The French association Replic’Air recently finished the construction of a Morane-Saulnier Type G replica, which will be used to cross the Mediterranean sea on September 22, to commemorate the first crossing of that body of water by Roland Garros in 1913.
The replica is powered by a Rotec engine, which is similar to the original Gnome engine but offers greater reliability. The first flight should occur in the next few days, and will be followed by trials in preparation for the overseas flight, which should last 8 hours.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk WZ877 (F-AZLI) flew for the first time in La Rochelle, France, on June 23.
The aircraft had been sold from RAF stock in 1996 but had never flown again. Bought in 2010 by MM. Gilles Carter and Patrick Pierre-Pierre, pilot for the first flight, it was restored to airworthy status.
The Fighter Collection’s Republic (license-built by Curtiss) P-47G Thunderbolt called “SNAFU” is currently being disassembled in Duxford to be crated and shipped to its new owner in the US, Comanche Fighters.
Squadron Leader Tony Gaze, who died on 29 July 2013 at the age of 93, was a Second World War Spitfire fighter ace and later became a highly successful motor racing driver. Born on 3 February 1920, he was credited with 12.5 aerial victories during the Second World War and flew jets and gliders after the war, in addition to his racing career.
A Swiss F-5 Tiger. (Photo Peter Gronemann (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The Swiss association Espace Passion operates a Hawker Hunter and a Mirage III out of Payerne airbase in Switzerland. As the Hunter’s jet engine is nearing the end of its operational life, it will be grounded next year as the association does not have the budget to restore it.
A replacement is already being sought, and the F-5 Tiger has come up as a likely candidate. The Swiss air force has been a major partner for Espace Passion and will be retiring its F-5 Tigers in the years to come.
The Stinson O-49 Vigilant 40-3102 in Miami in 1989 (Photo RuthAs (CC BY 3.0))
The Fantasy of Flight Stinson L-1 Vigilant flew again on July 18 after a lengthy restoration process. The plane flew for 25 minutes and only minor adjustments were found to be necessary.
More information and pictures can be found on Warbird News.
On July 5, Supermarine Spitfire PR.19 (F-AZJS) was damaged upon landing. According to some sources, the aircraft was landing after having experienced engine problems. On this YouTube video, it can be seen nearly nosing over on touchdown. The propeller was shattered, and the engine will have to be inspected for shock damage. Aside from this, no other damage is apparent on the aircraft.
An F4U Corsair at the Military Aviation Museum. (Photo Joanna Poe (CC BY-SA 2.0))
Stunning news: the aircraft composing the collections of the Military Aviation Museum, founded in Virginia Beach by Jerry Yagen in 2005, are for sale. Yagen explained that he could no longer afford to pay for the museum, which is not self-sustaining. Two aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, have been reported as already sold.
The museum, one of the largest of its type, may also have to be shut down after the aircraft have been sold. Yagen has told reporters that he does not know how many aircraft he owns exactly, as many are not on display. The MAM’s collections include at least 70 World War One and Two aircraft. Continue reading
More sad news: Wingwalker Jane Wicker and pilot Charlie Schwenker were killed in the crash of their Stearman during a demontration at the Dayton airshow yesterday. The biplane appears to have stalled while it was flying inverted with limited speed. The aircraft burst into flames upon impact, killing Wicker and Schwenker instantly.
After several delays due to bad weather conditions, the recovery of the Goodwin Sands Dornier 17 was successfully carried out on June 10. The aircraft, believed to be the sole survivor of its type in the world, was lying inverted under 50 ft of water.
It will be transported for restoration and later exposed at the RAF Museum in Hendon.
A Saab 91C (Swedish Air Force designation: Sk 50C). (Photo towpilot (CC BY-SA 2.0))
The pilot of a Sk 50, the military designation of the Saab 91 Safir, was killed in the crash of his aircraft Saturday afternoon at an airshow in Søderhamn, Sweden.
The causes of the accident are unknown at this time. The airshow was cancelled following the accident.
The P-51D Mustang “The Rebel”. (Photo D. Miller (CC BY 2.0))
On May 23, Palm Beach-resident Doug Matthews set several aeronautical records at the controls of his P-51D Mustang “The Rebel”. The records included time to reach altitudes of 9,000 m (approx. 30,000 ft, reached in 18 minutes) and 12,000 m (approx. 40,000 ft, in 31 minutes), as well as altitude records: 40,100 ft in level flight and 42,500 ft of maximum altitude.
These records are currently being examined by the U.S. National Aeronautics Association (NAA) and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). If they are approved, Matthews will join the “100 Club”, reserved to aviators who have set over one hundred American and international records.
A Breguet Alizé preserved in Southern France by the CAEA. (Photo Jérome (CC BY-NC-BD 2.0))
The Bréguet Alizé n°59, restored by Alizé Marine, flew again last Saturday in Nîmes. Two test flights were made, lasting 12 and 30 minutes. The flights were made by Jean Ivars, a former French Navy pilot, and were satisfactory.
The aircraft will possibly be presented at the Salon du Bourget airshow this summer in Paris.
Ha-200 Saeta EC-DXR in flight. (Photo César Astudillo (CC BY 2.0))
A pilot was killed today when a Hispano Ha-200 Saeta crashed during an airshow in Madrid. The causes of the accident are unknown at this time.
The pilot is Ladislao Tejedor Romero, a 35-year old experienced military pilot and assistant to the Spanish Defence Minister. Romero died from burns suffered in the crash after he was admitted at Getafe hospital. The aircraft was the Ha-200 Saeta EC-DXR, which is well known by Spanish aviation enthusiasts and spotters.
The aircraft was built in the 1950s and was operated by the Fundación Infante de Orleans.
A video posted on YouTube shows the Saeta engaging in a Split-S and not recovering.
[important]While some early sources indicate 18 people were wounded in the crash, most sources only mention two or three people with light wounds. The lower figure seems to be the correct one. Our article has therefore been corrected based on available information.[/important]
Japanese businessman Masahide Ishizuka recently presented his project of basing his Mitsubishi A6M-3 Zero (registered N553TT) in Japan, where it would fly at airshows. This would make it the first flying warbird in Japan and could lead to other warbirds flying in the country, such as those of Nobuo Harada, whose collection includes many World War II Japanese aircraft.
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