Vought Corsair biplane completed
Fifteen years after construction began, the Grand Prairie, Texas-based Vought Heritage Foundation recently completed a reproduction Vought O3U‑3 Corsair floatplane, a type that originally went into US Navy service in the patrol and observation role during 1932.
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Yorkshire Air Museum ‘Hurricane’ honours French night-fighter hero
Elvington’s Yorkshire Air Museum (YAM) has repainted its full-scale Hawker Hurricane replica into a night-fighter scheme to honour Lt Col Yves Mahé, a French pilot that served with 253 Squadron.
Yak-3 flies to new home
Yakovlev Yak-3UA G-OLEG arrived at Wellesbourne Mountford near Stratford-upon-Avon on 19 July, following its acquisition from Leicestershire-based Cirrus Aircraft UK by Andrew Holman West’s Russian Radials.
UK museum Mosquito nears restoration completion
Nearly 50 years after one man’s vision set in train a series of international acquisitions, the static restoration of Mosquito FBVI TA122 is approaching completion at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum
74 ‘Tiger’ Squadron Lightnings in the Far East – the inside story
No 74 ‘Tiger’ Squadron had many firsts to its name during the Lightning era. When it flew its Lightning F6s to a new home at RAF Tengah in Singapore, it made the type’s longest deployment to date — and some memorable years in the Far East were to follow
On board a Dambusters Vulcan bombing training sortie
Shortly before the Vulcan was due to be retired from RAF service, aviation journalist Malcolm English was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a practise bombing mission
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FlyPast October 2024
October 2024 issue of FlyPast in page-turning format sees Richard Paver going air-to-air with Spitfire LF.XVI TE184 and recalling the exploits of the wartime pilots it salutes
Messerschmitt Bf 110 restoration progressing in Norway
Forty years after it was salvaged from a crash site near Båtsfjord in Finnmark county, northern Norway, the long-term restoration of Messerschmitt Bf 110 F-2 Werknummer 5096 is progressing at the Flyhistorisk Museum at Stavanger-Sola.
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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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