Warbird News

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French Spitfire returns home

Earlier this week, on 12 August 2020, Vickers Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX PS890 (construction number 6S/585110) returned to its homebase Dijon/Darois (France). The fighter, registered as F-AZJS, made its first post restoration flight a few days earlier, on 6 August. It was flown by John Romain.

The repairs/restoration had become necessary after F-AZJS had tipped forward and then overturned during take-off at the aerodrome of Villette/Longuyon (Meurthe-et-Moselle) on Sunday 11 June 2017. It was the first time pilot Cédric Ruet flew a Spitfire and the power of the machine must have taken him by surprise. He was slightly injured and taken to hospital for treatment. F-AZJS was trucked to Duxford for repairs by ARCo/HFL. It arrived there on 4 September 2017.

Spitfire PR.XIX PS890 is owned by well-known French pilot and collector Christophe Jacquard. It is currently the only airworthy Spitfire in the French register. F-AZJS flies in the South East Asia colours of RAF 152 squadron RAF with code UM-E.

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Check out the progress being made at our Henry B Tippie National Aviation Education Center! It’s been a long road, but we are well on the way to having an impressive national presence at our HQ in the Dallas area.

This building, being the first phase, will house the CAF Nose Art collection, have space for FIFI and other aircraft, be our National Education Center and be a host to local and national events. Stay tuned for more updates.

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Fourth Spitfire trainer airborne at Biggin Hill

Last Friday, 14 August 2020, the Warbird Experiences/Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar announced the first flight of Spitfire T.9 TE308 (G-AWGB) since its arrival there in November 2019. The fighters first flight from Biggin Hill was performed by Pete Kynsey. The new Spitfire will join three other two seat Spitfires MJ627, MJ772 and MT818 making Biggin Hill the destination of choice to enjoy a Spitfire flight (at least when you can spend GBP2,750).

TE308 (construction number CBAF-IX4494) was built at Castle Bromwich as a ‘low back’ Mk.IXe single seat Spitfire. Delivered in 1945, it never saw combat and ended up in storage where it remained until 1950. It was then acquired by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd. and rebuilt as a T.9 two seat trainer. The trainer was flown by the Irish Air Corps, serial 163, until 1968. It was then used during the filming of the “Battle of Britain” movie with civilian registration G-AWGB. After the filming had ended, TE308 was sold to Canada and flew as CF-RAF until 1974. In 1973, CF-RAF was re-rebuilt as an original Mk.IX single seater. The fighter flew as N92477 until 1979, then became N308WK, and was again converted into a two seater. The last owner (1983-2018) of N308WK was William Greenwood who sold his Spitfire after two accidents. It was still under repair when obtained by Warbird Experiences/Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar.

Unlike the other two seat Spitfires at Biggin Hill, TE308 has been finished as RAAF A58-606, an aircraft of 457 'Grey Nurse' Squadron. This machine was flown with code ZP-W by 457 Squadron Leader Bruce Watson.

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The Lancaster is the first aircraft from a diverse range of historic objects to be adopted and is a continuation of Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich’s support for the The Royal Air Force Museum, London’s ‘Hidden Heroes’ project.

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[awal2049]

Two F-100 Super Sabres are being listed for auction by the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Mojave was used as the test airfield for Stratolaunch. Both aircraft are described as "ready to fly - with some exceptions" according to the article. One has minor damage the the tail and landing gear, the other has a cockpit that is difficult to open. It will be interesting to see if these end up in the hands of someone who will bring them to air shows.

https://www-popularmechanics-com.cdn.am ... or-sale%2F

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CAF Gulf Coast Wing's B-17 Texas Raiders and Doc's Friends B-29 Doc will join together Labor Day Weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Friday, Sept. 4 through Monday, Sept. 7.

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The People’s Mosquito has just announced the latest update in their fundraising campaign, dubbed Operation Jericho, and what these funds have already initiated. They began this campaign just over three months ago, and have raised roughly half of the £250,000 budget to complete both of the fuselage moulds for their deHavilland Mosquito project, along with money for construction of the fuselage itself.

