Category: Restorations / Reproductions

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Additional Partnership Announced as Restoration of Spitfire AA810 Set to Begin

Following their December announcement of a partnership with Kennet Aviation, The Spitfire AA810 Project has reportedly contracted Airframe Assemblies Ltd to assist with the restoration of Spitfire PR.IV AA810.

As previously reported, AA810 was flown by Alastair “Sandy” Gunn of 1 PRU RAF and departed RAF Wick in Scotland for a photo reconnaissance mission to Trondheim, Norway on March 5, 1942. During the flight, Gunn was forced to bail out after being shot down by two Messerschmitts of Jagdgruppe Losigkeit near Surnadal. Gunn became a POW and took part in The Great Escape in 1944, but sadly was recaptured and executed.

The remains of the Spitfire were recovered in July, with “some 70% of the aircraft” remaining intact. It will now receive a full restoration to airworthy status and will reportedly incorporate a significant amount of original material. Plans also call for a few unsuitable elements of the aircraft to be used in various memorials. Continue reading Additional Partnership Announced as Restoration of Spitfire AA810 Set to Begin

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Kermit Weeks Shares New, Two Part Video Update on Messerschmitt Bf 108 Restoration

For the latest installment of Fantasy of Flight’s Mechanic’s Corner, owner Kermit Weeks has shared a two part video update on the restoration of his 1936 Messerschmitt Bf 108.

Part 1 features restoration specialist Paul Stecewycz talking about the restoration of tail and wing components and demonstrating the operation of the mechanical trim wheel. In part 2 Stecewycz visits the large paint stripping booth to explain, then demonstrate, the process of plastic blasting the paint layers and filler materials off of the 108 wings.

Click below to check out both parts.

Continue reading Kermit Weeks Shares New, Two Part Video Update on Messerschmitt Bf 108 Restoration

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Newly Restored P-39Q Performs First Engine Test in NZ [Video]

Pioneer Aero of Ardmore, New Zealand has announced that their P-39Q Airacobra project performed its first successful engine test earlier today.

As previously reported, the aircraft (42-20341) is based largely on an ex-Soviet Air Force P-39Q which was recovered around 1995, although it is also said to feature parts obtained from P-39Q 42-20341. The machine is reportedly owned by Jerry Yagen / Military Aviation Museum and is being restored to airworthy condition as USAAC 220341.

The company reports that high powers will be conducted later in the week “and who knows what after that.”

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

Continue reading Newly Restored P-39Q Performs First Engine Test in NZ [Video]

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“The Flying Machine” Winter 2019 Edition Now Available!

Aerodynamic Media, LLC is proud to announce the release of the tenth issue of The Flying Machine: Early Aero Quarterly.

Issue #10 Contents:

36 Pages – Recreating the Ferguson Monoplane: The First Irish Aircraft to Fly; Vintage Turnbuckles – Some History and Some Solutions; Military Aviation Museum’s Biplanes and Brews Recap; The Right Project at the Right Time (Part 2); News Briefs: World’s Only Fully Restored Curtiss Model F Takes Flight, Authentic WW1 Hangars for Your Vintage Aircraft Now Available, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Curtiss Jenny Touches Down, Products

The Flying Machine focuses exclusively on “aeroplanes” manufactured prior to 1920, as well as the current work of historians, builders, restorers, museums and collectors to preserve and promote interest in the early years of flight. Published in print and digital formats, The Flying Machine is offered on a pay-per-issue basis – no subscription required!

Join us as we pay tribute to early aircraft and the visionaries, geniuses and daredevils who conquered the air while producing some of the most fascinating, ingenious and beautiful machines in aviation’s short history.

Click here to purchase!

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Kermit Weeks Shares New Video Update On A-26 Project

Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks has posted a new video update on his A-26 project, which is currently underway in Chino, California.

