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WD RESURRECTION REPORT AUGUST 19TH A newly restored Eastern Aircraft FM-2 Wildcat was unveiled during a ribboncutting ceremony aboard the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum, in Alamada, California. The Wildcat, USN BuNo. 55052, was one of several recovered from Lake Michigan, by A&T Recovery, on behalf of the National Naval Aviation Museum, in 1994. Following initial storage at Pennsacola, Florida, it was assigned to the museum for restoration and display in 2006. Photo: USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum AUGUST 22ND Hawker Hunter F Mk. 58 c/n 41H-697452, ex- Swiss Air Force J-4085, N338AX, operated by Hunter Aviation International, Inc., while under contract with the US Navy, was lost while taking part in a “Combat Training Unit Exercise” (COMPUTEX) with the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Strike Group, near Point Loma, California. The incident happened while undertaking an air combat exercise with the Strike Group’s fighter aircraft, having departed controlled flight while maneuvering. The pilot ejected safely. Photo: Steve Matterface AUGUST 25TH At Sywell Airdrome, Northhamptonshire, United Kingdom, dual control Hispano Buchon HA-1112-M4L, G-AWHC, one of two built, and the only survivor, was seen performing engine runs following rebuild by Richard Grace and his team at Air Leasing Ltd. A first flight following completion of paperwork and approval by the CAA is expected shortly. The blown canopy of the Spanish built aircraft has been replaced with a faceted unit somewhat more representative of the wartime Bf-109G-12 trainers, which certainly gives it a more Germanic-look! Photo: Huw Hopkins AUGUST 26TH The only surviving P-38G Lightning, USAAF Serial No. 42-13400, was returned to external static display at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska. Refurbished over a twelve month period by base personnel, this aircraft saw wartime service with the 54th Fighter Squadron, 343rd Fighter Group, and was lost on a training mission over Attu, in the Aluetian Island chain. Recovered in 1999, it first went on display at the base in 2000. Photo: Airman 1st Class Christopher R. Morales AUGUST 31ST Terry Dieno, of Davidson, Saskatchewan Canada, recently rolled P-51D Mustang USAAF Serial No. 44-63350, N51TK Lou IV out of his workshop and into the sunshine, having reached a milestone in his lifelong ambition to fly a Mustang. Nearing the end of restoration following an accident it suffered in Camarillo, California, in July 2007, the aircraft is nearly complete, and should fly soon. Photo: Terry Dieno SEPTEMBER 2ND In central Idaho, Steve Hinton Jr. set a new Absolute Speed Record for propeller driven, piston powered aircraft weighing between 3.000-6,000 kg (C1e class), over a 3 kilometer course in Bob Button’s highly modified P-51D Mustang USAAF Serial No. 44-73415, N551VC Voodoo. The new record now stands at 531.53 mph. This was the average speed obtained over several laps, with the highest speed recorded during the attempt being 554.69 mph. The staff at Warbird Digest wish to congratulate Mr. Hinton on achieving this accomplishment. Photo: Jarrod Ulrich 8 • warbird digest • sept/oct 2017
SEPTEMBER 4TH The Navy Wings Hawker Sea Fury T.20 VX281, G-RNHF returned to the air at North Weald Airdrome, Cornwall, United Kingdom, with the Commanding Officer of the Royal Navy Historic Flight, pilot Lt. Cdr. Chris Gotke, at the controls. The aircraft had undergone extensive repairs following an engine failure induced forced landing while taking part in the 2014 RNAS Culdrose airshow in Helston. These repairs, including the rebuild of the Bristol Centaurus engine, were undertaken by Weald Aviation Services, Ltd. It returned to its base of operation, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, on September 15. Photo: Mattew Smith SEPTEMBER 6TH Grumman J2F-4 Duck, USN BuNo. 1649, N63850 purchased from Chuck Greenhill by Scott Glover, was flown to his Mid America Flight Museum in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Restored over a period of seven years by Wichita Air Services from a wreck recovered from a Caribbean island, where it had sunk in a lagoon in the 1950s, it had been based with the rest of Greenhill’s collection in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it performed search and rescue operations in the days following the attack, making it a very unique survivor. Photo: Paul Bowen SEPTEMBER 9TH John Dowd’s P-51A, USAAF Serial No. 43- 6006, N51Z took to the air after major rework, and restoration, at the Pacific Fighters facility in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Recovered from its wartime Alaskan crash site in 1977, and restored by Waldon ‘Moon’ Spillers, of Versailes, Ohio, it first took to the air in July, 1985. The original rebuild utilized many D model components, including the wing and radiator and scoop assy. The recent work centered on making it more representative of an A model, replacing the scoop assy. with