Fly Past

10 FLYPAST November 2018

briefi ngs

NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Sunderland veteran’s

medals donated to

heritage centre

Thirty members of the late Bill

‘Sandy’ Sandiford’s family

gathered together when medals

and artefacts belonging to the

former Short Sunderland fl ying

boat engineer were presented

to the Pembroke Dock Heritage

Centre in Wales.

Four generations of the family

were able to view the collection,

which has been entrusted to

the centre’s expanding archive.

Heading the group was Sandy’s son,

also named Bill, and his wife Ruth,

their children and grandchildren,

plus nieces and nephews.

“It was a unique occasion for

family members to view my

father’s collection before it was

handed to the centre and we

made it a very enjoyable family

weekend,” said Bill. “Dad fl ew

nearly 2,000 hours in Sunderlands

during a long RAF career. We are

so pleased to donate his campaign

medals, logbooks and other

memorabilia to Pembroke Dock

where the RAF fl ying boat story is

featured in such a unique way.”

http://www.sunderlandtrust.com

WITH THANKS TO JOHN EVANS

Sandy Sandiford’s great-granddaughter

Freyah Lock displays his campaign medals.

MARTIN CAVANEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Restoration begins on

Alaskan Warhawk

The wings of Curtiss P-40E Warhawk 40-598 at the Alaska Aviation Museum. NATE LEONG

The Alaska Aviation Museum in

Anchorage is slowly returning

1940-built Curtiss P-40E Warhawk

40-598 ‘241’ to fl ying condition.

This aircraft fl ew with the US 11th

Fighter Squadron from Alaska’s Fort

Glenn Army Air Base in 1942.

While Lt Winfred McIntyre was in

the cockpit on June 4 of that year,

‘241’ was attacked and damaged by a

Japanese Mitsubishi ‘Zero’, and crash-

landed on the island of Unalaska. There

the Warhawk remained until recovered

by the museum in 1998.

As can be seen in the picture, the

wings retain much of the original paint

work. Elements of the national insignia

are also still visible. The fuselage and

other parts of the fi ghter are being

worked on within the attraction’s

restoration hangar. NATE LEONG

http://www.alaskaairmuseum.org

Fresh nose art for

Colorado’s Superfortress

Boeing B-29 Superfortress 44-62022 ‘Peachy’ received new nose art earlier this year at

Colorado’s Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum. The bomber has retained its previous identity,

but the colours have been enhanced. The original ‘Peachy’ fl ew 35 combat missions into enemy

territory from Tinian Island in the Pacifi c during World War Two. http://www.pwam.org TONY SACKETOS

Newark Air Museum has taken a small but

signifi cant step in restoring Boeing Vertol

Chinook HC.1 ZA717. Temporary plastic

sheeting in the helicopter fuselage windows

has been replaced with Perspex glazing.

The Nottinghamshire-based team has also

removed all glue residues from the surface

of the fuselage. HOWARD HEELEY

We are sorry to report that Sir Adrian Swire

died on August 24. He was best known to

warbird enthusiasts as one of the owners of

Supermarine Spitfi re IX MH434, which has

been operated by Duxford’s OFMC for many

years. A former pilot, he played a vital role

in keeping the fi ghter fl ying. We send our

condolences to his family and friends.

Two people were killed, and others seriously

injured, when Convair 340 ZS-BRV crashed

shortly after take-off from Pretoria, South

Africa on July 10. The airliner had been

fl ying to Pilanesberg, carrying 19 people. It

had been destined for a new home in the

Netherlands later that month was damaged

beyond repair in the tragedy.