14 FLYPAST December 2018
briefi ngs
NEWS THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE
Fairchild UC-61K/Argus III 43-14964 made its fi rst fl ight for more than 17 years on September 18. Built in
Hagerstown, Maryland in 1943, it served in Britain with the Air Transport Auxiliary as HB690 during World
War Two. It eventually returned to the US and was discovered in a barn by present owners Bob Coon and Jim
Chybicki in 2001. COURTESY BOB COONArgus airborne after
lengthy restoration
Cessna 145 D-EUCP fl ew at Wershofen,
Germany’s Classic Cessna-Meeting in
September, after spending around two
decades away from the public gaze.
The monoplane is the oldest fl ying
Cessna in Europe, and was the
star attraction among around 100
participating aircraft. The 1939-built
machine previously fl ew on the US
civil register as NC19495 and is now
operated by a private collector based
near Braunschweig in Lower Saxony.
While Charlie-Papa is Europe’s only
fl ying Type 145, a few examples of
the upgraded 165 are extant. These
include 1940-built G-BTDE, and three
restoration projects in Norway,
Germany and the UK. Many others
survive in the US and elsewhere.
STEFAN SCHMOLLWe salute youMaj Chris Crouch DFC – fl ew Auster AOP.9s in Malaya, and in Aden commanded a Scout fl ight which gave crucial support to
an SAS troop engaging a force of rebels – died on August 24, aged 88; Sqn Ldr Owen Ellison DFC – fl ew Vickers Wellingtons
with 70 Squadron on ‘ops’ over Italy and the Balkans, including mining the River Danube – October 2, aged 99; Stan
Forsyth DFC – fl ew with 192 Squadron and was awarded the DFC for helping to locate the Tirpitz; AVM Charles Gibbs CB
CBE DFC – fl ew Douglas Dakotas with 267 Squadron in Italy and the Balkans, later fl ying Hunters and commanding RAF
Wattisham – on October 3, aged 97; Sqn Ldr Johnny Meagher CVO DFC DFM – completed 50 operations on Avro Lancasters
with 61 and 227 Squadrons before a distinguished post-war career with BOAC – on September 21, aged 97; Plt Off Colin
Watt DFM – RAAF pilot who fl ew a tour on 44 Squadron Lancasters in 1942 and 1943 before fl ying Liberators in Australia;
later an airliner pilot – on August 14, aged 97; Maurice Webb DFM – Mosquito navigator with 248 Squadron who fl ew more
than 40 ‘ops’ against shipping targets off the Norwegian coast and the French Biscay coast – on August 15, aged 93; Lt
Col Thomas R Wheler MBE DFC CD – RCAF Spitfi re pilot who downed two Focke-Wulf Fw 190s; in 1944 he fl ew Spitfi re Mk.IX
NH341, now operated by Aero Legends (see page 46) – on October 11, aged 97.Classic Cessna fl ying
again in Germany
Cessna 145 ‘NC19495’ (D-EUCP) fl ying at
Wershofen recently. STEFAN SCHMOLLFlight centenary celebrated
in Spain
Breguet XIV ‘Spirit of Montaudran’ landed at Sabadell in Spain on September 15 to mark
the centenary of the fi rst fl ight between Toulouse, France, and Barcelona. The biplane
(registered F-POST) is a faithful reproduction of the original, which was designed and fl own
for the fi rst time by Louis Breguet in 1916. PACO JOVERThe RAF Museum has donated Dornier
Do 24T-3 3387 to the National Military
Museum in Soesterberg, the Netherlands.
The 1943-built fl ying boat fl ew search
and rescue missions with the Spanish Air
Force. It had been on long-term loan to the
Dutch, but the move has now been made
permanent. ROGER SOUPARTThe Helicopter Museum at Weston-super-Mare has broken ground on a new single-storey
extension to its main building. This will replace the previous, temporary Pratten Building
visitor services facility that had been in use since the museum opened to the public three
decades ago. The new construction will eventually house a new reception, café, shop
and conference/education areas. The museum is seeking sponsorship and volunteers to
help complete the facility, which requires internal walling, and the installation of power,
plumbing and other services and equipment. Potential sponsors or supporters should
contact manager Lee Mills: [email protected] or 01934 635227.