Aviation_News_2017-03

MAPS Air Museum in North Canton, Ohio,

has completed the refurbishment of Douglas

A-4A Skyhawk 139947. It’s now painted in the

colours of the US Navy Blue Angels display

jet  own by Lt Cdr Stuart Powrie in 1981.

Due to  y as the team’s lead solo pilot,

Stuart was killed when his aircraft crashed

during practice on February 22, 1982 – and

139947 is accompanied by various items

relating to the Blue Angels and Lt Cdr Powrie,

including his  ying suit.

The museum’s Skyhawk was originally

part of US Navy unit VA-125, based at

Lemoore, California, in the 1960s. After

upgrades it transferred to a technical training

centre at Chanute in Rantoul, Illinois, in June

1988 before eventually being placed on static

display at the base’s museum in 2015; but

following the attraction’s closure last year it

was acquired by MAPS and renovated.

MAPS has also completed restoration of

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak 52-6524. The

1954-built jet served with the USAF in the UK

in 1955 and 1956, initially with the 3928th Air

Base Group at Sturgate, Lincolnshire, before

moving to the 7559th Maintenance Group at

Burtonwood, Cheshire.

After its return to the USA the jet served

at various bases until being retired in 1972

and sold to a private collector in Ohio. It

was donated to MAPS Air Museum in March

2010 and several F-84F veterans, including

one of this aircraft’s former pilots, joined in

the restoration work at North Canton. Tony

Sacketos

PRESERVATION

18 Aviation News incorporating Jets March 2017

A-4A Skyhawk 139947 at the MAPS Air Museum in Ohio in November. Tony Sacketos

‘Blue Angels’ Skyhawk on Display in Ohio

Californian Cold War Jets Restored

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the

Palm Springs Air Museum in Riverside

County, California, unveiled newly restored

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak 51-9531 on

November 12.

The 1955-built jet was on display for

many years in a USAF Thunderbirds colour

scheme at the Octave Chanute Aerospace

Museum in Rantoul, Illinois – following the

closure of which, in October 2015, it was

acquired by the Palm Springs Air Museum

and trucked to California.

It has now emerged in a new paint scheme,

representing F-84F 52-6675, a jet that  ew

with the 78th Tactical Fighter Squadron at RAF

Woodbridge, Suffolk, in the mid-1950s. The

real 52-6675 actually survives, displayed on a

pole outside the Coffeyville Aviation Heritage

Museum in Kansas.

Another new exhibit at Palm Springs

is Convair F-102A Delta Dagger 56-1432.

Previously at the Arkansas National Guard

Museum, it has been restored and repainted

to represent 56-1188 of the 111th Fighter

Interceptor Squadron, a jet  own by former

US President George W Bush when he was a

lieutenant in the Texas ANG. Roger Soupart

The Flying Heritage Collection’s de Havilland Mosquito T.III TV

arrived at its new home in Seattle, Washington, on December 13.

It made its  rst post-restoration  ight from Ardmore, New Zealand,

on September 26 last year, following a  ve-year rebuild by Avspecs.

Registered as ZK-FHC in New Zealand, it then completed its test

 ight programme before being shipped to the US.

While at Ardmore, it was painted to represent Mosquito FB.VI

NZ2337 of the RNZAF’s 75 Squadron, but has since had these

markings removed. Once reassembled it’s likely to be repainted in

an RAF scheme.

FHC Mosquito

Arrives in US

The cockpit and fuselage of de Havilland Mosquito T.III TV959 at Paine

Field, Seattle, in December. Heijo Kuil

Australian Mustang Flies Again

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC)

CA-18 Mustang PR.22 A68-199 returned to

Australian skies in December after a lengthy

restoration.

The youngest survivor of 200 aircraft built

under licence by CAC in Australia, A68-

was accepted by the RAAF in July 1951 but

served for just ten months before retirement.

In 1958 it was one of several Mustangs sold

to Aubrey ‘Titus’ Oates and converted into a

target tug and  own as VH-BOZ in support

of the Australian Army until 1970.

It was later acquired by the RAAF

Museum in Point Cook, Victoria, until

changing hands again, ending up with

present owner Peter Gill in 2014.

It took off from its base at Tyabb,

Victoria on its  rst post-restoration  ight on

December 16,  own by Nick Caudwell with

engineer Peter Robinson in the rear seat.

Tyabb is now home to two airworthy

Mustangs, the other being A68-105 (VH-

JUC), owned by Judy Pay and Richard

Hourigan. The current population of

airworthy, locally built Mustangs in Australia

has now risen to  ve, with 11 extant

worldwide. Matt Savage

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