Fly Past

8 FLYPAST May 2018

briefi ngs

NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE

Puma and Chinook arrive at Newark Air Museum

Newark Air Museum in

Nottinghamshire has added two

helicopters to its collection –

Aérospatiale Puma HC.1 XW208 and

Boeing Vertol Chinook HC.1 ZA717.

The Puma was the fi rst to arrive,

its main fuselage being delivered

on February 7 by local contractor

Gillivers Haulage – XW208 had

previously been used at RAF Cranwell in

Lincolnshire to train loadmasters.

Newark trustee Dave Hibbert, the

museum’s acquisition offi cer, said: “This

particular aircraft comes some seven

years after we fi rst made an attempt to

secure a Puma for the collection. We are

already following up leads across the

UK to locate missing parts, and while

it is viewed as a long-term project, we

are really proud to secure this early

example of an under represented type.”

On February 22, it was joined by

the Chinook, which also came from

Cranwell in a move carried out by

Hutchinson Engineering Services.

The tandem-rotor helicopter is the

fi rst RAF Chinook to be acquired by

an independent aviation museum

in the UK. The attraction plans to

use it as an interactive education

space for school children. http://www.

newarkairmuseum.org HOWARD HEELEY

The fuselage of Puma HC.1 XW

arriving at Newark on February 7.

BOTH HOWARD HEELEY

Chinook HC.1 ZA717 is delivered to its new

home on February 22.

Meteor on

the move

in Australia

Gloster Meteor Mk.8 A77-878, a former
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
machine, has been moved from
the Fleet Air Arm Museum at HMAS
Albatross, Nowra, to the RAAF base
at Amberley, Queensland. It had been
resident at its previous home for ten
years, and was mostly kept outside.
The jet was originally delivered to
the RAAF in July 1953. Four years later
it was earmarked for instructional use
and transported to Wagga Wagga in
New South Wales. By 1966 it was in the
hands of an air cadet unit at Bankstown
before moving in 1971 to a storage depot
in Sydney, where it was displayed on a
pole until 1988. It was later acquired by
another air cadet unit before joining the
museum. PHIL BUCKLEY

Fairey Junior reaches new home in Yorkshire

The Real Aeroplane Company at Breighton, Yorkshire, has taken delivery of its latest aircraft, Fairey Junior G-AMVP. The monoplane completed

its fi rst fl ight in several years on February 24, leaving Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, and arriving at its new home via Sywell. ‘Victor-Papa’ is

now sharing a hangar with other rarities, including an Arrow Active, Dart Kitten, and Aeronca 100. WITH THANKS TO ANDY WOOD-RAC

Cadets of 20 (Bideford) Sqn Air Training

Corps are continuing to restore the cockpit of

English Electric Lightning F.6 XR747. They have

recently mounted the exhibit on a trailer so it

can be transported to events. Their time spent

working on the project contributes to their

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme progress.

Facebook link: Project Lightning.

Boxted Airfi eld Museum in Essex has announced plans to open a new display hall to mark

the wartime base’s 75th anniversary. Construction began on February 26, with the new

building scheduled to be fi nished by the end of April. It will give the museum a facility

to house some of its larger exhibits, including a section of fuselage from a Martin B-

Marauder and a Link Trainer. Before being offi cially opened, the new hall will be used for a

series of commemorative events this summer. One of these will take place during an open

day on May 27, featuring guest speakers, veterans and family members of personnel who

served at Boxted. http://www.boxted-airfi eld.com