When I was [gloat] up close and personal with Mossie KA114 a month ago [/gloat] she was quite complete but a long way to go – undercarriage being worked on, no sign of radiators. Bruce may know a bit more of what is left to do, but unfortunately we were pressed for time and couldn’t stay long. But a magnificent machine, to be sure! I believe the AvSpecs team decided to focus on readying the P-40C to appear at Omaka, temporarily putting the Mosquito on the back burner. Here are a couple of photos I took on the day – apologies I never got more, but we had to head for home shortly after.

I also took photos of two Spitfires under wraps in the hangar, but I doubt they would be of interest to anyone in this forum 😉

I’m a New Zealander with a friend who volunteers at the Wigram museum, I have heard no updates from him re the museum but he is personally ok. Also down there is the Ferrymead facility, home to a Mosquito rebuild, complete Viscount and R4D and numerous other aircraft and exhibits, and I have heard no news about them.

My family and friends in Christchurch are all safe and well, ditto for my fiancé, however I have been watching the TV when I can – we even have it on in the store at which I work – and the damage is truly devastating. Foreign governments have passed on their condolences but also offers of assistance, several of which have been taken up. It is tragic, but the resilience of the Christchurch citizens is stunning and inspiring.

Why would the RAF Museum want a Sturmovik. The RAF never flew them

Was it ever conclusively proven in the annals of Battle that Johnny Red of the famed Falcon Squadron flew a Sturmovik? :diablo:

As far as I’m aware two have flown – a two-seated in the US owned by the Collings Foundation, and a single-seater (that can be converted to two?) with the Messerschmitt Foundation in Germany. The latter machine flew with one of their 109Gs at a Berlin airshow a couple of years back.

I am glad that ISS has been finally sold so that it may finally fly! I look forward to seeing airborne shots of her at long last.

OH-56

???:confused:

I’m sure its a simple typo 😉

Here in New Zealand we also have few ex-military choppers happily flying in civil hands and in military garb. We did for a while have a couple of Scouts still in camo, as well as an OH-58C Kiowa with the same sort of weathering you see on “professional” plastic models (some shots of ANOTHER Kiowa I was unaware of here: http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=ZK-HPW&distinct_entry=true). An outfit in Tauranga operates a Bell 47 in US Army colours and a Hughes 500 painted as Cayuse “Miss Clawd IV” (see here: http://www.airliners.net/photo/Kawasaki-500C-(369HS)/1539987/L/).

However the RNZAF Historic Flight is set to receive a UH-1H and Sioux upon their retirement late this year/early next, so that’s a point for we “rotorheads” amongst the Kiwi airshow crowd.

Judging by a shot in the special features of The Aviator, fairly crude “shapes” were built for the XF-11 closeups, and these were “skinned” in post-production using CGI. I’d love one of the large R/C models built though! Love watching the flying in that film.

As for NZ: one Yak-3 (converted from Yak-11, project started by OFMC) is airworthy (most weekends, apparently!) at Wanaka, and an Orenburg-build machine is steadily working its way back into the air at Omaka. A Yak-11 project is stored at Omaka also.

I believe there are one each -3 and -9 repros in Australia? I don’t know whats become of Steve Hart’s VH-YZK.