Warbird Information Exchange

That time of year again folks. As always, please feel free to add anything I miss...


-Fagen Fighters SB2C Helldiver
-National Museum of WWII Aviation SB2C Helldiver
-Supermarine Spitfire T.IX EN570
-Lewis Air Legends Mosquito T.43
-Lewis Air Legends F6F Hellcat
-Supermarine Spitfire T.IX MJ444
-Military Aviation Museum A6M Zero
-A-26 Invader "Sugarland Express" (not a restoration but hopefully will fly again in 2024 after new ownership in Germany)
-Hawker Hurricane P3351 (again, not a restoration but a major rebuild)
-Supermarine Spitfire I P9372
-Kermit Weeks Boeing 100
-Meier Motors/Robs Lamplough Messerschmitt Bf109E (a long shot as this is now for sale)
-KF Aerospace Hawker Tempest

Wouldn't get too excited or expectant to see much out of Kermit's shop for a while. Paul left at the end of summer and I'll bet things are not settled and back to their normal pace for several months to come.

Some extra additions:
Spitfire Mk.IX MA764 (being restored at Biggin Hill)
Spitfire Mk.XIV SM832 (being restored by the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford)
Sea Fury T.20 VX302 (D-CACE) (restoration completed by Meier Motors in Germany and awaiting first flight)

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Tom

Whatever happened to the Thomas Fausel / Todd Grothause Fw-190D replica with the Allison engine? It looked almost ready, but I never saw any follow-up on the status.

Also, has the Collings Foundation Fw-190 "White 1" actually flown? Or will it not fly at all?

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

Kermit's Boeing 100 was shipped to Florida and arrived in early fall. Given the way things have been with Kermit in recent years, I will believe in it flying when I see it.

Other potential flyers this year:

RT Dickson's F-86 Sabre "Patricia II"
Canadian Warplane Heritage TBM Avenger
Liberty Aviation Museum PBY Catalina (this is probably more of an IRAN than restoration)

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Matt

Have there been any updates lately to the ex-Tom Blair P-40K that Butch Schroeder purchased ?
Mike

This one has an airshow appearance scheduled later in the summer so they seem to be confident it will be flying. I believe its been a paperwork issue keeping it earthbound.

Some exciting entries in this thread otherwise

It had not flown as of a couple of weeks ago. My source in AZ told me that they sent the 801 back to Nixon for some rework as they had some issues with the engine.

In light of Collings recent decision regarding their airworthy fleet, I fully expect this aircraft (White 1) to do a series of flight tests in Arizona and then be shipped/trucked to Stow for permanent static display at the AHM just like their 109 and several other previously airworthy aircraft have been.

I think the wave of the future is for Collings to fully restore all new restorations to airworthy, fly them a few times, them permanently park them at their museum. This does two things:

1) It gives them tremendous resale value should their aircraft ever be sold or traded (even with an expired annual/condition inspection);

2) It gives them bragging rights for claims/promotion/publicity and perhaps insurance replacement valuation (i.e.- only airworthy Stuka, etc.).

Yes, it's exciting, but I'm also bummed that unless you happen to be in Arizona for the test flight(s), which probably won't be announced, the vast majority of the public (including me) will never get to see this rare aircraft fly.

This could be wishful thinking, but will chime in. Steuart Walton I think has 2 P-38 projects. Have heard one of them might be quite far along perhaps a chance that another P-38 might fly in 2024. Also does anyone know if Pat Harker's P-82 might make it in 2024. This aircraft I saw in person way back in 2005.

The Ilyushin Il-2M at NASM should be finished this year at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM). It was learned during restoration that this is a Il-2M rather than Il-2M3, which is the later version with wings somewhat swept (15 degrees). This plane is intended to go into the NASM Mall museum in the new WWII gallery which will open in 2025 (to include the P-51, FM-1, R4D forward fuselage, Me 109, V-1 and Japanese balloon gondola/bomb and Ohka; the Spitfire, Zero and Macchi 202 that were in the pervious WWII gallery will go on display at Udvar Hazy (UH), though I would guess that these will not go out until after the Transformation is complete [2026?]).

The wooden rear fuselage and tail of the Il-2M has been rebuilt from scratch, as the Russian restoration was inadequate. This aircraft came out of a lake, and the tail was rotted away, though it appears that the vertical rudder may be original. Flickr photos show that the new tail is now finished and mounted onto the fuselage and I am thinking all this will go to the paint shop in the next few months.

I understand that the next plane going into the Baker restoration area with be the Sikorski flying boat (Pearl Harbor attack veteran). I suspect that restoration/preservation will take a few years. Looks like most of the Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby B-17G is now on display, with portions disassembled and scattered in UH.

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Kevin McCartney

I missed this...what happened!?

Jackie Cochran's Beechcraft Super 18, under restoration at the Vintage Flying Museum in Fort Worth, is expected to be flying in 2024.

Edit: New online article: https://vintageaviationnews.com/vintage ... iness.html

Hopefully repairs will be completed on B-26K Special Kay in 2024 as well.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Lake Dallas, Republic of Texas

He got a job as a lecturer at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The announcement was in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21572xOIwIA

Yanks' Hellcat?

One of the Hellcats in Idaho, perhaps Allied Fighters’ of Chino. (The former Willard Compton F6F). The POF A26 Invader at Valle, Az. Petie 3rd- P51D at Fighter Rebuilders, Chino.