Left to right: Lt. Col. Richard Cole, Lt. Col. Edward Saylor and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher at Eglin Air Force Base. (Photo USAF/Thomas Brown)
Three of the four surviving members of the 18 April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Tokyo gathered from April 17 to 21 at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida for a final meeting. The members who were present were Lt. Col. Richard Cole, le Lt. Col. Edward Saylor and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher. Lt. Col. Robert Hite could not travel and was absent from the meeting.
The men flew on a B-25 Mitchell, the type used in the raid, with Dick Cole doing part of the flying. A private meeting will take place later this year, where the surviving members will open a bottle of Hennessy cognac from 1896, the year when James Doolittle was born, and toast one final time to all of their comrades.
We are saddened to learn the death of Henri Bourrassier, who passed away on April 6.
Henri Bourrassier flew the B-26 Marauder with the Free French “Bretagne” bomber group during World War Two. He later flew Dakotas and Noratlas transport aircraft for the French Air Force in during the wars in Indochina and Algeria.
He was a member of the French Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and was particularly active in the first years of activity of the wing.
His wartime memoirs and stories have been recorded by the CAF FW.
Learn more about Henri Bourrassier on the CAF FW’s website (in French).
Flying Heritage Collection test flew their newly restored Grumman F6F-5N for the very first time on Wednesday, March 27th, 2013 with Steve Hinton at the controls. The Hellcat is their latest addition to the collection and will be flying for the 2013 season here at Paine Field in Everett, Washington.
A Breguet Alizé preserved in Southern France by the CAEA. (Photo Jérome (CC BY-NC-BD 2.0))
The association Breguet Alizé, which is mostly composed of former French Navy personnel, has been working for the last few months on restoring their Breguet Alizé ASW aircraft back to flying status.
Engine runs and taxiing tests began at the end of 2012 and the association has now received permission to make test flights with the aircraft.
The Alizé entered service in 1959 with the French Navy and served until 2000. To our knowledge, no Alizé is currently flying although several aircraft are preserved both in France and in India, the Alizé’s only export customer. Continue reading
Col. Robert J. “Shorty” Rankin, a World War II fighter ace of the 56th Fighter Group, passed away on March 14, 2013 in his winter home in Florida, aged 94. He was credited with 10 confirmed, 1 probable victories and 2 damaged e/a, and was the first P-47 Thunderbolt to achieve “ace-in-a-day” status by destroying 5 e/a in one day.
Robert James Rankin was born on 23 October 1918 in Washington, D. C. Joining the Army Air Corps on 6 March 1941, he served in the enlisted ranks until he became an aviation cadet on 15 July 1942. Graduation from pilot training at Luke Field, Arizona Continue reading
Thomas Griffin, who was the navigator on the ninth aircraft of the 18 April 1942 Doolittle raid on Tokyo , died on February 26 aged 96.
With the passing of Thomas Griffin, there are now only four surviving members of this legendary mission. Its success was mostly psychologival, as America needed some positive news in early 1942, a time when it was struggling to resist Japanese advance in the Pacific.
After the Tokyo raid, Thomas Griffin went to North Africa with the 319th Bomb Group, flying the B-26. He was shot down in July 1943 and imprisoned in Germany. He was released in April 1945.
Kenneth Allen Jernstedt, who flew with the legendary Flying Tigers, died on February 5 aged 95. Born in 1917, Jernstedt flew with the US Marine Corps before joining the American Volunteer Group in 1941 to fight the Japanese in China. By the time he left the AVG in 1942, he was credited with three confirmed aerial victoires, two probables and destroyed 6 aircraft on the ground.
After the war, Ken Jerstedt settled in Hood River, Oregon, where the local airfield was renamed after him. He was the mayor of Hood River for several years and was always involved in the local political scene. Continue reading
Pierre Lorillon, a fighter ace from the French Normandie-Niémen group that fought on the Russian front in World War Two, died on February 17th in Bastia (Corsica). With his death, there are now only two surviving pilots of the legendary French fighter unit: Gaël Taburet and Jean Sauvage.
