Duxford Sunday 17th February:
Nothing much to report today, so here’s a picture for the experts to puzzle over:
Duxford Friday 15th February:
After the visits by Hornet Moth and Dragon earlier, the based Leopard Moth G-ACMN rounded off a de Havilland week:
The TFC crew were shuffling again:
A pair of Army Squirrels popped in for fuel:
Highlight of the day was a sortie from the Boultbee Spitfire Tr.9 G-ILDA / SM520. A compass swing was completed after lunch:
But unluckily, the winter sun had disappeared by take-off time:
Duxford Wednesday 13th February:
As requested recently, here are a few shots of the DAS Ambassador interior. Many thanks to the DAS crew for access and permission to post.
The flightdeck reflects the huge amount of work put in so far, but there’s still plenty to do. Most of the ‘fixtures and fittings’ still exist, despite the 15 years spent outside at Lasham.
The passenger cabin also has a long way to go. ‘ZO spent her last years as a freighter, so the whole interior needs refitting. Financing the rebuild is one of the many challenges faced by DAS, contributions are always welcome…
Another twin-engined British airliner (first flight only 15 years earlier than the Ambassador’s) was active this morning at Duxford. DH.84 Dragon G-ECAN was busy on a check flight. Difficult to do justice to a silver aeroplane on a very grey day, but here’s a few pics anyway:
Duxford Sunday 10th February:
It’s great to see so much interest in the IWM Spitfire I. As usual all opinions are valid and serve to underline the affection and respect that all Battle Of Britain veterans deserve. However, current IWM plans don’t go further than inspection, repair and conservation. An impression (or more correctly ‘concept’) can be seen at:
http://blogs.iwm.org.uk/transforming-iwm-london/
Scroll down to entry for 7-12-12 and note IWM comment:
“We have no plans to repaint the aircraft at this stage. Due to the history of this aircraft it would be a last resort and not a decision that we would take lightly”
If opportunity and permission allow, you’ll see any detail photos of the Spitfire on this thread as soon as they are available, but things are very busy in Hangar 5 these days.
A brief visit to Duxford this morning found plenty of activity from the volunteer crews, but nothing new to picture. Some of the TFC machines were out in the rain while some lighting was repaired in the roof of Hangar 2:
Duxford Wednesday 6th February:
The TFC engineers have been very busy recently. The Gladiator is back on her wheels, and with props fitted to Wildcat and Hellcat, there’s plenty to look forward to:
Just another monopod prop shot:
David, good retrospective about TFC/HAC Hurricane.
I’m wondering of you could do the same for TFC’s P-40M which is now with H11?
Other P-40’s are welcome too :diablo:.
Here, at last, are a few photos of the TFC P-40 G-KITT as requested.
Her history before arrival at Duxford makes an interesting story. A list of P-40 survivors shows that around 20 airframes were early post-war RCAF disposals. G-KITT started life at Buffalo, NY (where all P-40s and P-47G ‘Snafu’ were built) in 1943 as a lend-lease P-40M ordered for the RAF as a Kittyhawk Mk.III. One of only 15 Mk.III diverted to Canada, she was taken on RCAF charge as ‘840’ on 29-1-43 and survived until disposal from Patricia Bay on Vancouver Island in 1947. A quick check on Warbirds Registry suggests at least 9 P-40E, 3 P-40M and 4 P-40N were barged to Boeing Field. ‘840’ was registered as N1233N but became an instructional airframe at Oregon State University and later an advertising prop at Troutdale Airport, Oregon. At some stage the aircraft “Acquired the paperwork of P-40N N1009N” This aircraft, ex RCAF 877, had been damaged and stored for museum use before being stripped and scrapped by the USAF Museum around 1965. As N1009N, the P-40 was bought by Thomas Camp in California in 1979 and restored to fly in 1982. This pic (by John Kerr via Tony Clarke) taken at Houston TX early 80s:
Obtained by TFC, N1009N arrived at Duxford on Feb 14th 1985. Quickly assembled, first flight (still unpainted) was on 27th Feb. These pics from Tony Clarke taken 17th March (a silver P-40 at Duxford!)
N1009N was painted at Luton in 112 Sq markings as FR870 /GA-S. First noted as such 27-4-85, my first sighting was at North Weald on 29-6-85:
The P-40 then served with TFC for ten years, seen here at North Weald 28-6-86:
Duxford August 86 (Tony Clarke pic):
La Ferte Alais 21-5-88:
Duxford 5-7-92:
In 1994, the aircraft became F-AZPJ with Christophe Jacquard at Dijon and was repainted as P-8196/34 in AFVG markings. It attended Legends 1994, but spent 1995 in the workshops at Audley End. These two shots by Tony were taken 9-12-95 on delivery back to Duxford:
Next appearance was at Legends 1996:
This photo was taken by Tony on 18-1-98, when F-AZPJ arrived back at Duxford for TFC ownership again:
Registered ‘G-KITT’ on 4-3-98, these TC photos show stages in the repaint, all from May 98. Markings were 343rd FG ‘Aleutian Tigers’ complete by 7-98:
As ‘49’, G-KITT flew with TFC for another 8 years:
At the end of 2005, G-KITT passed to Peter Teichman’s Hangar 11 collection at North Weald:
Filming ‘Red Tails’ in 2009 saw new colours which lasted until recently. A new look is promised this year.
So, G-KITT is registered as a P-40N, referred to as a P-40M and TP-40M, but I’m going to stick my neck out and suggest we should be calling it a Kittyhawk Mk.III. It is actually a rare variant, with only one other airworthy.
Duxford Sunday 3rd February:
Nothing topical to report today, so yet more trial shots with the new monopod:
Before we leave the Cosmic Wind story, a reminder of the military variant. American Electric based their Piranha light attack aircraft on the Cosmic Wind. Apparently it carried a 500lb bomb and rockets. One survives in the USA:
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