COVER IMAGE MICHAEL BUCKLE photographed Avro Vulcan B.2 XH558/G-VLCN on June 13, 2009. See page 24 for a 50thbirthday-season update on the aircraft’s current status and recent/ planned activities.

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Contents

October 2010 Vol 38 No 10 Issue No 450 (on sale September 1)

Features 16 Trippe of a Lifetime Robert Bluffield traces an epic east-west global research flight undertaken by Pan American’s founder Juan Trippe in 1936

36 Rare colour archive Another superb colour photograph unearthed from the Aeroplane archives; a Supermarine Spitfire F.21

38 Saunders’s First-born In this month’s Hidden History, Philip Jarrett details the development of the Saunders T.1 — the first type built by an early incarnation of Saunders-Roe

46 Flying the Butcher Bird To celebrate the publication of a much-expanded version of his Wings of the Luftwaffe book, Capt Eric “Winkle” Brown describes flying the Fw 190, Storch and bizarre asymmetric Bv 141

56 Eagles Aloft Richard Seddon talks to Major Rob Ashley, the Commanding Officer of the Army Historic Aircraft Flight, this year celebrating its fortieth anniversary

DATABASE

61 AWAAlbemarle Barry Jones tells the full story of the mediocre — but useful — Albemarle

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A SALUTE TO THE Avro Vulcan 24 Flying 50 Avro Vulcan B.2 XH558 has been celebrating its 50th year with airshow appearances up and down the UK — but what of its future? Tim Skeet reports on its progress

28 Aircrew This month’s crew focus is on the Avro Vulcan pilot — with illustration by Ian Bott

30 Delta Down! In January 1971 Vulcan B.2 XM610 suffered a catastrophic engine fire over Northumberland. Russell Gray describes a hair-raising escape

In News

Oshkosh Corsair

Page 6

DC-3 75th

Page 8

Lightning “Q-shed” Page 10

’109 to fly again Page 12

Regulars

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

23 Picture of the Month An opportunity for you to purchase a picture from our archives — this month it is the Bristol Britannia C Mk I XL635

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

79 Book Reviews

82 Competition Your chance to win a Blu-ray player and a boxset of The World at War

83 Events

85 Flying Visit Melvyn Hiscock interviews former No 1 Sqn Battle of Britain fighter pilot Wg Cdr J.F.D. “Tim” Wilkinson

87 Moving On . . . Registration updates with Mike Hooks

89 Services, Next Month

92 Readers’ Album An intriguing collection of pictures taken in China by David Lucabaugh

94 Skywriters A selection of readers’ letters

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

Islander moves Page 14

e t 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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