Aviation News — September 2017

Guernsey-based airline Aurigny has

donated its last Britten-Norman Trislander

to the Duxford Aviation Society’s British

Airliner Collection. The distinctive three-

engine aircraft type entered service with

Aurigny in July 1971. Victor-Tango was built

in 1977 by Britten-Norman at its factory at

Bembridge on the Isle of Wight and spent

its entire commercial ‘career’ with Aurigny.

One of 23 Trislanders operated by the

company. This particular aircraft completed

over 86,000 flights and spent 28,000 hours

in the air.

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The wreckage of a Curtiss Warhawk was

recently recovered from the bottom of the

Black Sea by construction workers building

a bridge across the Kerch Strait. Described

as “substantially intact”, the P-40 is believed

to have been lost in 1943 during the Kerch-

Eltigen landings, one of Russia’s biggest

amphibious offensives of World War Two.

Recently recovered from the bottom of the

Black Sea, this P-40 is believed to have

crashed in 1943. via Roger Soupart.

P-40 From

The Deep

Hunter Grounding

Rescinded

The CAA has withdrawn the Safety Directive that grounded all

Hawker Hunters on the UK Register. This follows its findings that

there were no airworthiness issues relating to the type that caused or

contributed to the tragic Shoreham airshow accident, on July 6.

All Hunters will have to comply with enhanced maintenance and

inspection requirements and, following normal practice, secure all

relevant permits and other approvals before they are allowed to fly

again. The restriction on aerobatic manoeuvres by ex-military jet

aircraft, now including the Hawker Hunter, at overland airshows

remains in place. This means they continue to be restricted to

flypasts and associated manoeuvres only.

Douglas A-

Found off Finland

An almost complete Douglas A-20 Havoc of the Russian Air Force

was recently discovered at a depth of around 330ft (100m) off

western Finland. The light bomber was used by the Soviets under

the Lend-Lease programme during World War Two.

Following an assessment by marine archaeologists, it is described

as being largely intact. The aircraft was discovered by a company

undertaking scans of the seabed in preparation for laying underwater

pipelines. The Havoc’s future remains unclear – although a salvage

operation has not been ruled out, there are no plans to begin one.

Roger Soupart

Trislander

Arrives at

Duxford

Trislander G-BEVT arriving at Duxford on June 21. Justin Ward

Sea Vixen Latest

Navy Wings is urgently seeking what it

describes as a ‘white knight’ to help restore

its unique de Havilland Sea Vixen XP

(G-CVIX) to flying condition once again.

After displaying at Duxford on May 27 it was

not possible to lower the undercarriage and

flaps and its pilot, Cdr Simon Hargreaves,

was forced to land the fighter ‘wheels-

up’ at RNAS Yeovilton. Cdr Hargreaves

was subsequently awarded a Green

Endorsement by the head of the Fleet Air

Arm, Rear Admiral Keith Blount.

A press release on the Navy Wings

website on July 25 said: “We now know that

when the primary hydraulic pump failed in

flight, the secondary pump did not go to full

stroke as it should have done. The result was

that it did not provide the pressure required to

put the undercarriage and flaps down.”

It added: “We have now suspended

the aircraft from maintenance procedures

while we continue to investigate plans for

complete restoration.”

Sadly, the airframe’s overall condition

is more serious than first thought, as the

incident caused extensive damage to the

belly and structural frames of the centre

fuselage. It’s estimated that returning

XP924 to flying condition will cost £2-3m

and will take between three and four years

to complete. Navy Wings is hoping to

attract a major sponsor to underwrite the

considerable sums involved.

The release stated: “The Sea Vixen

Appeal will remain open for those who wish

to contribute, but it must be noted that if we

do not find a way to fund a re-build, then

this money will be used to support other

Navy Wings aircraft, primarily the Swordfish

and the Sea Fury T.20 now that the latter

has been re-built following her forced

landing in 2014.”

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