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Buccaneers arrive at Cotswold airport

This morning, 21 August 2020, Cotswold airport in the United Kingdom (former RAF Kemble) saw the arrival of two Blackburn Buccaneers, as Gloucestershirelive reports. The aircraft, XW544 and XX894, are owned by the Buccaneer Aviation Group and were used for regular fast taxi runs at the airfield of Bruntingthorpe. Recent changes in the rental agreements of the airfield, with Cox Automotive being the new tenant, forced the BAG to find a new location for its machines. It received a warm welcome in the Cotswolds! On Thursday, after thorough preparations, both Buccaneers were loaded on two flatbed trailers. The following morning, on Friday, they took a 36 mile route from the north end of Gloucestershire, at the border with Worcestershire, down to the southern Cotswolds near the border with Wiltshire. A police escort was necessary along the motorway for around fourteen miles, the A417 for another fifteen miles and the remaining seven miles to the airport.

Obviously, the relocation to Cotswold airport was a costly operation which could not have been funded by the volunteer Buccaneer Aviation Group. And so BAG started a crowd funding, which, together with other donations, raised almost GBP 34,000; enough to cover the costs of transportation! Hopefully we will see Buccaneers XW544 and XX894 again soon, preferably doing their famous fast taxi runs!

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Second Dutch Spitfire at Gilze-Rijen Air Base

The Dutch civil aircraft register now includes a second Spitfire. Since 2000 Spitfire Mk IXC PH-OUQ of the Koninklijke Luchtmacht Historische Vlucht (KLuHV), the Royal Netherlands Air Force Historic Flight, was the sole one. But not anymore!

Recently former Royal Air Force Spitfire Mk XVI TB885 of the Flying Vintage Everyday Foundation changed identity. Civil registration G-CKUE has now become PH-FVE.

The Spitfire made its very first flight with the new identity from Midden-Zeeland airfield to Gilze-Rijen Air Base on 17 August 2020, where it found a new place in the KLuHV main hangar. During the latter part of the flight the Spitfire was accompanied by Harvard PH-TBR for a photo opportunity.

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Catalina on the move

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina 16-212 will soon leave the storage facility of the “Nationaal Militair Museum” (National Military Museum) at Soesterberg, the Netherlands. This amphibian is the sole remaining Catalina in the Netherlands, and a genuine former Marineluchtvaartdienst (Royal Netherlands Navy) machine. It used to be on static display in open air (from 1984), but it has been stored under a roof in recent years, without undergoing any necessary restoration. Now, the time has come for a thorough restoration by the volunteers of the Dutch “Stichting Neptune Association”. Since the NMM (National Military Museum) lacks the required space, the restoration will take place in the “Nationaal Transport Museum” in Nieuw-Vennep, the Netherlands. Visitors of this museum will be able to follow the restoration, which is planned to take some four years.

In the coming days, volunteers of the “Stichting Neptune Association” will further prepare the Catalina for its journey to Nieuw-Vennep, which is scheduled for Thursday 27 August. Loading the amphibian will start at 07:30 in the morning and the transport is expected to reach its destination by 15:30 in the afternoon. The convoy's exact route had not been decided yet, as the choice depends on traffic.

The “Stichting Neptune Association” already has ample experience in the restoration of Catalinas. A while ago, its volunteers fully restored fellow PBY-5A PH-PBY back to airworthy condition. As most of you will know, PH-PBY, flying in Marineluchtvaartdienst colours as “16-218”, used to be owned by the “Stichting Catalina” or “Catalina Foundation". It was sold to the Collings Foundation in New Smyrna Beach (FL). Ever since PH-PBY left the country in May 2019, the remaining Catalina 16-212 has become an even rarer object!

The museum Catalina was built in 1944 and bought by the Marineluchtvaartdienst. After a major overhaul it was taken on charge as P-212 in May 1952. It was used for transport duties in New Guinea until January 1954 and then returned to the Netherlands as 16-212. After three years of SAR activities it was taken off charge and displayed in a playground in Hoeven. The museum acquired the PBY-5A in 1984.

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