the correct-type unit, along with many other upgrades. It still retains the D model wing, however. Photo: Roger Cain SEPTEMBER 11TH Hurricane Irma came ashore in southern Florida, and wrecked several aircraft in the process. In Fort Meyers, Douglas C-47A, USAAF Serial No. 43-17168, N837M was torn from its tie downs, flipped over on its back, and destroyed. One of two Skytrains owned by the Wings of Dreams museum based at the Keystone Heights Airport in Stark, Florida (the other being USAAF Serial No. 43-48950, which is nearing the end of its restoration to flight), it was stored in the open at Ft. Myers minus engines and flight controls at the time Irma hit. Photo: David Taylor SEPTEMBER 11TH Irma also claimed Douglas VC-117D/ R4D-8Z USN BuNo. 17175, N32TN of TMF Aircraft at Miami, Opa Locka Airport, when it too was destroyed by the intense winds. Not flown since arriving in Miami on a flight from Nassau, in the Bahamas, in May 2016, its CofA had expired in April. Originally built as a C-47A, USAAF Serial No. 42-92924, it was converted to an uprated C-117/R4D-8 Skytrooper (or Super DC-3) for use by the USN, with Wright R-1820-80 engines, larger tail surfaces and other speed and useful load modifications, including landing gear doors and squared wing tips. Photo: File Photo SEPTEMBER 14TH Grumman F6F-5N Hellcat USN BuNo. 94204, N4998V was seen loaded on a flat bead truck, on a highway in the Houston area of Texas. Recently obtained by Jack Erickson from the Lone Star Flight Museum, with whom, the aircraft had been on display at their Galveston facility, it was headed for the Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon. Currently wearing VF-17 markings, honoring Houston area pilots Lt. Billy Watts and Lt. Tilly Pool, both of whom had flown with the famed Jolly Rogers. Though the aircraft hasn’t flown for many years, it is anticipated that the change in ownership will see it returned to airworthy condition. Photo: Lance Kuhn 9
Page 1 and 2: warbirddigest.com Number 74 WARBIRD
Page 3 and 4: OFFERED FOR SALE OFFERED FOR SALE O
Page 5 and 6: 76 FLYNG THE IL-2 We go in the cock
Page 7: World Wide Coverage For Quality War
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Page 13 and 14: The Collings Foundation is well kno
Page 15 and 16: posthumously awarded the Victoria C
Page 17 and 18: last of which took six aircraft ove
Page 19 and 20: at Amiens, although half of them on
Page 21 and 22: The weather in early October was dr
Page 23 and 24: Today, BR601 wears the markings it
Page 25 and 26: 3 4 5 1 With wings shorn off outboa
Page 27 and 28: 4 5 6 1 One of the conditions of La
Page 29 and 30: 2 The Spitfire Company at Biggin Hi
Page 31 and 32: of numerous Spitfire Mk. IX-equippe
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Page 37 and 38: A MINUTE IN HISTORY By Ann-Marie Lo
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Page 41 and 42: 4 2 3 While it was a process for De
Page 43 and 44: The focus on installing all of the
Page 45 and 46: 4 and stamped them with the 1940s v
Page 47 and 48: …It fit like a glove. The fact th
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Page 51 and 52: 3 4 3 justifiably proud of their ac
Page 53 and 54: Mark Denest, restorer, consults wit
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3 Washington, and were about to be
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3 3 Onboard Yankee Lady, taking par
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...Ellickson and his team were rewa
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By Mark Sheppherd Photos Boris Osay
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2 3 34 1 Pilot Vladimir Bursuk bank
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of the Vadim Zadorozhny Technical M
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3 4 Luftwaffe in their official rec
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Created by an aviator, for aviators
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Profile: Juanita Franzi position un
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similar to aircraft like the MiG-3
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feeling that I have forgotten somet
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TOTEST By Stephen Chapis In his boo
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sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Car
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it was flown to the surplus depot i
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had completed the required paperwor
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4 Mohen fabricated a cannon to acce
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2 3 Experimental A/W certificates d
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Photo: Doug Glover blessing, the fl
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Sun Air Parts PRATT & WHITNEY ENGIN
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WD74W2

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