Hawker Hurricane I R4118 was moved by
road from the Shuttleworth Collection’s base
at Old Warden, Bedfordshire to Duxford’s
Aircraft Restoration Company on March 7. The
fighter – owned by Hurricane Heritage’s James
Brown – needs an engine overhaul following
some issues with the motor last year. While
this work is being done, the control surfaces
will be re-covered, and the radiator, oil cooler
and coolant header tank will be repaired.
“Under the leadership of John Romain,
the Aircraft Restoration Company has a hugedepth of experience with rebuilds of this type,”
James commented. “Importantly, they have
enough resources to complete the rebuild
work very quickly once overhauls to the
various components have been completed.
Once R4118 has been returned to flight, I
expect her to be placed on public display
within one of the hangars at Duxford.” http://www.
hurricaneheritage.com Darren HarbarThe long-lost wreck of the USS Lexington
aircraft carrier has been discovered on the
South Pacific seabed. The amazing deep
water find by the crew of research vessel
Petrel, happened on March 4.
The Lexington was found approximately
1.9 miles (3,000m) below the surface
of the Coral Sea around 500 miles off
Australia’s eastern coast. The ship went
down during the Battle of the Coral Sea
on May 8, 1942, with the loss of 216
sailors. Over 2,700 men were successfully
evacuated. The carrier is believed to have
sunk with 35 aircraft aboard, at least 11
of which have now been located. These
comprise Douglas TBD Devastators, SBD
Dauntlesses, and a single Grumman F4F
Wildcat. The last, which flew with US Navy
unit VF-3, features four visible ‘kill’ markings
and the squadron’s ‘Felix the Cat’ logo.
The Petrel belongs to Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G Allen,
who also owns the Flying Heritage &
Combat Armor Museum. Paying tribute
to the aircraft carrier’s crew Paul said: “AsAmericans, all of us owe a debt of gratitude
to everyone who served and who continue
to serve our country for their courage,
persistence and sacrifice.”Hurricane R4118 is loaded for transport from
Old Warden, while James Brown (right) looks
on. Darren HarbarHistoric Fighter on the Move
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 15Sunken Carrier and Aircraft Discovered
A VF-3 Grumman F4F Wildcat discovered near to the USS Lexington. Paul G AllenComet Replica Races On
Good progress is being made by Ken
Fern on his de Havilland DH.88 Comet
reproduction G-RCSR in Derby. The
fuselage has been completed, most of
the aircraft’s internal controls and fittings
are already in place and the canopy is
now ready for glazing. The instrument
panel is based on de Havilland’s originalversion with modifications suggested by
display pilot ‘Dodge’ Bailey who flies the
Shuttleworth Collection’s example, G-ACSS.
“Work on the wings is going well, with
the undersides finished, and the engine
and undercarriage support frames now
in place,” said Ken. “Almost all the metal
fittings have been made, including theundercarriage legs and engine bearers. If
all goes to plan, I hope to have the main
airframe finished by the end of this year
ready for the fitting of engines.” Ken is
hoping to acquire more Gipsy Queen II
engines (for spares or to be rebuilt) and
propellers. If you can help, contact: ken.
[email protected]Phantom for Sale
McDonnell F-4H-1 Phantom II ‘145310’
(N815WF) has been listed for sale via
US broker Platinum Fighters for $3.95m
(£2.84m). The 1959-built jet is in the process
of being restored to fly by Aircraft Restoration
Services at French Valley Airport, California,
and is described as 80 to 85% complete.Boxted Museum
Expands
A new display hall is to open at Boxted
Airfield Museum in Essex to mark
the wartime base’s 75th anniversary.
Construction work began on the new
building on February 26, and is scheduled to
be finished by the end of this month (April).
The facility will house some of the
museum’s larger exhibits, including a
section of fuselage from a Martin B-
Marauder and a Link Trainer. Before being
officially opened, the hall will be used for a
series of commemorative events. One of
these is scheduled to take place on May
27, featuring guest speakers, veterans and
family members of personnel who served
at Boxted. http://www.boxted-airfield.com14-15_preservation_newsDC.mf.indd 15 06/04/2018 16: