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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.

Continue reading]]> On Battle of Britain day, September 15th, a formation of 45 aircraft will take off from Goodwood aerodrome36 Supermarine Spitfires, 8 Hawker Hurricanes and the only airworthy Bristol Blenheim.

The formation will be led from the back seat of a twin-seat Spitfire by Wing Commander Tom Neil, DFC, AFC, AE, a 95-year old Battle of Britain veteran. After reaching Selsey Bill, the formation will break into groups of four, which will fly different paths across south and south-east England and land at various airfields used during the battle: Biggin Hill, Duxford, Northweald, Northolt, with some returning to Goodwood.

It is the first time since the end of World War II that so many Battle of Britain aircraft fly together.

More information on this fantastic event can be found the Battle of Britain Day Flypast website. [NB:bad link corrected]

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Source: ww2flyover.org

In honor of the 70th Anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe), the Arsenal of Democracy is hosting a tribute to the men and women at home and abroad that made victory possible. A giant flyover of at least 70 aircraft is to take place over Washington DC on Friday, May 8, 2015.

Such a massive gathering and display of warbirds is a rare sight, even in the largest airshows around the world.

A victory gala will be held at the National Air & Space Museum on May 7, and a selection of the flyover aircraft will be at the Smithsonian’s Udvar Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport for a one-day exhibition.

More information can be found on the Arsenal of Democracy Flyover’s website.

A list of participating aircraft is already available from the website, but is subject to changes depending on funding, technical or weather constraints:

Trainer Formation

• Boeing PT-17 Kaydet
• North American AT-6 Texan
• Beech AT-11 Kansan
• Assembled trainers and liaison aircraft: accompanying the flight of training aircraft will be the liaison aircraft, a range of small aircraft used by the military for forward observation.

Pearl Harbor

• 3x Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

Doolittle Raid

• 5x North American B-25 Mitchell

Guadalcanal Campaign

• P-39 Airacobra
• P-63 Kingcobra

Battle of Midway

• 3x Grumman F4F Wildcat
• Douglas SBD Dauntless
• Consolidated PBY Catalina

Yamamoto Shootdown

• Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Ploesti Raid

• Consolidated B-24 Liberator
• 3x North American P-51 Mustang

Escorting the bombers

• 3x North American P-51 Mustang

Big Week

• 3x Boeing B-17 Fortress

D-Day

• Douglas C-53 Skytrooper
• 3x Douglas C-47 Skytrain
• 2x Douglas A-26 Invader

Mariannas Turkey Shoot

• Grumman F6F Hellcat
• 3x Grumman TBF Avenger
• Grumman F8F Bearcat
• Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

Battle of the Bulge

• Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

Iwo Jima

• 4x Vought F4U Corsair

Final Air Offensive

• 1x Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Missing Man Formation

• Grumman TBF Avenger
• Vought F4U Corsair
• Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
• North American P-51 Mustang

Continue reading]]> Baptiste Salis, a well-known French vintage aircraft and warbird pilot, left from Fréjus in southern France this morning at 8:21 AM and landed and Bizerta in Tunisia at 4:05PM, reenacting Rolland Garros’ first flight across the Mediteranean Sea a hundred years ago on 23 September 1913.

Salis flew a Morane-Saulnier Type G replica built for this purpose by Réplic’Air. Aside from a more modern and reliable engine, the aircraft is identical to the one used by Garros a century ago.

This report was aired on France T shortly before the flight:

Sources:

• Le Parisien
• Agence TAP

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Un Airco DH.2 (Crown Copyright).

An Airco DH.2 flown Stewart Smith will fly from Wickenby, UK, to Albert, France, to take part in the commemorations on November 11th and overfly a memorial to Lanoe Hawker, VC, that was recently built in Ligny Thilloy.

The trip will be flown in three legs, and the crew has already succesfully made the two first legs. A special blog was created for this event: Airco DH.2 from Wickenby to the Somme – 11/11/11.

Major Lanoe Hawker, VC.

Major Lanoe Hawker was the first British ace and the third pilot to receive the Victoria Cross. He was shot down in an Airco DH.2 on 23 November 1916 by Manfred von Richtofen, the infamous “Red Baron”.