COVER IMAGE Golden Apple Operations Ltd’s North American F-86A Sabre 48-178, photographed by JOHN M. DIBBS of the Plane Picture Company while being piloted by Mark Linney on a sortie out of Duxford, Cambs, in October 2010.

Contents

May 2011 Vol 39 No 5 Issue No 457 (on sale March 29)

Features18AVerySlickWacoFrankB.MormillotellsthestorybehindLesWhittlesey’sbeautiful Waco ZPF-7

24 Ubendem, wemendem Philip Jarrett looks into the world of RAF salvage and restoration in Egypt

28 Twin Mustang rebirth The latest project under the leadership of well-known restorer Tom Reilly is XP-82 Twin Mustang 44-83887

DATABASE

69 Fairey Fulmar Matthew Willis tells the full story of Fairey’s surprisingly successful wartime naval fighter. Includes scale drawings by Juanita Franzi and cutaway by John Weal

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30 The Sea Shall Not Have

Them Sqn Ldr Clive Rowley MBE RAF (Ret ’d) marks the 70th anniversary of RAF Search and Rescue

42 Camel Droppings In this month’s Hidden History Philip Jarrett examines air-launched fighters being released from airships

50 If it smokes, it’s friendly Mark Linney, chief pilot of Golden Apple Operations Ltd, provides a fascinating account on flying the world’s only airworthy F-86A Sabre

60 Winged Crusaders Our Battle Honours series looks at 14 Sqn’s attack on Melos using topredos dropped from Marauders, as Martyn Chorlton describes

86 Swiss Sunshades Mike Hooks reports on the interest shown by Switzerland in Emile Dewoitine’s parasol monoplanes

Regulars

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

22 Aircrew James Kightly provides an insight into the “flying policemen” role carried out by crews of the Westland Wapiti. Illustration by Ian Bott

38 Hooks’ Tours This month Mike Hooks provides a selection of colour images of the noisier NATO visitors to the USAF base at Wethersfield in 1960

noisier NATO visitors to the USAF base

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49 Competition Your chance to win a pair of Sopwith covers, one signed by T.O.M. Sopwith

Your chance to win a pair of Sopwith

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

90 Gifts

91 Book Reviews 95 Events Event listings for March and April

96 Flying Visit Melvyn Hiscock puts the questions to Matt Hampton

99 Services and next month in Aeroplane 101From the Archives 102 Readers’ Album A wide variety of aircraft wrecks at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, taken by Malcolm Watts in 1984

102 Skywriters A selection of readers’ letters

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

In News

Gamecock revival Page 7

FW 190 for Virginia Page 9

Early Phantom to fly Page 10

Dragon airborne Page 12

Spitfire first air-to-air Page16

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