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With regard to Flying Heritage Collection projects, I wouldn't expect to see the Ju-87 anytime soon, but I do keep wondering if we just might see their P-38 completed/flying in the not too distant future, since it seems to have been underway at Westpac for about as long as "White 33" was. Of course it will be a thrill to see their Mosquito flying from Paine Field this coming year, in its permanent night fighter markings. Also, with rumors having been afoot last year, that their Me-262 was likely to be completed/flying sometime in 2016, perhaps 2017 will be the year.
Beating 2017 by a couple weeks, Gerry Beck's F4U-4 Corsair flew again yesterday, with Doug Rozendaal at the controls, following a year of overhaul/refurbishing work at Tri-State Aviation. The aircraft will be joining Paul Ehlen's flying warbirds at the Wings of the North Museum in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
The Texas Flying Legends A6M2 Zero, which has been under repair/restoration at Tri-State Aviation, should likely be completed/flying again next year. The A6M3-32 Zero, under restoration at Legend Flyers, also looks like a possible candidate to be completed/flying in the coming year or so.
The Texas Flying Legends P-51C "Lope's Hope 3rd", under restoration at AirCorps Aviation, is set to be completed/flying in-time for Oshkosh next year. It has been easy to say that "Sierra Sue II" is the most WWII-authentic P-51 flying today, but once "Lope's Hope" is completed/flying, it will have to be clarified that "SSII" is the most authentic D-model flying, and "Lope's Hope" the most authentic C-model flying, as they are on-par with one another. This will be the first WWII fighter that I can think of, restored and flying, to have a complete set of all of the original/unique C.B.I. Theatre specific radios and associated hardware (such as the radio compass and directional finder loop antenna).
Ed, at this time, there are 8 P-51B/C-models flying (the P-51B's Old Crow, Berlin Express, and Impatient Virgin, and the P-51C's Betty Jane, Tuskegee Airmen, Ina the Macon Belle, Boise Bee, and Princess Elizabeth). There are three more currently under restoration to fly, which includes the examples at AirCorps Aviation, Pacific Fighters, and the Oklahoma Museum of Flying (Brent Hisey). Other than the one at AirCorps (Lope's Hope), I'm not sure of when the other two are expected to be completed.
Ezell recently posted some photos on Facebook of the Texas Flying Legends Bearcat project, with the engine mounted and exhaust work being done. It doesn't look too far off from completion.
What I'm perhaps most excited to see in 2017, is the completion/first flights of the P-47 "Dottie Mae". What a stunning sight that will be, to see it rolled out into the sunshine, and with all of the original, colorful markings and noseart re-applied, over the shiny fresh alclad. Another of the most authentic warbird restorations we've seen to-date (according to what I've seen/heard, it even goes a few steps beyond the level of authenticity in FHC's P-47).
At Aero Trader, Trent Latshaw's B-25J has been under restoration for the past couple years, and is the only current B-25 restoration that I can think of that just might be completed/flying in the not too distant future. Also at Aero Trader, Kermit Weeks stated at the start of 2016 that he was green-lighting Aero Trader to complete his A-26 Invader by the end of the year. However, a few months ago, Weeks posted that he was changing the direction of the restoration a bit, by having the aircraft re-fitted with a B-model gun nose, instead of the C-model glass nose (which had already been fully restored). Perhaps we'll see it completed/flying in 2017.
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