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.
Continue reading IWM’s Hawker Hurricane Gate Guard Returns With New Livery
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)
Flight simulation developer Aeroplane Heaven has released the first “in development” screenshots of their updated Avro Lancaster for FSX, FSX S/E and P3DV3+.
As previously reported, Aeroplane Heaven’s new Lancaster is touted as incorporating their latest tech and techniques to “bring you what will be your chance to experience just what it was like to fly and crew this legendary machine in the skies of the latest simulators.” Its exterior will reportedly boast “a massive amount of authentic detail” along with many unique animations and a highly detailed virtual cockpit that will include the front turret and bomber’s compartment, engineer and nav station and radio operator’s positions.
The newly released images show “the front offices” and “a flying exterior with all detail done except for a few bits and bobs. Also a new technique for achieving the pillowing on the metal panels.” Click below to see more.
Continue reading Aeroplane Heaven Releases First Screenshots of Upcoming Avro Lancaster for FSX, P3D
The Hangar 10 Collection has reportedly added a new Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14 to its collection on the Pomeranian island of Usedom.
In 2017, the aircraft (S/N 462707) was fully restored to airworthy condition by Rare Bird Aviation near Vienna, Austria. It arrived at Hangar10 on February 5th and has since joined the collection’s G-6 (S/N 440738) and G-12 (S/N 440738), both of which are currently available for sale.
Hangar10 states that the new G-14 “shines” with its original DB 605 engine and reports that they are looking forward to admiring all three machines in a “messerschmitt formation in the sky above the island of usedom.”
Click below to check out newly released photos.
Continue reading Hangar10 Collection Adds Newly Restored, Airworthy Bf 109 G-14
Earlier today, Kaleidoscope Film Distribution released a new teaser for the upcoming film Hurricane, which reportedly tells “the untold true story of Squadron 303” and “the Polish fliers who found themselves fighting for the freedom of their own country in foreign skies.”
Flying Hurricanes for the RAF over Britain, they became a key component in the legend of ‘The Few’. Up against the might of the Luftwaffe they hoped that, by saving Great Britain from Nazi invasion, they were keeping the dream of a free Poland alive. In the lethal melee above England in that summer of 1940, they fought with a tenacity and skill that earned them the admiration of the whole British nation. The dogfights against superior planes cost some of the men their lives.
The story is experienced through the eyes of fighter ace and adventurer Jan Zumbach, played by Iwan Rheon (Game Of Thrones, Misfits, Inhumans) who discovers that “becoming the best in the RAF is a hollow victory for the Poles,” as “even in a man’s finest hour, cynical political manoeuvrings can destroy his hopes, strip away his dignity and lead him to a very dark place indeed.” Continue reading First Trailer Released For Upcoming WW2 Film “Hurricane” [Video]
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
The B-25 Recovery Group believes it has narrowed down the possible location of Pittsburgh’s famous “ghost bomber” and are reportedly considering another search.
The aircraft, TB-25N S/N 44-29125 (similar to the type seen above), was on a training flight from Nevada to Harrisburg when it ran out of fuel and ditched in Monongahela River near Homestead, Pennsylvania on January 31, 1956. While four crew members managed to make it to shore, two tragically perished in the freezing waters.
Subsequent searches for the aircraft were fruitless, and its whereabouts have become one of the area’s most enduring mysteries. Since 1995, the B-25 Recovery Group has been conducting research and mapping the riverbed with sonar in search of the missing bomber. Their investigation suggests that the machine came to rest in a submerged gravel pit and was eventually buried by silt. The team is focusing on a 50 x 200′ location off the Glenwood Bridge and may return this October to conduct another search.
After obtaining permits, the group hopes to drill in a grid-like pattern every 7.5′ – a method that they believe will locate the aircraft no matter what condition it may be in.
(via TribLIVE Additional Information via B-25 Recovery Group)
Today, the C-47 that led the paratroop drop during the D-Day invasion returns to the air for its first post-restoration flight in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The aircraft (S/N 42-92847), which was given the name “That’s All, Brother” in order to send a personal message to Hitler, was discovered by a researcher in 2015 as it was waiting to be converted into a modern BT-67 turboprop. After its historic significance was uncovered, the Texas-based Commemorative Air Force (CAF) stepped in to negotiate for acquisition of this extremely important part of world history.
The restoration has sought to return the historic machine to airworthy condition in its exact D-Day configuration. Once flight tests are complete, it will be assigned to the CAF Central Texas Wing in San Marcos, where volunteers will be responsible for its care and maintenance. Work will also be carried out to finish the interior and detail work and restore the machine’s exterior to its 1944 appearance. Over coming years, the CAF plans to offer aircraft tours, attend aviation events and conduct educational programs before flying “That’s All, Brother” back to Normandy to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in 2019.
Click below to check out video of the first 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
A team of locals searching for aircraft wrecks in northeastern India may have discovered the remains of a US WW2 aircraft.
India’s NorthEast Today magazine reports that the types and locations of the parts suggest that it is was used in WW2 and went down while attempting to cross over the Himalayan range of Arunachal Pradesh, referred to as the “hump” by US airmen.
A lack of equipment prevented a thorough examination of the site, although it has been marked for future exploration. As for the newly discovered parts, positive identification is still needed, but based on the examination of photos, experts at HistoryNet believe it’s possible that they came from a B-24 Liberator or a C-87 Liberator Express.
A team from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency had previously conducted search and rescue operations in the area, locating the remains of airmen lost in the crash of a B-24J in 1944.
(NorthEast Today via AirForceTimes via Fox News)
