S/L John Hart, one of the last surviving Battle of Britain pilots, has passed away

Squadron Leader John Hart DFC, one of the last four surviving Battle of Britain veterans according to Metro News, passed away on 18 June 2019. Born in 1916, Hart was a Canadian pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1938 to 1946. He flew Lysanders in the RAF Army Cooperation Command, Spitfires in the Battle of Britain, Hurricanes in Burma and Mustangs in Italy.

Source:

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/09/01/s-l-john-hart-one-of-the-last-surviving-battle-of-britain-pilots-has-passed-away/

Tupolev Tu-2 to be restored to airworthiness in Russia

Two Tupolev Tu-2S bombers were recently received by the Novosibirsk State Technical University in Russia. These aircraft served with the Chinese air force before being stored in a museum and were later purchased by John MacGuire of the War Eagles Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Staff at the University plan to restore one of the two aircraft to airworthiness, following a three-year restoration.

For more information and photos :

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/08/31/tupolev-tu-2-to-be-restored-to-airworthiness-in-russia/

Aéroscopia museum in France receives an Airbus A380

An Airbus A380 at ILA 2006 (Photo Łukasz Golowanow (CC BY-SA 2.5))

An Airbus A380 at ILA 2006 (Photo Łukasz Golowanow (CC BY-SA 2.5))

The French museum Aéroscopia, located in southern France near Toulouse, received the Airbus A380 MSN 002 on 29 August. The aircraft was simply towed to the museum as it is located next to the airbus assembly complex.

Source (and photos): Aerobuzz | Aéroscopia accueille son A380

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/08/31/aeroscopia-museum-in-france-receives-an-airbus-a380/

ATAC Mirage F1 makes maiden flight

Five years after their withdrawal from service in the French air force, a Mirage F1B provately owned by the American company Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) has made its maiden flight. ATAC provides Dissimilar Air Combat Training and Adversary squadrons and has purchased 63 ex-French Mirage F1B, F1CT et F1CR for its operations.

The first aircraft to fly was a Mirage F1B registered N601AX, formerly from Escadron de Reconnaissance 2/33 “Savoie”.

ATAC also flies eleven Hawker Hunter, six IAI F-21 Kfir, one Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and two Aero L-39 Albatross. Draken International has also acquired twenty former Spanish air force Mirage F1B et F1M for the same reasons.

Source:

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/08/31/atac-mirage-f1-makes-maiden-flight/

Open Hangar Day for the Belgian Aviation Preservation Association on Saturday the 31st of August

Silence on set, the BAPA makes its cinema, first, action, rolling!

BAPA will be holding its open house on Saturday, August 31 to celebrate the fifth participation in a shooting of its B25J Mitchell with its almost fully equipped interior and its superb current Pinup “Yankee Doodle” from the mini-series “Catch-22”.

The whole event will revolve around him with the evocation of the shoots in which he participated.

The association’s volunteers will welcome you to visit the restoration workshop and admire our collection of restored aircraft, in progress or awaiting restoration, and will present various activities.

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/08/27/open-hangar-day-for-the-belgian-aviation-preservation-association-on-saturday-the-31st-of-august/

Mig-29 Fulcrum from Paul Allen’s estate for sale

The MiG-29 Fulcrum N29UB "Red 64" in 2011. (Photo Andrew W. Seiber (CC BY-NC 2.0))

The MiG-29 Fulcrum N29UB “Red 64” in 2011. (Photo Andrew W. Seiber (CC BY-NC 2.0))

The two-seat Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-29UB Fulcrum of Paul Allen’s estate is for sale by the Mente Group. The aircraft was acquired and was completely restored in 2008-2009 before being exported to the United States.

Paul Allen, Microsoft’s co-founder, passed away in October 2018. He was a great aviation enthusiast and the founder of the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum.

Sources:

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/08/12/mig-29-fulcrum-from-paul-allens-estate-for-sale/

Iouri Maksaïev, one of the last Normandie-Niémen veterans, has passed away

Iouri Maksaïev (Source : Russia Beyond)

Iouri Maksaïev (Source : Russia Beyond)

Iouri Maksaïev, one of the last Normandie-Niémen veterans, passed away on August 3, 2019. Born in 1926, he trained as a mechanic and served in the famous franco-soviet fighter regiment equipped with Yakolev Yak-3 fighters and deployed on the Eastern Front.

