Volume 23 #1, Issue 104

AIR FIGHTER ACADEMY

Historic Heringsdorf Airfield in Germany is home to a very exciting flying museum known as ‘The Air Fighter Academy’ (AFA) or ‘The Hangar 10’ collection. The Collection, which is open to the public, is very much the brainchild of keen aviator Volker Schülke and his family and comprises a large stable of historic aircraft, vehicles, engines, and many WWII artefacts and interactive displays. The Collection has been in the news in recent times as much of the flyable warbirds have been offered for sale, however this doesn’t mean the end of AFA, on the contrary the collection will continue to diversify to keep interest levels high.

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YEALAND’S CLASSIC FIGHTERS - EASTER 2017

The theme of this year’s spectacular was ‘Racing through Time’ - this showcasing how aviation technology enjoyed rapid bursts of progress at various junctures throughout 20th Century history. This occurred most noticeably during times of conflict, but also through times in which aviation competition gave participants the inspiration and incentive to push the boundaries of technology in order to go much faster, much sooner! The special guest aircraft, the brutish and very quick Yak-3R-2000 ‘Steadfast’ certainly proved it is the pinnacle of such development, prior to the onset of jet power. In this overview we have some stunning images and take a close look at ‘Steadfast.’ This leads us nicely into...

THE YAKS DOWNUNDER

Still the warbird world’s best kept secret, the new built Yak series deliver on all fronts and are now performing admirably the world over. Here we provide a short overview of the rebirth of this famous Soviet fighter and thereafter focus on those which are resident Downunder. There is to be another flyer in the future, with a syndicated ‘Yak-9V’ undergoing a build at Omaka. Being a dual controlled fighter, this will allow numerous pilots and passengers to experience a V-12 at a fraction of the cost of full ownership.

EMIL EXAMINATION

The only intact example of the two known surviving Messerschmitt Bf109Es which served with the famed Legion Condor during the Spanish Civil War) is undergoing a forensic study to determine the colours and markings of its previous lives, the ultimate goal to finish the fighter in authentic markings rather than the fanciful generic finish it has worn since arriving in Germany back in 1960 - a gift to the German Government at the behest of none other than Willy Messerschmitt himself. In this article we take a look at this detective work. We also take a report on an exciting find in the museum store and plans involving the Me 163.

MYSTERY AIRCRAFT

Our last teaser was the Ilyushin DB-3/IL-4. Although built in substantial numbers and operated throughout the Great Patriotic War in a number of roles, this bomber is little recognized in the West. The type suffered serious design and manufacturing problems through to the early years of the war, and although it was not able to reach the performance required by the Soviet Air Force, it was no doubt a modern aircraft for its time and with constant improvements proved to be able to fulfil its various roles more than adequately. Here we take a look at its history and check out the few examples which survive.