Category: Restorations / Reproductions

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Aviation Book, Model Donations Sought to Help Fund Refurbishment of Hawker Hunter F.2

The Sywell Aviation Museum at Sywell Aerodrome in Northampton is seeking donations of military/aviation books, models and model kits in order to raise funds for the restoration of the collection’s Hawker Hunter F.2.

The aircraft, WN904, was constructed by Armstrong Whitworth in 1953/54 and performed its maiden flight on July 27, 1954 before being delivered to 257 (Burma) Squadron, RAF. However, its service with the squadron was cut short in January 1956, when it was reported as damaged and in need of manufacturer/contractor repair. Documentation suggests that the incident may have been an emergency landing at RAF Kenley that saw it go through two hedges and over a public road.

Gloster carried out the repairs on the machine, but by this time, 257 Squadron was upgrading to the F.5, which resulted in WN904 being struck off charge in November 1957. Continue reading Aviation Book, Model Donations Sought to Help Fund Refurbishment of Hawker Hunter F.2

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Unanimous Decision Secures New Home for C-53 “Beach City Baby”

Commissioners in Venango County, Pennsylvania have reportedly approved a “memorandum of understanding” with Vintage Wings, Inc. that will see their newly restored C-53 Skytrooper housed at the Franklin Venango Regional Airport.

The unanimous decision paves the way for the Skytrooper to be flown from its current location in Ohio to its new home – an event that is expected to take place this summer.

The aircraft (S/N 41-20095) was constructed by Douglas and was on the factory floor when the Pearl Harbor attack occurred in December 1941. It was delivered to the USAAC in January 1942 and was soon flown to Africa to participate in Operation Torch. The machine also saw service transporting troops and VIPs during the war and completed its service with FEA, Cairo Division.

Following civilian service with Danish Airlines/SAS and a stint as “Buckeye One,” the official state aircraft for the governor of Ohio, the Skytrooper was retired and flown to the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio where it remained until 1990, when it was acquired by Ohio University of Athens and stripped of its engines. Eventually Ken Joseph stepped in and returned it to an airworthy state, obtaining a ferry permit and flying it to Beach City, Ohio in 1992. Continue reading Unanimous Decision Secures New Home for C-53 “Beach City Baby”

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Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Avenger Expected to Return to the Air in 2018

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Ontario has applied civil registration C-GCWG to their TBM-3E Avenger in preparation for its upcoming post-restoration test flight, which is expected to take place this year.

The aircraft (S/N 53858) was constructed in 1945 by General Motors, Eastern Aircraft Division and served with the US Navy until the 1950s. Upon entering civilian service it was converted to a spray plane, operating first in California and then New Brunswick before being retired in 1992.

The Avenger was acquired by the museum in late 2009 and a team of volunteers has since invested thousands of hours to restore it to airworthy condition. Although currently without markings, a post-war RCN Avenger AS.3 livery will be applied sometime after the first flight.

An official first flight display will take place, however, dates for the first engine run up and flights are currently described as “moving targets.”

(via Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Additional Information via Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Photo: JustSomePics via Wikimedia Commons)

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Memphis Belle Restoration Progress Captured in New 360 Degree Images

The USAF Museum in Dayton is in the final stages of restoring the iconic B-17F “Memphis Belle” and has recently released two 360 degree images capturing the progress.

As previously reported, the machine is scheduled to make its public debut in the museum’s WW2 gallery on May 17, 2018, where it will reportedly be surrounded by interactive displays, rare archival film footage and many personal artifacts which have never before been on display at the museum.

The Memphis Belle (S/N 41-24485) became the first the first U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions and return to the U.S., where it flew across the country to promote war bonds and boost morale. Further attention was directed toward the aircraft when it became the focus of a 1944 William Wyler documentary and later a 1990 feature film.

Click below to check out the new images.

Continue reading Memphis Belle Restoration Progress Captured in New 360 Degree Images

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Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 5): The 1910 Wright Transitional Flyer

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The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright Flyer reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E. Scott Rawlings, we are sharing a collection of images detailing many of these machines, which are currently available for sale or lease.

Part 1 of this series examined the team’s 1902 Wright Glider, while part 2, part 3 and part 4 featured their outstanding replica of the 1909 Military Flyer. This week we examine the team’s reproduction of the 1910 “transitional” Flyer that employed a forward canard and aft elevator.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 5): The 1910 Wright Transitional Flyer

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1912 Lohner Taube Project Update [Feature]

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In 1912, Michel Fithian’s grandfather, Robert Eyb, was part of the first group of pilots undergoing training in the newly formed aviation division of the Austrian-Hungarian empire and was flying a newly developed model F “Taube”, designed by Igo Etrich and built by the Lohner Company in Vienna. The military ordered 14 aircraft, which were labelled with names starting with “A” – his was the “ASRA”. Michel is building a full scale replica of that particular airplane, which is seen above performing its first engine test in 2014. He has kindly provided EarlyAero.com with the following update.

Continue reading 1912 Lohner Taube Project Update [Feature]

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Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 3): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer (Continued)

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The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright aircraft reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices. The image seen above, showing a period photograph blended with a Wright Experience reproduction, is said to illustrate the team’s mission statement.

The pedigree of our research is the few existing artifacts that exist in museums, period photographs and the few surviving aircraft that were “restored” in the past to prevailing standards at the time. There are no blueprints for Wright aircraft. Using period photographs and CAD we have been able to recreate for reproduction most of the Wright aircraft. This effort incorporates the orientation of each piece of hardware to match the period photos, the correct fabric, the correct dimensions and original method of construction with new materials the same as the original materials. Never has there been an attempt to modify, improve or change in any way what exists in the photos.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E.Scott Rawlings, we are sharing a collection of images detailing many of their machines, which are currently available for sale.

Part 1 of this series examined the team’s 1902 Wright Glider, while part 2 featured their outstanding replica of the 1909 Military Flyer. This week we will continue our look at the 1909 machine, focusing on its construction and the painstaking efforts the team has made to create the most historically accurate aircraft possible.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 3): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer (Continued)

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Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 2): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer [Feature]

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The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright aircraft reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E.Scott Rawlings, we are sharing a collection of images detailing many of these machines, which are currently available for sale.

In part 1 of this series, we examined the team’s reproduction of the 1902 Wright Glider. This week we look at the 1909 Wright Military Flyer – the first aircraft accepted by the United States Army Signal Corps.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 2): The 1909 Wright Military Flyer [Feature]

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Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 1): The 1902 Wright Glider [Feature]

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The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Virginia is home to an outstanding collection of Wright aircraft reproductions created over 25 years of meticulous study into Wilbur and Orville Wright’s engineering and fabrication practices.

Thanks to the generosity of Wright Experience team member E.Scott Rawlings, we will be sharing a collection of images detailing many of these machines, which are currently available for sale.

We begin with the 1902 Wright Glider, the most successful of the Wrights’ gliding machines that performed over 1,000 flights and served as the world’s first fully controllable aircraft, forming the basis of their 1906 patent.

Continue reading Aircraft of The Wright Experience (Part 1): The 1902 Wright Glider [Feature]