CEA Jodel DR. 1050/M-1 ‘Sicile Record’ June 7, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Kemble, aircraft.Tags: aviation industry, CEA, Centre Est Aeronautique, Continental Motors Corporation, D.9 Bebe, dihedral, DR.100A, Dr.1050, Edouard Joly, EVRA propeller, French, G-BAEE, German, GVFWE, Jean Delemontez, Jodel, Jodel DR.1050/M-1 'Sicile Record', Kemble, Luftwaffe, O-200 engine, outer wing panels, Pierre Robin, plywood, Round Sicily Rally, Second World War
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- CEA Jodel DR.1050/M-1 ‘Sicile Record’
Following the Second World War, much of French aviation industry was either bombed flat, or still producing German designs, continuing on from Luftwaffe contracts. Edouard Joly, who ran an aviation repair business, and his son-in-law, Jean Delemontez, designed and built a light single-seat aircraft, the D.9 Bebe. This little plywood gem, with distinctive dihedral outer wing panels, first flew in 1948, and a whole series of developments and varients of what became the Jodel family of aircraft flowed from this, and were were either built by licencees or home-built.
Spanish? German? Sperman?? Another aviation mash-up….. February 7, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in 'warbird', Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: 'warbird', 1/JG54, A/B Flugschule, aerobatic championships, aircraft, Anders Anderson, biplane, Brazil, Bu 131, Bu 131E, Bucker, Bucker Flugzeugbau GmbH, CASA, CASA 1-131E, CASA 1-131E Series 2000, Chile, Czechoslovakia, ENMA Tigre engine, Finland, Geschwader, GVFWE, Hirth HM 504A-2 engine, Hirth HM 60R engine, Hullavington, Hungary, Jagdgeschwader, Japan, Jungmann, lubrication system, Luftsportverband, Luftwaffe, Magister, nuisance raider, Po-2, Polikarpov, RAF, Red Army, rudder, Rumania, Russian Front, Second World War, Spain, Spanish, Spanish Air Force, Swedish, WW2, Yak, Yugoslavia, Zlin
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- Bucker Jungmann
When the fledgling Luftwaffe needed a primary trainer with aerobatic capability, it chose the new firm of Bucker Flugzeugbau GmbH and its Swedish chief designer, Anders Anderson, to build it. What emerged was a supremely agile biplane, with sharply raked wings. Thus the first Bu 131 Jungmann was born.
Yes, I know, I know, it’s ANOTHER An-2……. February 3, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, aircraft, ships.Tags: 'Anna', 'Anushka', Abingdon, Aero Troika, Air Show, An-2, An-2T, Antonov, Aviation, Cologne, F-4, Flight Training Cologne, German Air Force, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, GVFWE, LSK, Luftstreitkrafte, Luftwaffe, Mielec, North Vietnam, Phantom, Poland, PZL, South Vietnam, torpedo, USS Long Beach, Vietnamese War
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An-2, D-FKMA
I may have said this before but I REALLY like the An-2. The ‘Anushka’ is big, bold and burly….and makes a statement on the flightline. Thanks to the German Air Force, who declined this PZL-built former LSK (Luftstreitkrafte) East German machine (LSK-440), it came onto the open market. Here seen in the markings of ‘Aero Troika’ on the flightline at GVFWE Abingdon, it is now operated by Flight Training Cologne, and gives pleasure flights, mostly operating out of its home base. This An-2T (nicknamed ‘Anna’) was not built – at Mielec in Poland – to any agreed international civilian standard, so the CAA would have a problem with allowing that kind of operation in the UK.
I went inside this aircraft and found it typical of the breed. The cockpit had an almost ‘agricultural’ feel to it; almost like a flying tractor – and about as tough, too! Difficult to think of this as being in any way belligerent, but, during the Vietnamese War, some North Vietnamese An-2s were fitted with two torpedoes slung underneath their wing, in an attempt to attack South Vietnamese coastal shipping. One of these North Vietnamese An-2s was shot down by an F-4 Phantom, under the control of USS Long Beach!