Pierre Lorillon was born on May 13, 1918 in Champigny-sur-Marne, France. He first served in Marocco and was later assigned to the Normandie-Niémen group fighting in Russia. He was credited with 5 aerial victories and 3 shared ones, all acquired on the Russian front. Continue reading
Hurricane Mk II P3351 at Wanaka (NZ) in 2010. (Photo Paul Nelhams (CC BY-SA 2.0))
The Hawker Hurricane Mk IIa P3351 has been dismantled and shipped to France where it will be received by its new owner, whose identity has not been revealed. This aircraft was part of Sir Tim Wallis’ Alpine Fighter Collection in New-Zealand.
Hurricane Mk IIa DR393 (registered ZK-TPK) was originally a Mk I P3351. It was delivered to the RAF, and crashed near Prestwick on 21 July 1940. Rebuilt as Mk IIa DR393 the aircraft was delivered to the Soviet Air Force in May 1941, serving for about two years before again crashing near Murmansk, Russia in 1943. The hulk was eventually restored as a Mk IIc in the UK from 1992 to 1995. It was transferred to New Zealand in 1995, and acquired by the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum in Wanaka, New Zealand. Its first flight after restoration occurred in Christchurch on 12 January 2000.
The North American P-64 of the EAA AirVenture Museum was started by Paul Poberezny on February 8, this being the first time after 25 years of static display.
A Spitfire Mk XIV at Duxford (Photo Brian Proctor (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)).
With the ongoing debate concerning the presence of crated Spitfires deep in Burma’s soil, one of our visitors, Peter, shared a link to an article from the Myanmar Times by Derek Tonkin: Myanmar’s phantom Spitfires: how a legend was born.
This article provides some useful insight on how the Burmese Spitfires legend began, and whether it should be given any credit. It is by no means an optimistic conclusion that is drawn by Derek Tonkin, especially for those who still want to hope that the Spitfires will show up, but an interesting read altogether.
Squadron Leader Tom Bennett, who has died aged 93, flew as a navigator in one of the specialist crews on No 617 (Dambusters) Squadron. After the war, he remained with the RAF until 1955 and then worked at the Port of London authority. He stayed close to 617 Squadron and is the author of an excellent book on this unit.
The Stinson O-49 Vigilant 40-3102 in Miami in 1989 (Photo RuthAs (CC BY 3.0))
The Miami-based Fantasy of Flight Museum recently completed the restoration of its Stinson O-49 Vigilant, damaged in 1992 by hurricane Andrew. Only four other aircraft of this type are preserved nowadays, and only one is flying.
The Stinson O-49 was designed after a request from the US Army Air Corps, who was impressed by the presentation of the Fieseler Storch at the 1938 Cleveland National Races and wanted an liaison and observation aircraft with similar abilities. Equipped with full-wingspan leading edge slats, the O-49 can fly at speeds as low as 31 mph and has a landing run shorter than its own length. Just as the Storch, it is capable of flying backwards in a strong headwind.
The FoFM’s aircraft was painted in its wartime USAAC colours. Flight testing should begin shortly.
The Flying Heritage Collection’s F6F Hellcat was recently restored and its first post-restoration engine runs were carried out yesterday, January 25. The aircraft is yet to receive its definitive markings.
The Planes of Fame Museum’s Yokosuka D4Y “Judy” went through its first post-restoration engine run on December 1st in Chino, with Steve Hinton in the cockpit. The aircraft is equiped with a Pratt & Whitney R-1830, replacing the original Japanese engine.
There are presently only two preserved Judys, the other one being located in Japan. The PoF Judy has reportedly been restaured to non-flying status, but will be able to taxi. It was part of a batch of Japanese aircraft found in 1991 by Bruce Fenstermaker on Babo Island, Indonesia. Continue reading
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