12 FLYPAST November 2018
briefings
NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE
Suffolk museum acquires Shooting Star
Bentwaters Cold War Museum has
recently received Lockheed T-
Shooting Star 51-9252 from the
Tangmere Aviation Museum in
West Sussex.The airframe represents an
important addition to the Suffolk
attraction following the acquisition of
a Fairchild A-10 in 2016. Constructed
at Burbank, California in 1951, the T-trainer served with the USAF and then
with the French Air Force as 314-UY.
Stored at Sculthorpe, Norfolk
and then loaned by Ohio’s National
Museum of the USAF to Tangmere in1990, the airframe arrived at its
new home this summer. The jet is
to be restored in the colours of the
81st Tactical Fighter Wing.
http://www.bcwm.org.ukLockheed T-33 Shooting Star 51-9252 at the
Bentwaters Cold War Museum.
GRAHAM HAYNESThe John Gillespie Magee Jr
Foundation is making progress with
its project to create a statue of its
namesake, the Canadian World War
Two pilot and poet, in a public park
at Wellingore village, Lincolnshire. A
maquette [preliminary miniature] of
the statue has been completed.
John Magee, author of the famous
aviation-themed poem High Flight,
was stationed at Wellingore airfield
with 412 Squadron RCAF from October- On December 11, at the age of 19,
his Spitfire crashed near the village of
Ruskington following a mid-air collision
with an Airspeed Oxford – the pilots of
both aircraft were killed.
The 9ft (2.74m) tall bronze rendition
of Magee in pilot uniform has been
designed by sculptor Antony Dufort,
whose work can be viewed at http://www.
antonydufort.co.uk. The project is
supported by groups in the UK, Canada
and the US with patrons including
the Rev Canon F Hugh Magee (John’s
brother), ACM Sir Michael Graydon
GCB CBE, Carol Vorderman MBE, and the
former NASA astronaut Capt Michael
López-Alegria.
The project hopes to raise £120,
this year to allow the finished statue
to be commissioned. Limited edition
bronze castings of the maquette
(pictured) and of the bust of John
Magee are available to purchase
together with resin casts at a lower
cost. See: http://www.mageejrfoundation.uk
WITH THANKS TO MALCOLM SMITHProject aims to erect
‘High Flight’ poet statue
A miniature version of the John Magee statue,
designed by Antony Dufort.
VIA MAGEE FOUNDATION
Restored Vulcan
cockpit revealed
in Doncaster
The cockpit section of Avro Vulcan B.2 XL
was unveiled at the South Yorkshire Air
Museum in Doncaster on August 11. The
exhibit is the result of 18 months of
restoration work. It has been returned to the
‘Mayflower III’ IX (B) Squadron markings worn
by the aircraft 56 years ago while based at
Coningsby, Lincolnshire.
http://www.southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.org.uk
WITH THANKS TO LUKE WEBSTERAustralian-born David Robson paid a visit
to the Postbellum Foundation at Teuge, in
the Netherlands, on August 27, where he
was reunited with Cessna O-2A Skymaster
67-21300, the aircraft he flew in the Vietnam
War. The machine served with the USAF’s
504th, 23rd and 19th Tactical Air Support
Group in Vietnam. BOB FISCHERA memorial to the crews of two Avro
Lancasters was unveiled in Bleasby, Notts,
on September 1. The two bombers collided
in mid-air in September 1943 with the
loss of 14 airmen. The memorial has been
installed in a project led by local resident
Ken Ogilvie. Around 180 people attended the
ceremony. HOWARD HEELEY