After the war, he remained in the armed forces until 1951 and then worked in the civilian aviation industry. He was an enthusiastic proponent of Franco-Russian friendship and traveled to France in 2015 to inaugurate the Normandie-Niémen exhibition at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace and also in 2017 for the 75th anniversary of the Normandie-Niémen.

Source: Russia Beyond

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/08/06/iouri-maksaiev-one-of-the-last-normandie-niemen-veterans-has-passed-away/

Pilot injured in Vintage Wings of Canada FG-1D Corsair landing accident

Vintage Wings of Canada's Goodyear FG-1D Corsair C-GVWC in 2009 (Photo Henry Lo (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Vintage Wings of Canada’s Goodyear FG-1D Corsair C-GVWC in 2009 (Photo Henry Lo (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Vintage Wings of Canada’s Goodyear FG-1D Corsair was damaged when it departed the runway during landing at Gatineau Executive Airport in Québec, Canada, on 3 July 2019. John Aitken, who was at the controls, suffered a broken rib and a broken nose but is expected to recover fully.

The extent of the damage suffered by the Corsair is unknown but Paul Tremblay, chief mechanic at VWoC, said that “we’ll definitely be able to get it going again”. The aircraft was expected to attend the Thunder over Michigan airshow in August, with up to 10 Corsairs attending.

We wish John Aitken a full and speedy recovery !

Sources:

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/07/04/pilot-injured-in-vintage-wings-of-canada-fg-1d-corsair-landing-accident/

JU-AIR’s Junkers Ju 52s to be completely overhauled and resume operations by 2021

Ju-52 HB-HOS in 2011 (Photo LFSB Plane Pictures (CC BY-NC-ND-2.0))

JU-AIR’s Junkers Ju52 HB-HOS in 2011 (Photo LFSB Plane Pictures (CC BY-NC-ND-2.0))

JU-AIR has shared the following information regarding the future of its three Junkers Ju 52s:

JU-AIR has initiated the process to overhaul its three JU-52 completely.  The overhaul will be carried out by specialised firms and will last about two years. The airline will take up flight operations again in spring 2021. By then, it will re-organise its maintenance department.

After months of preparation, the major overhaul of JU-AIR’s historical JU-52 has begun. First, digital measurements will be taken of the aircraft and their components so as to obtain three-dimensional, computerised blueprints.

This major project is led by JUNKERS Flugzeugwerke in Dübendorf, Switzerland, who has contracted a number of specialised firms in Switzerland and abroad. The Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) will supervise every step of the process, before, during and after each stage of work. Once the overhaul is completed, the three airplanes will be, technically, as good as new. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/06/14/ju-airs-junkers-ju-52s-to-be-completely-overhauled-and-resume-operations-by-2021/

New Warbird Shirts : F-8 Crusader, the last Gunfighter !

Two new F-8 Crusader Warbird Shirts are available in the shop : “Fear the Crouze”, depicting an F-8E(FN) of the French Navy, and an F-8C of VMF-333 “Fighting Shamrocks”.

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/06/12/new-warbird-shirts-f-8-crusader-the-last-gunfighter/

Airco DH.9 E8894 flies again in Duxford

The Airco DH.9 E8894 G-CDLI ( Photo © Ashley Stephenson )

The Airco DH.9 E8894 G-CDLI ( Photo © Ashley Stephenson )

The Airco DH.9 E8894 registered G-CDLI of the Historic Aircraft Collection made its first post-restoration flight in Duxford on May 13. The flight lasted 30 minutes and was made with Dodge Bailey at the controls.The aircraft’s restoration was carried out by Retrotech and Aero Vintage Ltd and took over ten years. E8894 is the sole airworthy DH.9 in the world, and is powered by an original Siddeley Puma engine.

