Thunderbirds for Waddington!

It has been confirmed that the USAF Thunderbirds display team have been confirmed for the entire weekend at Waddington International Airshow 2011! This stunning formation aerobatic team fly the iconic F-16 Fighting Falcon in immaculate Red, White & Blue schemes. A true American hero tribute team, they will be well received on these shores!

End Of Days

The 15th December 2010 will go down as a sad day in the history of the RAF. The Harrier jump jet was retired from service. This legendary aircraft must certainly now be considered a classic jet and we hope a historic operator will take it upon themselves to operate one on the civil register.

Earheart found?

 

Legendary aviator Amelia Earhart went missing en route to Howard Island on July 2nd 1937. In 2010 it has been reported that a bone fragment, believed to be from a human finger, has been found on a Pacific Island. A group of researches are extremely hopeful the fragment belonged to Earhart; having been found in an abandoned campsite along with many women's 1930's artefacts. A University are attempting to extract human DNA from the piece, will get any finding verified, and then begin the process of matching the sample to that of Amelia.

Zero heading to the UK??

In the January issue of FlyPast Magazine there is an article regarding the Old Flying Machine Company and, in particular, Spitfire MH434. Towards the end of the issue it has been reported that OFMC are in process of acquiring a new aircraft, hinted at being on loan, along the same sort of lines as their Spitfire and Mustang.
This aircraft has to be of financial value to such a small operator; and it is suggested in the article the company is still functioning purely on the income of it's aircraft. The real juicy part of this report, from an enthusiasts point of view, is that they describe the aircraft as "hitherto never before seen in the UK". 
Thinking as to what this machine could be that is a) financially muscular b) never before seen in the UK and c) able to be operated by OFMC obviously rules down the number of options.
Never seen before in the uk most certainly rules out some exciting types including P-38 Lightning, B-25 Mitchell and de Havilland Mosquito - though they would have financial pulling power they have all been seen before in the UK. Likewise Me109 or Hurricane which would complete a classic trio of fighters for the OFMC.
Some never-before-seen could include Me262 (new build) or Commenwealth Boomerang but the financial power of these aircraft is questionable for non-enthusiast income.
Classic Aviation money is on the OFMC attempting to acquire a Mitsubishi Zero - this, to our conclusion, fits the requirements of the OFMC nicely.
Please, feel free, to leave your thoughts or offer any alternative suggestions! Pictured are OFMC's current aircraft Spitfire MH434 and Mustang "Ferocious Frankie" based at Duxford.

P-47G lands!

On 1st December 2010 a photo was posted on the Fighter Collection blog of their P-47G Thunderbolt resting on it's undercarriage. No further details have yet been released. Pictured below is the aircraft before restoration and during Classic Aviation's latest visit.

"Swamp Ghost" at POF!

The long journey of B-17E "Swamp Ghost" is nearing the end as she has now arrived at the Planes Of Fame Museum! Subject of a legal battle for many years, the airframe has been looted and subject to a lot of weather, it will now reside at POF for the forseeable future.

Venom for Kiwi

de Havilland Venom FB.4 J1799 is back on the New Zealand airshow circuit after 10 years of being grounded. The former Swiss jet is now under new ownership.

Mustang in Holland

P-51D Mustang "Trusty Rusty" had a successful engine run on November 17th at Lelystad, Netherlands. Early Birds Collection hope to start test flying soon..... UK enthusiasts hope it will be at Flying Legends 2011.

Meteor T.7 tests

On November 10th Meteor T.7 WA591 under-went engine tests at Kemble, Gloucestershire. It is expected to join Coventry based Classic Flight (formerly Air Atlantique)

Kawasaki down under

Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien fighters are being produced by Precision Aerospace Productions for Jerry Yagen's Fighter Factory. An initial limited production run of three has been planned. As well as fabricated parts many originals will be used.





Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Jerry Yagen gets "Chuckie"

B-17 Flying Fortress "Chuckie" has been purchased by Jerry Yagen's Military Aviation Museum at Virginia Beach. It is currently being readied  for the delivery flight to Virginia.

Corsair back from the deep!

Vought F4U-1 Corsair has been recovered from Lake Michigan after being submerged for 67 years. It is now the oldest known Corsair in the world; it boasts the early production "birdcage" canopy. BuNo 2465 will go on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida.

Focke-Wulf 190 takes to the skies!

On December 1st 2010 Steve Hinton, world renowned warbird pilot, took Flying Heritage Collection's Focke-Wulf 190 to the skies. This is the world's only authentic and original Fw190 fitted with a BMW 801 engine - a very complex machine. It has now been completed after leaving an english workshop in 2009.

From FHC's Facebook group:
We are excited to report, yesterday afternoon (December 1), the Flying Heritage Collection’s Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 flew for the first time since 1943. Warbird test pilot Steve Hinton lifted into the skies for a 20-minute maiden flight to test all major systems. Hinton reported that the vintage fighter passed its trial flight with flying colors. “The plane is very light, fast, and responsive,” reported Hinton. “This lived up to the history books.” Future flights will take place though December, and soon, the rare vintage aircraft will be on its way to Washington State to be put on display at the FHC.

 Photo courtesy of Jim Larsen and Air Classics magazine.

Shuttleworth in the snow!

With the country seeing many inches of snow the scene was set on picturesque Old Warden for these stunning photos - all courtesy of Shuttleworth Collection and Dave Scott. Join their Facebook Group at this address http://www.facebook.com/?sk=ru&ap=1#!/ShuttleworthCollection

If ever you wanted to see a Po2 in it's natural environment - this was it!