A 1971 Grumman AA-1A has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

1971 Grumman AA-1A N9464L, S/N AA1A-0264, TTAF 2292.23. SMOH 569.33 Lycoming O-320-B2B S/N L-6873-39 160HP STC with Gross Weight Increase 1560 lbs. SPOH 185.83 Sensenich 74DM-6062 S/N A43982. Useful load 437 pounds. Annual due 12/2026. IFR 91.411/91.413 Check Due 01/2028. ELT Due 12/2026. NO Damage History. NO Liens. Logbooks missing prior to 1994…. Recent annual included new vacuum pump, ELT batteries, ADS-B, and a new Concorde RG35AXC. This airplane is turn key and ready to go. 135 knots on 9gph. These make for amazing trainers, or jump in and go almost as fast as an RV for a fraction of the price in a certified airplane. Also comes with the rear child’s bench seat.

The aircraft is located Bardstown, KY in and is currently available for $49,995 although bids are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.

Recently released by Osprey Publishing and author Robert Forsyth is Defenders of the Reich: The Luftwaffe’s War Against America’s Bombers, which tells the story of the Luftwaffe fighter arm’s desperate defense of the Third Reich from the growing Allied bomber offensive in WW2.

The Reichsverteidigung (Defence of the Reich) was a do or die campaign that saw the very best fighter pilots in the Luftwaffe attempt to defend German skies from increasingly large formations of RAF and USAAF medium and heavy bombers. Flying both piston-engined and, eventually, the first jet-engined fighters to see operational service, the Jagdflieger employed a wide range of weapons and tactics in an effort to blunt the Allied air offensive across Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe.

Defenders of the Reich focusses on the story of the pilot, his aircraft, his weaponry, his draining, dangerous missions and Luftwaffe tactics against the USAAF and the RAF bombers from the summer of 1942 through to VE Day. They fought until they were all but obliterated as USAAF and RAF fighters decimated their ranks in the air and targeted their airfields in devastating strafing attacks.

Leading Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth uses German and Allied archival documents coupled with interviews with former Jagdwaffe pilots, to tell the history of this last-ditch aerial campaign from the perspective of the Luftwaffe.

The 466 page book is available in hardcover, Kindle and audiobook editions.

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DBMK has completed the CAD model for their 1/32 Spitfire Mk.21, which is now ready for tooling.

As previously reported, the SF.21 was uniquely advanced due to its new laminar flow wing, which was much stiffer than those of earlier Spitfires and allowed for higher speeds and improved handling at all altitudes. Its standardized armament of four 20mm Hispano cannons gave it unprecedented firepower for the Spitfire series, and revised undercarriage geometry enhanced ground stability. As a late / post-war fighter, the F.21 was the pinnacle of piston-engine Spitfire development and bridged the transition to the next generation of British fighters.

The new kit will reportedly be high pressure injection molded plastic primarily with integral 3DP parts and photoetch. DBMK is aiming for release later this year. Click below to check out additional renders.

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A 2012 Renegade Falcon has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

This 2012 Renegade Falcon is a factory-manufactured SLSA (Special Light Sport Aircraft) that represents a top-tier blend of performance, efficiency, and advanced construction. Built with complete carbon fiber and Kevlar construction and stressed to +6/-3 Gs, this Falcon is powered by a Lycoming IO-233-B2A fuel-injected engine with electronic ignition, a Vetterman crossover exhaust, and a two-blade Prince carbon fiber propeller, producing 124 horsepower. Performance is outstanding with a 1700 fpm solo climb rate, 1500 fpm with a passenger, and a 120-knot cruise, all while burning just 7 GPH in climb and 4–5 GPH in cruise, making it extremely economical to operate. The aircraft has 328 total hours, has always been hangared, and the annual inspection has just been completed at a cost of $1,450. Avionics include a new Dynon 10.56” SkyView HDX, Dynon autopilot panel, Dynon intercom, Garmin SL40 comm, fan-cooled iPad mount, and full backup gauges for altitude, airspeed, and climb rate. The 46-inch-wide cabin—wider than a Cessna 172—features a center console with throttle and mixture controls and a full bubble canopy offering exceptional visibility. Additional highlights include removable wings and horizontal stabilizer for transport and a proven airframe originally produced by Corvus Aviation in Hungary (known in Europe as the Corvus Phantom) and completed in the U.S. by Renegade Light Sport Aviation. A refined, high-performance Light Sport Aircraft with excellent handling, efficiency, and pedigree.

The aircraft is located in Bloomington, Indiana and offers are currently being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.

