Operation Fuller

Today is the 83rd anniversary of Operation Fuller or the Channel Dash as it is better known. The British lost a number of aircraft including all six Swordfish that were sent to attack German ships in the Channel. There is a memorial at Ramsgate Harbour to those that lost their lives which has had fresh wreaths laid today.

Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

It's nearly 12 years since I saw this reproduction aircraft part way through its build but I am pleased that the project has reached a successful conclusion and flew in December. What a great effort.

Me 109 G6

A little Italeri kit in 1/72 scale.

RNZAF Hercules retirement

The RNZAF retired its remaining Hercules C130H aircraft this week. They are being replaced by the revamped C130J. However I was lucky enough to catch the iconic old Hercules last March when a couple of aircraft did some special flypasts over Wanaka. Seems a good excuse to pop up a few pictures.

Lysander V9546

A couple of months ago it was confirmed that this Westland Lysander had been acquired by The Fighter Collection. It was previously owned by the Sabena Old Timers Foundation in Belgium and was airworthy until a landing incident back in 2001. Hopefully this change of ownership means it is going to return to the air.

I was pretty sure I would have seen this aircraft in the past and after eventually rummaging through the archives I found a couple of shots at Duxford from Flying Legends 1994 and here are the  scans from over 30 years ago.

Hawker Hunter E430

I saw this Hunter a while back looking a little forlorn at the Gatwick Aviation Museum. However it has now been acquired by the Sussex based Wings museum and moved to Dunsfold where the plan is to restore the aircraft and place it on display in a new hangar alongside the museum's Hawker Kestrel.

Hunter XL563

I last saw this Hunter at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust a few years ago when is was wearing a 'raspberry ripple' scheme and looking a bit tired. However it has recently had a repaint in to a scheme it wore in the early years after first flying in 1957 where the second picture dates from.

North Pickenham

We had a little drive out on Boxing Day from where we were staying in Thetford to take in the Desert Rats Trail on the road to Swaffham. A bit further up the road is the former North Pickenham airfield, another Liberator base in WWII. Home initially to the 492nd Bombardment Group but later the 491st after the former had suffered heavy losses. Post war uses included testing of the Hawker P1127 (which ultimately became the Harrier) and as a Thor missile site. However the airfield finally closed in 1967 and turkey sheds have now been erected along the lines of the runways. This does make the lines of the runways easy to see, or would have if it hadn't been so foggy, but access is limited.

There is a memorial to the airfield on what was the mess site during the war.

Swiftly to Wales

This Supermarine Swift, one of only two FR5 variants to survive, is being transferred from where I last saw it at Newark in 2016 to the growing South Wales Aviation Museum.

Moonbeam McSwine

I last saw this P51 around 7 years ago. At the time it was based in France but came over for Flying Legends where this shot was taken. Subsequently it was sold to U.S. owners but it was announced last month that Warbird Experiences at Biggin Hill have now acquired the aircraft and it will therefore be returning to the UK.

Duxford today

As mentioned in the post below I called in at Duxford today for a look at their Scramble exhibition but I did of course also have a wander around the rest of the museum as well

Duxford 'Scramble' exhibition

As has been the case for the last three years or so Duxford have a winter exhibition in the front space of the super hangar. As in the past this is really just an excuse to re-position a handful of airframes in to a themed exhibition, this time being the summer of 1940 so the fall of France and the start of the Battle of Britain and title Scramble. It started today. In all honesty it probably isn't worth a special trip if you have done airshows and/or the museum previously but I was heading home from Norfolk today so this was a good excuse for a small diversion and a wander around for a couple of hours.

Anyway, here are some shots from the exhibition.