NEWS IN BRIEF

ATAC HUNTER CRASHES

Hawker Hunter F58A N323AX from the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) crashed into the sea off Honolulu on 12 December while supporting the ‘Sentry Aloha’ military exercise. The 47-year-old pilot ejected at low level, sustaining serious injuries. N323AX had been serial J-4101 with the Swiss Air Force.

VAMPIRES DESTROYED AT MELUN

Former Swiss Air Force de Havilland Vampire FB6s F-AZIK and F-AZOO were written offin a hangar fire at Melun-Villaroche aerodrome, France, on 8 December. The aircraft were operated by the Cercle de Chasse de Melun.

MORE HUNTERS BOUND FOR CANADA

Hawker Hunter T7A WV318/ G-FFOX (below), previously registered to Swift Composites, was sold to a new owner in Canada during early December. The black-painted aircraft had been at Västerås, Sweden, since 2014. The Västerås Flygmuseum’s T7A XL616/ SE-DXH will also soon leave its Swedish home for Canada.

JOHN DUNNELL

WINGS TO COME OFF SWISS ‘CONNIE’?

The Super Constellation Flyers Association’s Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation, HB-RSC Star of Switzerland, is facing the prospect of having its wings removed to check for possible inter-granular corrosion in the spars. The Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation has mandated additional checks on all vintage aircraft operating in Switzerland since corrosion was found in the wreckage of Ju-Air’s Junkers Ju 52/3m HB-HOT, which crashed on 6 August, although corrosion was not a contributory factor in the accident.