Blog Archive

Group Captain Ned Frith, who has died aged 79, was one of the RAF’s foremost post-war test pilots and had important roles in the very early development of some of Britain’s future combat aircraft. Read his obituary on the Telegraph.

Flight Lieutenant Les Brodrick , who has died aged 91, was one of the 76 men to escape from Stalag Luft III during “The Great Escape”, which resulted in the murder of 50 RAF officers on the direct orders of Hitler. Read his obituary on the Telegraph

Lockheed 10 n°1015, registered N72GT, will be added to the collections of the Seattle Museum of Flight. This aircraft was restored and flown around the world for the 60th anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s historic flight but had flown very little ever since. Source

Eric Vormezeele’s Hispano HA-1112-M1L Buchón has recently undergone its first engine runs at Brasschaat Airport in Belgium. The aircraft has been completely restored in the hope of flying it again, but will need fuselage and landing gear restoration first. It has been equipped with the tail unit of a Bf 109K, giving it much better …

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Sir Alan Smith, who has died aged 95, flew as Douglas Bader’s wingman during Fighter Command’s offensive over northern France in the spring and summer of 1941; he went on to become a fighter “ace”, destroying at least five enemy aircraft. Read his obituary on The Telegraph.

Lieutenant-Commander Peter (“Toby”) Davis, who has died aged 85, was a sailor, submariner and airman who flew more sorties in the Korean War than any other United Nations pilot, and took part in the first shooting-down of an enemy fighter since the Second World War. Read his obituary on the Telegraph.

The Vintage Flying  Museum, based at Meacham International Airpot near Fort Worth, TX, has received a Douglas EA-3B Skywarrior. Reassembly and restoration of this aircraft has begun. This aircraft, BuNo 146453, is one of the longest-serving Skywarriors, having flown with the US Navy from 1960 to 1991. After 1991 it was placed in storage at Davis-Monthan …

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Air Commodore Robert Carter, who has died aged 102, joined the RAF in 1927 as an aircraft apprentice, flew biplane bombers on the North West Frontier of India and, before retiring, converted to the Canberra jet bomber. Read his obituary on the Telegraph.

Lieutenant-Commander David Waters, who has died aged 101, wrote the definitive account of the Battle of the Atlantic , quelled a mutiny by British prisoners of war, and was Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum. Read his obituary on the Telegraph.

Lieutenant-Commander Norman Sailes, who has died aged 92, was a Fleet Air Arm pilot decorated for his part in Operation Judgement, the last air raid in the war in Europe. Read his obituary on the Telegraph.

The first post-restoration flight of Spitfire Mk XVI RW382 should take place within the next few weeks at Biggin Hill. Engine tests began last November. This is the aircraft that crashed in Blue Canyon, Canada, on 3 June 1998, killing its owner Thomas Jackson. It has been restored with a standard Spitfire canopy rather than …

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Flight Lieutenant Jimmy Corbin, who has died aged 95, had just 29 hours’ flying time in the Spitfire when he joined his fighter squadron during the Battle of Britain .He was one of the 10 Battle of Britain pilot chosen to record their experiences at the height of the conflict. Read his obituary on the …

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Wing Commander William Hoy, who has died aged 93, was a successful wartime night fighter pilot, and in 1957 set a new world record time for a flight from Tokyo to London. Read his obituary on The Telegraph.

According to AVWeb, the long-anticipated excavation of the Burmese Spitfire is to start on January 12, 2013. Archeologists are expected to spend a week studying the site before the actual digging takes place. For the first part of the operation, some 36 unearthed Spitfires are expected. Source

Group Captain Robert Olding, who has died aged 79, had the rare distinction of being one of very few post-war RAF officers to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which he received after being severely wounded while attacking an Egyptian airfield during the Suez conflict. Read his obituary on The Telegraph.