As the year draws to a close it is time for a look back at a number of individual moments from airshows across the season that I feel deserve a more detailed report than the original event reviews allowed. This gives the chance to share more photographs from specific displays and expand on the significance … Continue reading Airshow Moments 2018 1 – Anniversary Avros – Anson & Lancaster at Old Warden
The Percival Provost (commonly known as “Piston Provost” thanks to its well known jet powered development) first flew in February 1950 and was designed as a training aircraft for the Royal Air Force. The Provost featured all metal construction and a tailwheel configuration. A notable change from the iconic trainers of the interwar and war … Continue reading In Profile: The Percival Piston Provost
Continuing on from the previous post based around the P-47 operations manual and how a new pilot would have been expected to approach that type. This post adds to the Curtiss series of this site with an insight into how a new pilot would approach the P-40. It should be noted that though this post … Continue reading Learning the Legends – Flying the Curtiss P-40 “By the Book” – WW2 Pilots Notes Review
The de Havilland Canada Chipmunk is well loved by pilots and considered to be one of the finest flying machines every built. The original Chipmunk design is now over 70 years old, with the type first taking to the skies in May 1946. https://www.flickr.com/photos/127965535@N04/45944034981/in/dateposted/ The Chipmunk was designed, developed and initially manufactured in Canada with … Continue reading Aircraft Profile: de Havilland Canada Chipmunk
2018 (or early 2019) looks set to see the third airworthy Mosquito to emerge from the incredible talented team at AvSpecs in New Zealand. It's hard to even conceive that six or seven years ago we had been without that iconic shape and sound in the sky for over a decade. With KA114 now being … Continue reading Mosquito Revival
This time 73 years ago saw an historic feat take place on Royal Navy carrier HMS Ocean. Ocean, which was originally completed in November 1945, clearly missed out on any wartime service. However, it did have the honour of being the last carrier to operate the Fairey Swordfish before retirement. It also saw the early … Continue reading First Jet Carrier Landing Anniversary – December 1945
The P-36 design showed great potential in its early testing, but it quickly became apparent that the airframe was limited by the radial engine up front. The basic Hawk airframe was always designed with speed as a target, with the wing design having great development potential. This potential was tapped as part of the testing … Continue reading The Curtiss Story Part 9 – Birth of the Underdog: the “Long Nose” P-40s
The Avro Anson first took to the skies in March 1935, following a new specification issued by the Air Ministry for a maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Avro were already working on an airliner design project which fitted the requirements well. The Anson (or Avro652a as it was then known) successfully outperformed the DH89 in trials and … Continue reading In Profile: Avro Anson/Avro XIX
The Shuttleworth Collection Military pageant is always a highlight of every season, generally offering the chance to see some unique visiting warbirds and on occasion WW1 types perform in the picturesque surroundings of Old Warden. This year was no exception and while the main focus was WW1 there were plenty of other special displays from … Continue reading Shuttleworth Collection Military Pageant 2018
If 2017 was "the year of the Hurricane" then 2018 certainly had a more continental feel. This year most certainly belongs to the revival of the Hispano Buchon. https://www.flickr.com/photos/127965535@N04/44116181905/in/dateposted-public/ A relatively common site in the 1990s, the "one faux nine" has long been an airshow staple and after a few years absence in the early … Continue reading Buchon Summer
