Oct 06 2011
Kenneth H. Dahlberg, World War II fighter ace with 14.5 victories to his credit, died on October 5 aged 94. Shot down and captured during the war, he became a successful businessman upon his return to the USA. He played a key role in the Watergate scandal. Part of the money used to fund the …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/10/06/kenneth-h-dahlberg-%e2%80%a0/
Sep 17 2011
(Updated 09/19/11 @ 23:07) The heavily modified P-51 “The Galloping Ghost”, flown by 74 year-old veteran racer Jimmy Leeward, crashed in Reno yesterday at 4:20 PM, very close to the crowd. According to a recent police report, the pilot was killed upon impact and six spectators were killed by projected debris. Another two died from their …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/09/17/reno-air-races-cancelled-after-crash/
Sep 08 2011
Air Commodore ‘Dim’ Strong, who died on August 21 aged 97, had to ditch his Wellington bomber in the North Sea; after being rescued by fishermen, he and his crew were given “a hell of a party” by officers of the Luftwaffe before being sent to a PoW camp. Read the obituary on the Telegraph.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/09/08/air-commodore-dim%e2%80%99-strong-%e2%80%a0/
Sep 05 2011
Rear-Admiral “Chico” Roberts, who has died aged 93, was one of the Royal Navy’s most experienced aviators and saw action in two of the last century’s major conflicts. Read his obituary on the Telegraph.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/09/05/rear-admiral-chico-roberts-%e2%80%a0/
Sep 03 2011
Lieutenant-Commander Peter Twiss, who died on August 31 aged 90, was one of Britain’s foremost postwar test pilots and the first man to fly faster than 1,000mph. Read his obituary on the Telegraph.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/09/03/lieutenant-commander-peter-twiss-%e2%80%a0/
Aug 30 2011
World War II Canadian fighter pilot Douglas “Duke” Warren died on Sunday August 28th, aged 89. He joined the RCAF at age 18 in 1940, along with his identical twin brother Bruce. Both served as flight commanders with No 165 Squadron in Europe, a unique situation in the annals of the conflict. Bruce, known as …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/08/30/douglas-warren-%e2%80%a0/
Aug 29 2011
Group Captain Billy Drake, one of the leading British Commowealth aces of World War II with 20 enemy aircraft confirmed destroyed, six probable and nine damaged, died on August 28, aged 93. He fought in France, the United-Kingdom, West and North Africa and Malta, flying Hurricanes, Spitfires and Tomahawks. Read the obituary on the Telegraph.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/08/29/group-captain-billy-drake-%e2%80%a0/
Aug 22 2011
The Daily Mail has run an article suggesting that the crash that killed F/L Jon Egging last Saturday might be due to a total loss of power after a bird strike. The article also suggests that the pilot might not have been able to eject due to excessive G forces as he turned his aircraft …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/08/22/bird-strike-could-have-caused-red-arrows-crash/
Aug 15 2011
The legendary aerial gunner Thomas Joseph McLean died on July 20, aged 89. He is arguably the highest-scoring gunner, his DFC citation crediting him with seven confirmed kills as well as two probables. Postwar research indicated the two probables were actually destroyed, giving him a total of nine aerial kills, but McLean always limited his …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/08/15/warrant-officer-tom-mclean-dfc-dfm-%e2%80%a0/
Aug 06 2011
A man and a woman were killed this morning in the crash of their Fouga CM.170 Magister (F-AZZE) in a field near Champs-de-la-Pierre in France. The causes of the accident are yet unknown but according to witnesses, visibility was limited by fog when the accident occurred, shortly after 9:00 AM local time.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/08/06/two-people-killed-in-fouga-magister-crash/
Aug 02 2011
Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Osborn, who has died aged 89, was twice forced to crash-land his bomber, on both occasions rescuing members of his crew from the burning wreckage despite being injured; for his acts of gallantry he was awarded the George Medal. Read the obituary on the Telegraph.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/08/02/flt-lt-geoffrey-osborn-%e2%80%a0/
Jul 31 2011
Test pilots Mitchell Cary (63) and Don Gum (71) were killed on Saturday July 30 when their Wright “B” Flyer replica crashed a few miles from Springfield Beckley Municipal Airport, Ohio. The cause of the accident is yet unknown, but witnesses reported hearing the engine sputter.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/07/31/two-killed-in-wright-b-flyer-replica-crash/
Jul 30 2011
Flight Lieutenant Neill Cox, who has died aged 88, won two DFCs for flying operations in the Mediterranean; he was also noted in the Service for once taking off in his Spitfire completely unaware that a WAAF mechanic was clinging on to the tailplane. Read the obituary on the Telegraph.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/07/30/flight-lieutenant-neill-cox-%e2%80%a0/
Jul 26 2011
Lieutenant-Commander Bill Henley, who has died aged 88, was one of the few pilots whose war career spanned the age of the biplane and the jet; on one occasion he hunted down and destroyed a German U-boat. Read the obituary on the Telegraph.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/07/26/lt-cdr-bill-henley-faa-%e2%80%a0/
Jul 26 2011
Greg Poe, a renowned airshow performer with over 10,000 flight hours in over 100 types of aircraft died from what appears to be a heart attack on Sunday, July 24th. Source: Idaho Press Tribune.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/07/26/airshow-performer-greg-poe-dies-aged-57/
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