impressive photography

Found on http://thesunsetempire.tumblr.com/

it started with one rivet, and ended up costing 1 million British pounds

A joke 40th birthday present led to Martin Phillips setting out to achieve his boyhood dream.

Martin had talked about restoring a Spitfire fighter aircraft for so many years that his friends finally clubbed together to buy him his first piece.

But it wasn't a propeller, wing or engine which set the £2.5m project rolling. It was a tiny "pop rivet" — suspended on a string in a huge cardboard box.

Now, some 13 years later, the 53-year-old businessman from Exeter has not only completed the mission of rebuilding the heroic Battle of Britain fighter plane but also realised his dream of seeing the Second World War aircraft take to the sky once more.

Mr Phillips spent years of his life meticulously restoring the iconic fighter plane to its former glory in his Langford warehouse, outside his home in Newton St Cyres, near Exeter.

He has travelled the world in a desperate search for spare parts, expert knowledge and inspiration – although one of its wings comes from a Spitfire which crashed near Exeter Airport and lay for decades in a hedge near a pub until it was salvaged. Mr. Phillips sourced the main fuselage from a scrapyard in South Africa,

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Martin-s-Spitfire-returns-sky/story-18013935-detail/story.html



photos from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270031/Businessman-spent-1m-restoring-Spitfire-scrapyard-10-years-ago-sees-fly-again.html

great images from Marc Tudeau's facebook page

above, 1908 French Gran Prix

above, the little cartoon looking car is a Mopetta

Betty Skelton above and below

Found on https://www.facebook.com/marc.tudeau

Armistice day demo of WW1 airplanes in New Zealand

the Hood Aerodrome has this cool event every year.. where else could you see these antiques up and flying around?!  http://hoodaerodrome.org.nz/

design with elegance, the Zephyr and airplane photo, in Rio

Found on http://antigosverdeamarelo.blogspot.ca/2011/09/lincoln-zephyr-1936-in-rio-de-janeiro.html

When two planes love each other very much...

Found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/yachtclubdesavionsdelaroute/

most people can't drive in the rain, this pilot stuck the landing in a gale that was twisting his plane around... My guess is there might be brass magnets in the runway pulling down pilots with big brass balls

Found on http://sploid.gizmodo.com/i-cant-believe-this-twisting-plane-managed-to-land-in-1550920878

nose art, yeah, that is cool... but this is cooler

how to field assemble a P 47 Thunderbolt.... awesome training film, skip the first 3minutes 30sec

skip the first 3minutes 30sec

Found on http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/fun-facts/uncrating-field-assembly-p-47-thunderbolt-fighter-1944.html

why were the B52 Stratofortresses cut up and thrown away?

Because of the nuclear disarmament treaty of 2011 for some reason they decided to point the finger at the b52's as the method for launching nuke weapons. As if subs can't do that. Anyway, it was a surprise to me, and I thought I'd share the info http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/b-52-bombers-cut-arizona-compliance-russian-treaty.html

the boneyard at Davis Monthan Air Force base in Arizona

found on http://sploid.gizmodo.com/beautiful-time-lapse-of-the-boneyard-the-airplane-ceme-1532723971

Planes look quite birdlike with the nose gear retracted. Unfortunately this B1 bomber had to crash land. That nose gear was not coming out to play

Found on http://sploid.gizmodo.com/impressive-b-1b-bomber-emergency-crash-landing-on-a-dry-1531957512

Did you know a U2 could land on an aircraft carrier for a refuel?

there was a bit of a story about the whole thing:

The landing followed a mission over northeast Russia . The U-2’s 80-foot wingspan meant it could only go a short distance before it collided with the superstructure of the ship. Because of the ship’s speed and a headwind, Beeler said he was able to touch down and come to a stop in about five feet. “When I came aboard they had a ceremony welcoming the Air Force into the Navy. I said, ‘I don’t have much I like about the Navy except one thing,’ ” he said. That one thing was the Navy pilots’ leather jackets. Before he left the ship the following day, the captain had given him one.

a B 29 is nearing the end of it's restoration, in Wichita Kansas. Named "Doc" for one of Snow Whites dwarves, it was found in the Mojave where it had been baking for 40 years

