Pre-production photos, HA2810, F-22A Raptor 412 TW.

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series, HA2810, F-22A Raptor 91-4007, 412 TW, 2013.

Aviation Exclusive – Sea Vixen XP924/G-CVIX’s owner speaks.

After an untimely mishap in 2012, the future for DS Aviation (Military) UK Ltd’s de Havilland Sea Vixen, XP924/G-CVIX, looked rather uncertain.  In an exclusive interview, Tom Mercer spoke to the aircraft’s owner, Julian Jones, to discover the current situation and the latest plans for moving forward.

57 years since its first flight, there is now only one airworthy Sea Vixen left worldwide and it is operated by DS Aviation (Military) UK Ltd at Bournemouth Airport. XP924/G-CVIX has had a tough few years and has spent a lot of time away from the display circuit. I spoke to Julian Jones, owner of the Sea Vixen, in an exclusive interview to find out what happened after the incident in 2012 and where the aircraft goes from here.

“Fortunately, there was no damage to the main landing gear itself, however there was minor damage to the aircraft below. As we know, the fault was a mix of pilot error and the way that the weight-on-wheels interlock system worked following the drone pack conversions in the ’80s. This has now been re-designed to provide dual redundancy, and the following had to be repaired: nose lower skin, dry air bay doors, middle nose leg door and seven internal frames and longerons. We also had to completely replace the nose landing gear, upper and nose landing gear main door, as well as the port pylon tank.”

http://www.globalaviationresource.com/v2/2014/02/17/aviation-exclusive-sea-vixen-xp924g-cvixs-owner-speaks/

The search for the Burma Spitfires continues...

A new dig for the Birmingham Spitfires which are rumoured to be buried in Burma was beginning today.

Spitfire hunter David Cundall has finally been given the green light to start the fresh excavation work after weeks of frustrating delays.

Supported by Staffordshire-based JCB, a special hydraulic hammer was being used to smash through a layer of concrete near a perimeter fence at Yangon International Airport near Rangoon.

“Things are moving at last,” said 64-year-old Mr Cundall.

He has been on a 17-year Indiana Jones-style quest to try to find the World War Two fighters.

Legend has it that a batch of Castle Bromwich-built Spitfires, which were shipped to Burma but never flew, were buried in their crates before Allied troops returned home. 

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/new-burma-dig-hidden-spitfires-6776986

Final product photos, HA8309, Spitfire IXc flown by Chef Denys Boudard.

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series, HA8309, Spitfire IXc "MJ966" flown by Chef Denys Boudard, 340 Sqn. FAF France, June 1944 in support of the D-Day landing.

Pre-production photos, HA1318, A-10C Thunderbolt II.

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series, HA1318, A-10C Thunderbolt II 80-0188, 188th FW, Arkansas ANG, 2011.