B-25 N320SQ has been acquired from Louisiana by the Dukes of Brabant, formed last year and based at Eindhoven in Holland. It will be painted in the colours of the Dutch 320 Naval Squadron which used the type in Europe, the Far East and Australia.
Boeing Dash 80 707 prototype N70700, the first commercial jet transport built in the USA, flew home to Seattle on May 19, 1990 after 18yr in the Arizona desert. Owned by the National Air and Space Museum since 1972, when Boeing donated the aircraft upon completion of its long career as a flying testbed, the Dash 80 has now been placed on loan to the Museum of Flight at Seattle. First flown on July 15, 1954, the Dash 80 spawned the world’s most successful family of jet transports.
CASA 352 G-BECL Eeyore flew out of Coventry on May 31, 1990 bound for its new home with the Sails Collection at La Ferte-Alais in France, where it has taken up the new registration F-AZJU. The crew for the flight, the aircraft’s first in 5yr, were John Hawke, Alan Morriss, Clive Edwards and Mark Edwards of Edwards Brothers Aviation, who prepared the aircraft for the trip.
Another current Skysport Engineering project is former Wings and Wheels Museum Nieuport 28 "N5246", being restored for the Historic Aircraft Collection of Jersey. Skysport's Tim Moore reports that a high proportion of original material is being reused: "We’ve gone as far as we can, consistent with airworthiness", he says.
Seen at the EAA Sun 'n' Fun Fly-in held at Lakeland, Florida on April 8-14, 1990, North American P-51D Mustang N51AB/44-14777 was being advertised for sale by Sherman Aircraft Sales of West Palm Beach for US$495,000. Even at that price it attracted a great deal of attention; with a total airframe time of 770hr, 100hr on the airframe since last overhaul and 93hr on the engine since overhaul by Dave Zeuschel, the immaculate Mustang is equipped with a full avionics kit including a King KX155 Nav/Com and KT 76 Transponder.
Well-known Duxford-based display pilot and British Airways Boeing 747 captain John Larcombe, who died on June 4, 1990 when Fighter Collection Bell P-63 Kingcobra N62822 crashed shortly after take-off from La Ferte-Alais, 25 miles south of Paris. The aircraft, pictured here at North Weald on May 15, 1988, was seen to trail white smoke from its engine - which is mounted aft of the cockpit - before diving into a field at Essarts-le-Roi.
The Paris-based Memorial Flight Association’s Spad XIII 4377 during final assembly at Chalais-Meudon on May 5, 1990. Now completed after a painstaking restoration to flying condition, the 1918 fighter was on display at La Ferte-Alais on June 2-3 and should have flown by the time this issue is published.
Seen over Duxford on April 30, 1990, in Battle of Britain-era disguise for the filming of the London Weekend Television production Forgotten hero, are (from left) Spitfire IXB MH434, operated by the Old Flying Machine Company (OFMC), the Fighter Collection's Mk IXC ML417 and ex-Italian Mk VIIIC MT719. The clipped-wing ML417 had been refitted with the elliptical wingtips it wore for the filming of Piece of cake in 1988.
Another immaculate machine at the Sun 'n' Fun Fly-in was Hawker Sea Fury Mk 11 N71GB (c/n 41H-656823), recently flown for the first time after a long and detailed restoration by George Baker at American Aero Services of New Smyrna Beach. Florida. Utilising a Wright R-3355 radial engine, and appropriately named Sky Fury, it is one of the machines recovered from Iraq by Ed Jurist and David Tallichet in 1979.
De Havilland D.H.112 Venom 1 HB-RVC made its first post-restoration flight from Sion Airport, Switzerland on April 20, 1990. Restored by the Association pour le Maintien du Patrimoine Aeronautique, the Venom is sponsored by - and carries the "Vampire" brand logo of - Swiss ski manufacturer Authier.
Mark Hanna familiarises himself with the Old Flying Machine Company’s newly-acquired Lockheed T-33, N33VC, at Duxford on May 4, 1999 while Carl Schofield looks on. Now registered N33VC, the aircraft is better known in its earlier guise as Ormond Haydon-Baillie’s G-OAHB Black Knight.
MT719 at Duxford before the Spitfire trio departed for Swanton Morley for the commencement of filming on April 30, 1990. The pilots involved were Mark Hanna (MH434), Hoof Proudfoot (MT719) and Stephen Grey (ML417), with Reg Hallam flying the OFMC Buchon, which was suitably painted to represent a yellow-nosed 1940 Messerschmitt Bf 109E. In addition the OFMC's Grumman Avenger, now painted in George Bush markings as part of Duxford’s American Air Museum fundraising efforts, acted as camera aircraft during the filming. Forgotten hero is broadly based on Richard Hillary's book The last enemy, and is due for release later this year.
Belgian Spitfire XIV SG31 (bearing the erroneous serial SG3) shortly after its arrival at Coltishall in early May 1990. The Spit has been swapped for the former Strathallan/Church Fairey Battle.
View of Jean Batten's Percival Gull Six G-ADPR, which made its first flight in 20yr from Old Warden on May 25, 1990. Built in 1932 and presented to the Shuttleworth Collection by the Hunting Group in 1961, the aircraft has just reached the end of a 3 1/2 yr restoration sponsored by Hunting. Following two preliminary flights in the morning, Angus McVitie made the "official first flight" in the afternoon in the presence of personnel from Hunting Engineering Ltd, seen in the picture. After an impressive pre-war record-breaking career, 'PR was impressed into the RAF as AX866.
View of Jean Batten's Percival Gull Six G-ADPR, which made its first flight in 20yr from Old Warden on May 25, 1990.
BA Eagle 2 VH-ACN is coming together at Hungerford, where Ben and Jan Cooper are restoring it for Cathay Pacific pilot Capt Geoff Green. Acquired by Green at the Chewing Gum Field Aircraft Museum auction 3yr ago, the rare Eagle was built in 1937 and originally registered G-AFAX.
A convincing taxiable replica of D.H.88 Comet racer G-ACSS which has recently been completed for film work in Australia, with 1/5 scale radio-controlled flying stand - in in the foreground.
Sopwith Dove reproduction G-EAGA is taking shape at Skysport Engineering near Sandy, Bedfordshire. Being built to original Sopwith drawings for collector Roger Reeves, the Dove will befitted with dual controls - one of only three airworthy World War One-era aircraft in Europe to be thus equipped (Shuttleworth’s Avro 504K and a Morane Parasol in France are the others).
