Fly Past

CLASSIC WINGS HARVARD FLIGHT

122 FLYPAST September 2018

giving flights to keen

enthusiasts... but now there’s a new

machine in town.

While Classic Wings has flown

thousands of customers in the

aforementioned types and, in the

last two years in formation with

(and actually in) a Spitfire, it now

offers a warbird experience that

despite being more wallet-friendly,

still offers fighter-like performance.

Its new asset, the Noorduyn

Aviation AT-16 Harvard Mk.IIb

(FE992/G-BDAM), named (FE992/G-BDAM), named Pussy Pussy

CatCatCat, wearing an eye-catching RCAF , wearing an eye-catching RCAF

scheme with the codes ER-992, has

already proved popular at Duxford

after its reintroduction to flight in

May this year.

Commercial director Stuart

Etheridge told FlyPast: “It’s a lovely

aircraft and we couldn’t wait to

get it operational within the fleet.

Frustratingly, after its month-long

journey aboard ship from Canada,

processing the necessary Civil

Aviation Authority paperwork

seemed to take much longer than

any technical attention.”

In fact, the Harvard required very

little remedial treatment due to

its generally excellent condition,

although there were one or two

‘snags’, as Stuart explained: “This

type must have its propeller

counterbalances left in a certain

position before the engine is shut

down. That hadn’t been done before

we needed to replace some parts.”

DÉJÀ VU

Pussy CatPussy CatPussy Cat had flown from Duxford had flown from Duxford

before, after being bought in 2001

by the Belgian warbird operator

Silver Victory BVBA and operated

at the Cambridgeshire airfield by

the Aircraft Restoration Company

(ARC) until 2003. Its history

goes back to 1943 when it was

constructed at the Noorduyn

factory in 1943, in Cartierville,

Quebec. While initially taken on Quebec. While initially taken on

charge by the USAAF, with the

serial 42-12479, the machine

never actually served with that

organisation. On April 26, 1943

it was accepted by the RCAF with

M

any visitors to the Imperial

War Museum Duxford will

have noticed Dragon

Rapides and Tiger Moths

giving flights to keen Commercial director Stuart

it was stored in

Canada, so moisture,

then the inevitable corrosion, had

worked their way into the system so

we needed to replace some parts.”

Top right

Note the circular

counterbalance

weights either side

of the propeller boss.

These must be left

in the closed position

on engine shut-down

to prevent moisture

ingress and corrosion.

MATTHEW ROBERTS

Right

Classic Wings’ new

Harvard Mk.IIb looks

resplendent in its

yellow RCAF livery.

PILOTPIX LTD

Bottom right

Classic Wings’

commercial director

Stuart Etheridge (left)

explains some of the

Harvard’s features to

FlyPast’s editor

Chris Clifford.

MATTHEW ROBERTS