Jeff Turner, chairman of the non­profit group Doc's Friends, said the goal of flying Doc to Oshkosh in 2014 is in sight, but as much as $2 million more needs to be raised to make it happen. The Doc project has been in Wichita since 2000, but only this year was it turned over to the new 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation. That lengthy gestation may be attributed to the stewardship of project organizer and founder Tony Mazzolini, who wanted to ensure any foundation taking on Doc had the right vision. "I needed to make sure I put the aircraft into the right hands for the future,'' Mazzolini explained. When refurbished, Doc will be only the second flyable B-29 in the world.
It will take an estimated $7 million to $9 million to finish the restoration, get the plane flying and secure a hangar, Turner said. “None of us are professional fundraisers,” Turner said. “We’re looking for people who want to step up.”
As the Air Capital of the World, Wichita has the aviation expertise to see the project through, officials said. “The aviation infrastructure here is very good,” Sarver said. “There’s a lot of talented people with the skills we need.” Still, the project needs volunteers with specific skills, such as aircraft electricians, sheet metal mechanics, another inspector and those with radial engine experience.
From : http://www.kansas.com/2014/01/01/3206432/hopes-high-that-restored-b-29.html

for more: http://www.b-29doc.com/

Margaret Bourke White was sent to cover the 8th Bomber Command in WW2, here are a couple of her photos

Photos found on http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2294284/WWII-color-Rare-photos-1942-Flying-Fortress-bombers-heroic-crews-The-Mighty-8th-Command.html

Relics of WW2 at Popondetta ( New Guinea ) airport, are a B-25 Mitchell bomber and a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter.

Found on http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/world-war-2-relics-papua-new-guinea-travelogue-in-1980-by-bwana_brown.html

the Lonesome Polecat, was raised from a Swiss lake in 1952, put on display, and scraped in the 1970's because it hindered a building development

The plane sank largely intact to the bottom of the lake, where it stayed until 1952, when it was raised, restored and exhibited around the country. In 1966, it travelled to St Gallen, where a businessman planned to build a “bomber theme park”.

 This never materialised, so in 1970 the plane went on display in St Moritz. But after a few years it was blocking a building development; since no buyer could be found, it was turned into scrap metal despite being of historical value.

http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/warbirds-crashed-switzerland-wwii.html

this B 17 wreck was still there in New Guinea as of 2008

known as the Gray Ghost, or the Black Cat Pass B17... full information here: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-9234.html

Soviet bomber listed (even for a moment) on Ebay

Ebay pulled the listing already, but.. I gotta say, that is one impressive aircraft

A Tu-95MS, a cruise missile launching variant of the Bear built in 1987 that was retired by the Ukrainian Air Force after only 454 hours of flight time, has been posted for sale on the auction site by a German seller. http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/sale-ebay-one-lightly-used-soviet-bear-bomber-low-mileage.html

A museum is gathering as many B 17 parts as they can to build a B17... from scraps!

Champaign Aviation Museum of Ohio volunteers are piecing together various plane parts to bring back to life a vintage aircraft from the World War II era. A piece was found under the porch of an elderly woman in the next town. Another part was bought from a bar owner who had it hanging in Colorado. Another piece was used as a prop in a TV show way back 1960. The tail section was from a wreck site in Alaska.

 The dozens of volunteers are piecing together the parts like a jigsaw puzzle at a small Ohio museum. Once the project is complete, a new and airworthy model of one of the world’s most famous military planes, the World War II bomber B-17.



The volunteers are working on a vintage plane based on a collection of 28,000 original Boeing Co. blueprints which the Smithsonian Institution provided generously. And they are making history.

a teacher at a local vocational school on aviation asks his students to help in the building of the Flying Fortress. The incomplete plane can be viewed by visitors when the museum is open.

The first five pieces were from five different sources. The other parts needed and cannot be found or restored had to be made from scratch. Randy Kemp, 56 years old, serves as the project manager who oversees the fabrication of new pieces. He also takes charge of around 100 volunteers who come and go. Some even come from as far as England to volunteer for the ambitious project.

Shiffer further said that the project will cost millions. Donations and fundraisers have contributed to the completion of the plane. The museum also plans to hold a benefit dinner in April at the museum. Amanda Wright Lane, a great grandniece of Orville and Wilbur Wright will be expected to appear in the dinner to give a talk.

http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/ohio-museum-volunteers-building-vintage-wwii-plane.html