2015 12 (512) AEROPLANE.pdf

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2016 CALENDAR
CLASSIC BRITISH
AIRCRAFT
FROM THE
AEROPLANE
ARCHIVE
More than a Century of History in the Air
®
MUSTANGS
Combat veteran
Sierra Sue II
B AT T L E O F B R I TA I N
www.aeroplanemonthly.com
Operating ‘The Shark’
PLUS
TRIBUTES TO
‘THE
the
FEW’
Behind
scenes
at Goodwood and
Duxford
HAMPDEN PATROL
Unlikely ‘fighters’ in the Blitz
H I S T O RY
DATABASE
DECEMBER 2015 £4.40
DC-3 civil variants
80th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
The world’s
highest-time DC-3
PLUS
Contents
51
40
70
NEWS AND
COMMENT
4
6
FROM THE EDITOR
NEWS
• Vulcan bows out with tour
• BBMF Lancaster back in the air
• Instructional Spitfire for Indian
Air Force Vintage Flight
• Hurricane R4118 sold
• MOSI to lose aircraft hall
… and the month’s other top aircraft
preservation news
HANGAR TALK
Steve Slater’s monthly comment
column on the historic aircraft world
Vol 43, no 12 • Issue no 512
December 2015
22
32
102
FEATURES
Concluding
Aeroplane’s
Battle of Britain
coverage
with reflections on tributes
present and past
70
HIGHEST-TIME DC-3
The Douglas classic with more hours
than any other example
DATABASE:
DOUGLAS DC-3
CIVIL VARIANTS
Bruce Hales-Dutton
salutes the DC-3’s
80th anniversary by
outlining the type’s
enduring legend
22
26
32
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BATTLE OF BRITAIN DAY AT
GOODWOOD
The largest gathering of Hurricanes
and Spitfires in the modern era
DUXFORD’S BIG SHOW
A memorable weekend at the
former No 12 Group base
THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Recalling the main commemorative
events of 25 years ago
RADLEY ENGLAND WATERPLANE
An interesting concept, but not one
destined for success
HAMPDEN PATROL
Unlikely RAF ‘night fighters’ during
the Blitz
P-51
SIERRA SUE II
A combat veteran Mustang returned
to factory-fresh standard
‘THE SHARK’
Another very fine P-51 — the UK’s
shark-mouthed example
AEROPLANE
MEETS…
MARK MILLER
Lunch with a lifelong de Havilland
aficionado and expert
77
IN-DEPTH
PAGES
18
36
40
44
51
60
102
LUFTWAFFE FIAT G91s
A useful light attack, recce and training
jet for Cold War West Germany
REGULARS
17
18
68
96
99
SKYWRITERS
Q&A
Your questions asked and answered
HOOKS’ TOURS
More superb colour photos from
Mike Hooks’ personal archive
EVENTS
Reports from Shuttleworth,
Nîmes-Garons and Church Fenton
BOOKS
FREE
AEROPLANE
2016 CALENDAR
Classic British aircraft
from the archives
COVER IMAGE:
P-51D Mustang
Sierra Sue II
airborne
during this year’s Oshkosh show.
DAVID LEININGER
106
NEXT MONTH
A subscription makes a great gift this
Christmas. See pages 20-21 for details.
Aeroplane
traces its lineage back
to the weekly
The Aeroplane,
founded by C. G. Grey in 1911
and published until 1968. It was
re-launched as a monthly in 1973
by Richard T. Riding, editor for 25
years until 1998.
ESTABLISHED 1911
AEROPLANE DECEMBER 2015
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o some extent, I was less than surprised to read
that Manchester’s Museum of Science and
Industry (MOSI) plans to close its dedicated
Air and Space Hall. Whatever issues there are
with the building’s lease, the Science Museum
has been under well-publicised budgetary pressures, to the extent
of being threatened in 2013 with complete closure. That has now
passed, and funding, some from government, found for major
improvements. None of it, however, will go towards the aircraft
collection — and this is where I was surprised. Museum director
Sally Macdonald was quoted on the Manchester Confidential
website as saying: “…most of the planes are on loan from the
RAF Museum and aren’t really part of our story.”
“Aren’t really part of our story”? Let me quote MOSI’s ‘mission
statement’, as carried on its website: “To explore where science
met industry and the modern world began, and to understand
the impact that Manchester science, technology and innovation
continues to have on all our lives”. Aviation, I hardly need say,
is a big part of that story. Few companies could be said better to
represent “Manchester science, technology and innovation” than
Avro, to name but one. The region’s contribution to aviation
history will continue to be depicted by MOSI in some way. But
how can it do so effectively without any actual aircraft?
It brings home again, as if we required reminding, how much
of a challenge is posed by preserving aeroplanes. Larger than
many other types of museum artefact, they make commensurately
greater demands in terms of conservation effort, financial resource
and space. And keeping them in an old building, like the MOSI
Air and Space Hall, brings with it many more problems. Anyone
who has visited the Musée Royal de l’Armée in Brussels will know
what I mean.
T
E D I TO R
What now for the aircraft at MOSI? Those that are RAF
Museum property, including Shackleton AEW2 WR960, will
surely be returned to their owner when the Air and Space Hall
closes. The RAFM does not currently have a Shackleton on
display at either of its sites — indeed, it is one of the museum’s
most obvious omissions, especially from Cosford’s National Cold
War Exhibition. But, given the pressures on display space that
have led to recent larger arrivals such as the Hercules, Nimrod and
VC10 being exhibited outside, where could it go? Such are the
dilemmas facing even the largest UK aviation museums.
Our 2016 calendar, free with this issue, helps bring to a close
another year in the memorable life of
Aeroplane
magazine — and
there are plenty more highlights to come. Thank you for your
continued support. One minor change concerns our on-sale date,
which from the next edition is being moved back by two weeks, to
the second Thursday of the month. Thus, the January 2016 issue
will appear in UK shops on Thursday 10 December. Of course,
you’ll get it earlier if you subscribe. See pages 20-21 for details.
Ben Dunnell
Further to the item in our September issue, the new Battle of Britain 75th
anniversary book
‘Victory 1940’,
with photography by John Dibbs and words by
Tony Holmes, is available now for just £19.99*
direct from Key Publishing. To order your copy,
visit www.keypublishing.com/shop, or call 01780
480404 if in the UK or +44 1780 480404 if
overseas. Key magazine subscribers can claim a £2
discount off the cover price. Please call for details.
* — Free P&P on all UK and BFPO orders.
Overseas charges apply.
From the
CONTRIBUTORS
THIS MONTH
To m
DOCHERTY
Jeanne
FRAZER
D av i d
LEININGER
Steve
RICHARDS
Originally from Fife but now living
in Moray, Tom is the author of
eight historical military aviation
books and numerous articles. He
joined the RAF in 1978 and served
in the air traffic control and air
loadmaster branches. Tom spent a
number of years on the Chinook,
Wessex and Puma helicopter
forces, followed by a decade as a
controller at the RAF Aeronautical
Rescue Co-ordination Centre. He
retired in 2011.
The flying display director for the
IWM Duxford airshows, Jeanne’s
airshow experience encompasses
such diverse aspects as ground
organisation, publicity, management
of display teams and warbirds, and
displaying her 1942 Piper L-4. She
negotiated permission for London’s
first Red Bull Air Race, and has
staged the majority of UK massed
Spitfire formations since establishing
the then post-RAF record of 13 at
Southampton in 1996.
“Growing up as a young boy”, says
David, “I was always fascinated with
airplanes. Aviation was a huge part in
my decision to make a career in the US
Air Force, and it was exciting to witness
the modern age being developed
during my 20 years in the military. Now,
as an aviation photojournalist it is an
honour to have the opportunity to
photograph and relay stories of aviation
history for all to experience, because
this history and those who contributed
to it should forever be told.”
In the 1970s and ’80s, Steve contributed
photographs and articles on WW2
military aviation to magazines and
books. Deteriorating eyesight meant
early retirement, and he switched his
attention to classic commercial vehicles.
In 2012 he began work on his new book,
‘The Luftwaffe over Brum’. By this time,
Steve had no useful sight, and all the
work was done using the eyes of friends
and family to read material for him.
“Thank goodness for voice recognition/
speech software!” he says.
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