One of the DH.9 wrecks seen at Aero Vintage in July 2014 before restoration work began ( Photo © Benjamin Gilbert)

One of the DH.9 wrecks seen at Aero Vintage in July 2014 before restoration work began ( Photo © Benjamin Gilbert)

Its wreck was recuperated in the 1990s in India, along with another example which was restored to static condition for the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.

The other Airco DH.9, D5649, at the imperial War Museum Duxford ( Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))

The other Airco DH.9, D5649, at the imperial War Museum Duxford ( Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))

The Airco DH.9 was a daytime twin-seat bomber derived from the DH.4, which it was meant to replace. The underpowered DH.9 proved to be a disappointment and was modified with Liberty 12 engine to become the DH.9A. The DH.9A became an essential tool of British colonial policy in the 1920s. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/05/14/airco-dh-9-e8894-flies-again-in-duxford/

“Connie” Edwards has passed away

One of Connie Edwards' Buchón in 2018. (Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))

One of Connie Edwards’ Buchóns in 2018. (Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Wilson Connell “Connie” Edwards passed away on May 3, 2019 in Texas. Born on 25 April 1934, he served in the US Air National Guard from 1951 to 1960.

In 1968 and 1969, he was chief pilot for the movie “The Battle of Britain”, flying Hispano Buchóns (Bf 109 built under license in Spain), Spitfires, Hurricanes, Junkers Ju 52s, CASA 2.111s (He 111 built under license in Spain) and a B-25 Mitchell photo plane.

He also participated in the shooting of several other warbird-related movies and helped create the Confederate Air Force (now the Commemorative Air Force) and has always been a leading figure of the warbird scene in the US and the world. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/05/14/connie-edwards-has-passed-away/

EAA’s B-25 Mitchell “Berlin Express” flies again

The Experimental Aircraft Association's North American B-25 Mitchell "Berlin Express" on its first post-restoration flight. (Photo © EAA)

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s North American B-25 Mitchell “Berlin Express” on its first post-restoration flight. (Photo © EAA)

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s North American B-25H Michell “Berlin Express” made its forst post-restoration flight on 20 April 2019 after a four and a half-year restoration. The aircraft is notably known for its role in the movie “Catch-22”.

Photo & video © Experimental Aircraft Association Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/04/28/eaas-b-25-mitchell-berlin-express-flies-again/

Pilot killed in Northrop N-9M crash in California

The planes of Fame's Northrop N-9M.

The Planes of Fame’s Northrop N-9M. (Photo CindyN (CC BY-SA 4.0))

 

The 1944 Northrop N-9M restored and flown by the Planes of Fame museum crashed in a prison courtyard in Norco, California on 22 April 2019. The pilot did not survive the crash and the aircraft appears to have been totally destroyed by the crash and subsequent fire.

The aircraft was the fourth and last N-9M built, and the only surviving example of its type. It was restored to flying condition by the Planes of Fame museum, which had been displaying it at airshows and events since the mid-1990s.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of the pilot. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/04/23/pilot-killed-in-northrop-n-9m-crash-in-california/

Lt Col Richard “Dick” Cole, last surviving member of the Doolittle raid, has passed away

Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)

Lieutenant Colonel Richard “Dick” E. Cole, Jimmy Doolittle’s copilot and last surviving member of the Doolittle raid on Tokyo on 18 April 1942, passed away on 9 April 2019.

Born in 1915, he enlisted as aviation cadet in 1940. He was one of the 80 crew members selected to take part in the famous raid against Tokyo and mainland Japan, led by the famous James “Jimmy” Doolittle. Taking off from the USS Hornet in their B-25 Mitchells, a medium bomber designed to operate from land, the raiders bombed Tokyo and other targets in the Japanese mainland. Running out of fuel after their mission, they parachuted or crash-landed in China. Five raiders were captured and executed by the Japanese, with another three becoming prisoners of war (one of whom died of malnutrition during his captivity).

Richard Cole remained in the China-Burma-India theater of operations after the raid. He served in the US Air Force until 1966, retiring with over 5,000 flying hours.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Lt Col Cole’s family and friends.

Read more about Richard Cole’s life and career on the US Air Force’s website.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2019/04/11/lt-col-richard-dick-cole-last-surviving-member-of-the-doolittle-raid-has-passed-away/