Fly Past

18 FLYPAST September 2018

briefi ngs

NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

A project to bring together fi ghter

types previously operated by

Spanish Air Force (SpAF) unit Ala

12 at Torrejón, Madrid for a small,

permanent display at the base,

took a step forward recently with

the addition of Lockheed F-104G

Starfi ghter 63-13643/FG-643. This

jet served at the station between

1965 and 1972.

Originally built in Canada by

Canadair, it was among a batch

of 21 aircraft received by the SpAF.

After seven years in service at

Torrejón, the F-104Gs were replaced

by McDonnell Douglas F/RF-4C

Phantoms and returned to the USAF,

which re-distributed them between

the Hellenic and Turkish Air Forces.

Starfi ghter ‘FG-643’ was one of nine

F-104Gs (plus a single TF-104G) sent

to Greece, where it served until its

retirement in the early 1990s.

It was stored at Agrinio, where

it was eventually located by Ala

12 personnel. With the help of

the Greeks, the Starfi ghter was

disassembled and delivered by truck

to Torrejón in October 2017.

After being returned to its former

104 Escuadrón livery, it has been put

on display alongside an F-4C and an

RF-4C, with a North American F-86F

Sabre destined to join them soon.

In addition, the small Ala 12

museum on the site has been

revamped and expanded. Although

both it and the aircraft are

located inside the air force base

and normally off limits to the

public, they can be visited by

making an appointment with the

SpAF public relations branch.

ROBERTO YÁÑEZ

Starfi ghter added to Spanish Air Force collection

The Starfi ghter on display with F-4C C.12-

19/12-15 and RF-4C CR.12-55/12-64.

ROBERTO YÁÑEZ

We salute you

Flt Lt Don Briggs DFC – fl ew over 60 ‘ops’ as a fl ight engineer with 156 Squadron

of the Pathfi nder Force, later becoming a pilot and fl ying all three V-bombers –

died on May 6, aged 95; John Farley OBE AFC – RAF fi ghter pilot who later became

chief test pilot of Hawkers, legendary for his part in the development of the

Harrier – on June 13, aged 85; Sqn Ldr Tony Farrell DFC AFC – fl ew Mosquitos with

105 Squadron of the Pathfi nder Force and amassed 16,400 hours as an instructor

• on June 17, aged 100; Jack T Feeney DFC – fl ew Spitfi res with 73, 253 and 276
  Squadrons – on June 4, aged 96; Air Cdre P O V ‘Olly’ Green AFC – fl ew Hurricanes
  and Tomahawks in North Africa before being shot down and spending almost
  four years in Stalag Luft III – aged 97; Lt Gen Don Laubman DFC – fi ghter ace
  who fl ew Spitfi res with 412 (RCAF) Squadron and later became commander of
  Canadian Forces in Europe – on June 20, aged 96; Air Cdre Alastair Mackie CBE
  DFC – fl ew Wellingtons and Liberators in the Middle East and later commanded
  101 Squadron; later joined CND – on May 19, aged 95; Wg Cdr Tom ‘Ginger’ Neil
  DFC* AFC AE – legendary Battle of Britain pilot who fl ew 141 ‘ops’ that summer
  and ended the war with 14 victories – on July 11, aged 97; Brig Gen Pavel
  Vranský – Czech airman who fl ew 91 ‘ops’ as an air gunner on Liberators in the
  Mediterranean theatre – on June 24, aged 97.

The Boultbee Flight Academy at Goodwood has recently repainted its North American

Harvard to represent T.2B KF402 ‘HT-Y’, which fl ew with 601 (County of London) Squadron,

Royal Auxiliary Air Force in the late 1940s. Regular ‘FlyPast’ contributor Andrew Thomas

provided archive images of the original aircraft to assist with the restoration.

BOULTBEE VIA ANDREW THOMAS

Goodwood Harvard

unveiled in new colours

Avro Vulcan B.2 XL426, a resident at London

Southend Airport, has received a fresh coat

of paint from Birmingham’s Indestructible

Paint. The aircraft – which retains its

previous identity – is maintained in taxiable

condition by the Vulcan Restoration Trust.

Indestructible provided eight types of

specialist coatings for the recent work.

Miles Mercury OY-ALW has returned to the

UK, having been acquired by Beverley,

Yorkshire-based Stuart Blanchard. The

aircraft is likely to revert to its previous

British registration, G-AHAA. Stuart also

owns Miles Messenger G-AGOY and Gemini

G-AKHP which he keeps at North Coates in

Lincolnshire. BRIAN STAFFORD