In
our continuing in depth look at Yakovlevs' piston engine
designs, we concentrate on the new build Pratt & Whitney
powered, Yak UPW. Based on a late war prototype which became
the forerunner of the Yak 11 trainer, the aircraft has been
redesigned and produced at a military aircraft factory in
Romania. A second batch is now underway and, at a quarter of
the price of a P-51, with a superior performance, it is
making a high performance warbird affordable and a viable
alternative for many.
A
very significant Hurricane has been rediscovered in Russia.
Found in a cold lake at a depth of 19m., the Hurricane is
intact and is the most complete, original example to be
recovered to date. The significance of the airframe to
Russia is due to it being the first example officially
handed over to the Soviet Air Force by the RAF. Sponsors are
now being sought to restore the aircraft to fly and it is
hoped it can be displayed in Russia and abroad. We detail
the history, recovery and include some stunning
photographs.
It
is a hive of activity at Murray Griffiths workshop, with
good progress being made on several important projects. We
take a close up look at the work so far, featuring P-39s,
A-20s, Kingfisher, P-40 and an exciting new initiative.
Several of the rare Japanese Ki-61 'Tony' fighters are now
on site, three of which will be flyers and one a static for
the Port Moresby Museum, PNG.
In
this issue we look into the background of these attractive
classic biplanes. Built in the USA, Canada and Romania, the
history and origin of the Fleet series is somewhat
confusing, along with the curious mix of model designations.
In its early career it performed many roles including
pioneering Air Mail routes, but perhaps found its fame as an
aircrew trainer for both the USAAF and RCAF.
In
our continuing in depth look at Yakovlevs' piston engine
designs, we concentrate on the new build Pratt & Whitney
powered, Yak UPW. Based on a late war prototype which became
the forerunner of the Yak 11 trainer, the aircraft has been
redesigned and produced at a military aircraft factory in
Romania. A second batch is now underway and, at a quarter of
the price of a P-51, with a superior performance, it is
making a high performance warbird affordable and a viable
alternative for many.
A
very significant Hurricane has been rediscovered in Russia.
Found in a cold lake at a depth of 19m., the Hurricane is
intact and is the most complete, original example to be
recovered to date. The significance of the airframe to
Russia is due to it being the first example officially
handed over to the Soviet Air Force by the RAF. Sponsors are
now being sought to restore the aircraft to fly and it is
hoped it can be displayed in Russia and abroad. We detail
the history, recovery and include some stunning
photographs.
It
is a hive of activity at Murray Griffiths workshop, with
good progress being made on several important projects. We
take a close up look at the work so far, featuring P-39s,
A-20s, Kingfisher, P-40 and an exciting new initiative.
Several of the rare Japanese Ki-61 'Tony' fighters are now
on site, three of which will be flyers and one a static for
the Port Moresby Museum, PNG.
In
this issue we look into the background of these attractive
classic biplanes. Built in the USA, Canada and Romania, the
history and origin of the Fleet series is somewhat
confusing, along with the curious mix of model designations.
In its early career it performed many roles including
pioneering Air Mail routes, but perhaps found its fame as an
aircrew trainer for both the USAAF and RCAF.
Jon
Davidson relates his experiences on a four day journey
across Australia as a passenger in one of the three
Nanchangs making the trip. 
