Authentic?

The silver/aluminum finish is authentic to the G.46 (although it probably had a blue hue), but the white fuselage band and tail cross are pseudo-WW2 stuff. Roundels never coexisted with tail crosses, in WW1, WW2 or in between.

Veltro

No way

No way.
In short, the G.46 was a postwar trainer. By then, Italy was a republic, so the royal cross and badge on the rudder are anachronistic.
No desert camouflage was ever applied to the Italian G.46 fleet either.
The result is about as realistic as the paintwork on the Australian G.59, or the wacky Frasca conversion in the States. If anyone did the equivalent to a Spit or ‘109, this board would be saturated with protests. But it’s Italian, so nobody even notices. Why, oh why?

Veltro

G-BTVE

Thanks for catching that one, Mike.

I must have confused G-BTVE, which is registered to one Demon Displays Ltd according to the CAA, with the anonymous fuselage listed on the Skysport website (http://www.skysportengineering.co.uk/for_sale.htm) or with the Beaufighter project which was reported for sale some time ago.

Still wonder what is holding up the Demon, other than that green folding stuff, you know …

Veltro

Hart Survivors

For some reason, I felt a compulsion to draw up an accurate list. Here is my attempt, in alphabetical order, with identities where known. Sources are mainly various museum websites, CAA register, Bob Ogden museums series.

Audax
K5600/G-BVVI (c/n 41H-67550), Aero Vintage (to fly)

Demon
A1-8, RAAF Museum Australia
K8203/G-BTVE, Skysport Engineering (to fly)
Jack McDonald, Caboolture (to fly) **** identity? ****

Fury
K5674/G-CBZP, Aero Vintage (to fly 2004?)
G-BKBB/OO-HFU, UK (Viv Bellamy replica)

Hart II
G-ABMR/“J9941” (c/n HH1), RAF Museum Hendon

Hart II Trainer
K4972, RAF Museum Hendon

Hart B4 Fv714 (c/n 54), Swedish Air Force Museum

Hartbees
851, South African National Museum of Military History

Hind
(Afghan), BAPC.78/G-AENP/“K5414” (c/n 41H.81902), Shuttleworth (flying)
(Afghan), BAPC.82, RAF Museum (c/n 41H.81899) Cosford
(Afghan), L7180 (c/n 41H.82970?), Canada Aviation Museum
(Afghan), L7181 (c/n 41H.82971), Aero Vintage (to fly)
K6717/NZ1518, MoTaT, Auckland, NZ (“remains” with Subritzky for restoration)
K6721/NZ1535, Don Subritzky*, Albany, NZ
K5465/NZ1554, Don Subritzky*, Albany, NZ (to fly)
* also said to hold “components” of L7184/NZ1528, K6703/NZ1544.
Kabul Military Training Area (6+ wrecks)

Nimrod I S1581/ G-BWWK (c/n 41H.43617), The Fighter Collection, Duxford
Nimrod II K3661/G-BURZ (c/n 41H.59890), Aero Vintage (to fly 2004?)

Osprey Fv403, SE-AYR (c/n 2403), Swedish Air Force Museum (remains)

Any further comments welcome.

Veltro

Wow!

Could it be an Italian radial-engined BIplane? That would tally with the Fiat CR.42 which TFC has had under rebuild in Italy for some time.

Veltro

The Clash

The lyrics of my favorite Clash song, Spanish Bombs, include the line

Flew in on a DC10 tonight.

I have a tape recorded by a German pilot identified only as Ecki, which includes a Starfighter song, a Kleine Hundertneun Song, a Gina (i.e., G.91) song und so weider.

And the Italian singer Francesco De Gregori has a song titled SPAD VII S2489 which is about the specific airframe now preserved in the Baracca Museum in Lugo. He also wrote a “Disastro Aereo sul Canale di Sicilia”, which opens with the line “The widowmaker flew …”: obviously a Starfighter tune.

Veltro