Oct 24 2018
The Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation’s Thomas-Morse S-4B Scout recently made its first post-restauration flight. The aircraft was donated to the foundation in 2010 and was meticulously restored to airworthiness.
More information is available from Aerodynamic Media.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/10/24/thomas-morse-s-4b-scout-flies-again/
Oct 24 2018
Three SNJ/T-6 of the COndor Squadron in formation. The accident aircraft is the closest one on this shot. (Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))
An SNJ-5 Texan belonging to the Condor Squadron made an emergency landing on a highway near Agoura Hills, California following an engine failure on October 23, 2018. The pilot managed to land on the highway between traffic and made a power-out landing there. Unfortunately, the aircraft hit the central divider and was destroyed in the ensuing fire. The pilot, who was alone on board, was able to exit the aircraft uninjured.
The accident aircraft is an SNJ-5, BuNo 43974. It carries the markings of a Luftwaffe Fw 190 in World War II.
The Condor Squadron Officer’s and Airmen’s Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1965 by a group of WWII fighter pilots, regularly displaying their T-6s at airshows and other events.
Sources:
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/10/24/condor-squadron-snj-5-texan-crashes-on-highway-no-fatalities/
Oct 03 2018
The Shuttleworth Collection’s newly-arrived Albatros D.Va replica made its first engine run on October 1st.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/10/03/first-engine-run-for-shuttleworth-collections-new-albatros-d-va/
Sep 09 2018
Yakovlev Yak-9UM VH-YIX (Photo Robert Frola (GNU FDL via Wikipedia))
A man was killed in the crash of his Yakovlev Yak-9UM in the state of Victoria in Australia, on Friday the 7th of September. The causes of the accident are unknown at this time. The aircraft, Yak-9UM CH-YIX, was one of the series of aircraft built by Yakovlev in the early 1990s, and was powered by an Allison engine.
Our thought and prayers go to the family and friends of the deceased.
Source: ABC News
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/09/09/pilot-killed-in-yak-9um-crash-in-australia/
Aug 20 2018
From August 19 to 23, you can save 15% off all t-shirts in our Warbird Shirts store by using the promo code SHIRT15. We have a wide selection of available shirts and new designs are being added on a regular basis.
The Warbird Shirts store helps us pay for the cost of hosting and maintaining World Warbird News. Thanks for your continued support !
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/08/20/get-15-off-all-t-shirts-in-our-warbirds-shirt-store/
Aug 09 2018
As part of the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy in June 2019, preparations have begun for an exceptional commemoration. These jubilee commemorations will probably be the last ones to be attended by veterans of World War II.
From the 6th to the 9th of June 2019, the French association L-Birds back to Normandy is organizing an unprecedented gathering of liaison aircraft, often referred to as L-Birds (L for Liaison). This gathering will include Piper L-4 Grasshoppers, Stinson L-5 Sentinels and other rare L-Birds, some of which are the only airworthy remaining examples !
More than 40 liaison aircraft, all authentic and in their wartime colours, will fly to Normandy from all over Europe. This will be the largest concentration of liaison aircraft since 1945, all being veterans and representing the various types of liaison aircraft used by the belligerents during the war. They will be displayed together, flown by pilots from 13 different countries.
The rallying point before the commemorative flights will be the Saint André de l’Eure airfield, a former German base which became Advanced Landing Ground B-24 when the Allies took control. This airbase was home to C-47 Dakotas and hundreds of L-Birds during the Battle of Normandy.
More info can be found on the association’s website : L-Birds.fr.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/08/09/more-than-40-l-birds-to-commemorate-75th-anniversary-of-d-day-and-battle-of-normandy/
Aug 04 2018
The Junkers Ju 52 HB-HOT in 2017. (Photo Lutz Blohm (CC BY-SA 2.0))
The Junkers Ju 52/3m registered HB-HOT and operated by Ju-Air crashed this afternoon shortly before 5:00 PM on the Piz Segnas, a mountain in the Glarus Alps in Switzerland. There is very little information about this tragic incident and no reports on the number of victims is available at this time.
Ju-Air operates three Ju 52 and announced the accident on its website:
We have the sad duty to announce that one of our Ju-52 aircraft had a accident
today. At the moment, no further information is available.
[Update on 8 August 2018 @ 11:30 CET] : New info has emerged and indicates that 20 people were killed in the crash : 17 passengers, the two pilots and an accompanying person.
Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of the victims.
Sources:
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/08/04/junkers-ju-52-crashes-in-switzerland/
Aug 02 2018
First flight of the Moynet Jupiter (Photo © Espace Air Passion)
The Moynet M.360/6 Jupiter made its new maiden flight on July 26 in France after a lengthy restoration done by Espace Air Passion/GPPA (Groupement de Préservation du Patrimoine Aéronautique).
