Volume 21 #1, Issue 94

THE BATTLE OF MICHIGAN

Over the past few years we have been fortunate to report on the recovery of several historic airframes from the vast underwater storage locker that is Lake Michigan. Amongst the treasures recovered have been a combat veteran Hellcat and a unique F4U-1 Corsair. It seemed that the difficult times which had curtailed such recoveries for over a decade previously were just a bad memory. Sadly that memory has returned to haunt as Taras Lyssenko, one of the founding members of A and T Recovery, the professional team which has safely raised these iconic aircraft, explains. Taras looks at the causes and consequences in the ongoing battle to save these treasures from oblivion - which is a certainty given the poor state of the last recovery undertaken almost two years ago.

THEY'RE HEINKELS!

Two articles on this important Luftwaffe type, beginning with Jan Forsgren taking a look at a Swedish initiative to rebuild an example which force landed on a frozen lake in 1940 and was subsequently dragged ashore and abandoned. One of the most ambitious restoration projects in Sweden to date will see the Heinkel displayed in a full-scale diorama, showing the bomber soon after its forced landing. We then shift focus on to the original surviving examples (as opposed to the more common, albeit still rare, Spanish CASA models), which are few and far between.

FORD TRI-MOTOR

Moose Peterson takes a look at the Father of American Commercial Aviation in this piece and provides the air to air photography to go with it. The heyday of the Ford Tri-Motor may have been relatively brief, but its impact upon introduction was immediate. It providing reliability and comfort and launched aviation into an era that today is taken for granted. Starting with an overview of the type’s history, the author singles out the immaculate Tin Goose known as ‘City of Richmond’ for special attention.

THE TROJAN HORSE

Have you ever dreamt of finding a warbird in another country, buying it and shipping it home? Steve Robinson has done just that! Here he describes the adventure of sourcing a T-28B Trojan in the USA, learning to fly it and then shipping it across the planet back to his hangar in Western Australia. This was of course not without its fair share of headaches; however with the help of a number of people on both continents, the end result has made the ups and downs well worth the effort. The big aircraft is now safely tucked away in its new home and Steve and his son are ready to take on the challenge of getting to know her!

FAIRCHILD SUPER 71

Our last Mystery Aircraft was unique in Canadian aviation history, being the first metal-skinned aircraft to be built in the country. A new design based on the Fairchild 71, the futuristic looking machine specifically targeted bush-flying operations in the remote areas of the vast country. We take a look at the type’s design, both for civil and military use and the long journey which the prototype has travelled from its first flight in 1934 until roll out for display at the Western Canada Aviation Museum after a marathon restoration.

AIRSHOWS

Birds over the Beach, USA
Sky Fest, Canada