The famous ‘Candy Drop’ of the Berlin
Airlift was recreated on December 17 last
year by Douglas C-54, N500EJ Spirit of
Freedom. Six hundred candy bars, attached
to handkerchiefs, fashioned as parachutes,
were dropped from the aircraft over Manteo,
North Carolina.
It brought back memories of 1948/
when the Soviet Union blocked land access
to West Berlin and supplies were ferried by
air for 462 days. One of the pilots, Col Gail
Halvorsen, USAF (ret’d) recalled: “After my
first three round-trip sorties to Berlin, all at
night, I hopped a morning flight to Berlin.
I was deeply moved by the sight of the
children, who were extremely grateful for even
half a stick of gum.
“I promised that I’d return with a littlesomething for them. I told them to watch
for the C-54 that wiggled its wings.” On his
next flight to Berlin, as Halvorsen’s C-
approached Tempelhof Airport, he wiggled
the aircraft’s wings and dropped candy to the
waiting children.
As word of ‘Uncle Wiggly Wings’
spread back to the USA, several candy
manufacturers in the States donated tons of
sweets to the cause.
The Spirit of Freedom, which belongs to
the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation (BAHF),
made three other flights on the day of the
recreation event for VIPs and significant
contributors to the foundation. Jay SelmanOne of the last Army Air Corps Westland
Lynx helicopters, AH.7 ZD280, arrived
by road for display at the Farnborough
Air Sciences Trust (FAST) Museum in
Hampshire on December 5. It came from
the Army Air Corps’ base at Middle Wallop,
also in Hampshire.
Built as an AH.1 and first flown during
August 1983, it was delivered to 3
Regiment the same month. In 1991 it was
converted to an AH.7 variant. It ended
its days at Middle Wallop with 671 Sqn,
making its last flight on July 30, 2015 with
a total time of 6,126 hours.Placed in temporary storage,
negotiations took place to secure theaircraft for FAST, and this finally came to
fruition during late 2017. Peter CooperSpirit of Freedom, the Douglas C-54 belonging
to the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation, drops
candy to children at Manteo. Jay SelmanSweet Moment
Recreated by C-
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 15AAC Lynx
Arrives for
FAST
Former 671 Sqn Army Air Corps Westland Lynx AH.7 ZD280 after its road journey from Middle
Wallop. The building ahead of the transporter is the FAST headquarters, known as Trenchard
House – built around 1910, this is where many of the early Royal Flying Corps squadrons were
formed in 1912. Peter CooperB-29 Found on Ocean Bed
Remains of an unidentified Boeing B-
Superfortress have been discovered to the
north of the Pacific island of Tinian, from
where the USAAF flew during World War Two.
The aircraft was discovered by US vessel
Okeanos Explorer using the former USNavy ship’s multibeam sonar. Three of the
four engines are still attached to the wings,
and the undercarriage appears to be in the
retracted position. Further examination will
be needed before the identity of the bomber
can be confirmed. Roger SoupartIN BRIEF
Spanish Air Force P-3A ORION P.3-01/22-
made its final flight on November 14 and
is destined for display at the Museo del
Aire at Cuatro Vientos. Nicknamed Abuelo
(grandfather) by its air force crew, the aircraft
was previously based at Morón.The Argentine Air Force’s Ninth Air Brigade
at Comodoro Rivadavia has a new ‘gate
guard’ – FMA IA-58 Pucará A-566. The aircraft
first flew on May 7, 1982, but was withdrawn
from service several years ago. The air force
continues to operate a small number of
Pucarás. J Padia via Juan Carlos CicalesiAvro Avian
‘Grounded’
After 25 Years
Avro Avian IV SE-ADT has come down
from the Eurostop conference centre in
Stockholm, where it was suspended from
the ceiling for the last 25 years. It was
returned to its former home, the Arlanda
Civil Aviation Collection.
Built in early 1929, the Avian IV was
originally registered G-AAHD in the UK,
before being sold to Sweden in August- It was used by the Orsa Aero Club
for flight training while under the ownership
of Hans Peterson.
In 1938, its Cirrus III powerplant was
replaced with a Gipsy III and it continued to
fly in civilian hands before being seriously
damaged in a crash on April 20, 1947.
After many years in storage, the Avian
IV was donated to the Arlanda collection
in 1972, with whom it was restored. Work
is now under way to refurbish SE-ADT
in preparation for static display at the
attraction.
14-15_preservation_news.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 15 08/01/2018 14: