May 16 2026
Disaster struck on Monday, May 11, 2026, in the Seine-et-Marne region of France when a vintage Fouga CM.170 Magister crashed shortly after takeoff from Melun-Villaroche Airport. Both occupants of the aircraft lost their lives. The accident occurred at approximately 4:15 p.m. in a wooded area located between Fontainebleau and Chailly-en-Bière. According to several witnesses at …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2026/05/16/france-two-killed-in-fouga-magister-crash-near-paris/
May 16 2026
The warbird community is mourning the loss of Dan Fordice, who was killed on May 12, 2026, in the crash of his North American P-51D Mustang “Charlotte’s Chariot II” near Tallulah-Vicksburg Regional Airport, Louisiana. Fordice was a respected warbird pilot and philantropist. The circumstances of the crash are currently under investigation by the NTSB. A …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2026/05/16/dan-fordice-killed-in-the-crash-of-p-51d-mustang-charlottes-chariot-ii/
May 08 2026
According to an article published by Stefano D’Urso on The Aviationist website, an F-14D Tomcat could return to the skies in the United States under the “Maverick Act.” The proposal aims to allow the restoration to flying condition of one example of the legendary U.S. Navy carrier-based fighter, retired from active service since 2006. The …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2026/05/08/an-f-14-tomcat-might-return-to-the-skies-thanks-to-congress-maverick-act/
Feb 22 2026
The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) has announced, in an official statement, the launch of an extraordinary project: the recovery of a Douglas TBD-1 Devastator missing since 1942. Of the 129 Devastators built, none has survived to the present day in a museum or private collection. The aircraft, identified as BuNo 1515, is now …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2026/02/22/a-rare-douglas-tbd-1-devastator-to-be-recovered-by-the-us-navy/
Feb 19 2026
UK-based Spitfire enthusiast and author Greg Davis has reached a significant milestone with his long-running Spitfire Mk I restoration project. The aircraft, Supermarine Spitfire Mk I R6613, has successfully passed inspection by the Civil Aviation Authority and is now officially registered as G-RRST.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2026/02/19/investors-wanted-for-historic-spitfire-restoration-project/
Sep 05 2025
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Lancaster PA474, one of only two airworthy examples in the world — the other being operated by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum — will receive a new paint scheme following its major maintenance program scheduled to begin in October 2025 at RAF Coningsby. When it emerges from the workshops …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2025/09/05/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight-lancaster-to-receive-new-livery-for-2027/
Aug 31 2025
The Airmotive Specialties Inc. workshop, located in Salinas, California, unveiled this week the first photos of the P-51D Mustang “Hel-eter” in its new colors. This marks an important milestone in the restoration of this aircraft, whose return to airworthy condition has been underway for several years and is expected to lead to a new first …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2025/08/31/hel-eter-rebirth-of-a-pacific-theater-p-51-mustang/
Aug 31 2025
Randy “Duke” Cunningham, former U.S. Navy fighter pilot and Vietnam War ace, passed away on August 27, 2025, at the age of 83. He was one of the most recognized American aviators of the conflict, credited with five aerial victories that made him the first U.S. Navy ace of the Vietnam War. Born on December …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2025/08/31/randy-duke-cunningham-vietnam-war-ace-has-passed-away/
Aug 26 2025
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located in Dayton, Ohio, has recently reinstalled in its World War II Gallery an iconic aircraft of German aviation: the Fieseler Fi 156C-2 Storch. Removed from display in 2017, the aircraft underwent a complete restoration between 2024 and 2025, carried out by the museum’s technical teams. This …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2025/08/26/the-fieseler-storch-of-the-national-museum-of-the-u-s-air-force-has-been-restored/
Aug 25 2025
A chapter in aviation history was closed on August 14, 2025, when Donald Melvin McPherson passed away at the age of 103. Don McPherson, the last living American ace of World War II, leaves behind not just a legacy of aerial valor but also one of faith, humility, and heartfelt community dedication. Born on May …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2025/08/25/donald-mcpherson-last-surviving-us-ace-of-ww2-has-passed-away/
Jun 07 2025
A dramatic accident occurred on Friday, June 6 around 2:30 p.m. at Air Base 721 in Rochefort-Saint-Agnant, France. The Morane-Saulnier MS.733 F-AZXU crashed, resulting in the death of Alexandre Fritz, a former military pilot with 30 years of service. He was performing a flight demonstration on the occasion of the graduation ceremony of the promotion …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2025/06/07/pilot-killed-in-morane-saulnier-ms-733-crash-in-france/
Jun 01 2025
On Memorial Day 2025, the Collings Foundation’s rare North American F-100F Super Sabre, one of only two airworthy examples globally, took to the skies once again. Piloted by Rick Sharpe, curator of the Vietnam War Flight Museum in Houston, Texas, the aircraft participated in a commemorative formation flight honoring fallen service members. This significant event …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2025/06/01/collings-foundations-f-100f-super-sabre-returns-to-the-skies/
Aug 05 2024
The Hawaii Mars, one of the largest and most iconic flying boats in the world, has taken flight for the first time since 2016. This event marks a significant milestone in the plan to fly it to the British Columbia Aviation Museum later this month. After a series of successful taxi tests, the Martin JRM …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2024/08/05/hawaii-mars-flies-again-after-9-years/
Aug 04 2024
The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, Minnesota, announced the successful test flight of their restored SB2C-5 Helldiver on July 22, 2024, marking its first flight since 1945. The Helldiver, built in early 1945 and originally stationed at Naval Air Field Newport, Rhode Island, and NAS Dahlgren, Virginia, crashed during a test flight on …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2024/08/04/restored-fagen-fighters-wwii-museum-sb2c-5-helldiver-flies-again-after-79-years/
May 25 2024
The Spitfire Mk IX MK356 of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight crashed on Saturday, May 25, not far from its base at RAF Coningsby. The pilot, whose identity has not yet been revealed, tragically died in the accident. According to witnesses, the Spitfire appeared to have suffered an engine failure. The Vickers Supermarine Spitfire …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2024/05/25/uk-pilot-killed-in-battle-of-britain-memorial-flight-spitfire-crash/
Recent Comments