RAF Museum cleaners undertake high-flying mission
A team of ‘dustbusters’ with a head for heights has been cleaning the suspended aircraft at Royal Air Force Museum Midlands
Concorde returns to museum after restoration
A star exhibit at New York City’s Intrepid Museum came ‘home’ on March 14 following several months of restoration work
Countering the 1940 night blitz - desperate times, desperate measures
With the onset of the night blitz in autumn 1940, German bombers were operating over Britain with virtual impunity. Something, almost anything, needed to be done. Steve Richards explains
Volunteers to go behind the scenes at Stow Maries
An award-winning museum in Essex is giving potential volunteers a chance to enjoy a ‘behind the scenes’ experience
Piasecki taking shape at Helicopter Museum
Weston-super-Mare’s Helicopter Museum is continuing to make progress on its restoration of Piasecki H-21C FR41
Classic airliner repainted in Berkshire
The Museum of Berkshire Aviation’s Handley Page Dart Herald G-APWA has been professionally repainted by Cladspray Solutions
FlyPast May 2024
May 2024 issue of FlyPast in page-turning format puts the spotlight on Goodyear FG-1D Corsair NZ5648, which has taken to New Zealand skies once again after a six-year hiatus
Historic Aviation Quiz: March 15
Test you historic aviation knowledge with this week's quiz from KEY.aero...
Yorkshire Air Museum gears up for Buccaneer Day
The Elvington-based attraction will mark 30 years since the classic jet retired from RAF service on Saturday, April 6
Lancaster wing and nose swapped at East Kirkby
Work is continuing at the home of 'Just Jane' in Lincolnshire to keep the aircraft taxiable while also working towards returning it to the skies
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The Latest Historic Aviation News All in One Place
This is your one stop shop for everything you could possibly want to know about historic aviation. Historic aircraft flights, displays and renovations can all be found among the categories and articles linked to from this page.
Readers can find categories for Warbirds, restoration projects by individuals and organisations such as museums, and in-depth resources on iconic aircraft from all the corners of the globe. Whether it is the Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose, Boeing C-137 Stratoliner, Aerospatiale / British Aircraft Corporation Concorde, Tupolev Tu-144, Hawker Harrier jump-jet or any other historic commercial and military aircraft, the information is here at your fingertips.
Warbird News & Projects
Warbird enthusiasts spend their time bringing iconic military aircraft back to life and in some cases even back to a state of airworthiness. The name Warbird originally referred only to World War 2 era aircraft but has since been widened to include all historical military aircraft.
Popular Warbird types include the North American P-51 Mustang, Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and the Messerschmitt Bf109. While one or two-seat fighters are affordable for the individual enthusiast to restore, aviation museums and groups of people take on much larger aircraft. Examples of these, include, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Avro Lancaster. The most famous of recent years must be the Avro Vulcan supersonic bomber, which is now on a static display in the UK but flew for several years at airshows.
Spitfire Fighter Aircraft
The Supermarine Spitfire is arguably the most iconic World War II era European aircraft. Credited with a significant role in the Battle of Britain victory against the Luftwaffe’s assault on Great Britain in the summer of 1940, the propeller driven fighter was designed by Reginald J Mitchell at Supermarine Aviation. Mitchell designed the Spitfire with the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon engines in mind because he saw their potential when combined with the aircraft’s unique aerodynamics.
The Spitfire first flew on 5th March 1936 from Eastleigh Aerodrome. However, due to production issues and limitations in Supermarine’s manufacturing process, the first production Spitfire did not take to the skies for a further 2 years. The Spitfire was born four months after the maiden flight of its partner aircraft, the Hawker Hurricane. Together they would deny Nazi Germany air superiority over England and the English channel.
Aircraft Restorations
The restoration of historical aircraft is a challenge full of difficult obstacles with missing engines, control system parts, and the need for significant fuselage, wing or tail repair. The long, slow process of restoring an aircraft to a flight worthy condition or simply for static display is taken up by many individuals, but also museums and groups of enthusiasts.
The restorations undertaken can be as small as a one-seat civilian bi-plane or the always popular Warbirds, or as large as a Lockheed C-121C Constellation. Museums that tackle large scale restorations include the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum in Missouri and the Museum of Flight in Everett, Washington. These museums have restored early propeller driven passenger aircraft and the early airliners built in the USA and Europe, like the de Havilland Comet.
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