Doomed youth Page 24

Cold War cordiale Page 32

Avro’s 1940s heavies Pages 36–75

Avro York C.I MW173, named Zipper, was used by Air Chief Marshal Keith Park when he was Commanding Officer of RAF South East Asia Command. Here the aircraft is seen at an unknown airfield which appears to be more Middle Eastern than Asian. The full story of the York begins on page 57 . . .

See page 76 for a great subscription offer to offer to COVER IMAGE RICHARD PAVER photographed RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Avro Lancaster PA474 in August 2009. See pages 36–75 for our special section on Avro’s 1940s “heavies”.

Contents

February 2011 Vol 39 No 2 Issue No 454 (on sale December 29)

Features16SeekandYeShallFind!Forthismonth’sHiddenHistory feature, Polish aviation historian Wojtek Matusiak reveals the identity of the hitherto-anonymous Spitfire “borrowed” by RAF fighter ace Tom Neil during the last year of WW2

24 AMan of Great Promise Johnny de Uphaugh pays tribute to Arnold Barlow, a gifted young journalist/photographer who was killed in an RAF flying-boat while reporting for The Aeroplane in 1938

30 Hooks Tours More goodies from the extensive colour archive of veteran aviation photographer Mike Hooks, this time from 1950s France — formidable!

32 All weather Entente Nick Stroud presents some glorious previously-unpublished images from the Aeroplane glass-plate negative archive, of RAF Javelins and Armée de l’Air Vautours at Leconfield in 1960

80 The San Francisco Blimp Mystery In 1942 US Navy airship L-8 entered a fogbank on a routine patrol over San Francisco, alighting minutes later minus its crew; Howard Carter investigates

AVRO’S 1940s HEAVIESSPECIALSECTION

36 AMatter of Life &Death Former RNZAF Lancaster pilot Gordon Cammell recalls a terrifying night in May 1943, when he was the only member of his crew to survive a vital raid on Essen

42 Aeroplane Rare Colour Archive The Avro Tudor 7 first flew in April 1947, making it the third of our featured Avro 1940s “heavies” — we present a stunning colour image from the archive

44 Around the World with Iris Sqn Ldr Tony Fairbairn relates how Lancaster B.I PA447 was the first of four aircraft to serve with the RAF’s radio unit with the name Iris

DATABASE

57 Avro York Barry Jones describes the genesis and development of Avro’s vital post-war transport. Includes scale drawings and cutaway illustration

In News

Fw 190 flies

Page 6

Mosquito decision Page 9

F-111 retirement Page 10

Douglas A20 Havoc Page 12

Regulars

6 News All the latest preservation news, compiled by Tony Harmsworth

22 Aircrew This month James Kightly’s focus is on the Hawker Tempest anti-V1 pilot — with an illustration by Ian Bott

78 Q&A Your questions asked, and answered, with Mike Hooks

85 Book Reviews 89 Events Events listing from the United Kingdom and worldwide for January and February

90 Flying Visit This month Melvyn Hiscock puts the questions to former US Navy pilot Tim Manna

91 Services and next month in Aeroplane 92 Readers’ Album A wonderful selection of photographs of Canadian aircraft from 1948–52, from reader Ian Morris

94 Skywriters A selection of readers’ letters

98 Hairy Moment Our regular spot for your historic-aviation close calls

Nieuport 23

Page 14

established 1911 established 1911

established 1911 Aeroplane traces its lineage back to the weekly The Aeroplane, founded by the legendary C.G. Grey in 1911 and published until 1968. It was relaunched as a monthly magazine in 1973 by Richard T. Riding (Editor for 25 years until 1998)

1968. It was relaunched as a monthly magazine