Irrelevant now since Viper West are no more. 🙁

I doubt the USMC have the budget to stand up any more squadrons, especially of a type with many different systems to their present AV-8B and AV-8B+ aircraft. Also, they don’t have a support and logistic chain for the type. I very much doubt that any will enter service.

Warbird helicopters have proved to be very popular in South Africa with over 20 examples of the Alouette II on the Non-type certified register – most of them being ex-French Army. Sadly though few still fly in their former military markings. A number of ex-SAAF Alouette IIIs have also appeared on the register as well as a few Hueys.

I wouldn’t really class these as ‘warbird helicopters’, more a source of getting a cheap means of rotary-winged transport. In the UK there are quite a few ex-military Gazelles flying on the civil reg, in the US many government agencies, fire dep’ts etc fly ex-mil Hueys.

There’s a very nice Piasecki ‘Flying Banana’ operated by an organisation in Southern Califonia that appears at occasional events, sadly their HUP-1 was lost in a fatal wirestrike accident 2 years ago.

Comper Swift G-ACGL must be the most recent example of this.

Duxford’s Bf-109E-4/WkNr. 1190 is another.

I can probably think of several more given time (Excluding things like the Indian DH9, Indian Bf109 or Bristol Fighters in barn roofs!) – wasn’t there another Bf109E that basically spent 50 years unrestored in a shed?

I think you’re confusing the issue regarding ‘109s here. The Duxford aircraft was always known about, and ‘basically spent 50 years unrestored in a shed’ before being sold to the IWM and (partially) restored to static display condition. I’d like to see them finish off the paintwork on the cowlings, though……… 🙁

What about the pilots at Delta Jets? Martin Stoner, Dave Roome, Andy Wyatt, Gordon Hannam?
& Hunter Flying Club’s Keith Hartley, John Aldington, Craig Penrice & Boz Robinson?
Are Steve Noujaim & Andy Gent still around?

Wasn’t Craig Penrice badly injured in an ejection from a Hunter?

Ah, fooled by a ‘Colonial cousin’ with a ‘Bristol’ avatar interloping on a British forum! :confused:

Believe me, ZRX61 is anything but a ‘Colonial cousin’! 😀

Clay Lacy flies it these days & he’s 107… 😉

Don’t exagerate Rick, I don’t reckon that he’s a day over 98

As far as i know, the EU rule states that pilots of free bus pass age can only be certified on single engine aircraft as far as know?

That is not so

How about the epic in everyway Spruce Goose?

I’m not sure it has ever had a restoration as such. And it doesn’t have a website or blog, which was the whole point of Bruce’s thread in the first place, a fact which seems to have been totally missed by most of the posters. 🙁