The Bell P-63 Kingcobra first flew in December 1942 and was the successor to the Bell P-39 Airacobra. The Kingcobra featured significant improvements in design and performance but visually the most notable difference is the larger airframe and tail fin, along with the big four bladed propeller. The Bell P-39 Airacobra and P-63 Kingcobra both… Read More The Bell P-63 Kingcobra – All Hail The King!
The German Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was the first operational jet fighter and appeared in air combat towards the end of World War Two. The Me 262 has always been one of my favourite World War Two era aircraft. It wasn’t the best jet to ever grace the skies but I have always… Read More The Survivors: Messerschmitt Me 262 – Germany’s Jet Fighter
Any (North American) Rockwell OV-10 Bronco fans out there? It is one of my favourite aircraft. I like the styling of the Bronco and it was a great success story for Rockwell as a light attack and observation aircraft. 360 OV-10 aircraft were produced between 1965 and 1986. OV-10 US Military Service The OV-10 first… Read More Rockwell OV-10 Bronco: The Observation and Counter Insurgency Specialist
During the Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019 (March 1st to 3rd) there was also a Friday night show. The glorious sunset made a great backdrop for the twilight flying displays and then the night program featured massive flare drops, aircraft pyrotechnics and yes, even unplanned grass fires! A crowd favourite was a single pass by a… Read More Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019 Night Show
It was windy, dusty and hot, very hot, at Avalon this year! Temperatures pushed upwards of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and it was not for the feint hearted – heat stroke was apparently a problem in the crowd on the public days (March 1st to 3rd)! I have been to many scorching shows in… Read More Avalon Australian International Airshow 2019
Wouldn’t you know it but after weeks of relatively dry days, the weather god’s decided to play some fun and games with storm fronts all over New Zealand right on the weekend of the Wings Over Wairarapa Air Festival 2019 at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton (February 22nd to 24th)! Heavy rains were predicted and rain did… Read More Wings Over Wairarapa Air Festival 2019
In December 2016 I headed to the outskirts of Madrid in Spain, to visit the Spanish Air Force Museum (Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica de España). The museum was inexpensive to enter (just 3 euros in 2016) but to see such a large collection of aircraft spanning the history of the Spanish Air Force, along with aircraft… Read More Spain’s Messerschmitt Bf 109 Hybrids: The Hispano Aviación HA-1112 Tripala and Buchón
At six monthly intervals since January 2018, I have dropped by to visit the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre (NAHC) in the small Wimmera town of Nhill, Victoria and check up their grass-roots, community based restoration of an Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 1941 Avro Anson Mk.I (Serial Number W2364) and a pair of RAAF Link… Read More Restoring an Avro Anson – 2019 Update
Meet the Fokkers… The Australian Vintage Aviation Society (TAVAS) Museum has a fantastic collection of flying reproduction and replica World War One and early pioneering aircraft. A major component of their aircraft are replica and reproduction Fokker scout fighter aircraft as flown by the German Imperial Air Service (Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte) during the 1915-1918 period of… Read More The Australian Vintage Aviation Society (TAVAS) – Fokker Scout Fighters
Walk in, take in the view, smell the rotary engines lubricated with castor oil and take a step back in time… Welcome to The Australian Vintage Aviation Society (TAVAS) Museum! TAVAS, a non-profit, volunteer based organisation is located in Hangar 106 at the Caboolture Aerodrome on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland has a fantastic collection of… Read More The Australian Vintage Aviation Society (TAVAS) – Pioneers & The Australian Flying Corps
Aces Flying High 