Warbird News and Restoration Projects

A Warbird is a term that defines an ex-military aircraft which is now operated by civilian organisations or individuals. These classic aircraft are often the result of extensive restoration projects, taking vintage planes and making them exhibition or even flight worthy. The focus of these projects is to preserve these machines and protect their historical legacy.

On this page, you’ll find all the latest news about Warbirds including updates on restoration projects, exhibitions , aviation museums and events where you can see them in action and much more.

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Combat veteran Spitfire fires up

Supermarine Spitfire FRXIVe RM927/G-SXIV was having its Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 engine tested at Sywell in mid-May, with a first flight expected soon thereafter.

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'I moved to the US with $2500 and a Reno air racing dream': Thom Richard's incredible story

He left Sweden for the States as a 17-year-old, and literally fulfilled his dreams by flying air racers and warbirds

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IN PICTURES: Shuttleworth Collection Season Premiere

All eyes were on Old Warden as the Shuttleworth Collection opened its doors in fine style with its traditional Season Premiere. Key.Aero presents a selection of images depicting the wide range of aircraft that took part in the airshow

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Sweden’s Spitfires in the Cold War

Of all aspects of the Spitfire’s service, its post-war use as a photo-reconnaissance platform by the Swedish Air Force is one of the least well-known — especially as regards clandestine overflights of the Soviet Union

BBMF Spitfire comes off runway during landing

A Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) came off the runway while landing at Coningsby on May 11.

Historic Aviation Video Quiz

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Hopes grow for permanent Spitfire tribute

A fundraising drive to create a National Spitfire Monument at Southampton, close to the legendary fighter’s spiritual home, has been launched.

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The Spitfire simulator used to train real-world pilots

We travelled to Goodwood Aerodrome to check out the only Spitfire simulator in the world used for training real-world Spitfire pilots.

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The incredible story of how Malta survived World War Two

Almost totally surrounded, outnumbered and outresourced, the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta became a byword for bravery and resilience in World War Two, and never more so than in the April of 1942. Joseph Debono explains

Historic Aviation Quiz: BBMF edition!

You may have watched our recent video series, where Key Aero was given a guided tour of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Now, we're bringing you a quiz to see how carefully you were watching those videos...

Preserving Warbirds for future generations

The use of warbirds ranges from racing and restorations to exhibiting at airshows where enthusiasts will be treated to close up contact with legendary aircraft like the Supermarine Spitfire, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

The name Warbirds once referred to World War II era fighter aircraft like the North American P-51 Mustang, North American T-6 Texan and Hawker Sea Fury, but in recent years it has come to mean any former military aircraft type now flown by airforce heritage squadrons, civilian organisations and private owners. 

There are a lot of airshows that have static and flight displays by Warbirds and the United States has many of them. Enthusiasts, as well as airforce heritage squadrons and civilian organisations, fly their aircraft at these shows. A high-profile enthusiasts’ project, the Silver Spitfire, flew its original 1943 build Supermarine Spitfire in a shining silvery livery around the world with the help of sponsors. The Spitfire is a popular Warbird and other military aircraft favoured by restoration enthusiasts include the Mikoyan MiG-15 and Grumman F6F Hellcat, along with the Spitfire and Mustang.

The airshows in the USA include, the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; the Alliance Airshow in Fort Worth, Texas; Dayton Airshow in Dayton, Ohio; the History of Flight Airshow in New York state and the Indianapolis Airshow in Indiana. Outside of the USA, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom also have a number of Warbird shows. New Zealand has the Classic Fighters Omaka in Blenheim and the Warbirds over Wanaka in Wanaka. Australia has Warbirds Downunder in Temora, while the UK's Warbirds airshows include Flying Legends, which takes place at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, and the Bedfordshire, UK-based Shuttleworth Collection which has displays in the summer. France also has an annual show, La Ferté-Alais, which takes place 50 kilometres south of Paris.

Don’t miss our dedicated page on international airshow news & updates.

The future of Warbirds and Warbird projects

Future generations will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Warbirds from airforces’ days gone by as restoration projects increase in number and widen in aircraft type worldwide. Find here the latest information about projects from Australia to Italy, and aircraft types from the World War II Helldiver to the 1950s Thunderstreak.

Whether the airframe to be restored was found in the Pacific’s Solomon Islands or had been retired to a safe hangar, the challenge can be a full bottom up reconstruction or trying to find a missing engine. The committed individuals and companies that restore these Warbirds have a story to tell in the great lengths they will go to in the hope of seeing these aircraft fly again.

The stories can be as simple as replacing damaged skin fabric and lubricating mechanical systems back to a functional state, which was what was needed for an RAF Westland Lysander; but they can be as challenging as a decades long, slow search for parts and reconstruction; which was necessary for a Royal Australian Air Force Curtiss P-40N Kittyhawk which had crashed on Rattlesnake Island, just off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Often the key areas for these restorations are missing engines or control system parts, wing or tail repair, a need for new nose and main gear tyres and seats for the pilots and navigator.

Obstacles to be overcome to return a Warbird to flight have included fixing a troublesome elevator pushrod, replacing cockpit cowl rails, or stripping off a worn-out faded livery and replacing it with a fresh coat of paint. It is the commitment to the Warbirds and the stories behind their return to flight that are as engaging as the sight of seeing the beautiful machines soar among the clouds once more; and all those stories can be found here.

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Looking for military aircraft news or updates from your favourite military aircraft airshows? Or information on other military fighter aircraft?

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