Flight in 2014 in what Weeks described as “part of a trade for a Sea Fury I sent down in trade for work that he was doing for me several years ago.”

Since its arrival, the Fantasy of Flight team has been working to return the Wirraway to the air, most recently focusing on the engine and brakes. Click below to check out the latest update.

Continue reading CAC Wirraway’s Path Toward Flight Continues With Engine, Taxi Test [Video]

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MAPS Air Museum Corsair Project On Its Way

MAPS Air Museum’s effort to build a F4U/FG-1 Corsair is reportedly on its way.

The North Canton, Ohio-based museum states that it currently has the cockpit of an Akron-built Corsair as well as an engine, a propeller and an engine mount supplied by Minerva Welding and Fabricating. The rest will reportedly have to be found or built.

The museum has been in search of non-airworthy parts (especially landing gear) to construct the machine, which will serve to highlight the 4,000+ examples of the type built in the state by Goodyear during WW2.

Click below to check out the full announcement.

Continue reading MAPS Air Museum Corsair Project On Its Way

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New Video Documents CA-18 Mustang’s Return to Flight With Onboard Footage

Following a brief teaser video released last month, Complete Aircraft Care has offered a new, more in-depth look at the final preparations and test flights of Mustang Flight Australia’s newly restored CA-18 Mk. 21 Mustang “Snifter.”

The Australian-built example of the P-51D (A68-110), was delivered to the RAAF in 1948 and saw little service prior to being decommissioned in 1957. After being sold, it sat for nearly four decades before becoming the focus of a seven-year restoration by Sandora Aviation in North Brisbane, during which it was converted to a two-seat configuration. In 2002 it returned to the air and is now the the centerpiece of the Caboolture Warplane Museum, providing regular flight experiences with the nonprofit Mustang Flights Australia while also supporting local war service commemorations. Continue reading New Video Documents CA-18 Mustang’s Return to Flight With Onboard Footage

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HK Models To Release New 1/32 Dornier Do335 B-6 Night Fighter

Hong Kong Models has announced the upcoming release of their new 1/32 model kit of the Dornier Do335 B-6 night fighter.

The company refers to the B-6 as being “most beautiful variant” of the German WWII heavy fighter with “over size antennas, 2 seats, flame dumpers, drop tanks. And the superb unusual camouflages and color scheme.”

Details about the kit are scarce, although it appears that it includes Cartograf decals with three marking options representing W.Nr. 240312, 240371 and 230017.

The kit is reportedly slated for release on June 20. Click below to check out additional images.

Continue reading HK Models To Release New 1/32 Dornier Do335 B-6 Night Fighter

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Hurricane V7497 Returns to Life 78 Years After Being Shot Down [Video]

Yesterday, Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 V7497 (G-HRLI) performed the first test of its original Merlin III engine, nearly 78 years after it was downed by Bf 109s over Sutton in Kent, England.

The aircraft was manufactured by Hawker Aircraft, Ltd in mid-1940 and issued to 501 Squadron at the height of the Battle of Britain. It was only a few weeks old when it was shot down on September 28, 1940 – the pilot, Everett Bryan Rogers, escaping by parachute. After identification and the recovery of key components, the decision was made to restore the aircraft to airworthy condition “as a tribute to all those that stood firm during the Battle of Britain.”

The Merlin was rebuilt by Eye Tech Engineering, while the airframe is being restored by the experts at Hawker Restorations along with its sister company, AJD Engineering. The process included the use of original drawings to scratch build new wings, which will be fitted with reproduction .303 Browning machine guns complete with “all the adjustment mechanisms fitted internally as per the original aircraft.”

Click below to check out a video of yesterday’s test.

Continue reading Hurricane V7497 Returns to Life 78 Years After Being Shot Down [Video]

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Kermit Weeks Provides New Video Update On Seversky P-35 Restoration

Kermit Weeks has shared a new video detailing the ongoing work on his exceedingly rare Seversky P-35.

As previously reported, the machine was acquired years back in a trade with the USAF Museum and is reportedly one of only three remaining examples of the single seat fighter, which was introduced in the mid-1930s and saw limited action at the beginning of WW2. It came from the Swedish Air Force and was stored in underground bunkers during the war, which resulted in significant pitting and surface corrosion. Additional damage was sustained when Hurricane Andrew struck Kermit’s by Florida-based Fantasy of Flight attraction in 1992. When complete, this will be the only airworthy example of the type in the world.

The newly released video was reportedly filmed in the summer of 2017 and documents the fuselage being detached from the center section and “put into a rotisserie fixture for easier access during the restoration process.”

Click below to check it out.

Continue reading Kermit Weeks Provides New Video Update On Seversky P-35 Restoration

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AZ Model to Release New Tool Bf 109K-4 Model Kit

AZ Model has announced the upcoming release of a new tool Bf 109K-4 “Kurfürst” in 1/72 scale.

Details about the kit are scarce, although the company announced that it is being prepared for June. It appears that the offering will come with three marking options which are shown in the image below.

Continue reading AZ Model to Release New Tool Bf 109K-4 Model Kit

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CAF’s B-24 “Diamond Lil” Nearing Return to Flight

After being grounded in 2016 for restoration, the Commemorative Air Force’s B-24 Liberator “Diamond Lil” is nearing its return to the air.

The aircraft (AM927) was delivered to the British in May 1941 and transferred to Trans World Airlines (TWA) to conduct training of RAF pilots out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A landing accident shortly thereafter resulted in the bomber being returned to Consolidated in San Diego. In July 1942, it returned to service as the C-87 Liberator Express prototype, acting as a personnel and equipment transport and test platform. Following the war it was modified with long RY-3 nose and PBY nacelles and saw further use as an executive and personnel transport. It was acquired by the CAF in 1968.

The recent work was based on an ambitious plan to ensure continued flights well into the future. This initiative included an interior restoration and the overhaul of three engines – the last of which has just arrived at the CAF facility in Texas.

It is hoped that “Diamond Lil” will return to the air by July to continue its role as the oldest flying B-24. Click below to check out a selection of recent photos.

Continue reading CAF’s B-24 “Diamond Lil” Nearing Return to Flight