WARBIRDFINDERS.CO.UK

PROGRESS REPORTS

BF110s BOUND FOR BERLIN...

The two Messerschmitt Bf 110s recovered from Russia by Jim Pearce in the early Nineties and subsequently sold to Sir Tim Wallis's Alpine Fighter Collection as long-term restoration projects  have been sold again — and this time they are returning to Germany. Along with two of the Junkers Ju 87 Stukas also brought out of the former USSR by Pearce they have been acquired by the Museum für Verkehr und Technik in Berlin. The deal was made on behalf of Sir Tim's Alpinedeer Group by Tony Ditheridge's UK-based company Hawker Restorations... it is expected that the aircraft will be conserved and restored for static display.

Published in: Aeroplane magazine

Deutsches Technikmuseum, Berlin, Germany. Website: http://www.dtmb.de/index_en.html
 

ALPINE FIGHTER COLLECTION HAWKER HURRICANE P3351/ZK-TOL...

The long-awaited first flight of Alpine Fighter Collection Hawker Hurricane P3351/ZK-TOL took place on January 12 from Christchurch Airport, New Zealand, with Kieth Skilling at the controls. Painted in the colours it wore with 73 Sqn during the battle of France in the early summer of 1940. P3351 made three more problem-free test flights the next day. At the conclusion of the Battle of France P3351 returned to Britain, only to crash at Prestwick in July 1940. Rebuilt as a Mk IIA, it was deliver to the Soviet Air Force in May 1941, crashing near Murmansk in 1943. Recovered by Jim Pearce during 1992, it was bought by the Wanaka-based Alpine Fighter Collection, the rebuild being carried out at Hawker restorations in the UK (see November 1995 Aeroplane) before it was shipped to New Zealand in October 1995 where the fitting of systems, painting and finishing has been carried out by Air New Zealand. Watch Aeroplane for more on this exceptional restoration soon.

Published in: Aeroplane magazine

New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum (Alpine Fighter Collection), Wanaka Airport, New Zealand.
Website: http://www.nzfpm.co.nz

SHTURMOVIKS ARRIVE IN THE UK...

Warbird finder Jim Pearce secured another coup in early July 96 with the arrival at his Sussex base of substantial parts of four Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmoviks from Russia. They are the first examples seen in the UK — and there could be more of these armoured attack planes to come. Comprising one single-seat Il-2 and three two-seat Il2-m3, the batch includes a mixed bag of sections and parts, many in excellent condition and some already restored, and nine 1600 h.p. AM-38 engines. The aircraft had been amassed at Pushkin near St Petersburg. To date (Jan 07) no further IL-2's have been recovered.

Published in: Aeroplane magazine

RUSSIAN KITTYHAWK GOES TO USA...
Lend-Lease P40K to be put back in the air in Georgia

Curtiss P40-k Kittyhawk 42-10083, brought to the UK from Russia in 1995 by Sussex-based warbird recovered Jim Pearce, has been sold to an American restorer. The well-preserver former Soviet Air Force fighter left Pearce's base in a container on February 17 bound for P40 specialist Tom Wilson in Georgia. Pearce tells Vintage News that Wilson plans to begin restoring the Kittyhawk to airworthiness straight away. It last flew on November 10, 1944, when a cannon shell through the fuel tank  necessitated a forced-landing somewhere near Murmansk... little is know of the aircraft's Soviet service, which began — according to a copy of the aircraft's record card obtained by Aeroplane contributor Mark Sheppard — with its Lend-Lease allocation to Russia on October 18, 1942. It had no previous USAAF service, having been delivered from Curtiss Aircraft's  plant at Buffalo, New York State, just five days earlier.

Published in: Aeroplane magazine

Following the delivery of its newly-acquired Hawker Hurricane from Russia in early October, reported last month, the Brooklands Museum at Weybridge has launched an appeal to fund its restoration to full static display condition.

In a deal arranged via war-bird recovery specialist Jim Pearce, the museum bought unrestored but substantially complete Hurricane IIA Z2389, taking advantage of a rare opportunity to acquire a combat-veteran fighter. Although its place of manufacture has not been positively confirmed, it "is believed to have been built at and test flown from Brooklands and delivered from there in late 1940," says the museum, "so it may truly be said to have returned 'home' after 57 years".

Having served with five RAF squadrons Z2389 was crated and shipped to Russia in April 1942 to join the Red Air Force. Shot down over Siberia during a dogfight with two Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109Fs and five Bf 110s, it crash-landed on rocky ground in a remote area. Recovered and taken to St Petersburg in summer 1996, it came to the UK by sea via Hull.

The Hurricane was bought with money provided by the National Heritage Memorial Fund — which put up 90 per cent of the cost — and the PRISM Fund, administered by the Science Museum. An important addition to the Brooklands Museum's collection of Vickers and Hawker aircraft, it "is very much a 'missing link' in the 36 aircraft in our collection which tell the story of British endeavour in flight from A.V. Roe to the Harrier jump jet", says the museum.

"When our Hurricane goes on display", Brooklands' says curator of aviation Julian Temple, "it will be the only example on show to the public at a former Hurricane production centre." The prototype, K5083, was first flown at Brooklands on November 6, 1935; subsequently some 2,800 examples were completed and flown from the Surrey airfield, averaging two a day at peak production.

Published in: Aeroplane magazine

Brooklands Museum, Brooklands Rd, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 OQN. Tel: 01932 857381. http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/

AIRCRAFT RECOVERED (click a thumbnail to view a larger image - where available)