Aviation 10

European regional airline Flybe unveiled the
new livery to be applied to all its Bombardier
Q400s and Embraer 175s. The irst aircraft
was unveiled in the updated colours on
September 4, and will be followed by some
ten others a year, meaning the entire leet
will have been repainted by 2025.
The new look was created and developed
by the airline’s in-house team and features a
cleaner, more modern and streamlined design
compared to the existing all-over purple. The
updated livery will be applied as part of the

standard leet repainting process and planned

maintenance programmes, meaning it will be

delivered at no extra cost to the business.

Welcoming the irst newly branded

aircraft, Flybe CEO Christine Ourmières-

Widener said: “Today marks a memorable

new chapter in our airline’s history.

“To date, almost every part of our

business has been touched by our ‘Close

to You’ brand refresh, and so refreshing

our aircraft livery plays a signiicant part

of strengthening that positioning as well

as being an integral part of the ongoing

programme to reinvigorate our leet. The

best part is that, by careful planning, we will

achieve this at no additional cost.”

The remaining aircraft still in Flybe’s

‘former’ white and blue livery will be

the irst to be repainted, followed by

those which have been purple the

longest. Four brand new Embraer 175

jets scheduled for delivery in July 2019

will arrive fresh from the factory already

wearing the new scheme.

After an epic and very difficult rebuild,
Westland Lysander IIIA V9312 (G-CCOM)
made a triumphant return to the air from
Duxford on August 28.
It was delivered to the RAF in late 1940,
serving with 4, 225 and 612 Sqns. Later
converted to TT.IIIA target-tug status, it
then joined the RCAF in 1942. It last lew
on December 30, 1944 and was struck off
charge on October 1, 1946.
Little is known of its whereabouts after
that until it was acquired by Canadian
collector Harry Whereatt from a farm at

Meyvoune, Saskatchewan, and moved to

Assiniboia during 1972.

American collector Kermit Weeks

obtained the airframe in 1988 and later

registered it as N3093K. Very little work

was done on the aircraft and it has spent

most of its time in storage. Kermit bought

airworthy Lysander G-BCWL in 1998 and

had it shipped out to his base at Polk

City, Florida, relegating V9312 further

down the list of priority rebuilds. In 2002,

the project was offered for sale and was

acquired by ARC.

A team of the company’s engineers

travelled to Florida in April 2003 and

packed up the airframe ready for its return

to the UK after 60-plus years abroad. Upon

arrival at Duxford, V9312 was unloaded into

the ARC hangar and laid out for a survey

and the cataloguing of parts.

The work slowly progressed over

the years, and by early August 2018 the

aircraft was rolled out for engine tests.

These were successfully performed on

August 8/9. This ‘Lizzy’ has been inished

in 225 Sqn markings.

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 5

ARC’s Lysander Makes First Flight

Flybe Unveils New Streamlined Livery

ARC’s magniicent Lysander, which has

relown at Duxford. Via George Romain

Bombardier Q400, G-JECP, wearing the updated Flybe livery which was unveiled on September 4. Flybe