The test crew was composed of Christian Ravel and Jean-Pierre Lambin. The Moynet M360/6 was built in 1965 and had not flown since 1978. Designed as an executive transport, it was never produced and only two prototypes were completed. Continue reading
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/08/02/unique-moynet-m-360-jupiter-flies-again-in-france/
Aug 02 2018
Two new shirt designs have been added to the Warbird Shirts shop : a P-40F Warhawk of the famous Free French GC II/5 “La Fayette” fighter group with the Sioux head emblem, and the B-24 Liberator “Hot Stuff”, the first 8th Air Force bomber to survive 25 combat missions in World War II.
Also, you can enjoy a 15 % discount on the entire shop from August 2 to August 6 by using the promo code SUMMERSUN.
Sales from the Warbird Shirts shop help us pay for some of our expenses (web hosting, licenses, etc.). Thanks for your continued support !
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/08/02/new-warbird-shirts-and-a-special-offer/
Jul 22 2018
Geoffrey Wellum in 2009 (Photo PeterPanPan (CC BY 3.0))
Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum DFC passed away on 18 July 2018, aged 96. A former RAF fighter pilot, he took part in the Battle of Britain in 1940. He remained in frontline service until 1943, when he became a test pilot on the Hawker Typhoon and ended the war as a gunnery instructor. He left the RAF in 1960.
His wartime memoirs, First Light: The Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in the War-Torn Skies Above Britain, were first published in 2002 by Viking Books. The book was adapted to film in 2010 by the BBC under the name First Light.
Sources:
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/07/22/squadron-leader-geoffrey-wellum-dfc-%e2%80%a0/
Jul 22 2018
The C-47 “Blue Bonnet Belle” of the Commemorative Air Force’s Highland Lakes Squadron has been destroyed in an accident as the aircraft was departing for Oshkosh. Of the 13 people on board at the time of the crash, 7 were injured, including one with significant burn injuries who was airlifted to the hospital. The aircraft was totally destroyed in the fire that followed the take-off accident.
The C-47 Blue Bonnet Belle N47HL (Photo D. Miller (CC BY 2.0))
Sources:
* Some sources indicate that 14 people were on board “Blue Bonnet Belle”.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/07/22/c-47-blue-bonnet-belle-destroyed-in-accident/
Jul 21 2018
A pilot was killed when his Havilland DH 112 Venom crashed in a farm near Sheboygan County Memorial Airport in Wisconsin. The aircraft reportedly crashed in a field before hitting a farm building. Two farm workers were also injured, one of them severely. Several dozen farm animals were also killed in the crash.
Few details are currently available on this tragic incident.
Source: WBay
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/07/21/fatal-de-havilland-venom-crash-in-wisconsin/
Jul 20 2018
Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has released the official trailer of Hurricane, which should be reaching British cinemas and online platforms in early September. The movie tells the “untold true story of Squadron 303”. The Royal Air Force’s No 303 (Polish) Squadron was composed of Polish pilots and was one of the highest-scoring units of the Battle of Britain.
While 303’s story is more than worthy of being told again and the footage seems quite good, the trailer seems to show the movie will include some of the usual – and tiresome – “Hollywood stereotypes”. Let’s hope the full movie will be able to tell the story without exaggerations and any “bending” of historical fact. We’ll find out in a few weeks !
Find more information on the movie on http://hurricanefilm.co.uk/
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/07/20/discover-the-official-trailer-for-hurricane/
Jul 14 2018
Ford Europe unveiled the Ford Mustang GT Eagle Squadron, a unique Mustang GT bearing the colours and markings of a Spitfire of No 71 (Eagle) Squadron to honour the American pilots who served in the Royal Air Force.
The Mustang is powered by a V8 engine delivering 710 hp and 610 lb/ft of torque. The codes and serial match the Spitfire Mk V EN783, which was notably flown by Greek-American ace Steve Pisanos.
Spitfire Mk V EN783 of No 71 (Eagle) Squadron (© Gaëtan Marie)
Spitfire Mk V EN783 of No 71 (Eagle) Squadron (Crown Copyright)
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/07/14/ford-unveils-mustang-gt-eagle-squadron/
Jul 13 2018
Get free shipping on our Warbird Shirts shop from July 13 to 17 by using the promo code SHIP4U.
The shop helps us cover the costs of hosting and licences for World Warbird News, and your support is greatly appreciated !
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2018/07/13/warbird-shirts-free-shipping-until-july-17/
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