The USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio recently moved some of its iconic WW2 warbirds back into position after they were temporarily relocated to provide room for the Memphis Belle exhibit opening back in May. These included the P-51, P-47, P-38 and A-36.
In the process, opportunities were provided to get a better look at the aircraft, resulting in a new series videos that can be seen below.
Continue reading WW2 Aircraft on the Move at USAF Museum [Video]
Yesterday, C-53 Skytrooper “Beach City Baby” performed a taxi test under its own power for the first time in 20 years.
As previously reported, 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 C-53 “Beach City Baby” Performs First Taxi Test in 20 Years
After adding an extremely rare Nakajima B5N “Kate” to its collection of WW2 aircraft back in 2016, The Pacific Aviation Museum in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii has reported that the machine has been moved to its new home in Hangar 37 as part of a new exhibit.
As previously reported, the B5N was considered the most effective aircraft operating with the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was credited with causing the bulk of the damage sustained by battleships during the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
The museum’s restoration shop, located in historic Hangar 79, had begun restoring the aircraft for static display, although a final livery has not yet been selected. The process is reportedly complete for now, and details about the new exhibit are said to be forthcoming.
Click below to check out a video of the recent move.
Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has released the official UK trailer 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.”
Seen through the eyes of Jan Zumbach (played by Iwan Rheon), fighter ace and adventurer, it tells how the Poles, driven across Europe by the German war machine, finally made their last stand. 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.
The film also stars Milo Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), Stephanie Martini (Crooked House, Prime Suspect 1973), Kristof Hadek (Under the Skin, Dark Blue World, 3 Seasons in Hell), Marcin Dorocinski (Roza, Jack Strong, Pitbull, Anthropoid). The new trailer (seen below) is more lengthy than the teaser released in February, and also shows some new aerial sequences.
Hurricane will reportedly hit UK cinemas and digital platforms on September 7. Continue reading Official UK Trailer Released For Upcoming WW2 Film “Hurricane” [Video]
As Kermit Weeks prepares to bring four of his WW1 aircraft to the upcoming AirVenture Fly-in, he recently returned his Sopwith Snipe to the air for the first time in five years, documenting the event in a newly released video.
The aircraft was constructed by The Vintage Aviator, Ltd in New Zealand and is powered by a Bentley BR2 rotary engine. It represents the early incarnation of the Snipe, which employed a smaller rudder and lacked the large, balanced ailerons seen on later models. The markings represent E8102, flown by Maj. W.G. Barker during his lone encounter with 60 Fokker D.VIIs on October 27, 1918, during which he managed to shoot down four aircraft before crash landing over Allied lines with severe wounds. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions and the fuselage of his original machine is now preserved at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. Continue reading Preparing For Oshkosh Appearance, Kermit Weeks Documents Sopwith Snipe’s First Flight in Five Years [Video]
During the 2018 La Ferté-Alais airshow in France, spectators were treated to a flyby from Memorial Flight Association’s original SPAD XIII and a French Dassault Rafale – an event that encapsulated a century of aeronautical development.
This particular SPAD XIII is the oldest known example of the type in existence, as well as the only original example flying in the world. The aircraft was built in February 1918 by Société Kellner Frères Constructeurs as #4377 and was recovered from an attic in the 1970s by Jean Salis. Restoration began in the 1980s and was completed following its donation to the Memorial Flight Association in 1990. It returned to the air in 1991 and now wears the colors of the machine flown by Henri Trémeau of SPA 83.
The remarkable flight was captured from the ground as well as the air, and can be seen in the video below.
Continue reading On-Board Footage Captures Original SPAD XIII’s Flyby With Rafale Fighter [Video]
Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks has announced plans to bring four of his WW1 aircraft reproductions to the 2018 AirVenture fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The machines include his TVAL-built Sopwith Snipe and Albatros D.Va, a newly restored Sopwith Pup which is currently undergoing repairs following an “unfortunate incident” during its maiden flight, and his new Fokker D.VII, which was recently completed by noted WW1 aircraft builder Fred Murrin.
It appears that the Snipe is the only machine that could take flight at the event, as the remaining aircraft have not yet amassed the required 10 hrs of flight time, or are currently involved in ongoing maintenance. Click below to check out the update.
Continue reading Kermit Weeks Plans to Bring Four WW1 Aircraft to AirVenture 2018 [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]
Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation’s newly restored, Le Rhone-powered Thomas-Morse S-4B has performed its first taxi test as its scheduled first flight draws near.
As previously reported, The Ithaca, NY-based organization was established in order to return an example of the WW1 advanced trainer to the city where it was originally manufactured as “a symbol of Ithaca’s aviation heritage.” Their machine was generously donated by Dr. William N. Thibault of San Diego, CA in 2010 and has been under restoration ever since.
Click below to check out a newly released video of the Tommy moving under its own power.
Continue reading Newly Restored Thomas-Morse S-4B Performs Taxi Test Ahead of Maiden Flight [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]