As previously reported, the aircraft (S/N 41-39401) reportedly saw wartime service with the 9th Air Force and served with the Van Nuys Air National Guard before beginning civilian use as N3457G / “Whistler’s Mother.” Later acquired by Weeks, the A-26 was damaged during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and trucked to Chino in 1997, where it is now being restored by Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman of Aero Trader.

Click below to check out the video.

Continue reading Kermit Weeks Shares New Video Update On A-26 Project

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EAA Shines Spotlight on World’s Only Flying B-26K/A-26A [Video]

The EAA is shining the spotlight on the world’s only flying example of Douglas B-26K/A-26A Counter-Invader in a newly released video.

Restoration of the machine (S/N 64-17679 / 44-34198) began in 2010 and required 65 volunteers and nearly a million dollars. Dubbed “Special Kay,” it returned to flight on July 8, 2017 wearing a mid-60s USAF livery and is said to be the pride of the Texas-based Vintage Flying Museum.

The new video was filmed at Oshkosh 2018, where Special Kay was awarded Best Bomber and the Silver Wrench Award. Click below to check it out.

Continue reading EAA Shines Spotlight on World’s Only Flying B-26K/A-26A [Video]

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Newly Restored Mosquito PZ474 Featured in New Video

Lewis Air Legends and Avspecs, Ltd. have shared a new feature on newly restored Mosquito FB VI PZ474 aired by Television New Zealand’s (TVNZ) Seven Sharp.

As previously reported, the machine was originally constructed at Hatfield in 1945 and used for RAF training before moving on to New Zealand in 1948, where it was overhauled and delivered to 75 Squadron as NZ2384. In the early 1950s, the aircraft was acquired by new owners and registered as ZK-BCV before being transferred to the United States. There, the Mosquito was given civil registration N9909F and, from around 1955-66, was owned by the Insurance Finance Corp. of Studio City, CA. During this time it was believed that the machine was used by the CIA for intelligence gathering in South America.

Continue reading Newly Restored Mosquito PZ474 Featured in New Video

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New Video Details Progress on Airworthy Restoration of Lancaster FM104

A new video has been released providing a report on the restoration of Avro Lancaster FM104 at the British Columbia Aviation Museum in Canada.

As previously reported, the bomber was originally built by Victory Aircraft of Malton, Ontario in 1944 and was installed along Toronto’s waterfront following its retirement from the RCAF in 1964. In 1999, it was moved to a museum in Downsview Park, where a restoration effort began. However, it was relocated once again when the museum closed in 2011. The machine had spent recent years in storage at Edenvale Aerodrome west of Barrie while its future became a topic of debate.

In July 2018 the British Columbia Aviation Museum became the successful bidder and, now having formally taken possession of the machine from the city of Toronto, the process of restoration to airworthy condition is underway.

The newly released video, narrated by BCAM President John Lewis, details work that has been done since the aircraft was moved into their Restoration Hangar on Oct 16, 2018. Click below to check it out.

Continue reading New Video Details Progress on Airworthy Restoration of Lancaster FM104

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Kermit Weeks Shares Restoration Report on Rare Seversky P-35a

Kermit Weeks has shared a new series of images 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.

Click below to check out the update.

Continue reading Kermit Weeks Shares Restoration Report on Rare Seversky P-35a

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Mosquito PZ474 Performs First Post-Restoration Flight [Video]

Yesterday, Mosquito FB VI PZ474 performed its first post-restoration flight from Ardmore Airport in New Zealand.

As previously reported, the machine was originally constructed at Hatfield in 1945 and used for RAF training before moving on to New Zealand in 1948, where it was overhauled and delivered to 75 Squadron as NZ2384. In the early 1950s, the aircraft was acquired by new owners and registered as ZK-BCV before being transferred to the United States. There, the Mosquito was given civil registration N9909F and, from around 1955-66, was owned by the Insurance Finance Corp. of Studio City, CA. During this time it was believed that the machine was used by the CIA for intelligence gathering in South America. Continue reading Mosquito PZ474 Performs First Post-Restoration Flight [Video]