Historic Aircraft Collection – World Warbird News

Airco DH.9 E8894 flies again in Duxford

Benjamin Gilbert — Tue, 14 May 2019 08:45:34 +0000

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)

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 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.

For more information:

Original article by Benjamin Gilbert / L’Echarpe Blanche, translated for WWN. Thank you to Ashley Stephenson, Benjamin Gilbert and Alan Wilson for sharing their pictures for this article.

Historic Aircraft Collection’s Hurricane Mk XII to be auctioned in December

World Warbird News — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:22:30 +0000

Hurricane Z5140 at Duxford in 2012. (Photo Feggy Art (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

The Historic Aircraft’s Collection’s Hawker Hurricane Mk XIIa Z5140 (G-HURI) will be auctioned at the Bonhams sale of Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia on December 3. It is expected that the aircraft will be sold for some 2.7 millions dollars.

The HAC also owns a Spitfire Mk Vb, a Nimrod II and a Fury Mk I, as well as a Fieseler Storch that is currently grounded for maintenance.

Source

Hawker Fury flies again at Goodwood

World Warbird News — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:40:18 +0000

Photo Tony Hisgett (CC BY 2.0)

The Historic Aircraft Collection’s Hawker Fury Mk.I K5674 flew again on July 30 at Goodwood in the UK, with Charlie Brown at the controls. The aircraft was restored by Aero Vintage Ltd et Retrotec.

K5674 is the only known Hawker Fury survivor. It served in the RAF fomr 1936 to 31 March 1941, when it was damaged in a crash in South Africa after running out of fuel.

A YouTube video shows this historic first flight: