Warbird Information Exchange

When a brand new C-17 III Globemaster super heavy transport aircraft lands at Delhi's Palam airport from the US to join the IAF fleet next week, it will be carrying in its belly a vintage Harvard trainer that will fly in the Indian skies again after more than four decades.

The Harvard, a design that dates back to the 1930s, is being brought to India after being restored in Britain. It is the second vintage IAF aircraft to be restored after a Tiger Moth of 1930s vintage that has been flying regularly at air events.

India has a rich aviation heritage and restoration of the Tiger Moth and Harvard is part of the IAF's efforts to preserve these magnificent flying machines.

The delivery of the Harvard will mark the culmination of the first phase of a vintage aircraft restoration programme being undertaken with the help of Britain-based Re-Flight. Six more aircraft will follow this.

The second phase will see a Hurricane, a Spitfire, a Lysander and a Tempest being brought back to life. In the final phase, a Wapiti, the aircraft with which the IAF was born, will be restored.

The 15-year-old programme, which is running behind schedule, was launched in 2008. The first steps towards restoration started in India, where the aircraft to be restored were identified. The task was finally assigned to the British company.

The Tiger Moth and Harvard (HT-291) were the easiest and cheapest to restore. While restoring the Tiger Moth cost around Rs.1 crore, the budget for the Harvard was Rs.2.5 crore.

The delivery of the Harvard has itself become an event as the aircraft is being flown in the C-17 super heavy transporter being delivered by Boeing to the IAF. It is the sixth of the 10 C-17s ordered by India under a $4.17-billion contract. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley will receive the aircraft at Palam airport on July 28.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/supe ... 73978.html

Maybe someone can convince them to get B-24J 44-44213 flying again...

No Furies in any of those pictures!