In his recently released book Fighting Fifteen: The Navy’s Top Ace and the Deadliest Hellcat Squadron of the Pacific War, author Stephen L. Moore shares the inspiring, action-packed tale of VF-15, the elite group of U.S. Navy “top gun” pilots that destroyed more enemy planes than any other Pacific War squadron.

David McCampbell ended his tour of duty as the navy’s “ace of aces,” with thirty-four confirmed enemy planes shot down, and received the Medal of Honor. His “Fighting Fifteen” played a major part in bringing an end to the Pacific War. But when the squadron was commissioned in 1943, most of its men—some barely out of their teenage years—were completely new to aerial combat. A string of deadly crashes during training in their rugged new F6F-3 Hellcats led the men to be booted off their first carrier. With their commander fired and McCampbell installed in his place, the group’s future looked bleak.

But McCampbell transformed this ragged group of talented but disparate individuals into a selfless team of well-trained aviators, and by the time they formally entered the Pacific War with a series of daring island strikes, they were ready. Nicknamed “Satan’s Playmates,” during six critical months of combat the squadron destroyed a record-setting 660 enemy planes across air and ground. Twenty-six of the men would eventually become aces, ascending to an elite fraternity and immortalizing the “Fabled Fifteen.” Now, using previously unknown accounts from the aviators themselves, military historian Stephen L. Moore places readers in the heart of the action as McCampbell and his flying band of brothers battle the Japanese navy and its formidable Zero fighters to the death.

The 432 page book is currently available in hardcover, Kindle and audiobook formats.

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MiniArt has released the first test build photos for their upcoming, new tool Focke-Wulf 190D-9 (Mimetall) basic kit in 1/48 scale.

As previously reported, the upcoming release (48040) will include an accurate exterior with finely reproduced panel lines and rivets, detailed cockpit with instrument panel and seat, optional open or closed canopy and marking options for two aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 301.

Click below to check out additional test build images.

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A 1947 Beech Bonanza 35 has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

This is a unique and very clean 1947 Bonanza 35 that has received all of the important modern updates while retaining its original, unmolested appearance for the purist. It is Mosaic Light Sport legal and eligible for an auto fuel STC. From its distinctive N-number to its ultra low 2,911 total time on the airframe and just 29.4 hours since firewall-forward, it presents as a very low-time example. It is powered by a Continental E225-8 built by Poplar Grove, turning a no-AD MV Hartzell hydraulic prop, and features a Planepower alternator conversion, Airwolf oil filter STC, all new fuel and oil lines, and nice glass. Recent mechanical upgrades include brand new throttle and mixture cables, a new Kelly ignition harness, heavy duty Cleveland wheels and brakes, firewall-mounted stainless battery box, a 20-gallon auxiliary tank, a new tail beacon with ADS-B capability, a non‑butchered original instrument panel, new 650 x 8 Goodyear tires and tubes, a new Concorde 35AXC battery, complete logs and STCs with no known damage history, pressure carb red seals, and reskinned ruddervators with new horns. The aircraft is owned by a meticulous A&P/IA and has been hangared in Palatka, Florida (28J), with the previous long-time owner also keeping it hangared; it is available for inspection by appointment, but the current owner is selling because it is not flown enough to justify continued ownership.

The aircraft is currently available for US $54,990 although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.

New from David Price is How to Build a Spitfire, which marries the story of how the author built a replica Spitfire in his garden with the plane’s operational history.

In April 2018 David Price, dedicated aviation museum volunteer and author of The Crew and Mosquito Men, decided to build a Spitfire replica in his back garden. In How to Build a Spitfire he juxtaposes the story of the ups and down of his own ambitious project to recreate an icon of British aviation with a narrative of the development of the Spitfire itself, focusing in particular on the production of the aircraft and its various component parts – including the Merlin engine. The story includes incredible testimonies from workers in the Supermarine factory in Southampton and in other Spitfire production facilities.

Bringing together the sometimes light-hearted tale of a personal quest, enthusiastically pursued, with an authoritative account of the technical workings of a war-winning weapon, and the stories of the men who flew it, How to Build a Spitfire is a distinctive and affectionate homage to an enduring symbol of British engineering genius and national resilience.

The 320 page book is available in hardcover, Kindle and audiobook formats.

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New this month from Eduard is a limited edition, dual combo Spitfire Mk.Vb kit in 1/72 scale.

“Spitfire Story: The Sweeps” (2154) includes Eduard plastic parts and decals, pre-painted PE parts, a painting mask and marking options representing 11 aircraft flown by RAF pilots of different nationalities who were fighting over the occupied west part of Europe.

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