RE: “Long nose ” FW-190 coming

Steve – I believe that they basically deliver you a kit nearly ready to assemble . It’s then down to the owner to do the rest and carry out the local certification.

RE: A little something for everyone?

The Canberra B(I)8 actually went to the NZ Airforce museum to represent the type which flew in service with them. The Australian’s
used the conventional ‘Bomber’ type canopied Canberra’s.
The Dragonfly was WG725 which was exported about two years ago to the RAN museum at Nowra I believe.
Lastly the Valetta went to the SAS for training and the Hastings died at Catterick. For the record her wings weren’t used on the Halifax – YAM acquired a set from a scrapyard near Chichester
which were in better condition. The set from the Catterick machine are displayed in a Queen Mary trailer.

RE: B29 Non – military in UK

The Duxford example was returned to airworthiness by a U.S company on behalf of the IWM and flew into the U.K as a British registered aircraft. She was perfectly airworthy – just she required a repaint which in no way affects her ability to fly. The hasn’t been a civil registered or operated B-29 on the air display scen in Europe

RE: AD Grounds all B-17’s

Why shouldn’t a ex RAF pilot with 30 years experience be allowed to fly a ex-military aircraft he has bought?? When he is in the service the machine belongs on that service and he has to abide by their rules and indeed the CAA in terms of how the aircraft is flown.
The operation of the machine outside of the airforce comes under the
control of the CAA and as long as the pilot has a valid PPL and the aircraft is airworthy the is no problem.
Regards your comments on the Chipmunk – the engine data plate is just a small part of the process to civilianise the Chipmunk (ex RAF T.10’s) for civil use .
Having been involved with various people in the CAA I tend to find that most are reasonable and their aims are the promotion of flight safety. Look at the safety record of jet warbirds in the U.S and compare that to the U.K – how many Hunter’s have run out of fuel in the U.K on approach?? it’s a different story in the U.S !!
Although it seems like the CAA are hell bent on upsetting people’s aims you often find that the is a ‘hidden’ reson why a aircraft isn’t allowed to fly by the CAA and sometimes this comes down to the honesty of an aircraft’s owner or lack of it .

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

Because they deviated from the original design and used a wooden spar for it which wasn’t man enough for supporting the fins.

RE: Constellation to be scrapped

Correct Philo she is pained in TWA colours – the are a number of pictures around of her in various Dutch markings as she made her way around Europe.

RE: N232J

Philo – looks to me like the Haig-Thomas COD Avenger.

RE: So which Fury is this ?

I think Frank Sanders did the first conversion which used a former Globemaster engine (C-124) . The main reason for the use of American engines is that in some respects they are simpler than the Bristol engine plus they are easily obtainable from the ‘desert boneyards’
married to the fact that they are barely running to maximum power in a Sea Fury. The first conversion was featured in a FlyPast article circa 1983.