I believe that this Buffalo replica was made at the Long Island Aviation Museum near New York City. It was under construction when I visited that amazing museum last spring. They’ve also made one for their own museum as well.

I am surprised to see the undercarriage stiffeners in place while she’s on exhibit though… were these put in place just to wheel her about beforehand or are they a part of her permanent display? I believe Soesterberg also have the substantial remains of three Brewster Buffalos (two former Dutch examples and an RAAF-commandeered one). I wonder what the museum’s plans are for these now?

Cheers,
Richard

The Hardy was a development of the Hart… like many of the interwar hawker biplanes… very beautiful too. For pictures and details, check the following site…. which a simple Google search would have yielded.

Cheers,
Richard

Hawker Hardy

Did VL remove the folding mechanisms from the (original) Finnish Brewster wings? Or am I getting mods to aircraft mixed up with the Fokkers built there?

Buffalos didn’t have folding wings…. like the early wildcats.

Cheers,
Richard

Peter–

Almost certainly yes, but I don’t know its present location. From the location where the posted pic was taken, it passed to noted Harvard collector/restorer/pilot Hannu Halminen as a project, but Mr Halminen parted with it before completing it. It’s on the WIX registry, incidentally, but the potted history there only shows Ernie Simmons (1946-70) and Mr Halminen (early 1990s) as owners; there was, though, one more owner minimum (and probably two or three) between 1970 and about 1992…

(I spent, cumulatively, quite a lot of time back in the day trying to track all the Simmons collection airplanes; that was how I located 3459 a quarter century:eek: ago…nowadays I’m also keeping an eye out for any ex-Ernie cars, specifically any of the numerous Studebakers he is said to have kept at his farm and which would have been auctioned in 1970. I bought a ’62 Studebaker a year and a half ago, hence the additional interest in that marque of car…)

S.

According to Warbird’s Directory V, Yale 3459 has the following history…

NA-64 3459 RCAF BOC 29.11.40: SOC 25.9.46
Mk. I Ernest V. Simmons, Tillsonburg ONT .46/70
(open storage on farm, sold by auction 5.9.70)
V. O’Conner, Uxbridge ONT
Tom Reilly, Orlando FL: rest. project
N3459 reg. candidate 78
Patrick Ashura, Elbert CO: reg. 23.6.04
Aero Retro Warbirds Inc, Wilmington DE 13.2.07/08

No mention of a Mr.Halminen, but he was listed behind a couple of Mk.4 Harvards. My guess is that if it was at Halminen’s place it was there to undergo restoration for a third party.

Cheers,
Richard

Yes… please post the photo(s)!

Cheers,
Richard

Came through almost instantly for me. Absolutely first class photos by the way. Technically really well executed, and compositionally as well. Thanks so much for sharing them. I had no idea the IAF ever used C-119’s either.

Cheers,
Richard

Amazing! I lived within a mile of that place when I was a child, in Langley. Unfortunately, I can’t help much with any information, but I am keen to hear more if anyone has any further details. I know that the Hawker factory was nearby too. Perhaps they were related?

Cheers,
Richard