Category: Videos

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Official UK Trailer Released For Upcoming WW2 Film “Hurricane” [Video]

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]

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Preparing For Oshkosh Appearance, Kermit Weeks Documents Sopwith Snipe’s First Flight in Five Years [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]

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On-Board Footage Captures Original SPAD XIII’s Flyby With Rafale Fighter [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]

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Kermit Weeks Plans to Bring Four WW1 Aircraft to AirVenture 2018 [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]

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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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Newly Restored Thomas-Morse S-4B Performs Taxi Test Ahead of Maiden Flight [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]

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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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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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Sopwith Triplane Performs First Flight At Military Aviation Museum [Video]

The Military Aviation Museum’s full-scale Sopwith Triplane has performed its first flight since arriving at the Virginia Beach attraction last July.

As previously reported, The Lycoming-powered machine (N543A) was built by Chad Wille in the early 1990s and was recognized as an “Outstanding Aircraft” at SUN ‘n FUN 1993. It became part of the Guntersville, Alabama-based Replica Fighter Museum owned by the late Frank Ryder before moving on to the Homer B. Wilson Vintage Museum at the Guntersville Municipal Airport.

Click below to check out a video of the recent flight.

Continue reading Sopwith Triplane Performs First Flight At Military Aviation Museum [Video]

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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]