Silver bullet! January 28, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', 'warbird', aircraft, Ar96, Argus AS 410-A2 engine, Aviation, Fw189, German aircraft, GVFWE, Hullavington, inverted V-12 engine, Luftwaffe, Me109, P2, Pilatus, Second World War, Swiss Air Force, synchronized machine gun, trainer, VE Day
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- Pilatus P2
The Second World War in Europe was winding rapidly down, when the Swiss aviation concern,Pilatus, rolled out a prototype of their new trainer – the first flight coming on 27th April 1945, not long before VE Day. Designed to be produced as quickly and economically as possible, the Swiss company used as many components from their German aircraft stocks as possible. The tailwheel, some canopy components and the main undercarriage and fairings were from the early model Me109s the Swiss had bought from Messerschmitt. The engine was an air-cooled inverted V-12 Argus AS 410 of some 485hp, as used in such Luftwaffe aircraft as the Focke-Wulf Fw189 and the Arado Ar96 trainer.
An English eccentric….. January 27, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: Abingdon, aircraft, Andy Sephton, Aviation, Battle of Britain, Cinque Ports Aviation Ltd, Continental A65 engine, Currie Wot, Enstone, First World War, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, J R Currie, Ju87, Kent, Luftwaffe, Lympne, Lympne Aerodrome, Me109, Oxfordshire, Popular Flying Association, SE5a, Second World War, Shuttleworth Collection, Slingsby Aviation, StG 1, Stuka, WW1, WW2
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- What is it? A Wot, that’s what!
What is it? It’s a Currie Wot, that’s what!
Invasion stripes! January 22, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, RAF, Royal Air Force, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: 'Tiffie', 6th June 1944, aircraft, D-Day, Essex, France, FW190, Halifax, Handley Page, Hangar 11, Hullavington, invasion stripes, Korean War, Luftwaffe, Me109, Mustang, Normandy, North Weald, nose art, P-38, P-51, P-51D, Peter Teichman, Royal Air Force, Second World War, Short Stirling, Suez Campaign, the Channel, Typhoon, WW2
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Invasion stripes, P-51D
D-Day, 6th June 1944. Europe woke to a new reality; the Allies had launched the largest invasion onto a hostile shore that the world had ever seen. Nearly 5,000 vessels, and in excess of 160,000 troops crossed the Channel, and hit the Normandy beaches. There are many reasons for the eventual success of the invasion, but one significant component was the application of overwhelming air power. The Luftwaffe in France was reduced to a shadow of its former self, with the demands of Reich Defence and the Eastern Front soaking away the fighter wings of FW190 and Me109s. On June the 3rd orders were issued to transport, tactical bomber, fighter and support aircraft units which would be overhead the invasion area to apply a series of alternating black and white stripes on upper and lower wing surfaces and around the fuselage. Unfortunately, because of the late notification, many of the units could only paint these bands roughly (unlike the neat stripes you see on this P-51D; they should be 18 inches wide for fighters, 24 inches for bombers). The idea was to prevent ‘friendly fire’ accidents. Although it is said that these stripes did not appear on other than single and twin-engined aircraft, this is incorrect. Both Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax aircraft, when used as glider tugs, and making supply drops, were seen carrying invasion stripes. Earlier use of special idenfication markings had been made, prior to D-Day, in the case of Mustangs of the Royal Air Force and Typhoons (the ‘Tiffies’ had a special problem, as they were being confused with FW190s), but this was the largest recognition scheme to date.
It was acknowledged that the standard of aircraft recognition amongst the gunners on the invasion fleet, and with the land armies, left a lot to be desired, hence the need for ‘invasion stripes’; but even although the Allies used the unique twin-tailed P-38 Lightning, with its distinctive shape, for close escort of the fleet, they were STILL shot at!
This was not the last use of ‘invasion stripes’; they re-appeared during the Suez Campaign (yellow/black) and in the Korean War (black/white).
This beautiful P-51D is out of the North Weald ‘Hangar 11′ collection, and was flown into GVFWE by Peter Teichman
