Britain’s Schneider Racers Page 32

The Timeless Texan

Page 44

The “Flying Tank” flies again Page 53

See page 60 for a great subscription offer to Aeroplane

As well as some great savings, we have a limited time offer where new subscriptions and renewals include this great Praktica monocular, with a 10x magnification – ideal for viewing your favourite aircraft even closer!

Regulars 6 NEWS

All the latest preservation news, compiled by Tony Harmsworth 26 AIRCREW

42 READERS’ ALBUM

A selection of pictures of civil aircraft taken in the summers of 1958 and 1959 at Coolidge Field, Antigua, by Mr Williams

James Kightly looks at the role of the air gunners on board a Short Sunderland, whose “aim was not to please”. Illustration by Ian Bott 30 HOOKS’ TOURS

This month’s selection of Mike Hooks’s photographs features Russian airliners of Tupolev designs, taken between 1956 and 1970 40 FROM THE ARCHIVES

59

WIN! WIN!WIN!

COMPETITION

Your chance to win a fantastic spending spree on products and services worth up to £500 at Aces High Aviation Gallery!

62 Q&A, LOST & FOUND

Your questions asked, and answered, with Mike Hooks, while Philip Jarrett asks for the date and location of pictures of a Second World War German aircraft dump

64 SKYWRITERS

A selection of readers’ letters 84 EVENTS

UK event listings through to spring 2012 85 FLYING VISIT

Melvyn Hiscock talks to John Hutchinson, former Concorde captain and RAF pilot, about his flying career 86 BOOK REVIEWS 88 GIFTS 97 SERVICES AND NEXT

MONTH IN AEROPLANE 98 HAIRY MOMENT

Our regular spot for your historic aviation close calls

MAIN PIC: Samuel Franklin Cowdery, widely known as “Colonel Cody”, aloft in his Circuit of Britain biplane at Hendon. Wilfred Parke was the first pilot Cody allowed to fly his aircraft and their friendship even withstood a crash of this aircraft on December 8, 1911. See page 90 for the story of one of Britain’s pioneer test pilots. COVER IMAGE: The Flying Heritage Collection’s Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik s/n 305401, which has been restored to airworthy condition, as photographed by BORIS OSETINSKY.

ContentsFebruary2012Vol40No2IssueNo466(onsaleDec28)

16

Features

JUST GIVE ME THIS DAY PLEASE Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC recently made a very moving after-dinner speech, and with his kind permission we present extracts of it which will doubtless prove of great interest to many Aeroplane readers

20

THE SLEEKEST HUNTER Tony Buttler concludes his account of de Havilland Blue Jay air-to-air missile trials using the Hawker P.1109, which began in our January issue, with pilot reports on what the jet was like to fly by “Bob” Broad

24

FLYING OFFICER G.S.L. HAYWARD MC Norman Franks continues his Died on Active Service series of brief articles telling how, following the Armistice, luck just ran out for some of the more experienced, and decorated, First World War airmen

28

FLYING BRITAIN’S SCHNEIDER RACERS Philip Jarrett concludes his account of what the British Schneider Trophy aircraft were like to fly

44

THE TIMELESS TEXAN Kathryn “KT” Budde-Jones relates how experienced pilots recently compared the T-6 and P-51 with a new trainer which takes its name from US aviation heritage

53

THE “FLYING TANK” FLIES AGAIN On September 27, 2011, at Novosibirsk, Siberia, an Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik made its post-restoration maiden flight, the first time in 60 years that an example of the Second World War’s most lethal ground-attack aircraft has flown. Mark Sheppard describes how Russia’s most highly-lauded warplane was brought back to life

28

LINCOLN AERO CLUB Barry Hunter won the opportunity to write about his flying club as a prize at the 2011 RAF Cranwell Fly-in

90

PIONEER TEST PILOT Harry Fraser-Mitchell highlights the flying career of one of Britain’s first test pilots, Lt Wilfred Parke RN

DATABASE

In News

Judy gets its wings Page 6

Two-seat Spitfire nearly ready Page 7

FW-190 resumes test flying Page 8

Hunter for France Page 10

Combat floatplane unveiled Page11

6 9

69 BAC TSR.2 Martyn Chorlton looks at possibly the greatest aircraft the RAF never had th e

15 15 PAGES OF PAGES OF DETAILDETAIL

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)

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